50 Vending Machines That Were Designed For Some Very Specific Things (New Pics)
There’s nothing quite like sneaking out to a vending machine for a cheeky snack during a break. Whether you’re finishing up your extracurriculars at school, doing research late at night at university, or burning the midnight oil at the office, there is something mundanely magical about feeding bits of metal into a robot that spits out food. It feels like something that you’d find in an old sci-fi novel.
Vending machines are incredibly cool and convenient inventions that still blow our minds every time we start thinking about how weirdly retrofuturistic a concept they are. However, they have become so ubiquitous in our lives that many of us barely ever notice them anymore. Fortunately, it’s possible to change that in a heartbeat—all you need is a uniquely-designed machine that sells something unexpected! There are far more interesting things than just candy bars and cans of soda for sale, after all.
Our team at Bored Panda has collected photos of some of the coolest, most unusual, and downright bizarre vending machines from around the globe. We’d love to share them with you, so scroll down and upvote your fave pics, dear Pandas. [Ting, Whrrrrrr, Clunk.] When you’ve enjoyed this list to the fullest, check out Bored Panda’s previous collection of awesome vending machines right over here.
Bored Panda was interested to learn about customer convenience, automation, and the importance of the 'human factor,' so we got in touch with Matt Johnson, Ph.D., the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog and the Human Nature blog. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business.' Read on for his insights about the trade-off that vending machines provide consumers, and why human interactions while buying things are still important to us, no matter how much we might love convenience.
This post may include affiliate links.
Dallas Love Field Airport Offers Free Feminine Hygiene Products
This Vending Machine In Istanbul Dispenses Dog Food For Homeless Dogs When People Put Bottles In For Recycling
Every Street Corner Should Have One
Professor Johnson, the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog, as well as the Human Nature blog, kindly shared his perspective on the relative importance of convenience versus interacting with other people.
"Provided there are no issues with the technology, vending machines pose an interesting trade-off in the consumer's mind. On the one hand, they provide a quick, easy, seamless translation. On the other hand, they lack a human touch and provide no social interaction," he explained to Bored Panda what the trade-off looks like. "As a whole, this 'human factor' is very important for the consumer. As social creatures, we benefit immensely from social interaction—even for something as simple as small talk with a shopkeeper or grocery store clerk."
However, neither factor is more important than the other. What a consumer "prefers in the moment depends on their overall diet of consumer interactions," Johnson said.
"At one extreme, if ALL transactions are done through automated systems, and are completely devoid of human interaction, this is very likely problematic. Here, the consumer will (or should) rightly crave more human interaction, especially if this is lacking in other areas of their life."
This Machine Dispenses Food For Stray Animals Whenever Items Are Recycled Into It
This Train Station In Romania Has A Book Vending Machine
Taking Historic Architecture Into Account When Adding Vending Machines
What makes the 'human factor' in social interactions even more important is the rise of automated systems, especially if you include e-commerce into the mix. "When people can so easily get their basic consumer needs met with automated systems, the social interactions have a lot to compete with. The role of a cashier becomes much more about scanning items and completing a transaction. It needs to provide something that the mere utility of the products can’t—empathy and human interaction."
Meanwhile, we were curious to get the professor's opinion about the spread of automatization, and whether the process is inevitable. One area where automatization has increased is self-checkouts at grocery stores. However, the systems aren't perfect. In fact, they have some pretty serious downsides.
"Despite its growth, self-checkout has been challenging for both consumers as well as for food retailers. Research suggests that consumers strongly prefer cashiers and regularly experience frustration with self-check-out technology. And despite the promise of lowering costs, automated check-out machines, in practice, increase costs for the median grocery store," Johnson, the author of 'Branding that Means Business,' told us.
"This is due to the fact that automated check-out systems require regular technical maintenance, and also because there is often more theft and/or unaccounted items in stores that rely heavily on self-check-out systems," he explained what can go wrong.
Sunscreen Dispenser On Sydney Beaches
A Town In Serbia Started Using Recycling Machines That Also Feed Stray Dogs
Waiting For A Flight? This Airport Has A Machine That Teaches You How To Give CPR
And how many people squeeze the boobs just for fun? (I never expected that my comment would get this many likes! But to straighten things up, I’m a woman if it makes any difference, squeezing boobs are not bad. Specially when it’s important to search for breast cancer or just to release some stress. And cpr is a good thing to learn, bonus if one get to squeeze machine boobs. Boobs are boobs. I like them all. Female boobs, man boobs, machine boobs. I don’t discriminate. I like boobies)
"The growing popularity of these systems amongst retail chains is owed largely to the promise that, over time, these teething effects will come down, along with the costs. And that over time, as labor costs are likely to increase, an automated system investment will prove to be a wise hedge." Because of this, Johnson believes that we're likely to see automation "across the board," from self-checkout to vending machines and beyond, for "relatively low-cost products from mass-market brands."
