Vending Machines

[Armok]

God I hate these things firstly why do they never ever seem to work properly.

I must have lost near enough 5 quid this year alone on it stealing my change and refusing to even acknowge I even put any money in. Then refuses to give any change despite you needing it for bus fare.

Worst of all is when your really in need of a pick up the machine gets stuck halfway and end up putting another coin in just cos your so desperate for some food. Its like the machine is mocking you thinking how pathetic and weak you are.

Then theres the fact the best snacks are always sold out and all that is ever left is the prawn cocktail flavour or tofu bar snacks which no one ever buy if they werent so lazy. Coarse thewn the snacks old and fossilised or melted or worse.

Why do these blasted machines exist is it too much to ask for a good quality service.

[Skuda]

wow. better words were never spoken... well maybe. but it is so true. We'd be better off poping some 7-11 employee in a metal box with a bunch of treats. things are always more expensive from a machine...



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Scott_Kuda on 2004-05-05 12:38 ]</font>

[Firocket1690]

You're going to hate Japan. Vending machines everywhere. Literally. Everything.
Anywho, American vending machines do suck indeed.
If you're not too greedy and know what you're doing, you can stick your hand in the little hole at the bottom and steal some of the junk from the bottom row

hehehe...

*eats pop tarts from school* http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime2.gif




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Firocket1690 on 2004-05-05 12:44 ]</font>

[geewj]

Soon they will all have swipes for debit cards. I'm sure some already do.

[Firocket1690]

... shut up. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Skuda]

You're going to hate Japan.

Never! i wilst buy only my nickers from vending machines. i hope they don't rip...

[Outrider]

On 2004-05-05 12:41, Prof_Frink wrote:
Soon they will all have swipes for debit cards. I'm sure some already do.



The vending machines on campus at my school have that.

Although, you have to use your school ID with a special school account that you make specifically for vending machines.

[Sharkyland]

Beer, coffee, candy, xxxxxx(!), and those cool toys. Though I remember seeing this one webpage where xxxxxx of school girls were sold in vending machine. I thought that was sick.

I love their ice coffee http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Arislan]

Hmm, haven't seen a knicker selling Vending Machine.. Probably in Shibuya somewhere. Wouldn't surprise me. Beer is a great one, there used to be a vending machine near my apartment in Okazaki that sold a 4 liter glass jug of beer. I couldn't figure out how the heck the thing would fall out of the machine and not shatter in the little hole at the bottom.

As for Japanese Vending Machines though, they really weren't very evil to me. Besides one occasion where I used a 500 yen coin (around 5 USD) and forgot to grab the change, I think in total I've lost around 300 yen to vending machines there. They are all pretty well maintained, since the trash cans next to each one of them have to be emptied often, and the person who does that also brings the refills and does the checks.

[lain2k3]

On 2004-05-05 13:30, Sharkyland wrote:
Beer, coffee, candy, xxxxxx(!), and those cool toys. Though I remember seeing this one webpage where xxxxxx of school girls were sold in vending machine. I thought that was sick.

I love their ice coffee http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif



xxxxxx = teh panties.

yes, odd.

but quality machines in japan.

[AzureBlaze]

If you do not like vending machines, then you will probably also not like the "Diet Chips" story, but here it is. It's full of thrills, excitement and chivalry. Or not. It's true, although absurd, and I was only a spectator in the long battle. Read my only vending-machine story at the risk of wasteing your time http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

There is this sort of run-down highschool that had a vending machine. But the school also hosted other events/classes. The vending machine was made for use in a school, which meant it was encased in a heavy steel cage, to prevent people from abusing it. The only hole was where you could get the food out.

So someone wanted some lame "Diet Baked Sun-Chips" out of the machine and put in fifty cents. The turning thing didn't turn enough, and they didn't fall. Beating the machine was less effective because the cage was there to prevent it. So, she put in another 50 cents, thinking to get 2 bags and give the other to her friend. Neither bag fell. At this, the crowd of about 7 people got angry, but some guy took pity upon the disgusting-chip-plight, and put in his 50 cents, even though he didn't want any terrible chips. It's a good thing he didn't want any, as no chips fell.

Now, there was an angry mob of people at the machine, trying to bodyslam, kick and tilt it to make it give up the food. Eventually, some teachers from one of the other classes came out and yelled, because it sounded like the apocalypse. (The vending machine cage was held to a steel support beam by two heavy chains and padlocks, but it could still be rocked about an inch) and if the machine was rocked, the cage would boom to the concrete floor, and cause it to not dispense chips.

A dollar fifty had now been put inside just for a single bag of chips which weren't that good. Like some kind of insane auction, they raised it to two dollars! No chips. But the first intended bag was hanging on by a corner. Surely another heavy beating would at least cause this percarious bag to fall. It had become a matter of pride: gang of 7 humans vs. one heavily armored vending machine with a penchant for stealing. Who would win!

That steel cage probably got the whooping of it's life and they threatened to call the cops because it sounded like the gang was trying to bring down the whole building over a sack of Sun-Chips. Finally, two bags fell, and there was minor satisfaction. The machine got the last laugh though...as someone decided they wanted a Butterfinger. Which it dispensed promptly.

[derBauer]

Reach your hand up it?

I grab those MF'ers and shake them back and forth until candy bars start falling like rain. I went to a movie the other night "Eurotrip" and brought my free Hershey w/ Almond and Twizzlers with me. I still bought the $4 bag of popcorn so I ended up not saving money anyway. At least I got free candy though.

