Shop Till It Drops 494
Ando Japando writes "There's an article on NYTimes.com about a new vending machine in the US. Unlike the typical machine, this one is 18 ft wide and takes up 200 square ft. Of course, the convenience stores are not sure if this machine is a boon or a boo, but many people like it because it doesn't take up a lot of space. It'd be really cool to see these all over the place. Others complain about the lack of human interaction and perceive it as dehumanizing. That may be true, but at least it's not a live bait vending machine."
exp. dates (Score:3, Interesting)
This is Kicks Ass (Score:1, Interesting)
neato (Score:2, Interesting)
i haven't actually had the nerve to go up and use it yet, but it's a great idea considering there aren't any 24-hour convenience stores in the immediate vicinity.
Video renting vending machines (Score:4, Interesting)
In Spain, France, Italy... most of Europe really... you find these cool little machines, about twice the size of a coke vending machine, where you can rent over 500 vhs or dvds any time of the day. Most of them don't require a membership card (which a f'ing annoying anyway), just a credit card. If you return the video within a few hours you pay much less. If you don't return it, they just charge your credit card. Simple and fair. No hazzle.
But yeah... why aren't these machines the bomb in the States, where vending machines are so normal? Any thoughts?
Re:This may be new in the USA (Score:3, Interesting)
Soft drinks (of course) sometimes with 1.5 liter bottles
beer & sake
cigarettes (EVERYWHERE)
porn
gum
pantyhose
ties
umbrellas (in train stations)
rice
eggs (in a vending machine that just sold eggs)
rice-polishing (In the country - Put in your money and it polishes your brown rice into white rice)
And there's a lot more. [sonic.net] But I have never seen a snack vending machine that just sold candy bars, chips, etc... Weird.
Also, in Japan - you can be driving in the country, with very little to see, come around the corner, and there is a vending machine, standing by itself with nothing around. It's an odd and amusing experience.
As for huge vending machines, I saw one like this in the Geneva train station. Had everything.
Re:This reminds me of a book.... (Score:2, Interesting)
You should see the McDonalds on International Drive in Orlando, FL. While it is HUGE -- one of the largest in the world, largest PlayPlace (tm) in the world, gameroom -- it is highly automated.
Robot arms handle the fries, from pulling them from the grease, also dumping and salting them.
I've often wondered why someone doesn't try the McSwiney's approach.
Old News in Japan (Score:5, Interesting)
A toy store in the Ginza area has a giant vending area outside where there's Barbies and such going up to $100. Giftwrap is also included.
Near where my Mom lived there was an egg vending machine. Best I could figure it was stocked by farmers just outside town. I thought it was a great idea. A very inexpensive storefront for the egg farmer. I wouldn't see that as dehumanizing, but rather a way for the farmer to sell his eggs direct in an affordable manner.
Capsule hotels... (Score:3, Interesting)
Subways in Japan are (reasonably) cheap. Taxis by contrast cost a nut. The subway closes down at midnight. If you get caught out after the last subway leaves, and you're living in the 'burbs, you're looking at dropping a Benjamin or two in order to get back home.
So what's a party guy to do other than sleep it off in the gutter?
Answer: the capsule hotel.
Re:NYT login (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.majcher.com/nytview.html
sometimes you hafta do it a couple times though.
Re:Porn vending machines (Score:2, Interesting)
The better hotels are the love hotels (some of which are run via a room key vending machine). You can take your favorite partner to a nicely decked out, pay-by-the-hour hotel. The ones I went to usually had a vending TV that would play adult movies, a vending machine where you could get condoms (which were always too small), one for drinks and beef jerky, and a coin operated bed that jiggles around. The mirrors on almost every flat surface were free. Much more enjoyable than a capsule hotel.
"meet me halfway" online shopping? (Score:3, Interesting)
How about allowing this gizmo to offer pre-ordering via the web? Go to the machine's web site, see the machine's inventory. Purchase your products on a credit card. The products get set aside into a separate compartment for you. You go to the machine, insert your credit card (same one you used to purchase), the products are released to you, and you are charged for them.
If you need to order something that's not in stock, the machine operator could offer some service level for an additional charge to stock it in the next stocking run.
Reduces delivery/distribution costs for the vendors while providing additional convenience for the consumers.
(And why couldn't fast-food places operate like this? Certainly robots can do an equally good job of microwaving and assembling a Big Mac, depositing it into the queue, and then charging your credit card.)
Re:This reminds me of a book.... (Score:3, Interesting)
It comes down to cost. 8 years ago when I worked at McDonalds we considered a robotic fry vat. The one we had wasn't working well anymore, so a new one was required. However the cost got in the way. Something like 5 times the price just to get the robotic version. We could not make the payments.
McDonalds really wants to replace all their fry vats and grills with robotic versions. The oil is somewhere between 300 and 450 degrees (f), and burns are common. However the cost couldn't be justified. Build a robot that is reliable and cheep and they will make you rich. (remember though that the enviorment isn't the easiest to work with, it all has to pass FDA inspection, and greese tends to clog things)
Re:Theft? (Score:3, Interesting)
Read Design of Everyday things by Donald Norman.
Vandals break windows, spray paint wood, and use a gun on convience store workers. (Obviously the latter is a different class of crime). In the book he accounts for a case of heavy glass that was broken several times within days of being put up. They finialy just put up plywood, and it was never broken, but it was painted all the time. The plywood was actually much easier to break than the glass it replaced, but nobody breaks plywood, they paint it. (or burn it, but it is hard to burn large parts of a panel)
A convenience store worker's head does not afford the ability to throw a cinder block though it. You can do so, often killing the worker, but you don't think of that.
You know what I'd like? (Score:2, Interesting)
Imagine picking a bunch of products from a web site before you leave work at ten pm. You load the selection into your pda or cellphone, then stop by one of these and have them do some ir comm and get bunch of products out. No numbers to pick (which is hard enough after eight hours of overtime), no hassle with money or lack thereof.
That's one less minute spent away from your beloved computer/wife/hybrid.
Ps: yes, yes. you could spoof orders if the system wasn't properly designed.
Shop till it drops? (Score:2, Interesting)
Well, no wonder!
Lol.
In response, the community sued the parents for producing a kid so rediculously stupid and then trying to shift the blame so they could get money.
Also, warn your children never to walk up to a boulder on a hill and pull it towards them. But damn, your kids would have to be pretty stupid.