We have only one, poor old vending machine in our break room at work. At my previous place of wage slavery, we had 2 soda machines, plus a snack machine (chips, candy bars), an ice cream machine (people would put money in it just to watch the Rube Goldberg contraption behind the glass deliver an ice cream bar), a coffee and hot chocolate machine, and one of those rotating fresh food machines, with things like milk, yogurt, apples, sandwiches and even microwavable burgers. But, since those days are long behind me, all I've got now to get through the long, tedious hours, is a soda machine. Though I've basically given up soda, I get an urge once in a while (or make up a rationalization, such as a stomach ache that needs soda to sooth it) and head into the break room with my 35 cents.
That's what I did day before yesterday, hoping to score a Coke with my last quarter and dime. But when I went to put my money in, nothing happened. For a second I thought it had just eaten my change (it's happened before) but I pushed the button and got it back. I scratched my head (literally, as I ran out of dandruff shampoo a few days ago) and walked away sodaless and puzzled.
Yesterday morning (I get to work early, around 6am) I ran into some fellow wage slaves from one of the other departments, in the break room, one of whom was getting coffee (I was in there to make some tea) and found the other in front of the soda machine as frustrated as I'd been the day before. That's when the coffee maker spoke up.
"Oh, they raised the price for a soda 10 cents," she said. "I told them to send out an email, but they didn't do it."
Hell, I may as well buy my own sodas and bring them to work. Same with bottled water, which is also featured in the machine, formerly at 25 cents, but now increased to 35 cents.
Inflation, it seems, is taking off like a rocket, even in our lowly break room.
Thanks, Ben Bernanke!
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