[DarthFomar]

Ummm....you wanna know why they really suck.

Well for starters, they overcharge?!
They are sometimes put in the most inconvenient places?!
Their selections can sometimes blow?!
And everytime I go to push the coresponding button to the drink that will quench my thrist *preferably Nestle Ice Tea* it always says SOLD OUT?!

Vending Machines are crap...through and through?!!!

[Armok]

I always wondered though how the can machines managed to not make the cans fizz over as soon as you opened them. I just found out recently that its dark magic that does it.

We used to have a bottle machine at my old collage though. One day they accidently forgot to lock it after it was refilled. 100 or so must have been stolen within the 10 minutes before they noticed.

[Atax]

A simlar thing happened to a vending machine at one of my old schools.

I placed some cash into it before noticing the 'out of service' sign, decided what-the-hell and pushed the button for my drink anyway. Not only did it give me my drink, but also the exact amount of cash I put into it.

Spent my entire lunch break emptying it out. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Aunt_Betty]

I remember at computer camp, these Teenagers always went out to get soda.

At the end of the session the staff handed out awards and the teens recieved a "Caffine Award"

[Alielle]

I bought some orange juice from a vending machine at school recently.

It had expired a year earlier.

That's really telling of the dietary habits of my classmates. x_x

[Vanango]

Some high tech vending machines will call HQ when they are in need of service. My friend found this out the hardway. Every 2 hours his phone would ring and on the other end it sounded like a fax machine/dial up sound. He thought it was a prank calls at first, but it got really ridiculous and he contacted the phone company. It turns out that the vending machine's phone number hadn't been reprogrammed and it was using an old phone number but in a new area code.

It would be sorta neat to be called by a vending machine.

[FOAtHeart]

Or the worst thing is when you're trying to put your dollar in, but the dumbass vending machine just keeps spitting it out because of one little folded corner, while all the obnoxious impatient people behind you just stare, and tap their feet, and say hurry up while your trying to get a fucking drink.


Wow one sentance. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

[DarthFomar]

Oh....trust me....the vending machine will take your dollar. Just bash it upside the head a few times. Blow a few holes in it with an AK. And throw your dollar in the money collector and take any damn coke you want. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

I once accidentally smacked {smacked mind you, not beat} a coke machine and got 2 {not 1, 2} cokes....free. I happened to have been walking by and just gave it a little tap on the cover b'cuz I hated the thing in the first place. And it pops out 2 free cokes. I was like *God loves me...he really does*. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

[opaopajr]

not a story about vending machines, but parking meters...

once, in berkeley, friend and i go to restaurant and park nearby. we were trying to figure out the modern electrical meter, with very simple written instructions on sticker yet baffling LCD display. so we start to put the change inside and press the correct buttons. the machine has other ideas, though. it says "expired" and then *spits out our change.* now this isn't land-in-the-change-slot spit out, this is coin-drops-on-through-flies out-the-machine-and-rolls-away spit out. well, we thought that at first just a coincidence. but it kept doing it. and berkeley has hills, and this was one of them, so this got annoying fast. chasing after a dime full tilt makes you feel really stupid. so after a while we just gave up when a friendly samaritan walked by and said for us to just leave a paper note inside the windshield that the meter was broken when parked. it was an anti-climatic end to 5 minutes of aggravation.

2nd time i was also in berkeley, with another new, fandangled, electrical parking machine. this time this one offered you parking tickets for alloted time. well, i needed to pay $7 for an 8 hour stay (very cheap). i had 6 $1 and 3 $0.25 (god was yukking it up i'm sure) and 3 $10. and the machine offers no change... so, resigned to losing $3 i pushed in a ten. the machine spat it back out. i tried again, and again it was refused. i tried it backwards, forwards, uncreased all corners, bent the bill to create stiffness, nothing worked. and not only that it would spit it out, suck it back, spit it out, suck it back and then contemplate, and then spit out again. each time took around 3-4 seconds of this nonsense. then after a lengthy period i tried the other 2 $10. same thing. then i drove to the next level of the parking garage to the only other machine like this for a ticket. same thing. with all 3 $10. it took me a good 30 minutes to finally give up and just go and look for some illegal (yet hidden!) parking. fortunately i found legal (and free!!) parking right next to where i needed to go. it was bizarre. i think of it as my angel saved me from losing $3. but now if only that angel can get off its ass and find me a job interview...

[Sharkyland]

I lost another 75 cents in a vending machine.

[_Ted_]

I put a dollar into a soda machine once to get soda, but after pressing the button I found that it was out of the type of soda that I desired. So I pressed the return button and out popped my dollar, but half of another dollar came out which I also took. I stood there for a minute and then decieded to get a different soda. The machine, having no intention of giving me extra money promtly ate my dollar and refused to give me my soda....

[SorceressofTime]

on average, 13 people die from vending machines falling on them each year. <_<

[DarthFomar]

On 2004-05-11 00:07, SorceressofTime wrote:
on average, 13 people die from vending machines falling on them each year. <_<



Wow.....unbelievable. Death from the Soda Machine.

{p.s. yayyyy Sorceress is back http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif}

[Armok]

On 2004-05-11 00:07, SorceressofTime wrote:
on average, 13 people die from vending machines falling on them each year. <_<



If you think thats bad you should see the number of ppl in Moscow alone that die from icicles falling on them each year.