Nice. Luckily this company is pretty good about that kind of thing. They pay 75% of gym memberships, just bought a couple of pool tables, a ping pong table, and some dart boards. Heck, they even subsidize sodas so that we're only paying .25 for a can out of the machine.

On the flip side, they're so stuck on sticking to the damn head count that they won't hire extra bodies even though the OT they're paying out woud more than cover.

It always cracks me up (or pisses me off, depending on my mood) to see the price of soda in machines. Currently around here you can get brand-name soda for about $1.25 to $1.50 a six-pack on sale. So why shouldn't a company sell at sale retail? I guess they really are subsidizing it though, because they are paying for the electricity to keep the cans cold, no?

Just remember, if you really need to clean up before work, there are many ways to do this. Arrive early and keep a small bowl or basin stashed somewhere and use the restroom handicapped stall if you need to and wash up. Most businesses/people are amenable to this if you approach them politely and in a nice way about it.

Also, make friends with the maintenance guys at work. They know lots of stuff, like rooms you might be able to use to stash things/bikes or to wash up in, if you are reluctant to do so in the restroom(s).

Genec: That was probably an emergency wash station. Like an eye wash station, but big enough for an entire worker covered in draino or scalded in a steam accident working on that boiler.

The vending machines belong to a vending company. At one point the price was about .60 or .65. Don't recall. So the .25 per is a nice perk. .50 I can live with, but anything over that just breaks up a dollar and spare change is useless until you break up another dollar.

The one that makes me laugh though is the grocery store I was at recently. .99 for a 2 liter of name brand. Then the vending machine in the entry was 1.50 for a 20 oz. The 20 oz in the store coolers at the checkout was .99.

A small handtowel is great once you get off the bike to wipe the sweat from your head / scalp / neck. Then I usually cool down with a hot coffee (doh!) for about 20 minutes before I head into the office. And I've been storing WetWipes and Baby Powder in my desk. Works for me!