Water is priceless ... really

[kinzel]

On the road, having turned the Cat Farm over to the cat sitter (with the cats uncharacteristically sleeping through the transfer) ...we end up in due time at the AMTRAK/GREYHOUND station, by which time my Pepsi is defunct.. . So I turn to the vending machines for some Dasani artificial water ... and ... and was sore disappointed to find the machine priceless. Right ... neither the fancy scrolling 38 degrees! message board nor the front of the machine ... gave me a price. In fact, it appears that the machine assumes that I'll put money in until the machine is happy with my tithe.

Me, I'm not happy with this arrangement. I think...somehow... this is a rudeness. What do you think?

Comments

Just wait . . .

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Do you have the cell phone credit chips yet? Here in Japan, they say soon the vending machines will be able to automatically deduct the right amount from your credit chip just by having the cell phone in the near vicinity of the machine - and no one even seems to consider that other people might have less benign uses for a "near pass" credit drain? I know the tech is already in use in some stores.

So you won't know what the machine is charging, but it will do it automagically with just a wave of your cell phone. Why do I have visions of the old bazaar beggars smiling as they stuff merchandise into your hand while emptying your pockets with the other hand? Except that digital smiles are harder to see.

Variable Pricing

[(Anonymous)]

I've seen these machines before. If you push the button for the desired product, the display should change from temperature to price.

One reason cited for this is so that different products can be priced differently in the same machine......

--Susan

[keristor.livejournal.com]

In the UK you could go to a pub. They are required by law to give plain water free (the law dates back to highway inns which were required to at least quench the thirst of travellers). However, they can charge you however much they like for bottled water, or ice or lemon...

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Alas, I was thirsty on the moment...and the nearest pub that I knew of was a half-mile away, across a row of fences...the bus and train station being in an enclave known as A transportation center...

I did figure out that I had to beg the machine for info by selecting each choice individually -- but tha way they could have a lottery with my water price the left side could be cheaper than th right, for example...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Or shift the prices based on timing? As the train departure gets closer, raise the prices?