A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine . After paying, a product may become available by: the machine releasing it, so that it falls in an open compartment at the bottom, or into a cup, either released first, or put in by the customer; the unlocking of a door or drawer; or the turning of a knob. Some products need to be prepared to become available. For example, tickets are printed or magnetized on the spot, and coffee is freshly concocted. The most common form of vending machine, the snack machine, often uses a metal coil which rotates to release an ordered product.
Best Buy Vending Machine
This is a Best Buy Express vending machine at an airport terminal, stocked with electronics. These are referred to as automated retail kiosks.
The main example of a vending machine giving access to all merchandise after paying for one item is a newspaper vending machine (also called vending box) found mainly in the U.S. and Canada. It contains a pile of identical newspapers. After a sale, the door automatically returns to a locked position. A customer could open the box and take all of the newspapers or, for the benefit of other customers, leave all of the newspapers outside of the box, slowly return the door to an unlatched position, or block the door from fully closing. All of these possibilities are frequently discouraged, sometimes by a security clamp. The success of such machines is predicated on the assumption that the customer will be honest (hence the nickname "honor box"), and need only one copy.
A wide variety of goods can be dispensed by vending machines, and in some places, even burgers and steaks!