My joints feel weak - more like rubber than bone as I finish my latest P.E. session and walk to Uni. As I slowly make my way to the vending machine (the one with food), I take out a wrinkled dollar bill and insert it; the vending machine is unresponsive. There's not even a blinking red light to tell me I'm doing something wrong or a taped note; the vending machine is giving me the silent treatment. I repeat the process six times, and in frustration, I take out a different dollar bill. I'm late to class, but unfortunately, a rebellious vending machine is no excuse.
The irony is that the campus invested money to install credit card readers on vending machines when the dollar bill mechanism doesn't even work. Unless Uni students "borrow" their parents' credit cards, those credit card readers have seen less action than students at Uni dances (so I'm told). I appreciate the credit card readers for their conveniency, especially since I unwittingly take currency out of the economy whenever I lose the 15 cents the vending machine gives back to me. However, there are simpler problems to solve: the vending machines aren't evenly distributed at Uni.
There are three vending machines with beverages and only one vending machine that sells food, and the food vendine machine stopped accepting dollar bills. I visit the food vending machine about twice as much as the beverage vending machines, especially because water (from water fountains at least) is free and (in my opinion) preferable to soda and vitamin water. And who doesn't like getting two sausage sticks for the price of one (the second sausage stick sometimes slips past its holder)? It's not luck; it's skill.
I agree that the credit card thing is quite annoying! Like you said, what kind of high school student carries a credit card around with them? I don't usually use vending machines anyway, so I'm not really bothered by it. But still, I'm glad you mentioned this on your blog, since I've had the exact same thoughts about that credit card system just not making sense.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange that the vending machine company can't be bothered to keep the machine accepting money. You'd think they'd design them so that bills can always go in, whether there's food in there or not.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a fellow victim of the Uni High vending machine, I can truly sympathize with your plight. I have often had to sacrifice dollar bills in order to get to class on time. If you ever have the chance to do so, please teach your two-for-one skill in an Agora class or something.
ReplyDeleteOverall, wonderful post! This was quite fun to read.
I don't know what warrants the machine to stop working, but it is very irritating. It seems like the only times that I do visit the food machine are the times that it doesn't work. Otherwise, I have the misfortune of paying, the corkscrew spinning, but my bag of chips or whatever gets stuck.
ReplyDeletewell written post
Great post! The Uni vending machines are horrible. They malfunction in some way at least every week. I don't get it; wouldn't the company stocking the machines want them to work? That way they'd sell more because people would actually be able to insert money and get food and probably go back to the same machine later.
ReplyDelete