Britannica Money (2024)

vending machine, coin-actuated machine through which various goods may be retailed. Vending machines should not be confused with coin-operated amusem*nt games or music machines. The first known commercial use of vending machines came early in the 18th century in England, where coin-actuated “honour boxes” were used to sell snuff and tobacco. These devices were also in use in the British-American colonies later in the century.

The first practical, commercial use of vending machines took place in the United States in 1888, when machines were used to expand the sales of chewing gum into places where gum sales otherwise could not be made, specifically the platforms of the New York City elevated railway. The American industry was limited mainly to penny-candy vending until 1926, when the modern era of automatic selling opened with the appearance of cigarette vending machines. The first soft-drink machine followed in 1937.

As the United States began its defense buildup prior to its entry into World War II, plant managements estimated that people could not work efficiently for 10, 12, or more hours without a refreshment break, and vending machines proved the most practical way of providing refreshments. During the 1940s and ’50s the vending machine business was concentrated in plants and factories, and by the end of that period, machines were being used to sell a wide variety of freshly prepared as well as prepackaged foods to replace or supplement traditional in-plant food service facilities. Refrigeration was added to vending machines to sell bottled soft drinks.

The ability of vending machines to sell products at competitive prices around the clock without regard to holidays is now widely recognized. The business has grown beyond plants and factories, and machines are commonly used in schools, colleges and universities, recreation centres, health care facilities, offices, and the like.

Typically, vending service is provided by companies (operators) who own and place machines on premises owned by others. These companies provide complete maintenance and service, as well as products, usually without any cost to the owners of the premises other than perhaps a servicing charge.

Vending machines have been used in Great Britain, continental Europe, and Scandinavia since the 1880s, when they were employed to sell confectionery and tobacco products. In recent years, the vending machine business in those countries has closely paralleled the expansion of vending in the United States. Vending in Japan began in earnest in the 1960s and developed rapidly into a major factor in that country’s distribution system.