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> The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it
by wahern 2y ago
> The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it up makes sense.
The US used to have much more diverse vending machine offerings, including prepared hot foods and drinks, but they started to disappear in the 1970s, though you could find stragglers into the 1990s in older institutional settings (e.g. government buildings), especially for drinks--coffee, hot cocoa, etc. As previously mentioned, I think they fell out of favor because they began to be considered very poor quality (it's a death spiral if turnover doesn't happen fast enough), perhaps as compared to increasingly popular drive-thru alternatives. I guess in a way it was a result of our car culture. Like with the demise of cafeterias generally[1], Americans preferred to jump in their car rather than choosing from what was available within walking distance.
[1] A wall of vending machines selling sandwiches, salads, soups, and hot drinks constituted a "cafeteria" in many buildings.
- toyg 2y agoPeople always forget something, when talking about Japanese vending machines: vandalism. Vandalism is relatively uncommon in Japan, whereas it's sadly endemic in most Western societies.
- Tijdreiziger 2y agoHang on – are you saying Americans don’t have vending machines with snacks and hot drinks in office buildings, schools, hospitals, etc.?
- lotsofpulp 2y agoIn almost 40 years, I have never seen a vending machine in the US selling anything hot. It is always cold, usually carbonated, sweet drinks, water, or junk food like candy, chips, and pastries.
- Tijdreiziger 2y agoWow, that’s quite surprising! In Europe, it’s quite common to see machines like these in buildings: https://www.seeberger-professional.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/vendingautomaten-automatenstrasse-1920x1280.jpg https://www.seeberger-professional.de/wp-content/uploads/202... (left to right: hot drink, snack, and cold drink machines). Smaller ones are also common: https://www.observantonline.nl/Portals/0/OpenContent/Files/1386/646dbc27c937df03e8a4c901/koffieautomaat.jpg https://www.observantonline.nl/Portals/0/OpenContent/Files/1... (there you can also see the disposable cups that the hot drinks are dispensed in). Is that why Starbucks is popular in America - no hot drink machines?
- frosted-flakes 2y agoThe second type is ubiquitous in gas station convenience stores in America. Which says everything, really: it's car culture.
- Loudergood 2y agoYup, there was one! that I was aware when I worked at an 8000 employee IBM facility 20 years ago. It was novel to be able to get hot burgers out of it.