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| Peek inside a vending machine. Photo: salimfadhley, Flickr. |
One employee's behavioral experiment is another's paradise. "I'm really, really jealous," says Jon over at MTV Networks, after being informed of AOL's snack excesses. Featuring far more pedestrian fare like Rice Krispies Treats, Nacho Cheese Doritos and Reese's Pieces, MTV's vending options won't turn any heads. Jon laments that the only real stand-out is the 25-cent can of Coke. "I guess that proves that international conglomerates are in cahoots!" he says. Or it's just a ploy to keep people awake and alert for optimum productivity.
Other big companies aren't faring much better. Jen gave us the scoop on IBM's snack selection, which was similarly standard, with plenty of chips, candy bars and the like. Still, they do try to push some healthier options. "There's a green leaf next to anything that is considered a 'balanced choice,' " says Jen. "It shows IBM's effort in trying to bring about some healthy options to a typically unhealthy way to get food." Don't expect to see any quarter Cokes, though. "The prices are really high, almost $2 for a small bag of chips," she notes. "Price alone would be the reason I wouldn't purchase from the vending machines." Maybe this is IBM's way of discouraging vending machine snacks in favor of fresh fruit or brown-bagged options?
For ramen-fueled college students, $2 might be all they're willing to spend on an entire meal. Taylor, who works on the University of Pennsylvania campus, informed us that their prices aren't so bad, but the selection isn't much better -- the unique highlights of which are Pita Chips, Swedish Fish and the oft-neglected Peanut Chews. What can we glean about Penn based on this selection? "People here like Cheez-Its," Taylor says. "We are always out ... on 2 floors."
Maybe a District of Columbia-based law firm can up the ante. A quick chat with Scott, a lawyer who works in our nation's capital, taught us that those in the legal profession still snack like the rest of us. After providing us with a complete list of their generic vending-machine contents, Scott offers his interpretation: "While we would like to project the image of a company that is progressive and catering to those who wish to eat natural foods [such as trail mix] or are health conscious [by offering Snackwells], at base we are a traditional, conservative firm which tends not to stray far from office staples [M&Ms, Fritos]." Can't get more Washingtonian than that!
What do the vending machines at your office say about your company? Tell us in the comments what snacks your vending machines offer -- and what you think they say about your place of business.
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