Vending machine
From Mod Mania
Vending machine While starving waiting for the late train after a long day of school, the vending machine near the platform may seem like an oasis in the desert. Vending machines can be found everywhere, selling various items as well as taking an important role in our life. With lots of choices, it brings us a convenient access of buying things in a time-saving way. Even though they have the same function, vending machines appear differently and sell different types of goods in various areas of the world to fit local culture. In this essay, I’m going to discuss how vending machines affect society in the different parts of the world in which they are located and change people’s lifestyles.
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Brief history
Back in the first century, the Greek mathematician Hero Alexandria invented the first vending machine in the world. How it worked was like a fountain which required coins. When the point reached an amount of weight of the coins, certain amounts of water would flow out. The first coin-operated vending machine appeared in the 1880s in London, UK, selling postcards. At the same time, a bookshop owner-Richard Carlisle started selling books through vending machines. Soon after that, vending machines began to sell a wide range of products including stamps, gums, cigars and soft drinks. Since these basic vending machines were sold worldwide from the 20th century, people from different areas started to create all types of vending machines which related to their needs and slowly developed their own vending machine culture within those areas.
Vending machine in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, FEBO is the most typical Dutch vending machine found in 1941 in Amsterdam, which you can see around the street, usually on the wall. They called it ‘automatiek’ and it’s similar to automat. This type of vending machine sells hot Dutch snacks such as croquette, frikandel and hamburgers. People can see the food outside of the small window. After they insert the coin and open the door, they can enjoy their warm snack straight away. The Dutch proudly state that, ‘The world may have McDonald’s, but Holland has FEBO.’ It is actually not an entire machine; there is usually a kitchen at the back. The cook puts the food inside the box then the box maintains the heat. FEBO successfully placed vending machines into the Dutch culture and created an image of selling fresh food in the vending machine.
Vending machine in the United States
For many Americans, the vending machine is their weakness. Spending a quarter to have a treat might sound like nothing, but imagine how much money you would have saved in a year if you ditched the habit of dropping a coin into a vending machine twice a day. Bulk vending machines which sell candy bars, gumballs or toys in an unsorted order are the most common in the United States. Usually several types of candies are mixed and randomly dispensed. Compared with food vending machines, the cost of this one is so cheap that individuals are willing to give their coins away. The most popular type with kids and adults is the gumball vending machine. It is usually located in shopping malls, outside restaurants, offices and some other non-smoking public places. After dinner, people would drop a coin into the fancy colourful flashing machine, and see the gumball rolling down along the spiral. M&M’s bulk vending machine is also one of the best-sellers, however, in some places with high temperature the chocolate would melt inside. With the invention of bulk vending machine, people got used to the habit of having a bit a sweet while walking on the street.
Vending machine in Japan
Japan is best known for the variety of their vending machines and that fact is widespread. Visitors are often shocked to see how bizarre their vending machines are. Starting from the 1950s, it became popular among the crowds. One of the most successful ones was the one sells capsule toys, similar to the bulk vending machine. Buyers from primary school children to adults; it’s a trend to collect the toys inside those small balls. It’s always an expectation every time you drop a coin and twist the handle. People would love to do it over and over again just to get an entire set of a toy. Once you get a whole set, it can be sold on eBay for a pretty good price. Since Japan is a small country, it pretty much benefits the fact that people want to save space and cost of hiring a salesperson. One of the reasons why vending machines can be seen everywhere in Japan is that the residents that live there are quite self-disciplined, unlike in other places where people are trying to crack the vending machine and steal. That’s why they can sell all kinds of things without worries such as umbrellas, pasta, t-shirts, vegetables, fresh eggs, flowers…….etc. One of the most interesting types is the alcohol vending machine. In order to verify if the buyer’s over 18 or not, there’s a small mirror with digital camera. Through scanning the face, it would look up the database and tell if the potential buyer is an adult or not. Also, there’s different way to do the payment as well. As everyone knows, most Japanese mobile phones can be used as transport ticket by simply holding the mobile around the sensor. Now it can be used to pay for the drink when you purchase from the vending machine as well.
Through the cultural influence in difference places, vending machines no longer appear the same just selling soft drink and postcards. It became more like a friend taking an important part of our life 24/7 and fulfilling our needs.
Reference:
http://pingmag.jp/2008/06/16/vending-machine-extravaganza/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_vending
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/hottest-vending-machine-home-based-businesses-543884.html
