Adventures With New Vending Machine Concept

Filed Under Business |

by Robert Farnham

I was out shopping with a friend the other day and waiting for her to complete her purchases. I was sitting on a bench outside of the store and decided to get a drink from the vending machine. I was very impressed with what I saw as the technology behind it was very interesting.

I was immediately impressed as I had never seen this particular concept for a vending machine. It only gave out bottled drinks and there was quite a large selection of them to choose from. There was a number pad on it and after entering the number of the drink I wanted part of the equipment moved up and over to get it.

During the entire transfer of the drink I purchased, the bottle of soda was never turned sideways or upside down. I was able to open it without worrying that it had been shaken up. All of us have opened a drink at one time or another and ended up wearing part of it. With this ingenious technology behind a vending machine though it definitely reduces that risk.

This was quite a busy vending machine that day in just the 20 or so minutes that I sat there waiting for my friend to finish shopping. People of all ages were going to that particular machine to make a purchase. The older style of vending machines surrounding it were just left alone.

That lead me to believe that people are just as fascinated by it as I was. In fact, I had to tell my friend to buy a drink from it when she finally emerged with her purchases. We giggled over having so much fun with a vending machine. The next weekend we were at the movies and there was a cute cartoon of little characters that turned out to be representing the inside of such a vending machine.

Vending machine owners that keep up on the industry have likely taken a firm interest in this new concept as well. There is the issue of cost when it comes to buying them though. Too many owners still owe money on their current vending machines so buying new ones isn’t a reality right now.

It would seem to me that with such an advanced piece of equipment there is more than can go wrong too. Repairing such a smart piece of equipment may prove to be difficult as well as expensive. I am sure these new vending machines are under warranty but what does it cover and for how long?

From what I saw with traffic to this particular vending machine in that short period of time though, people are very interested in it. The novelty may soon wear off those and that can lead to trouble for those that have invested in them. Yet they may be the vending machine of the future and what we will continue to see offered out there.

About the Author:

Robert Farnham built a profitable vending business after starting totally the wrong way. He now writes about building a vending company and the pitfalls to avoid. Visit his website at My Vending Uncle for more.