We’ve come a long way from the days when vending machines were seen as doing nothing but promoting unhealthy eating habits in our children. Today’s vending machines in schools are not just able to ensure that many children have access to a much healthier diet than might otherwise be the case, but also have a role in helping them be better able to get through the school day.
But the benefits of vending machines don’t stop at healthier children more focused on their studies, because they can also be of benefit to your teachers and other employees as well as your educational facility as a whole.
If you’re not sure how your choice of vending machines could be of benefit to your students, your staff and your school or college, this article will spell out why that might be, together with advice on how Nu Vending can help.
5 benefits of vending machines in schools
1. Providing healthy snacks
When most people think of vending machines, salty or sugary snacks and fizzy drinks still unfortunately spring to mind. While this is true of some machines, it doesn’t have to be the case. There are many machines that come bursting with healthy treats, and you can have full control over what goes into your machine. Doing this will ensure your students have a variety of food and drinks to choose from.
Some of the items healthy vending machines feature include:
- Fruit
- Salad
- Juice
- Water
- Yoghurt
- Cereal
When you purchase a healthy vending machine with Nu Vending, you can choose from a range of options which all feature a number of tasty and healthy alternative snacks.
2. Keeping kids refreshed and ready to learn
Numerous academic studies have taken place over the years that have examined the impact a lack of water can have on school performance. The consensus is that the more kids drink, the better they are at performing all kinds of cognitive tasks. In short, a well-hydrated child will perform better than if they were poorly hydrated.
With this in mind, giving children wider access to fluids throughout the day is a great way of ensuring they drink the necessary amount – something a cold drinks vending machine can help with. By giving kids the chance to grab a quick bottle of water, or juice, between lessons, it means they’ll be more refreshed and ready to perform to their best in the classroom.
3. Reducing queues in school
If your school is home to a large number of students, then it’s likely that it experiences busy queues during peak times such as lunch. While lunch is always going to be busy in any school, you can minimise the mad rush to the canteen with vending machines.
They give children another option for lunch if they’re stocked up with sandwiches and fruit, meaning that queues are minimised for those in charge of serving food.
4. Improving staff morale
It’s not only your students who want access to healthier food they can eat on the go. Your teaching staff also need to negotiate long and busy days and are likely to appreciate you thinking about their interests when planning vending provision at your school or college.
And when your staff feel appreciated and that their welfare is being considered, they’re also likely to feel better motivated to perform even more effectively in the classroom.
5. Providing useful extra income
Schools today need to find many ways to balance their budgets, and good quality vending machines that people want to use can add some much needed extra income. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to charge high prices for what you’re selling – position your machines so that you catch maximum footfall and price what you’re selling sensibly and chances are you’ll do good business.
The future of vending machines in schools
As with so many other areas of our lives, new technologies are changing the way vending machines operate. These are some of the latest trends now becoming part of the vending machine landscape:
- Contactless payment – cash is being used less and less in today’s world and this is particularly true for vending machines. Modern versions can take contactless payment, eliminating both the need for the correct change and those occasions when machines reject coins for no obvious reason!
- Better hygiene – not much good has come out of the coronavirus pandemic – especially in the world of education – but we are more aware of the importance of good hygiene practices. As well as contactless payment, distant selection is also becoming increasingly used in modern vending machines, which can enable better hygiene for all of us.
- Faster operation – both the above benefits also mean that machines can operate far more quickly than they used to. If you have lots of students all trying to use your machine at the same time during breaks and between classes, that should reduce queues and enable them to make better use of their valuable spare time.
- Real-time data – built-in telemetry systems will allow you to monitor your sales, meaning that you will be able to identify those products that sell well – and those that don’t – and schedule restocking at the most efficient time.
School Vending Machines with Nu Vending
Here at Nu Vending, we’re leading vending machine experts in and around London and the Home Counties. With one of the biggest selections of modern vending machines to choose from and with options available for businesses of all sizes and all budgets, you’re sure to find the ideal vending machine for your school or college.
Our comprehensive service means that we can take all the stress out of operating your machine, with maintenance and restocking services always an option. And we also have coffee machines and water dispensers available, so that we can help with all your vending and hydrating needs.
Get in touch with us now to find out how we can help you to improve the drinks and snacks provision at your school or college.
