A Brief History of Vending Machines
The very first vending machines known to man dispensed holy water to church goers, but this crude forerunner to today’s modern machine was more of a convenience to congregation members than it was a money-making scheme. It was not until 1880 in London, England that people began to use machines to sell goods earnestly. Post cards were the first items that people sold in vending machines in the U.K., but in the United States, the first item that anyone sold in a vending machine were sticks of gum. Soon, every train station in every major city in the country sported a gum machine. When gum machines saturated the market, vendors began treating customers to a little show of movement by a small toy figure inside of the machine each time they made a purchase. This little movement led to increased gum sales, slot machines and pinball tables.
Popularity: 27% [?]
admin @ August 19, 2008
