Three o’clock p.m. Time for a trip to Mr. Vending! You know what I’m talking about, that point in the day between lunch and dinner…hunger starts to rear its ugly head and the next meal seems eons away.
Down the hall I can hear Mr. Vending calling my name as we speak. If I’m in a healthy mode I can resist, but other times it’s tough! So, who is behind this ingenious, insidious device?
THE BIRTH OF COIN-OP
Believe it or not the vending machine can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks. One of the ancient world’s most prolific and creative inventors, Hero of Alexandria (10-70 A.D.) devised a machine that when fed with the requisite coin, dispensed…holy water. Yep, that’s right, holy water!
Why would temples need holy water vending machines? The good ol’ honor system wasn’t working, people were taking more than they paid for!
How did the world’s first vending machine work? According to SmithsonianMag.com,
A person puts a coin in a slot at the top of a box. The coin hits a metal lever, like a balance beam. On the other end of the beam is a string tied to a plug that stops a container of liquid. As the beam tilts from the weight of the coin, the string lifts the plug and dispenses the desired drink until the coin drops off the beam.
This system was actually still in use in the modern era, prior to electric machines.
VENDING MACHINES IN THE MODERN ERA
Vending machines really took off in the late 19th century. In the 1880’s machines appeared in England that dispensed postcards and books! (I’d definitely be hitting up the book machine!)
In America, Mr. Vending’s great-great grandfather was born in 1888, and lived in New York City subways, serving up chewing gum. He wasn’t the classic gumball machine, which didn’t make the scene until 1905.
What would be the ultimate vending machine? Perhaps maybe…an entire restaurant? The Horn & Hardart Automat, a restaurant minus the wait staff…essentially a walk-in vending machine, first opened in Philadelphia in 1902.
Ten years later, H&H expanded into New York City where the automat concept struck a chord; they were adored by locals, office workers and tourists alike. The novelty of mechanized service epitomized the Machine Age—it doesn’t get more modern than that does it?—but the novelty was backed up by delicious food.
Soon automats could be found all over NYC. I SO wish I could have experienced an automat at their peak – now, where did I put my time machine??! But as the population began to shift to the suburbs and offices installed on-site cafeterias, the popularity of the automat waned. The establishments declined in quality and cleanliness, as prices increased.
The flagship Horn & Hardart in Philly closed in 1962, but NYC had a bit of a longer run, with its last automat closing in 1991.
Rest assured, vending machines aren’t going anywhere, in fact they are everywhere! They are popular in the Netherlands; Dutch automat chain Bamn! attempted to revive the New York City market in 2006. Their product didn’t take hold and they closed in 2009.
As of July 2013 there were over 4.5 million vending machines in the United States; all those machines generate $64.35 million annually. That’s a lot of coin, but what country has the most vending machines? I don’t think you will be surprised: it’s Japan! Those gadget-lovers have approximately one Mr. Vending for every 23 people; in 1999 this market generated over $53 billion! And they sell everything. Underwear, potted plants, booze…sounds like a party!
Have you been lucky enough to enjoy an automat? Do you rely on Mr. Vending (to the point of shaking it when your purchase is stuck)? Tell us in the comments!
Craughwell, Thomas J. 2012. 30,000 Years of Inventions: Breakthroughs, Discoveries, and Accidents That Changed Human History. New York, NY. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
Jaffe, Eric. 2006. Old World, High Tech. Smithsonian Magazine. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-world-high-tech-141284744/?page=2 (accessed June 9, 2014)
New York Public Library. The Automoat. Lunch Hour NYC. http://exhibitions.nypl.org/lunchhour/exhibits/show/lunchhour/automat (accessed June 9, 2014)
Statistic Brain. 2013. Vending Machine Industry Statistics. http://www.statisticbrain.com/vending-machine-industry-statistics/