"However, for brands with a higher-end image to protect, we’ll likely see much less adoption, as frustrations with these technologies and the coldness of the interaction can reflect poorly on the brand image." If you found Professor Johnson's insights useful, consider taking a look at his Neuroscience of Branding blog, as well as his Human Nature blog where he covers a range of interesting topics.
We love the smooth—yet sometimes clunky—interactivity of vending machines. You fish out some pocket change, you insert a handful of coins, and then patiently wait for the whirring mechanism to spit out a treat. But the machine itself is older than you might think.
The history of vending machines is pretty wild! For instance, you might consider the very first vending machines to be the ones set up by Hero of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician, who created a device that dispensed holy water inside Egyptian temples.
This Vending Machine At The Hospital Sells Healthy, Affordable Meals
Cake Dispenser In Toronto
Short Story Dispenser At Los Angeles Public Library Central
Or you might decide that the roots of these machines lie in England, around 1615, where you’d find small machines that dispensed tobacco in taverns. However, they were still very limited in the scope of what was on offer to customers.
The next step in the process was the introduction of newspaper dispensers in 1822, by English publisher and bookshop owner Richard Carlile. However, it wasn’t until half a century later that the first fully automatic vending machines were created. They dispensed stamps.
The first modern commercial vending machines were found in London, England, in post offices and railway stations. By 1888, these machines began to spread in the United States. The very first ones sold Tutti-Fruiti gum. Nine years later, the gum was ‘spiced up’ by adding illustrated figures to appeal to more customers. In 1907, we saw the arrival of the iconic gumball machines.
Honey Dispenser At A Hotel In Japan
This Feminine Hygiene Product Dispenser Gives Tampons And Pads For Free
University Has A Vending Machine With All The Things You Need As A Student, From Sanitary Pads To A Powerbank
The vending machine craze was massive. You could even find coin-operated restaurants. This is, in part, why vending machines give us such strong mid-century retrofuturistic vibes.
They were a key part of how Americans and Brits of the last century imagined the future: you’d see automation in every aspect of life.
It was around 2006 that more and more vending machines started to have credit card scanners on them, meaning that you no longer had to pay with cash.
These days, you’ll still find individuals who carry cash on their person. However, this is becoming less and less common, as everyone slowly embraces a cashless society. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, 41% of Americans don’t use cash for any purchases in a typical week. That number has increased from 29% in 2018 and 24% in 2015.
LEGO Vending Machine! Chicago O'Hare Airport
A Vending Machine Full Of Crochet Materials
Pharmacy In Spain Has A 24-Hour Vending Machine Outside For When It Is Closed
The last time that Bored Panda featured the coolest vending machines from around the world, our colleague spoke to Lisa Yaszek, a professor of science fiction studies in the school of literature, media, and communication at Georgia Tech.
“Vending machines often feel like symbols of modernity—after all, they embody the efficiency, convenience, affordability, and novelty that consumers crave and merchants want to provide,” she said.
However, Yaszek noted that vending machines are actually very old, ancient even, “popping up in some form or another whenever large groups of people gather in urban spaces.”
“People often credit Hero of Alexandria with inventing the first vending machine (for holy water!) in first-century Roman Egypt, and by the 1600s, English tavern patrons could expect to find portable, coin-operated tobacco dispensers at their local watering hole,” she told Bored Panda.
Most Tests Here Are Around 2-3€ Each But We Also As Citizens Get 1 Free Rapid Test A Day From The Government So We Can Attend Restaurants, Events, And Gyms
They Definitely Should Put The Baguette Machine Next To The Cheese Machine
At The Cemetery In My Neighborhood There Is A Vending Machine Selling Grave Lanterns And Candles
“While inventors tinkered with everything from machines that sold banned books to machines that offered stamps, the modern vending craze really took off when Englishman Percival Everitt introduced a machine for selling postcards in 1883—and when the Sweetmeat Automatic Delivery Company was founded just 4 years later to install and maintain such machines!” Yaszek explained to our colleague during an earlier interview.
“The first American and Japanese vending machines (for gum and tobacco, respectively) were introduced in 1888, the first French machines (for beer, wine, and liquor) appeared in 1890, and the first German vending machine (for chocolate) debuted in 1893,” she said.
