The aquarium is going to start tracking how many times you fill your Coca-Cola-sponsored water cups. Okay, maybe that’s not exactly what’s happening. However, according to a concerned Reddit user in Georgia, the Georgia Aquarium has started adding RFID chips to the plastic cups provided with your meal at the dining area. While I can understand doing this with the larger, paid plastic cups or within an area with limited drink access. However, I don’t see the point of this in a cafeteria-like eating area where the drinks are readily available.
An RFID chip, which stands for radio-frequency identification, serves as an identification tool that can track various programmed variables. For instance, if the RFID chip for the soda cup mentioned earlier is designed to allow a specific number of refills or a predetermined volume of liquid, it will monitor your usage at the soda fountain. When you use the cup, a computer reads the chip to determine how many times you’ve already refilled it or how many ounces you’ve dispensed. This system prevents guests from overfilling their water bottles or hoarding soda to take elsewhere.
“Great Wolf Lodge does this as well, except instead of refills it tracks ounces. Once you hit the capacity of the cup you’re done.
Little kids were hanging around the soda machine, as soon as you were done. Filling at 20 oz cup with 15 oz of soda because of ice. They would run up and grab the last five when you walked away.”
The problem I have is that the Georgia Aquarium is blocking access to beverages that come from multi-billion-dollar companies. I’m unsure how strongly the new tariffs have affected companies that serve food and beverages on location, but I think this is absolutely ridiculous. What’s even more ridiculous is that I can see the chips being used in even more ridiculous situations, like bathroom usage or water fountain breaks.
As a Florida native, I searched the comments to see if anyone mentioned Disney World also doing the same thing. Unfortunately, it appears that they do, and fans are really not happy about it. I mean, I don’t even live in the state anymore, and it makes me upset.
“Disney does this too now.
EDIT: In the spirit of Mitch Hedberg, “They do it now. They used to do it too, but they also still do.””
It’s already extremely expensive to buy anything at Disney, so tracking everything you consume feels like an unnecessary added cost. I’m curious if the Georgia Aquarium has actually saved any money by implementing this new and unusual approach.
