Uniqlo Wants To Sell Shirts In Airport Vending Machines

Image courtesy of Uniqlo

Splashed by a cab in the rain at the airport? Hit by a bit of projectile vomit unleashed by your offspring? Uniqlo will sell you a shirt out of a vending machine at the airport.

The retailer, owned by The Fast Retailing Co., will install 10 clothing vending machines over the next month or so in airports and malls near New York City, Houston, Oakland, CA, and other U.S. locations, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Shoppers will be able to choose from lightweight down jackets and heat-retaining shirts in various colors and sizes. The products can be returned in a store or by mail if you aren’t satisfied.

Uniqlo is trying to lure new customers in the U.S., and operating a vending machine costs a lot less than opening a new store.

Plus, you can put them in places where people may find themselves in need of clothing, like when their bags go missing after a flight.

“We’re trying to understand where we can be more successful without making a big commitment,” Marisol Tamaro, Uniqlo’s U.S. marketing chief, explained to the WSJ.

Vending machines in airports are nothing new: You can buy makeup or electronics before you board the plane, in case you are going to meet Tom Hanks in Seattle but you forgot your mascara and your ear buds, and you want to look nice/listen to romantic music on the way.

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