Japanese Vending Machines Adapted To The Surroundings
So Cool, Forget A Birthday Late At Night? A Date? Flowers Always Ready
This Butcher Has A Vending Machine For After Hours
“Business people loved vending machines because they could sell bulk goods efficiently, without having to train and depend on another human, and consumers enjoyed the ability to purchase everyday necessities and small, trendy luxuries at their convenience and often at a reasonable price point.”
As time marched on, more and more varied items were sold in vending machines. “I think the strangest vending machines were those that sold life insurance in airports from the 1950s to the 1970s—it really takes the glamour out of flying to worry about your possible death while doing so! But maybe that felt glamorous in its own strange way…” the expert said.
This Bakery In Japan Puts Their Leftover Bread In A Vending Machine To Sell After Hours
My bakery donates. They don't have any vending machines and didn't updated their stablishment from the 60's. They don't even have a damn POS, so they are the only reason why I would have cash in my pocket. But they care. And, OMG, the smell at 7 in the morning...
I Stumbled Upon A Cupcake ATM
Succulent Vending Machine In A Nearby Mall
Niche items were begun to be sold, from dog toys to pet owners to bait supplies for fishing enthusiasts, and even original art and stories for people who loved culture. Meanwhile, digital vending machines started tracking purchases and began offering individuals targeted goods.
“And of course, vending machines can be a tool for public health and creativity as well! Vending machines in schools, public bathrooms, and outside pharmacies empower customers to acquire food and medicine when they need it, even if shops are not open, and they enable people to anonymously purchase items that they might be too embarrassed to buy from another human being,” Yaszek told Bored Panda about the upsides of vending machines.
My Workplace Installed Sunscreen Dispensers
I Buy Honey From Backroad Beekeeper Stands. This One Was On A Georgia Dirt Road
Couple miles from my house a guy has a stand in front of his house with all his honey products. Nobody ever working it it’s just got a money box and it works on trust.
A Cheese Vending Machine In A Mountain Village In Switzerland
Vending Machine At The Oktoberfest Fair Grounds In Munich
In One Village In Czechia, They Have A Vending Machine For Potatoes, AKA The Potat-O-Mat. People Can Use It To Get Local Fresh Potatoes Just By Inserting A Few Coins
The machine is completely automatic.
I Dared To Dream That A Vacant Retail Space Could Feed Me
Instead Of Sugary Treats, Fatty Chips, Or High-Calorie Sodas, A Vending Machine At This Elementary School Is Filled With Books
My Hotel Has A Nutella Dispenser
First Narcan Vending Machine In Austin At 4430 Menchaca
This German Vending Machine Has Everything You Might Need During Your Hiking Tour: Pilsner Beer, Eggs, Goulash, White Beer, Aspic, Lemonade, And Goat Cheese
My University Installed A Free HIV Test Dispenser
HIV is another disease I’d like to learn I have from a Dr. Not a vending machine
Milk Dispenser In Greece
They have these in France and Switzerland too. The one in our village ( St.Genis Pouilly) moos when it is done dispensing the chosen amount of milk.
Pretty Sure Most Of These Games Are Bootlegs, But I Just Thought It Was So Weird To See Something Like This At A Mall
The Post Office Box Has A Vending Machine For Stamps And Parcels
Australia Post actually doing something.... helpful? I'm blown away. Now let's hope they can improve their delivery services. Could've swam across Bass Strait, be dead, buried and had a memorial service in the time my last package took to arrive@
This Sriracha Vending Machine I Stumbled Upon In Japan Today
My Gym's Vending Machine Organizes Water Based On It's Temperature
In ONE degree increments? I'm impressed if that's even remotely accurate. Still a nice idea, though.
My Local Library's Men's Bathroom Has A Tampon Dispenser
My Hospital Has A Boba Tea Vending Machine. I Spent Almost Every Childhood Weekend In The Doctor's Lounge At Some Point And Would Have Appreciated This
This Flip-Flop Vending Machine I Found In Sidney
Vending Machines In Switzerland Sell Pregnancy Tests Called "Maybe Baby"
A Supermarket I Visited In Germany Has A Bread Dispenser
Germany Has Meat Vending Machines
Where I live in germany you are more likely to find a meat or cheese vending machine than an atm
I Feel I Should Add That It's Sunshine Laundromat In Greenpoint. They Also Have Mad Pinball Machines
Is that a "get out of h.e.l.l. free" card in slot 135? For just $5?!? (I honestly can't make out the last word on the top line, but I'm pretty sure it's not 'jail.')
