Credit to Bella Collins

We’ve all been there. Maybe you were up too late and need some caffeine. Maybe you had a morning practice and you want a refreshing drink. Or maybe you’re just thirsty. You dash to the commons only to face disappointment: the kitchen is closed. But right before conceding defeat, you see the solution. For right down a nearby hallway are vending machines, stocked with all sorts of Michelle Obama-approved beverages. Elated, you check the price on your desired drink, and immediately the school delivers you an impromptu lesson in business.

“You can go up to a vending machine, get what you need real quick, and head out,” FHN business and marketing teacher Abigail Davis said. “That’s why it can be marked up.”

It’s no secret that vending machine prices at FHN are generally considered to be on the high side.

“I feel like they could be lower,” sophomore Dylan Knaggs said. “I hate how if you use a card it charges $5 automatically. Sometimes it will refund it; other times, you know, if you don’t press ‘complete’ it will let other people spend the money.”

A 16 ounce can of Mountain Dew Kickstart runs for less than $2.45 post-tax when bought in bulk; whereas it costs $3.50 (or $3.60 if a credit card is used) in the school vending machines. That’s a 42 percent markup.

“$3.50 for a kickstart is insane,” freshman Payton Counsell said. “I could just go to the gas station and buy two for the same price.”