There’s nothing quite like sneaking out to a vending machine for a cheeky snack during a break. Whether you’re finishing up your extracurriculars at school, doing research late at night at university, or burning the midnight oil at the office, there is something mundanely magical about feeding bits of metal into a robot that spits out food. It feels like something that you’d find in an old sci-fi novel.
Vending machines are incredibly cool and convenient inventions that still blow our minds every time we start thinking about how weirdly retrofuturistic a concept they are. However, they have become so ubiquitous in our lives that many of us barely ever notice them anymore. Fortunately, it’s possible to change that in a heartbeat—all you need is a uniquely-designed machine that sells something unexpected! There are far more interesting things than just candy bars and cans of soda for sale, after all.
Our team at Bored Panda has collected photos of some of the coolest, most unusual, and downright bizarre vending machines from around the globe. We’d love to share them with you, so scroll down and upvote your fave pics, dear Pandas. [Ting, Whrrrrrr, Clunk.] When you’ve enjoyed this list to the fullest, check out Bored Panda’s previous collection of awesome vending machines right over here.
Bored Panda was interested to learn about customer convenience, automation, and the importance of the 'human factor,' so we got in touch with Matt Johnson, Ph.D., the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog and the Human Nature blog. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business.' Read on for his insights about the trade-off that vending machines provide consumers, and why human interactions while buying things are still important to us, no matter how much we might love convenience.
#1 Dallas Love Field Airport Offers Free Feminine Hygiene Products
Image credits: crazyoldmaurice
#2 This Vending Machine In Istanbul Dispenses Dog Food For Homeless Dogs When People Put Bottles In For Recycling
Image credits: pugedon.com
#3 Every Street Corner Should Have One
Image credits: alastairi
#4 This Machine Dispenses Food For Stray Animals Whenever Items Are Recycled Into It
Image credits: MotoTraveling
#5 This Train Station In Romania Has A Book Vending Machine
Image credits: BlueCl0ud
#6 Taking Historic Architecture Into Account When Adding Vending Machines
Image credits: VanillaLoaf
#7 Sunscreen Dispenser On Sydney Beaches
Image credits: maksdjukic
#8 A Town In Serbia Started Using Recycling Machines That Also Feed Stray Dogs
Image credits: Its_me_Alex165
#9 Waiting For A Flight? This Airport Has A Machine That Teaches You How To Give CPR
Image credits: siloxanesavior
#10 This Vending Machine At The Hospital Sells Healthy, Affordable Meals
Image credits: bartv42
#11 Cake Dispenser In Toronto
Image credits: BJuneTheLegend
#12 Short Story Dispenser At Los Angeles Public Library Central
Image credits: nytel
#13 Honey Dispenser At A Hotel In Japan
Image credits: ImprobableValue
#14 This Feminine Hygiene Product Dispenser Gives Tampons And Pads For Free
Image credits: Complete_Atmosphere9
#15 University Has A Vending Machine With All The Things You Need As A Student, From Sanitary Pads To A Powerbank
Image credits: DutchBrownie
#16 LEGO Vending Machine! Chicago O'Hare Airport
Image credits: Searching4Source
#17 A Vending Machine Full Of Crochet Materials
Image credits: AshyBooRawrs
#18 Pharmacy In Spain Has A 24-Hour Vending Machine Outside For When It Is Closed
Image credits: reddit.com
#19 Most Tests Here Are Around 2-3€ Each But We Also As Citizens Get 1 Free Rapid Test A Day From The Government So We Can Attend Restaurants, Events, And Gyms
Image credits: elle_gabrielle
#20 They Definitely Should Put The Baguette Machine Next To The Cheese Machine
Image credits: JoseBeenTV
#21 At The Cemetery In My Neighborhood There Is A Vending Machine Selling Grave Lanterns And Candles
Image credits: Vitekr2
#22 Japanese Vending Machines Adapted To The Surroundings
Image credits: 9999monkeys
#23 So Cool, Forget A Birthday Late At Night? A Date? Flowers Always Ready
Image credits: liviuuh
#24 This Butcher Has A Vending Machine For After Hours
Image credits: AusJonny
#25 This Bakery In Japan Puts Their Leftover Bread In A Vending Machine To Sell After Hours
Image credits: hello297
#26 I Stumbled Upon A Cupcake ATM
Image credits: boobookittyfuck2000
#27 Succulent Vending Machine In A Nearby Mall
Image credits: zoyaabean
#28 My Workplace Installed Sunscreen Dispensers
Image credits: HazelDaze592
#29 I Buy Honey From Backroad Beekeeper Stands. This One Was On A Georgia Dirt Road
Image credits: ratadeacero
#30 A Cheese Vending Machine In A Mountain Village In Switzerland
Image credits: SuspiciousLizardo
#31 In One Village In Czechia, They Have A Vending Machine For Potatoes, AKA The Potat-O-Mat. People Can Use It To Get Local Fresh Potatoes Just By Inserting A Few Coins
The machine is completely automatic.
Image credits: znojmak
#32 I Dared To Dream That A Vacant Retail Space Could Feed Me
Image credits: JohnGeeMcCarthy
#33 Instead Of Sugary Treats, Fatty Chips, Or High-Calorie Sodas, A Vending Machine At This Elementary School Is Filled With Books
Image credits: Mallory Hughes
#34 My Hotel Has A Nutella Dispenser
Image credits: khazzaam
#35 First Narcan Vending Machine In Austin At 4430 Menchaca
Image credits: niceprojectatx
#36 This German Vending Machine Has Everything You Might Need During Your Hiking Tour: Pilsner Beer, Eggs, Goulash, White Beer, Aspic, Lemonade, And Goat Cheese
Image credits: BaronVonBroccoli
#37 Milk Dispenser In Greece
Image credits: hariseldon2
#38 Pretty Sure Most Of These Games Are Bootlegs, But I Just Thought It Was So Weird To See Something Like This At A Mall
Image credits: _Edobean
#39 The Post Office Box Has A Vending Machine For Stamps And Parcels
Image credits: manlikerealities
#40 This Sriracha Vending Machine I Stumbled Upon In Japan Today
Image credits: sbako1
#41 My Gym's Vending Machine Organizes Water Based On It's Temperature
Image credits: memesandkarma
#42 My Local Library's Men's Bathroom Has A Tampon Dispenser
Image credits: morenozaino
#43 My Hospital Has A Boba Tea Vending Machine. I Spent Almost Every Childhood Weekend In The Doctor's Lounge At Some Point And Would Have Appreciated This
Image credits: DrCasteelEM
#44 This Flip-Flop Vending Machine I Found In Sidney
Image credits: Madlad_24-7
#45 Vending Machines In Switzerland Sell Pregnancy Tests Called "Maybe Baby"
Image credits: saugoof
#46 A Supermarket I Visited In Germany Has A Bread Dispenser
Image credits: kevin_cg1
#47 Germany Has Meat Vending Machines
Image credits: OccasionallyNotWrong
