A poll asking Kettle Run High School students their opinions on school vending machines revealed that there is a lot of room for improvement in their variety and pricing.
When asked how often they buy or use refreshments offered at school, 33.3% of students replied that they do often, 28.6% said they rarely do, and 23.8% replied that they use them sometimes. Only 9.5% reported buying or using refreshments daily/almost daily, and 4.8% said they never do. The results suggest that buying refreshments is a normal part of school life for many students, but is not something necessary or relied upon such as school lunches are.
The average quality of vending machine refreshments was 5 on a scale of 1-10. 5 was also the most common rating, with seven of 21 students (33.3%) selecting it alone. The next most frequent ratings were 4 and 6, each receiving three selections. Two students each selected a rating of 3 or 7, and only one student gave a rating of 1, 2, 8 or 10. These results suggest that student opinion on refreshment quality is mostly average.
Students were also asked if they believed vending machines priced their refreshments reasonably. On a 1-5 scale (with 1 being cheap and 5 being expensive), seven students (33.3% each) selected a 4 or a 5, resulting in a cumulative score of 66.6%. Six students selected a 3, none gave a 2, and only one selected a 1. These results show a more negative general opinion than the more neutral previous questions, suggesting that prices are unfavorable for most students.
The biggest concern for Kettle Run students, though, seems to be variety. When asked if they thought vending machines offered a decent range of refreshments to choose from, 71.4% of students answered no with only 28.6% answering yes. This suggests expanding the range of choices available to students is a way the school could improve their vending machines.
Overall, results show that students are mostly satisfied with or indifferent to refreshment quality, but are dissatisfied with the price and especially the variety. If the school were to address some of these issues, vending machines may pull in more revenue. Additionally, other methods of payment (e.g. fixing Apple Pay), or healthier options may make vending machines more accessible to the KRHS student body.
