While we're on the subject of supermarkets and vending
machines, I spotted one of the Zoom Shop vending machines that dispenses iPods at the entrance to the Safeway market in
my hometown the other day. These vending machines have been around for quite a while in airports, where they arguably
make some sense. But I couldn't help but think that an iPod vending machine seemed out of place next to the soft drink
machines at the supermarket. Unlike the other vending machines you pass as you wheel your cart out of the supermarket, the iPod machine doesn't offer much in the way of impulse purchases. OK, I can maybe see picking up an extra pair of earphones on a whim, but a $199 iPod nano doesn't strike me as something I might buy as an afterthought to throw in my shopping cart next to the lettuce and green beans. Not to mention that the iPods didn't look half as appealing lined up in their vending machine slots as they do in the sleek interior of an Apple Store.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-14-2006 @ 7:19AM
Steve said...
Yeah, good points Jan. Apple needs to consider protecting it's brand image here. Part of their appeal has always been exclusivity and user experience. What kind of experience is making your long awaited iPod purchase from a vending machine?
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4-14-2006 @ 9:55AM
Tim said...
We have these venging machines here at the ATL airport and they dont make sense to me there either. Sure, you can buy an ipod before that long flight, but unless it comes with music already on it you are kinda SOL.
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4-14-2006 @ 10:04AM
UncleJerry said...
I haven't seen one of these out and about yet but the ipods dont fall down to the bottom of the machine to the little door for you to grab do they? That doesn't seem like a good idea if that's the way it works.
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4-14-2006 @ 3:07PM
Sean D. said...
They have one of these machines at the Macy's Men's store in San Francisco's Union Square. In addition to the $199 and $249 Nanos, they've also got $399 iPods, and $249 PSPs... What the appeal is in buying your expensive portable electronics out of a vending machine is beyond me.
Oh, and the shelf at the bottom comes up to the level that the iPod, PSP, or accessory is sitting on, so the product doesn't fall from 4'
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4-14-2006 @ 3:29PM
Ultim8Fury said...
does the machine take quarters ? :) you could be there a while.
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5-28-2006 @ 8:20AM
David said...
The airport placement makes total sense.
Ever been in an airport and realized that you've got nothing to take home to your kid or significant other, or to someone else special? That happens to me at least six times a year. There are late nights before a redeye flight that I would have killed for one of these machines.
I hope they bring them to Asia soon...
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