Vending Machines suck in the US

[fallacy]

Why have vending machines never taken off in the US, why do they still work the same way they did in the early 90’s. I hear you can buy school girl panties in vending machines in Japon using any form of currency along with everything else. Meanwhile it is still hit or miss to get a damn Mount Dew from any vending machine in the US. Pretty much anything good wants more than a dollar, we are in a digital age no one even caries cash anymore now I have to have 2 singles on hand.  Hardly any vending machine will take a 5, I have not seen any yet that will take a credit card. All the Red boxes  $1 DVD rental have credit card payments and you can’t update vending machine with this sh!t.

Today I am working and wanted a Dew, put my 2 singles in – after it spit my dolor back at me 8 times, it gave me an error “need exact change” I have seen this error plenty of times in the past from other machines.  Where is the innovation?

[JDFan]

Think it's just another case of Supply and Demand -- Here in the states there are 24 hour convenience stores every few blocks or a walmart or grocery store just down the road open 24 hours so who needs a vending machine  -- Figure in Japan there is no open land available to build a convenience store but there is plenty of room to put up a few vending machines - so they come up with new methods of vending the items people want to buy from them (ie. hot Coffee, soups, small items that we would buy from the convenience store etc.) and there are people that actually maintain and fill the machines in a timely manner - Many of the newer machines actually call the vendor when they reach a set inventory level or something malfunctions (vs. here where they are on a set schedule of weekly\monthly checks and can spend much of the time between visits broken or empty)

[Howard_Casto]

There are other factors as well.  In Japan you can put "expensive" stuff in an "expensive" vending machine out in the middle of nowhere or even in a bad urban environment and it will be ok because the culture over there respects the fact that the machine is offering a service and thus they don't vandalize it. 

Over here vending machines just about have to be accompanied by an armed guard and you rarely see them outdoors unless it's in front of a Walmart or similar "open 24 hours and therefore watched 24 hours" environment.  And that's just for a 1 dollar soft drink.  Imagine trying to put something of more value in them.

In other words we can't have nice things because we have idiot thieves that ruin it for everyone. 

I know around here it is getting VERY hard to find a coin-op car wash because the kids keep bashing them apart to get to the quarters inside.  Some kid swipes 50 bucks in quarters and the entire community suffers for it. 

[ark_ader]

I know around here it is getting VERY hard to find a coin-op car wash because the kids keep bashing them apart to get to the quarters inside.  Some kid swipes 50 bucks in quarters and the entire community suffers for it.

House of the dead 3 will make you go to such extremes.

[Dawgz Rule]

Vending machines at my work now take credit cards.

[Hoopz]

I've seen different Vend-a-Bait machines for years.  Follows in the long line of Duck Dynasty, Honey Boo Boo, and upscale marketing to the US's intellectual crowd.

[yotsuya]

[Vigo]

  That's gold right there.

[yotsuya]

It was either that or "I can't buy panties from a US vending machine."

[hypernova]

Boy, someone must have a swell life if that's the worst thing about his day!

And yet, years from now, more and more people will be lamenting this exact situation like it is the travesty fallacy makes it out to be.

Incidentally, I've seen vending machines take credit cards...at a rest stop, where it is likely you may not have cash at hand for all those kids crying for candy, but most certainly have a CC.  And there are vending machines with expensive items like ProActiv Solution kits and even one with stuff from Best Buy like iPods and other high value electronics, but they're in malls and such.

[ark_ader]

Next you will be talking about a vending machine that dispenses video games.......oh wait!

[Howard_Casto]

Boy, someone must have a swell life if that's the worst thing about his day!

And yet, years from now, more and more people will be lamenting this exact situation like it is the travesty fallacy makes it out to be.

Incidentally, I've seen vending machines take credit cards...at a rest stop, where it is likely you may not have cash at hand for all those kids crying for candy, but most certainly have a CC.  And there are vending machines with expensive items like ProActiv Solution kits and even one with stuff from Best Buy like iPods and other high value electronics, but they're in malls and such.

Well yeah, it's just like I said, you get better vending machines at WELL GUARDED places.

I agree btw.  The last time I complained about a vending machine being hard to use I was 8, and it was hard to use because, again, I was 8.