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An Introduction To Vending Machines
The very first vending machine was said to have been invented by
Hero of Alexandria, a 1st century inventor. His machine accepted
a coin and then dispensed a fixed amount of "holy water."
Basically, a vending machine is a machine that dispenses
merchandise after a customer deposits money. Vending machines
have a currency detector which determines if the money inserted
is sufficient to purchase the desired item.
Common locations where vending machines are usually placed
include: next to the entrances/exits, next to the water
fountain, in front of the restroom, in the break room, by the
coffee maker, next to the other vending machines, by the
receptionist, next to the cash register, next to the listening
station at a music store, next to the change machine or in the
waiting area.
The items sold in vending machine vary. In the U.S. vending
machines may even carry alcoholic beverages such as beer and
cigarettes. This practice is increasingly rare though, due to
concerns about underage buyers. I
n Japan, there seems to be no limits to what is sold by vending
machines. These include: drinks and cigarettes, bottles of wine,
cartons of beer and pairs of underwear. Japan has the highest
number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine
for every 23 people.
Vending machines are classified mainly according to the products
it carries. Below are just some of them: Newspaper vending
machines
With newspaper vending machines, a customer could open the box
and make off with all of the newspapers after paying for one.
Such assumes that the customer will be honest.
Candy vending machines
Candy vending machines are mechanical machines that vend a
handful of candy, a bouncy ball, or perhaps a capsule with a
small toy or jewelry, for one or two quarters.
Soda snack/vending machines
Soda/snack vending machines are, as the name
suggests, sell cans
or bottles of soda and/or small packages of snacks. For
operators, soda/snack machines have the advantage that many
locations recognize their need for such machines.
Specialized Vending
Specialized vending machines are those that dispense personal
products, typically in public toilet facilities. These vending
machines are often found in toilets used by transient persons in
high traffic locations, such as bus stations and truck stops.
The machines in ladies restrooms typically sell sanitary
napkins, tampons and tissue paper. In men's rooms, the vending
machines contain tissue paper, cleansers and sometimes condoms.
These vending machines use a spiral kind of mechanism to
separate and to hold the products. When the machine vends, the
spiral turns, thus pushing the product forward and falling down
to be vended.
Most vending machines are designed as large safes. They have
also been extensively tested and designed to inhibit theft. Like
any machines, vending machines are susceptible to malfunction.
The causes are many-fold.
Coin acceptors often jam up, especially if a child inserts a
bill or other foreign object into the coin slot. Bill validators
sometimes falsely reject a legal tender bill that happens to be
crumpled, ripped, or dirty. Vending machines usually have a
phone number that angry users can call for service.
One of the newest vending innovations is telemetry, which is
made possible by the advent of reliable, affordable wireless
technology. With telemetry, data can be transmitted to a remote
headquarters for use in scheduling a route stop, detecting
component failure or verifying collection information.
About the author:
James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of VendingWebs.com and writes
expert articles about vending.
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