A vending machine is a machine that provides various snacks, beverages and other products to consumers. The idea is to vend products without a cashier. Items sold via vending machines vary by country and region.
In many countries, vending machines generally serve the purpose of selling snacks and beverages, but are also common in busy locations to sell other items such as newspapers.
A number vending machine is also used at many outlets, where a customer has to press a button on the machine and a number is printed on a slip of paper and the customer has to wait until his number is called by the service provider.
Mechanism
After paying, a product may become available by:
- the machine releasing it, so that it falls in an open compartment at the bottom, or into a cup, either released first, or put in by the customer
- the unlocking of a door, drawer, turning of a knob, etc.
Sometimes the product is not just released, but prepared; this may be the case e.g. in the case of coffee, french fries, or a ticket that is printed after paying.
Bulk candy and gumball vending
Bulk candy machines are entirely 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 coins. The items may be unsorted; in that case what the customer exactly gets is subject to chance.
The gross margins in the bulk candy business can be quite high — gumballs, for instance, can be purchased in bulk for 2 cents apiece and sold for 25 cents. Gumballs and candy have a relatively long shelf life, enabling vending machine operators to manage many machines without too much time involved.[6] In addition, the machines are typically inexpensive compared to soft drink or snack machines. Many operators donate a percentage of the profits to charity so that locations will allow them to place the machines for free.
Bulk vending may be a more practical choice than soft drink/snack vending for an individual who also works a full-time job, since the restaurants, retail stores, and other locations suitable for bulk vending may be more likely to be open during the evening and on weekends than venues such as offices that host soft drink and snack machines.
Healthy vending
Healthy vending machines are machines that offer a range of healthy vending options. They offer a variety of healthy beverage and snack products and typically do not carry products that are high in saturated fat and sugar. Some machines offer whole meals and organic snacks and are typically found in schools and health clubs.
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