Vending Machines

Vending machines have come a long way from their humble origins in ancient Egypt. According to reports, there were vending devices in temples as early 215 B.C. These devices, designed by the Egyptian mathematician Hero, were coin operated holy water dispensers, and they used a metal lever that lifted and released holy water when a coin was inserted. By the time the coin fell off the lever, the desired amount of holy water would be dispersed. This vending technology was groundbreaking at the time, and similar forms of this machine were used until electric vending became mainstream.

The first vending machines to debut in the United States were made by the Thomas Adams Gum Company, and they vended pieces of Tutti-Frutti gum. These machines were located on subway platforms in New York City. Less than 10 years later, the Pulver Manufacturing Company decided to add entertainment to their vending machines and built animated figures that would move when coins were deposited in the machine. This brilliant idea paved the way for some of the most successful vend-ish machines of the 20th century, slot machines.

Well ahead of it's time, the United States Post Office adopted vending machines as a method of distributing stamps in 1905. Cigars, postcards and cigarettes were some of the first items to inhabit vending machines, near the turn of the 20th century.

Before machines were invented that could preserve cold food, or heat up hot dishes, there were automats. An automat is a fast food restaurant that serves simple food and drinks using coin or bill-operated vending machines. Horn & Hardart opened its first automat eatery in 1902 to serve good dishes cheaply. All a hungry diner needed to do was insert 3 nickels, twist the knob, and the glass would open up revealing an assortment of prepared dishes. A discerning patron could pick his or her favorite, then close the door for the next customer to use.

Automats are still quite popular in many countries across the world, especially the Netherlands, where they are called "automatieks".

After WWII, the vending industry began to infiltrate our day-to-day lives due to the perfection of the slug rejector. The slug rejector allowed machines to differentiate between coin values, and was the advancement needed for retailers to embrace automated retail as a distribution method. The first Coca-Cola vending machine was unveiled in 1937 and was capable of vending bottles. Sodas were being sold out of machines, but it was not until 1961 that vending machines were able to offer canned beverages. During this time, vending machines made a prolific expansion across the U.S. and by the end of the 1970s they inhabited just about every office in the country.

Modern vending machines are forcing us to think differently about what types of items can be vended. Japan has been rewriting the rules of vending for many years, and has many current offerings would be unthinkable in years past. Vendible items range from umbrellas, shoes, and batteries, to fresh eggs, ice, and live lobsters.

Some new vending machines are using a conveyor/treadmill vending system. This allows the machines to sell more product in a smaller space and also enables it to vend just about anything, including vitamin bottles, gift cards, t-shirts, iPods, etc.

These high tech, Eco-friendlier vending machines use Advanced Remote Monitoring (ARM). ARM allows operators to know exactly what sells and when, therefore minimizing their carbon footprint (less unnecessary travel), and perhaps most importantly, ensuring that the machines are always stocked appropriately.

Wherever there is a need, you can count on people to find a way to fill it. In a sense, that is really what vending is about. The future holds promise of even more creative ideas , and products that will be dispensed from vending machines.

http://www.gumballs.com/history.html

http://www.theautomat.net/

http://www.toxel.com/tech/2009/06/08/14-cool-vending-machines-from-japan/

http://www.vending.org/industry/history.php