A student sits next to the new CVS Pharmabox vending machine in Archer House last Friday. Credit: Grace Everett | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State students living in residential halls can now more conveniently access personal care items, thanks to CVS Pharmabox vending machines installed in two dorms.?
Located at Park-Stradley Hall and Archer House, the vending machines are part of a pilot program that provides students with access to hygiene and health products from the comfort of campus, Dave Isaacs, a student life spokesperson, said.?
The vending service has sunscreen, menstrual products, face wash, nail clippers and contraceptives, Mayson Hopkins, a second-year in public policy analysis, said.
“The idea is simply to make it more convenient for students to be able to get these products,” Issacs said.?
The vending machines are operated by Pharmabox, which represents CVS in providing services around campus to access personal care products.?
Isaacs said the vending machines were placed in the two dorms because they are high-traffic areas for students.?
The university, along with Pharmabox, will continue to monitor the machines’ usage and interest for the remainder of the semester, he said.?
Depending on the success rate of the CVS Pharmabox vending machines, Ohio State is open to expanding its services across more resident halls, Isaacs said.?
Hopkins said she first saw the vending machine in Archer House while picking up a package.?
Hopkins said the materials in the machines have affordable prices, ranging from $2.29 for a Colgate travel toothbrush with toothpaste to $24 for Aquaphor healing ointment, which are comparable to paying in-store.?
“I expected it to be really expensive, but I looked at the prices and it’s looking kind of like normal prices,” Hopkins said.