Hot Wheels Vending Machine, Canadian Tire, Edmonton, Alberta
That would be a mandatory stop, when going to the supermarket with children... or without.
Cough Drop Dispenser At The Chicago Symphony
This is a great idea I hate it when I get an annoying tickle at the theatre.
Gas Station Near Me Has Local Honey Vending Machine Outside
Me: Rapidly googles where this is. Starts up car. Me again: Okay guys, you won't be seeing me post for a while so TTYL.
Strawberry Vending Machine. This Is At A Strawberry Greenhouse In The Westland In The Netherlands
Spotted At The Paris Casino: A Cake Vending Machine
Found This Pineapple Peeler In Madrid
Just Like A Regular Vending Machine, But Everything Is Free. Just Scan Your Employee ID
These are all workshop supplies; they're obviously free but the employer keeps track of it all by employees basically signing out items.
In Germany, You Can Buy Beer From Vending Machines
This School Has A Book Vending Machine
I Found This In A Restaurant In South Korea. It Is Mouth Wash
Old Cigarette Dispenser Repurposed As An Art Vending Machine
CBD Products In The Vending Machine (Catania, Italy)
This Vending Machine Solely Dispenses Medications For Your Pet Falcons
These Snacks Labeled By How Long It Takes To Walk Them Off
Pizza Vending Machine At The San Antonio Airport. Cooks You A Pizza In 3 Minutes
There Are Gyoza, Japanese Style Pot-Stickers, Vending Machines
Emergency Footwear Vending Machine I Saw In Vegas
This BBQ Joint Has A Gumball Machine That Dispenses Antacid
A Vending Machine In The UK Selling Face Masks
I Found A Vending Machine In The Alps Stocked With Sausage, Cheese And Covid Tests
Found A Cereal Vending Machine That Can Make Custom Mixes
This Vending Machine Failure
I Found An Egg Vending Machine
Would You Use A Flower Vending Machine? There's One At Clapham Junction
Found This Change Machine In The Gateway Arch Gift Shop Which Gives You More Money Than You Put In
Champagne Vending Machine That Only Takes Coins
Waiting To Pick Up My Dad At The Orlando Airport, And I Found This Cool Learn-CPR Free Vending Machine
This Mall Has A Charging Station Where You Can Leave Your Phone There So You Can Shop
The Bullring in Birmingham has one of these and in 30 minutes it had charged my phone full from 10% and cost very very little too! Amazing! I usually have a phone charger in my bag but lent it to someone and they didn't put it back, wish these were in more places.
This Baskin Robbins In Gangnam (Southern Seoul) Has An Ice Cream ATM
The Newspaper Thingies Look Like Villagers From Minecraft
This Tiny Single-Use Pre-Pasted Toothbrush I Got In A Restaurant In Rome
This All-In-One Meal Vending Machine In Malaysia
Chicago O'Hare Airport Has A Cupcake Vending Machines
I Found A Vending Machine That Stocks Socks
A Very Diverse Vending Machine
The Vending Machine At My Work Dispenses Cold Drinks From One Side And Hot Drinks From The Other
My Local Biomarket Has Soap And Oil Dispensers
There’s A Vending Machine For Tools Where I Work
I hate places that make you buy your own tools to do your job. This is a new level of worker exploitation IU haven't seen before.
I Have Never Seen A Pringles Vending Machine Until Now
Oldschool Japanese Vending Machine That Sells Eggs, Onions, Kabocha, And Other Sundries
I know it's a reflection but it almost looks like cobwebs on the left side of the machine.
This Bait And Tackle Vending Machine I Found During My Travels Today
My Local Mall Has A Gameboy Pokemon Cart Vending Machine
Fried Chicken Vending Machine In Hokkaido, Japan
Meat Vending Machine In Kyoto
Japanese Loves Unique Vending Machines
First Time Seeing A Nintendo Switch Vending Machine
Cologne Vending Machine At The Rest Stop
This Pencil Vending Machine At The Local Middle School
Foot-Operated Vending Machine In Tokyo
This Dispenser Of Pokémon Cards Is So Cool
A Flower Vending Machine In Copenhagen, Denmark
Russia Takes The Worst Excesses Of Capitalism To The Extreme, So Here's A Vending Machine In A Mall For Buying Likes For Your Instagram Pics
Buying friendship is not an entirely new concept. But yeah, this is even creepier.
