Need a new phone or a replacement SIM for an off-contract device? Need it right away? Want to avoid pesky human interaction? In a mall or airport near you, there may already be a Straight Talk vending machine. [More]
Coming Soon To A Mall Or Airport Near You: Straight Talk’s Prepaid Phone Vending Machines
By March 28, 2013
In D.C., This Pepsi Machine Dispensed Malt Liquor
By February 28, 2013
Imagine a wonderful, magical world where you could walk up to a soda machine and buy a bottle of malt liquor. That paradise on earth (for the underage) briefly existed in the Trinidad neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Since the booze cost $3, more than at nearby retail outlets, its customer base were all either underage or had exceptionally poor math skills. [More]
Have You Seen A Vending Machine That Imposes Credit Card Surcharges?
By February 27, 2013
It used to be that if a retailer charged a fee or surcharge to use a credit card, that violated their merchant agreement with the credit card companies, and they got in trouble. Those heady days are over, and it’s now cool for merchants to impose surcharge on your purchases with plastic. And so it begins. Here’s one spotted in the wild on a vending machine. [More]
Such A Thing As A Pot Vending Machine Exists, Might Be Heading To Colorado & Washington
By January 4, 2013
Now that Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana for recreational use, businesses are clamoring to get a piece of the action, and coming up with some entertaining ways to do it. For example, a pot vending machine already exists for medical use, so why not introduce the same kind of devices for anyone in those states looking to buy some legal bud? One company is working on adapting its vending machines for just that purpose. [More]
Mmm, Food Court Fish Eggs: California Mall Introduces Caviar Vending Machine
By November 30, 2012
Perhaps you just can’t find the right course to follow that trio of Cinnabons paired with a food court coffee and have an extra $500 just burning a hole in your pocket. If you like fish eggs and happen to be at a mall in Southern California, you’ll be in luck: A company there has just introduced a caviar vending machine, where customers can buy a tin of the stuff for anywhere from $12 to $500. [More]
Pepsi Vending Machine Thinks You’ll Be More Popular If You Can Hand Out Drinks To Pals
By October 9, 2012
Pepsi knows you’ve been struggling to convince your friends that you care about them after selfishly taking the last wing during last week’s game of whichever sport you were watching. And if you happen to live within visiting distance of five malls in the U.S. you’ll be able to not only play a game on a vending machine to win a free drink, but you can then send a code to your pal and surprise him or her with a soda. [More]
Coke & Pepsi Vending Machines Will Get Calorie Counts, Push Low-Calorie Drinks
By October 8, 2012
Even though soda cans and bottles now feature large, clear calorie counts, the makers of the biggest brands of fizzy drinks have decided to go ahead and put calorie information on some of their vending machines starting in 2013. [More]
MGM Grand In Legal Fight With Michigan Over “Virtual Beer Pitchers”
By October 1, 2012
If you’re splitting a pitcher of beer between pals and you’re all imbibing at a decent enough rate, the beer in said pitcher will stay reasonably fresh. But how about a device that lets you buy a pitcher’s worth of beer, but only pours it out when you want more to drink? The folks at the MGM Grand Detroit think it’s a pretty cool idea. Unfortunately, the state of Michigan seems to think it would violate the state’s ban on alcohol vending machines. [More]
Why Not Just Stuff Vending Machines With Healthy Snacks Instead Of Junk?
By May 9, 2012
I remember an episode of My So-Called Life where Rayanne was trying to get an apple out of a vending machine at school and thinking, “That would be great. Why aren’t there more healthy vending machines? I’d eat an apple with Jordan Catalano.* ” Seems one school district in Dallas also saw that episode and is trying out just such an idea to promote healthy eating among its students. [More]
Buying Snacks & Sodas From Vending Machines Is Like, So 2006
By March 22, 2012
Traditional vending machines are dying off like snack food dinosaurs after a meteor strike. But in this case, the meteor is just that less people want to buy chips and gum from a machine. Between 2007 and 2010,134,000 vending machines disappeared from locations in the U.S. [More]
Automated Cupcake Machine Now Available 24 Hours For Sugar Emergencies
By March 1, 2012
Have you ever said to yourself at one in the morning, “I could really use some cupcakes,” but didn’t want to bake them yourself? Well, if you have the ability to get to Beverly Hills, cupcakery Sprinkles now has a pink cupcake kiosk installed outside of their store where you can buy fresh cupcakes, mixes, and even cupcakes for your dog. Of course there are cupcakes for your dog. [More]
Tiny Robotic Kroger Invades College Campus
By February 16, 2012
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. [More]
Teen Freed From Coke Machine He Tried To Steal From
By September 28, 2011
The recession continues to inspire people to do stupid crap to avoid paying money. This week’s case in point, the teen who got stuck in a Coke machine after he tried to get a free can of soda. [More]
Baguette ATM Hits Paris Streets
By August 16, 2011
A new vending machine just hit the streets of Paris dispensing freshly baked baguettes. [More]
Walmart Wants In On Pennsylvania Wine Vending Machine Bonanza
By December 10, 2010
Remember those wine vending machines at Pennsylvania grocery stores? They’ve proven successful enough to turn heads at Walmart, which is planning to add the machines to some of its stores in the state. [More]
Here's The Vending Machine That Recommends Drinks Based On Facial Recognition
By November 15, 2010
Ever stepped up to a vending machine and scratched your head as you mulled over the options? Now there’s a vending machine in Japan that will recommend certain products for you — based on your face. [More]
Are Automated Kiosks The Future Of Retail Shopping?
By August 18, 2010
In recent years, vending machines have gone from lunch room relics intent on eating your quarters and holding onto your Sun Chips to high-tech automated kiosks that sell everything from DVDs to ice cream, wine, beauty products, useless Farmville crap, electronics, designer bags and much more. But are they here to stay or is this just a trend? [More]
Should Vending Machines Post Calorie Counts?
By December 3, 2009
The Wall Street Journal Health Blog noticed that both health care reform bills currently making their way through our lovely government have provisions that require vending machines to display the calorie counts of items inside. [More]
