It's a Wash
07/03/2010I am temporarily without a washer or dryer, so I find myself, at this moment, sitting in a Laundromat. It has been several years since I last took advantage of one of the self-serve locations, favoring my own home washer instead. My loads are in the machines, leaving me sitting at a table in the back, tucked away next to the vending machines.
Obviously, I cannot help but check out the selections – one soda machine, $0.65 per can for the regular options; and one snack machine, with items ranging in price from $0.25 all the way up to a full $0.75. The snacks include chips, Snickers, Peanut M&Ms, pastries…it’s all there. But I found something slightly interesting and downright brilliant. Those not-packaged-for-individual-retail-sale packs of brownies and fruit snacks, not to mention a whole box of Nutty Buddies waiting to meet the coils once the last brownie drops.
There is nothing particularly special about this machine, and, no doubt, my interest in it piqued mostly due to my employer. That being said, offering items that are “healthy” (nuts, crackers) for so low that a soda and a snack can be purchased by the audience who is captive in front of it for at least an hour is simply brilliant. I know it’s been done before, but it’s definitely something to consider for those with such fortunate location placement. In the short time I’ve been sitting, one person has purchased, and admitted to buying another snack. Once she sees what change is left after loading the dryer, of course.
I’m down to 45 minutes or so left, just enough time that I may just end up with a little snack myself before heading back home. $0.30 for a bag of Jenny’s Hot Cheese Popcorn? I’d not only be supporting a product manufacturer from the town where I live, but a local vending operator to boot. And for those prices, how could I pass it up?
christine.papesch@veii.com
