Novato High School students have the ability to buy snacks from two vending machines on campus. While the vending machines are not used by everyone, the students that do line up throughout the day have their favorite go-to items.
The vending machines have been around for about four years, and students can use them when they please. The vending machines have various snacks and drinks, such as bars, chips, and an assortment of beverages. However, there is a common setlist that many students seem to repeat.
The Popcorners chip is a popular item that consistently was named by students surveyed. Sydney Nesserela, a senior at NHS, described why the Popcorner Chips were her favorite snack to choose from.
“I really enjoy the flavor of them and how accessible they are. They almost always have them available. They are also a snack that I can snack on throughout the day and cure my hunger,” she said.
Nutri-Grain bars are also a popular item. The bars come in various flavors, such as strawberry, blueberry, and apple.
Angel Aries, a senior at NHS, explained why he enjoys the Nutri-Grain bars.
“Honestly, I really like them because they are cheap so I’m not spending too much on them. However, I also really enjoy the taste of them and how there are multiple flavors,” he said.
Many other students also said that the Nutri-Grain granola bars were their favorite. Many people said that they like their texture, how filling they are, and that they are cheap.
While snacks were the most popular items listed, students also really enjoyed some of the drink options the school has to offer. The two most popular drink choices were bottled water (price) and ice drinks.
Summit Shreck, a senior at NHS, talked about why he enjoys the ICE drinks.
“I like the ICE drinks from the vending machine because they are almost like sparkling water, but they have no sugar and they are healthy for you,” he said.
The other main reasons were that they tasted good and gave students a little bit of energy. While students often want caffeine, they do not have that as an option in the vending machines.
While this is probably the most boring, the main drink constantly repeated was a bottle of water. Olivia Bleth, a senior at NHS, explains why she always gets water from the vending machine.
“Well plain and simple, I drink water throughout the day, so when I’m thirsty I go and get water from the vending machine,” she stated.
Other students also stated that they buy the water from the vending machine rather than from the drinking fountain because of one factor: The water is kept cold in the vending machines.
As for where the profits go from all of the money collected by the vending machines, Novato High’s office manager Caroline Purtell had a simple answer.
“Well, the money goes back to the vendor,” she commented, revealing that the school doesn’t generate any revenue from the machines.
NHS has the ability to have two vending machines with a variety of options available, yet students tend to stick with the safe and most popular choices when choosing to spend their money.