Vending Machines

Vending Machines of The World

The vending machine has become a regular fixture in many public spaces.  In this day and age, we cannot imagine being deprived of the convenience provided by vending machines.  Whether you find yourself waiting in an airport, restaurant, or in office, different kinds of vending machines meet a variety of needs with easy access to items we otherwise would not be able to purchase at that time.

Top Vending understands better than most how important the vending machine is in meeting the need for convenience when it comes to consumers.  It provides vending solutions to cater to the increasing demand for people to have easy access to products that save time and effort.  This begs the question; how far will manufacturers of vending machines go to meet the needs of consumers?  Well, apparently very far.  As we look at a few fascinating vending machine concepts around the world, consider how important and mutually beneficial the simple concept of ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ truly is (with the seller being the owner of the vending machine…obviously).

In cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas, you have the option of a 24-hour, pavement cupcake-dispensing vending machine with your credit card.  For those of us with “a sweet tooth”, the temptation would be too hard to resist with that kind of convenience.

In China, live hairy crabs can be purchased from a vending machine at a major subway station in Nanjing.  This is the first of its kind and sells an average of 200 live crabs daily.  That’s right, it’s all about demand and supply.

In Taiwan, consumers have the option to buy medical face masks from vending machines.  If you consider the amount of pollution in extremely densely populated urban areas, it seems reasonable that at some point a medical face mask would become a necessity.  However, the option to readily purchase these masks became especially popular during the bird flu outbreak several years ago.

While this may be seen as a major security risk in some countries and large cities around the world, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi gives customers the option to purchase gold straight from a vending machine.  That’s right…gold.

It may seem like an odd product to search for in a public space as you go about your day, but if you’re in Hollywood, California, you would have the convenient option of purchasing an acne treatment from a vending machine.

During the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, a vending machine that sold the Brazilian national soccer jersey was installed in a subway station in Sao Paulo for fans who left theirs at home as they excitedly rushed to the stadium to support their national team.

Lastly, in keeping with the theme of major sporting events, as part of a programme to encourage healthy living during the Sochi Olympics in Russia, vending machines that dispensed subway tokens were installed in Moscow metro stations.  How does that encourage healthy living you might ask?  Well, to receive the subway tokens, commuters had to do a mere 30 squats.

If you thought vending machines were only meant for coffee, sweets, soft drinks, and potato chips, you were totally off track.  The options are endless as long as there is an opportunity to meet the needs of consumers at the right place and time with the right product.

Top Vending provides vending solutions to cater to the needs of businesses small and large. It also provides flexibility to businesses in need of quality vending solutions through rental or sales options.  It has a large national footprint, with branches in Gauteng, Cape Town, and Durban, and selected service partners in secondary cities.  For further detail and guidance on coffee vending machine solutions, turn to the trusted, industry-leading coffee vending machines of Top Vending.