During college, I interned and then contracted with a research division of an automotive company in Ann Arbor. To be clear, it was a great opportunity and I had a ton of fun. During the automotive downturn in 2008 or so, the company stopped stocking up free coffee and tea, and put in pay-per-cup machines. My small lab happened to be in an otherwise abandoned floor, and there was enough stock in our nearest micro kitchen for us to continue to drink free tea for years.
Also during college, I travelled to Australia multiple times to race solar cars. We went as a "race crew", and while I was there to do embedded electronics, there were team members responsible for providing meals to the rest of the crew. They would unnecessarily pinch pennies, and buy the absolute lowest quality bulk anything. It was so bad that I would try to go shopping with them, and offer to pay the $1-2 out of my own pocket to get the lunch meat that wasn't gray, or cheese that wasn't plastic. During the race, someone brought a seasoning salt shaker in my support vehicle to pass around, and it was a massive morale boost! I also started a "beverage club," where folk could contribute to a pool to buy liter bottles of soda when they got sick of warm tap water.
Also during college, I travelled to Australia multiple times to race solar cars. We went as a "race crew", and while I was there to do embedded electronics, there were team members responsible for providing meals to the rest of the crew. They would unnecessarily pinch pennies, and buy the absolute lowest quality bulk anything. It was so bad that I would try to go shopping with them, and offer to pay the $1-2 out of my own pocket to get the lunch meat that wasn't gray, or cheese that wasn't plastic. During the race, someone brought a seasoning salt shaker in my support vehicle to pass around, and it was a massive morale boost! I also started a "beverage club," where folk could contribute to a pool to buy liter bottles of soda when they got sick of warm tap water.