Ah, progress. Thanks to advances in vending-machine technology, tiny robotic convenience stores have opened up shop in apartment complexes and on college campuses nationwide. Sure, consumers in Europe and Japan had similar stuff a decade or more ago. But they don’t have the world’s tiniest Kroger, which is about the size of a bus shelter and opened last month on the campus of private Ohio Northern University.
Other campuses across the country have robotic convenience stores as well, but without grocery store branding. The refrigerated machines come from Ohio company Shop24, and can vend items up to eight pounds. They accept cash, cards, and in some places take food-stamp cards. In the case of the Robo-Kroger, since store discount cards aren’t an option, the items will automatically have the discount prices card holders would get. Prices are the same as at the Kroger 15 miles from campus that stocks the machine.
Kroger debuts kiosk concept at area college campus [Toledo Blade] (Thanks, DFP!)
Kroger Installs Shop24 Robotic Store At Ohio Northern University [Vending Market Watch]
More From Consumerist
-
Kroger Thinks You Might Want To Pay More For A 10-Pack Of Razors Than Two 5-Packs
-
Kroger Recalls Spinach In 15 States Because No One Wants A Listeria Salad
-
Kroger Manager Fired For Allegedly Attacking Man Who Handed Out Food In Parking Lot
-
Does Neato Robotics Carry Parts To Repair Their Vacuums? Here’s A New Replacement Vacuum Instead
-
Report: Walmart & Kroger Among Top Bidders For Hostess Assets
” Prices are the same as at the Kroger 15 miles from campus that stocks the machine.”
That’s what really makes this awesome. If there wasn’t a massive added convenience charge, heck, I’d use it. I already pay a ‘convenience charge’ by going to Walgreens on the corner instead of HEB around the block just because I don’t want to deal with crowds and lines when buying just a few things.
Still, a machine that big with that many moving parts and some items as heavy as eight pounds… I’d imagine it would break a lot and be difficult to maintain.
I would install one in Washington DC to dispense hookers and blow.
Redundant, they already have lobbyists.
And interns.
Don’t forget monthly issues of Hustler for the congressmen. I don’t recall if the story was posted here or not, but apparently every member of congress gets a monthly issue for free.
I’m pretty sure Marion Barry’s already cornered the market on that idea.
“Sure, consumers in Europe and Japan had similar stuff a decade or more ago.”
They also have the equivalent of dollar coins with which to pay for things. Instead, vending machines in the US are held back by the need for dollar bill readers, particularly ones that can compensate for the complete lack of care people show for a piece of paper worth only $1.
Held back by the need to use technology that’s been in use for decades and in millions of machines? And could be used in milions more?
I’m not seeing how dollar-scanning technology is preventing a vending machine rennaisance.
Not to mention the fact I have seen soda machines with card readers on them for a number of years now. Many people don’t even bother carrying cash much anymore, myself among them.
Maybe card readers will finally allow the US to catch up to the civilized world with respect to automation like this.
And maybe plastic-only machines will become the norm, allowing vendors to jack up prices to cover transaction fees, pricing themselves out of all but the instant-gratification market.
In use for decades, yes, but still considerably more expensive and less reliable than coin receptacles. This keeps a downward pressure on the price of things you can sell reliably through a vending machine, as you can’t guarantee that every valid $1 bill will be accepted, and you’d rather make a sale than turn away customers whose bills aren’t clean and crisp enough.
$1 or $20…. you still need a bill reader either way.
People care for $20′s, since they’re worth $20. That’s why they last twice as long, and are easier to discern. Also, being worth $20, it’s worth the effort by the Fed to redesign them to be more easily read by machines. You’ll note the lack of a fluorescent strip in or reflective inks on the $1 bill.
In Japan they have EDY and SUICA RFID cards. I used them while I was over there on a business trip, and absolutely loved them.
What, no fresh produce?
Where was this when I was at ONU?
I was at ONU
Fixed that for you.
Kroger was testing that exact same type of machine here in Columbus at one of their stores near campus. It was already in front of an existing store, so it’s only selling point was that it was 24 hours unlike the store. It sat at the fuel center for years until they removed it just a few months ago.
At first I thought the experiment was a failure since no more machines ever popped up, but now I kind of wonder if they just moved the same machine up there where it would be more useful.
The company is based in Columbus, so maybe it was some kind of pilot program?
Close, but no cigar. Kroger’s based in Cincinnati. They do, however, have a lot of the Columbus market squared away.
I stop by that station from Time to time. I hadn’t noticed it was gone.
The company that makes the vending machines is based in Columbus.
http://shop24global.com/
Sounds likely. Put it in front of a store where it’s easy to restock and fix, if needed. If it has problems, customer service is right inside during business hours.
I’d use it during business hours if it saved me 10 minutes of aisle walking and line waiting time.
How many kinds of beer does it stock?
When I was in college, we had an ancient Coke machine with cans instead of bottles in my co-op dorm. We stocked it ourselves, and the person with that job had to have a car and be over 21. Because when you pressed the “OTHER” button, out came a can of Utica Club.
Looks like they only stock items starting with the letter “C”: Chips, Crackers, Candy, Canned Soup, Cup O’ Noodles, other Carbs, and Condoms.
Sucks if you’re trying to have a balanced diet.
That sounds like a pretty balanced college student diet to me. Though it is missing beer…..
This same idea was tried back in the 1970′s. Not robotic; there was a person on duty inside fulfilling the order. Needless to say, the idea of a drive-thru grocery flopped. It seems people like to see what they are buying, like not selecting the dozen broken eggs container.
This is perfect for college campuses. You know how many times I had to walk to a nasty convenience store before it closed at 9 pm just to get stale, overpriced bread back in the day? (Yes, it was uphill both ways too.)
The real question, however, is whether it dispenses condoms.
The headline of this article made my morning.
“. . . since store discount cards aren’t an option . . .”
Why not? Last I checked, most discount cards were machine-readable.
The Kroger gas station even has a barcode scanner built into the pump so you can get your gas discount too!
Its a good thing it has that bar code reader too, since the magnetic strip on my Kroger card has long since been worn off, but the barcode is still readable.
I’m not in Kroger territory, but here in Price Chopper territory, the discount card is also good at some participating Sunoco stations. At Price Chopper stores themselves, they usually use the barcode on the card (if you swipe the magstrip, the terminal will tell you to give the card to the cashier for scanning), BUT, the gas stations that are participating in the program don’t have barcode readers. At these, you use the magstripe.
Now, that said, both the gas stations and the stores have options for no-interaction-with-staff purchases. Pay at the pump or self-service line, whichever is appropriate, both allow you to use your discount card by letting a machine read it.
This is really awesome if they keep the prices the same as in the stores. Most college campus bookstores purposely overcharge for basic necessities so this is something that is much needed on campus, especially if the school is not in a college town that has more options than the bookstores.
I saw the one here in Columbus when it was being tested and it certainly was not the same price as the store. I distinctly remember Prego costing $3-$4 a jar, which is horrific for that awful tomato paste.