Unusual vending machines

[+PISA-caching]

A few days ago I saw a vending machine for bicycle tubes (for the first time ever in my almost 48 years) and was wondering if there was any Waymarking category for something like this. It's not a "Bicycle Shop", is it? If there is no specific category for this, what do you think about a new category called "Unusual vending machines"? It might be fun to find out what extraordinary vending machines one can find throughout the world, no?

[+lumbricus]

In Germany we have vending machines for eggs , potatoes, inner tubes, etc.

[+PISA-caching]

The egg vending machine is great and I would love to see a waymark for it. Another funny example here in Austria is the "Marillenknödelautomat" (apricot dumpling vending machine) that is part of an annual apricot festival in Spitz, Austria. This isn't really a machine, but you insert money and people inside the "machine" fill a drawer with apricot dumplings and you can take them out. See photo of the Marillenknödelautomat

 

Anybody else knowing an unusual vending machine? I found some wonderful example at this website

 

PS: Yes, I know that there is a category for Festivals and I might make a waymark for the apricot festival if I have the chance to get there and take some photos.

Edited July 12, 2012 by PISA-caching

[+lumbricus]

 

Edited July 12, 2012 by lumbricus

[+saopaulo1]

I've seen book machines in Brazil.

 

http://www.springwise.com/retail/brazil-books-sold-vending-machines-pay-what-you-want-prices/

[+silverquill]

There are three main problems with this category idea, as I see it.

 

Fist, "unusual" is a very subjective criterion! Although we do have many subjective categories, they are very difficult to manage.

 

Second, what is unusual in one place, may be very common in another. saopauolo1 has seen vending machines for books in Brazil, and I've seen then in Asia. How about vending machines that have telephones? Vending machines may have multiple items, some of which would be unusual for North Americans, but common for Europeans or Asians, etc. The Japanese are very creative in their use of vending machines!

 

Third, many vending machines are temporary. The machine may be removed or replaced. The type of merchandise being sold may be changed at any time, or may be changed regularly.

 

The question of whether this would be interesting or informative as a category would be open to varying opinions, but the issues above would need to be considered and addressed.

[+jlinbu]

I've seen an iPad vending machine once.

http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ipad-vending-machine.jpg