Vending Machine In Japan Selling Fish Soup Stock
It’s Been Years Since I’ve Seen A Cigarette Vending Machine, And This Is The First I’ve Seen That Accepts Credit Cards
In Dropbox's HQ, There Is This Free Vending Machine
Hijab Vending Machine At The Mall
Nothing Says Japan Like The Fact That Even A Beautiful Deserted Beach Will Always Have A Trusty Vending Machine Nearby
24/7 Pizza Vending Machine In Finland
This Vending Machine In A Seattle Bar Has Only The Essentials
This Catholic Church Has A Candle Vending Machine
LEGO Vending Machine In Houston Airport
There's A Donut Vending Machine In Minnesota
That's a lot of packaging for a doughnut. Printed waxed boxes? The box costs more to make than the doughnut. Stuff like this makes me mad.
A Covid Self-Test Vending Machine Found In Singapore
This "Pizza ATM"
Automated Holy Water Dispenser Seen In A Church In Spain
This Vending Machine Offers 50% Cashback With American Express But Only Accepts Visa And MasterCard
In Addition To Vending Machines Dispensing Wagyu Beef, Salmon And Gold Bars, Singapore Also Has One That Dispenses Raw Squids
A Pizza Vending Machine I Found In Lithuania
In Germany They Have Sausage Vending Machines
I thought there was a miniature house for sale (top left)... Took entirely too long to remember reflections exist.
Just A Vending Machine That Sells Soft Drinks (Bottom), Snacks (Middle) But Also Adult Toys (Top). Found In Spain
A Live Bait Vending Machine In Idaho
My brother and I used to get bait from one of these at the lake. We had a crawfish left over so we put him in the aquarium at my brothers. He lived for 3 yrs.
This Butchery In Germany Has A Vending Machine On The Outside. 24/7 Sausage
This Job Site Has A Vending Machine Just For Cables
There's either a lot of cables in each pack or the cables are really long.
Sausage Vending Mashine In Germany
Vending Machine I Found In The Gold Coast
A Shoe Vending Machine?
Just Spotted An Eyelash Extension Vending Machine In Hull, UK
Some Train Stations In Romania Have Book Vending Machines
The Vending Machine At My Office Is Fighting The Good Fight
My Local Butcher Shop Has A Meat Vending Machine
This Gacha Machine Dispenses 1:24 Scale Models Of Propane And Propane Accessories
A Sriracha Vending Machine
Meet The UK’s Saddest Working Vending Machine
Vending Machine At My School
Hannah Montana Fans Rejoice, Cincinnati’s Northgate Mall Still Has This Vending Machine Up And Functioning
This Is A Cake Vending Machine That Sells Cake From The TLC Show Cake Boss For $10
This Faux Vending Machine At A Small Texas Dinner
I Found A Bitcoin ATM In Milan
Vending Machine That Sells Eyelashes
Vending Machine - Fish Tank Combo
These machines seem futuristic enough that I expected to see 'Soylent Green' in one of them.
I live in a small town in eastern France and we have vending machines for Pizza, eggs, cheese and bread....
In Zürich, Switzerland there is a vending machine for junkies. They can buy sterile syringes and needles and what they need. No joke. Also some toilets in some trainstations have blue light, so junkies cant see their venes.
While I don't really approve of doing some drugs, we should definitely be doing more to help those who are addicted get clean and safe highs. The stigma of our society is what causes disease and many of the problems. People need help, not judgement. But sometimes they are just not ready for the 'help' that is currently available... for a fee. Helping someone to get clean is a good step, but it needs to be the person's choice and it can't be the only help available. In addition, it really costs a lot (in America, where I have experience with friends) to get an actual good program. Anyway, rant over, help comes in many forms and should understand that.
Load More Replies...These machines seem futuristic enough that I expected to see 'Soylent Green' in one of them.
I live in a small town in eastern France and we have vending machines for Pizza, eggs, cheese and bread....
In Zürich, Switzerland there is a vending machine for junkies. They can buy sterile syringes and needles and what they need. No joke. Also some toilets in some trainstations have blue light, so junkies cant see their venes.
While I don't really approve of doing some drugs, we should definitely be doing more to help those who are addicted get clean and safe highs. The stigma of our society is what causes disease and many of the problems. People need help, not judgement. But sometimes they are just not ready for the 'help' that is currently available... for a fee. Helping someone to get clean is a good step, but it needs to be the person's choice and it can't be the only help available. In addition, it really costs a lot (in America, where I have experience with friends) to get an actual good program. Anyway, rant over, help comes in many forms and should understand that.
Load More Replies...