As of recently, new vending machines have been placed in between the spanish classes where they serve chips, drinks and bars for students to purchase during break and between periods.
Rather, students have found themselves at odds with a recurring issue: vending machines taking money rather than dispensing promised snacks. Aimed to provide a quick snack there’s nothing worse than paying for a snack between classes and you receive nothing you paid for.
For students that rely on these vending machines to get through a long day or before sports practice and clubs, these become an issue that is going unheard of. For months, the vending machines at Mira Costa provided convenient and accessible food for students, especially ones who forgot a snack or buy lunch everyday.
But when the machines don’t work, it creates a disruption in students’ routines of eating at school, which can cause larger problems.
“I have lost count how many times the machines have taken my money,” Says senior Ellie Morris, “I feel like I am just wasting my money.”
As most students need a nutritional diet throughout the day/week, not being able to access food when it’s needed, this can impair students’ focus in class and energy levels. This leaves students at Costa with empty stomachs and low energy levels.
As this has become a reoccurring issue, one of the simplest solutions could be the establishment of regular maintenance giving frequent checks that can help identify issues and malfunctions in order to catch these problems early, ensuring students constantly receive their purchases.
“During Marching Band practice, I went to the vending machine to buy a bag of chips,” says Senior Maxine Wright “but it charged me twice for one bag and I never got the snack I paid for.”
Beyond just regular maintenance, the school should additionally add a refund system. The administration’s lack of actions feels like a major oversight, instead this should be something that is prioritized for the students well-being.
This should guarantee the students to get their money back, making it almost as simple as a QR code on machines with links to the refund of the students’ money. This can go a long way in solving the issues that are being imposed on students here at Costa.
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