Vending machines (see http://www.professionalvending.com.au/ for more info) can be found all around us. On the streets in schools, hospitals and at the cinema. They are very easy to use and provide us with a quick refreshment without browsing throught the store or waiting in the line.
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine.[1]
In a train station, shopping mall or office building, one can’t help but notice the ubiquity of vending machines. Boxes dispensing everything from chewing gum to hot meals have become an integral part of contemporary consumption. While vending machines seem rather new, their history dates back to the first century A.D. the greek engineer hero of alexandria is said to have created a coin-operated machine for dispensing holy water in egyptian temples. This early example was so advanced that its mechanical design was used until the introduction of electrical machines during the industrial revolution. During this period in the 19th century, vending machines were becoming much more prevalent, selling things like postcards and books. The machines made their way to north america around the same time. It was in new york that the first gum dispensing machine was invented. From this period on the vending machine became an integral part of urban life around the world. Machines sold everything from cigarettes to stamps and even hot food in later years. Vending machines have quickly grown to become a multi-billion dollar industry. Vending machines are also continually updating with the latest technology. Machines are now being equipped with wireless communication systems to monitor activity and precisely track inventory. New energy technology is also making its way to vending machines in the form of hydrogen fuel-cell machines that run off the grid. While the newest vending machine technology is interesting, the giant selection of goods being sold inside the machines is even more intriguing. New products are being sold in vending machines every year and innovation is constant. Form fresh pizza in the US to strange trinkets in japan, there is no shortage of things vending machines can sell. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most unusual and innovative vending machines from around the world. [2]
“Vending (or “automatic retailing” as it is increasingly known) has a long history. The Greek mathematician Hero seems to have got the ball rolling in 215BC, when he invented a machine to vend holy water in Egyptian temples.” – Automatic Vending Association
Coin-operated Vending Machines
During the early 1880s, the first commercial coin-operated vending machines were introduced in London, England and dispensed post cards. English publisher and bookshop owner, Richard Carlisle invented a vending machine for selling books, around the same time.
In 1888, the Thomas Adams Gum Company introduced the very first vending machines to the United States. The machines were installed on the elevated subway platforms in New York City and sold Tutti-Fruiti gum. In 1897, the Pulver Manufacturing Company added animated figures to its gum machines as an added attraction. The round candy coated gumball and gumball vending machines were introduced in 1907.
Coin-operated Restaurants
Vending machines soon offered everything including; cigars, postcards, stamps, etc. In Philadelphia, a completely coin-operated restaurant called Horn & Hardart was opened in 1902 and stayed opened until 1962.
Sodas & Cigarettes in Vending Machines
In the early 1920′s, the first automatic vending machines started dispensing sodas into cups. In 1926, an American inventor named William Rowe invented the cigarette vending machine.
Famous Vending Machines
A company called Vendorlator Manufacturing Company of Fresno California made a series of classic vending machines during the 40s and 50s that mostly sold coca-cola and pepsi. Famous Vendorlators included the VMC 27 and the VMC 33. [3]
With one vending machine per an estimated 23 people (according to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association), Japan has one of the world’s highest vending machine densities. Machines can be found all over cities, towns and even in the countryside. Almost none of them are vandalized or otherwise non-functional.
A majority of machines sell non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, juice, vitamin or energy drinks, tea and coffee for a reasonable 110 to 120 yen. These drink machines usually offer both hot and cold beverages.
Vending machines that sell alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are also common. Many more varieties of vending machines can be found in smaller numbers. They sell goods such as ice cream, rice, disposable cameras, instant noodles and even omikuji, the small fortune telling slips of paper sold at shrines and temples. [4]
A reverse vending machine is a device that accepts used (empty) beverage containers and returns money to the user (the reverse of the typical vending cycle). The machines are popular in places that have mandatory recycling laws or container deposit legislation. In some places, bottlers paid funds into a centralized pool to be dispersed to people who recycled the containers. Any excess funds were to be used for general environmental cleanup.[1] In other places, such as Norway, the state mandated that a vendor pay for recycled bottles, but left the system in the hands of private industry.
The main vendors of reverse vending machines are Tomra of Norway and Wincor Nixdorf of Germany, and Envipco of America, Envirobank of Australia and Reverse Vending Corporation. [5]
Conclusion:
Vending machines are very popular. Being user-friendly and great time savers as well their use keeps growing each and every day. From vending machines which sell sweet to ones which sell sodas or cigarettes the range of their offers is wide and keeps getting richer.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine
[2] http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/13/view/6208/vending-machines.html
[3] http://inventors.about.com/od/uvstartinventions/a/vending.htm
[4] http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2010.html
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_vending_machine
