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Vending Machine History and Facts
The first vending machine is believed to have been invented by a
first-century inventor in Alexandria. He created a machine that
accepted a coin and then dispensed a fixed amount of holy water.
When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a
lever. The lever opened up a valve which let some water flow out.
The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it
fell off, at which point a counter-weight would snap the lever
back up and turn off the valve.
Despite this early precedent, vending machines had to wait for the
Industrial Age before they came to prominence. The first modern
coin-operated vending machines were introduced in London, England
in the early 1880s, dispensing post cards. The first vending
machine in the U.S. was built in 1888 by the Thomas Adams Gum
Company, selling gum on train platforms. The idea of adding simple
games to these machines as a further incentive to buy came in 1897
when the Pulver Manufacturing Company added small figures which
would move around whenever somebody bought some gum from their
machines. This simple idea spawned a whole new type of mechanical
device known as the "trade stimulators". The birth of slot
machines and pinball is ultimately rooted in these early devices.
In the U.S., most vending machines are operated by vending
companies that offer a wide variety of services. (But bottlers,
such as Coca-Cola Corp and Pepsi Bottling, also own, stock, and
service a great number of soda machines.) There are also large
amounts of vending machines owned by store owners, or individuals
who buy or rent several machines. Other machines, such as U.S.
Postal Service machines, are maintained by governmental or
quasi-governmental entities.
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. 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.
A full line vending company may set up several types of vending
machines that sell a wide range of products. The types of products
include candy, cookies, chips, fresh fruit, milk, cold food,
coffee, bottles and/or cans of soda, and even frozen products like
ice cream. These products can be sold from various types of
vending machines that include coffee, snack, cold food, 20-oz.
bottle machines, and glass-front bottle machines. Almost all
machines accept bills with more and more machines accepting $5
bills. This is a great advantage to the vendor because it
virtually eliminates the need for a bill changer. Larger
corporations with cafeterias will often request full line vending
with food service. Vending companies that offer both have a
competitive advantage in acquiring accounts because it makes it
much easier to deal with one company for both services.
One of the more controversial types of vending machines are those
that dispense personal products, typically in public toilet
facilities. The machines in ladies' restrooms typically sell some
form of absorbent device for menstruation such as a pad or tampon.
The machines in men's rooms, when they are present, are most
commonly used for the sale of condoms, though in some locations
they may be found dispensing cologne, medicine, or even
pornography. These are often found at toilets used by transient
persons in high traffic locations, such as bus stations, malls,
airports and truck stops. More recently umbrella vending machines
(Umbrolly) umbrolly websitewhich dispense umbrellas, have begun
appearing in high traffic locations such as malls, hotels, and
large office buildings and another vending machine that dispenses
hot pizzas have begun to appear.
Info from www.wikipedia.com |
