Why Settle For Lay's When You Can Get A Lamborghini?
Vending machines have been in use since the 19th century, selling anything from snacks to postage stamps. Today, they're more popular than ever as an increasing number of people invest in them as a side source of income. As the market grows, so does the demand for innovation. People and companies are considering new and creative uses for the instant-purchase machines. In Japan, where there are over five and a half million vending machines, you can get luxury handbags, whereas in Dubai, machines dispense puffs of the finest perfumes, so you can smell like a million bucks. Ever thought of creating a travel itinerary around vending machines? Here are 20 of the world's most unique ones.
1. Car Vending Machine - Singapore
Autobahn Motors unveiled a 15-story-tall luxury car vending machine in Singapore where you can purchase a Ferrari or Lamborghini. As if purchasing one of these cars isn't cool enough, imagine getting it from a giant vending machine.
2. Flower Bouquet Vending Machine - The Netherlands
Nowhere is it more appropriate to have a flower vending machine than in the Netherlands, the tulip capital of the world. This machine in Amsterdam offers 24/7 fresh flowers for all your flower emergencies.
3. Gold Bar Vending Machine - United Arab Emirates
You have to be one of the gold-richest countries in the world to have vending machines that literally dispense the stuff like peanuts. These machines are in Dubai, and they dispense custom gold coins and 10-gram bars.
4. Story Vending Machine - France
In Grenoble, France, vending machines spit out short stories to occupy commuters on their journeys. Commuters can select the length, but everything else about the story they'll get is a surprise.
5. Flip Flop Vending Machine - Thailand
You know it's a beach nation when there are flip-flop vending machines adorning the streets. The cheap, colorful sandals they dispense are perfect for when your flip flops break or are swept away by ocean waves.
6. Tattoo Vending Machine - USA
Perhaps the most absurd of all is this tattoo vending machine that exists in Portland, Oregon. The get what you get machine at Pink Panther tattoo parlor dispenses designs for those who want to get inked, but are unsure what to get. No changes to the design are allowed.
7. Perfume Vending Machine - United Arab Emirates
In Dubai, you can get a spray of perfume from a vending machine in a pinch. This way, you don't have to buy a whole bottle to enjoy a luxury scent; you can just purchase a few spritzes for your special occasion.
8. Crab Vending Machine - China
In an effort to cater to after-hours demand for crab, because apparently that's a thing in China, these machines dispense individually packaged crabs with two bags of ginger tea and vinegar. Their price ranges from $2 to $8 a crab, depending on how fat and juicy they are.
9. Bike Repair Vending Machine - Germany
In a country where so many people commute by bike, bicycle vending machines are practically a necessity. These machines sell bike parts and repair kits so you can fix your bike and get yourself to your destination far after the bike shops close for the day.
10. Umbrella Vending Machine - Japan
You might expect this umbrella vending machine to be in a place like England, but that's not the only place where sudden torrential downpours are a part of everyday life. Japan cleverly has vending machines full of umbrellas, so you're never caught in the rain.
11. Lettuce Vending Machine - Japan
With over five and a half million of them dotting the country, vending machines took off in Japan like nowhere else. Due to the demand, the country developed and advanced vending machine technology more than anywhere else. One of the innovations they made was this lettuce vending machine, which grows and dispenses fresh lettuce, using grow lights and sprinklers.
12. Handbag Vending Machine - Japan
You never know when you're going to be hungry for a handbag. That's why Japan created a handbag vending machine where you can buy Louis Vuitton purses.
Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash
13. Skipass Vending Machine - France
People go to the French city of Méribel, nestled within the Alps, for one thing only that is, to ski. Méribel ski pass vending machines, or skiosks, have been placed at the airport to get people on the slopes as smoothly as possible.
14. Cupcake Vending Machine - USA
15. Cigarette Vending Machine - Czech Republic
Cigarette vending machines used to be quite common, but they've happily gone out of style. That is, except in places like the Czech Republic, where cigarette smoking is still extremely common.
16. Ammunition Vending Machine - USA
Only in the American South would an ammunition vending machine be deemed necessary. The machines are stationed at select grocery stores in Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma, so you conveniently load your pistol while picking up milk.
17. Book Vending Machine - Canada
There are a lot of different book vending machines in the world, but one of the most unique ones is in Toronto at a bookstore called The Monkey's Paw. It dispenses antiquarian books at random. You never know when you're going to end up with a first edition!
Eugenio Hansen, OFS on Wikimedia
18. Prize Vending Machine - China
One particularly fun vending machine in China sells mystery boxes that may contain a prize. Examples of prizes that might be won are smartphones and holiday packages. Are you feeling lucky?
19. Organic Milk - England
You may not think it particularly strange to buy milk from a vending machine. After all, how is it different from buying a bottle of Coca-Cola? The aspect that makes this machine in the UK unique is that the milk comes straight from the farmer who fills it daily with the morning's batch of milk, practically straight from the cow.
20. Caviar Vending Machine - USA
Caviar isn't enough of a flex anymore, it must come from a vending machine! Of course, in Beverly Hills, LA, where you never know when you'll be invited to a fancy function and need some emergency caviar, you can purchase some from a vending machine. Prices range from $5 all the way up to $500 for the rare Beluga caviar.
