Let’s face it; vending machines were some of the best perks on campus. My college, being smack in the middle of Manhattan, was just a couple of large buildings with many floors. Vending machines were located in the main hallway of every floor.
I gradually learned in my four years which vending machines had which options. They generally carried the exact same products, though one might have fruit snacks more often than another. I was quick to learn which ones were ransacked most often as well. You never wanted to go to the snack vending machines in the main hallway on the 3rd floor after 10a.m. It’d be practically empty already and was rarely without a line of hungry students craving Cheez-its.
Vending machines were also a great excuse to step out of class. You never wanted to just disappear for a few minutes without some proof you actually went to do something important, so you’d return with a soda to prove to your professor you were so thirsty you had to take 15 minutes to get a drink. They were also a godsend for those long days of back to back classes where a trip to the cafeteria wasn’t likely. Grab a candy bar and head to Economics class without faltering.
Oh, the college campus snack vending machine. Worshiped by many, loved by all.