vending machine news stories on Newser

Vending Machine as Pot Dealer? Yep, Not Legal

Rob Quinn — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:16:26 CDT

Can laws against drug dealing be sidestepped by making a machine the dealer? The answer is no, a group of drug law reform activists in New Zealand discovered this week. Police raided the group's Auckland headquarters and confiscated a vending machine that was selling one-gram bags of marijuana instead of...

Introducing the 164-Item Vending Machine

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:03:05 CST

There's a new Kroger on the Ohio Northern University campus, but you can't enter it—because it's a vending machine. The Kroger Shop24 Kiosk, which opened last month, is about the size of a bus stop and includes 164 items, from milk and bread to toiletries and flowers, all priced...

New Source of WiFi: Japanese Vending Machines

Matt Cantor — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:30:22 CST

Want some WiFi with that soda? A Japanese soft drink company has unveiled new vending machines that offer a free wireless Internet signal, TechCrunch reports. Users needn't register or even shell out for a drink: They can simply connect to the public signal for 30 minutes, landing on a home...

Tot Rescued From Toy Vending Machine

Rob Quinn — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:45:41 CST

A Pennsylvania mom wisely decided to call in emergency services instead of trying her luck with the controls after her 2-year-old got stuck inside a grab-claw vending machine with the other toy prizes. Firefighters were able to free the girl—who had apparently climbed into the chute where prizes are...

Face-Reading Vending Machines Hit Japan

Matt Cantor — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:02:25 CST

Vending machines have officially entered the 21st century: A Japanese firm has developed a vending machine that determines your age and gender using facial-recognition software then recommends drinks based on your demographic, the Week reports. A man, for example, might get offered a “canned coffee drink” because men “tend to...

Now in Swiss Vending Machines: Pregnancy Tests

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:16:08 CDT

Privacy is cherished in Switzerland, so it only follows that the country should ... start selling pregnancy tests in vending machines? Apparently. The move, which will bring the product to 3,000 machines at the end of this month, is part of an effort to ensure that young people can purchase...

Pa. Gets Vending Machines —for Wine

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:11:15 CDT

Thanks to complicated and antiquated liquor laws, it was quite difficult to get a bottle of wine in Pennsylvania…until now. The state recently introduced the nation’s first wine kiosks, ie, alcoholic vending machines. Normally, wine cannot be sold in a supermarket—only a state-owned store—but thanks to these machines,...

11 Wacky Vending Machines

Kate Schwartz — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:45:00 CDT

When you need to find a bar—gold, not chocolate—the Gold to Go vending machine at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi has you covered. It's one of a number of wacky vending options. Travel + Leisure lists 10 more weird things you can get from a machine:...

Gold Vending Machine Debuts in Abu Dhabi

Emily Rauhala — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:00:00 CDT

How rich: A vending machine that dispenses blocks of gold made its debut Wednesday at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. "Gold to Go" carries special one-ounce bars (current cost: about $1,264) alongside one, five, and 10-gram options. The machine, itself encased in 24-karat gold, is meant to...