New vending machines arrived at San Diego Mesa College on Feb. 26. This new system called “Smart Market,” located on the first floor of the Learning Resource Center, is a way for students to have easy access to snacks and drinks at all times.
One of the lead workers on this project, Brent Williams, said that the idea behind this system is “to give students more variety and to cover when the cafeteria and the coffee shops close.”
The procedure to work this new setup includes creating an account at either Smart Market’s website or at the kiosk on site. This allows consumers to keep track of their transactions, make account updates, or reload account funds.
With the account, members also have the option to scan their fingerprint to access the machines. Another way, is to simply tap a valid credit card onto the reader.
This system consists of five vending machines and a freshly brewed coffee station. The machines can be found filled with a variety of snacks such as sandwiches, salads, yogurt, granola bars, chips, drinks of all sorts, cookies and candy bars to satisfy any sweets cravings. Two other useful additions include medicines such as Tylenol and Claritin D.
Mesa student, Jessica Gaffney, shared her thoughts about the new “Smart Market” and said, “I think it’s cool. I saw on Facebook they posted about it.” However, when Gaffney was reading through the Facebook post’s comments, she explained how “one person commented that they were kind of annoyed that it took away potential jobs for students.” Gaffney replied by saying, “It’s easier than waiting in line because I know sometimes [the cafe] gets backed up.”
Another student, Omar Matcalf, offered insight on this system and said “It’s easy to use, you just slide your card in and open [the door]. The lights will light up and then you get your product. Then you close the door and it locks. It’s simple.”
Although this system is catered to the students to ensure that they have access to food and drinks at all times, it is available for every person at Mesa including professors and staff members.
LRC Media Clerk Mary Coviche shared that, “It’s really pretty neat, it’s very convenient for everybody. It’s nice for especially night times and for Saturdays when the [cafeteria and coffee shops] aren’t open.” Coviche also mentioned how convenient the location is. She said, “maybe somebody [here on a Saturday] on the third or fourth floor may just want to come down and get a quick little juice or sandwich or something, and there it is.”
This system is not new to the San Diego Community College District. Williams mentioned that, “Miramar has had [Smart Market] for about a month now, it’s doing very well.” This is expected for Mesa as well, as this project has been in the works for eight months. “We finally got the equipment order and finally got it put in” Williams said.
The “Smart Market” is designed to make each transaction hassle free and quick. With this new addition, there is now more than one place to access food and drinks on campus. Students no longer have to depend on the M-Stop, LRC Cafe, or cafeteria.
This is yet another great resource Mesa has to offer and it’s a “smart” move.
