Types of Vending Machines
– Food vending machines sell snacks like potato chips, chocolate bars, and candy.
– Hot drink vending machines offer coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
– Cold drink vending machines provide juice, bottled water, and soft drinks.
– Other merchandise vending machines include newspapers, cigarettes, condoms, mouthwash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.
– Ticket vending machines print tickets for various purposes.
Functionality of Vending Machines
– Money (coins or paper) is inserted into a slot.
– A button is pushed or a lever is pulled to make a selection.
– If enough money is inserted, the chosen item is dropped into a tray for retrieval.
– Modern vending machines can accept debit or credit cards in addition to cash.
– Older vending machines were mechanical, but newer ones are partly electronic.
Historical Development of Vending Machines
– The first vending machine was invented by Hero of Alexandria in Roman Egypt during the 1st century AD. It dispensed holy water.
– In 1615, tobacco vending machines were placed in English taverns.
– Richard Carlile created a machine in 1822 that dispensed banned works.
– The 1850s and 60s saw the introduction of the first fully-automatic vending machine, selling stamps and writing paper.
– Coin-operated vending machines were introduced in London in the 1880s, and various products were dispensed, including envelopes, postcards, notepapers, chocolates, chewing gums, perfumes, matches, and gum.
Vending Machines Worldwide
– Japan is known for its innovative vending machines, offering fresh fruits, vegetables, sake, hot foods, batteries, flowers, clothing, and sushi. It has the highest per capita rate of vending machines.
– Coca-Cola has one of the largest numbers of vending machines globally, thanks to the popularity of soda-vending machines in the 1940s and 1950s.
– Automated vending machines in Berlin, Germany, sell bicycle tubes.
– Ghent, Belgium, has vending machines for train tickets.
– Vending machines are used for various purposes worldwide, catering to different needs and preferences.
References
– ’10 Best Vending Machine Business Ideas for 2023′ provides insights into potential vending machine business opportunities.
– ‘The Incredible Reason the Vending Machine Was Created’ explains the historical background of vending machines.
– ‘The History of Vending Machines’ offers further information on the development and evolution of vending machines.
– Wikimedia Commons has media related to vending machines, providing visual resources.
– Various sources provide additional information and details on the topic of vending machines.Sources: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine
