[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

Vending Machines are the best in Japan! While my last purchase was just a Fanta drink, I have been able to buy hot coffee and soup. Something different from the usual cold drink or snack.

Oh wait. I bought on the spot cotton candy and orange juice made from a vending machine in Singapore.

I pretty much never use them in my home country, but I will raid them whenever I'm on holiday somewhere—gotta experience the local snacks and soft drinks

Last thing I bought was a citrus and mint sprite in Morocco (it was great)

I can't remember. It's been such a long time. Usually vending machines don't have anything I want anyway since I don't drink soda and rarely eat junk food and that's the overwhelming majority of what I see in vending machines at least where I live

Last thing I purchased from a vending machine was a LC to LC SMOF cable because the one i had was too short.

This was at a datacenter where you could buy small nick backs like cables and cagenuts in the break room.

A kit Kat at the car wash just three days ago. Before that it might be 5 years.

I ordered some reeses pieces from the vending machine at the laundromat. It just took my money though.

My last job. They had decent stuff when it was stocked. eg. Iced coffee, smoked almonds, jerky, juice

It was a lot more cenvenient than going to the canteen especially in the winter. And I made enough money that it didnt really matter if it was sold at a premium or not.

Now im more worried about all of that stuff being rather unhealthy.

Two weeks ago at work during my break. I ate an apple that I had brought but wanted something salty, so I bought a bag of Sun Chips. Usually I'll buy a bigger bag of chips at the grocery store and keep it in my work locker, but I didn't have any that day.

Bought a bag of chips and it got stuck, but it didn't charge me-- I guess they detect when the item falls down now? Pretty neat.

Three weeks ago I bought some freshly baked pizza from a vending machine. It was quite ok.

Grabbed a Pepsi Max from the vending machine at the local library.

Maybe 4 or 5 months ago. Used to get a soda from the machine in my apartment's pool area once in a while because they were only $1. They randomly jacked the price up to $3.50 in a day and I haven't use that machine, or any other, since.

Used a cotton candy vending machine at the mall with my 4 year old not that long ago.

I ate almost exclusively out of a vending machine when I was at uni, which would make it about 6 years ago at the most recent.

A Welch's grape juice and a bag of baked plain chips. Not the best diet in the world

I never did that in my life come to think of it.

Pre-Covid. Probably a drink during back to school shopping with my kids

Was either ice cream or coffee, 2004. It’s tied to a specific episode of my life.

I recently bought a water bottle at a vending machine inside Costco for .25 cents. I was thirsty. I like the idea of vending machines, especially the ones in Japan that serve quick meals, and wish that was more commonplace in the US.

Last October, campground I was at already had their water off and I didn't fill my tanks at the last stop so I bought 10 bottles of water to get my family off four hydrated and fed. $20/gallon water! Before that it was a very long time.

Few days ago, a random drink.

Often they're places where there are no shops, or in places where it's less convenient to reach the shops, where they make sense.

If there's already a similarly priced shop nearby it makes more sense to nip in, grab a drink from a wider selection, and use the auto checkout. But it depends what I want.

If the machine has Lilt and I want Lilt? Ima get me that Lilt.

I use a laundromat, do the change makers count? That's weekly for me, but not something most folks (including me) would consider a vending machine. I don't buy soap/softener/whatever is in the unmarked column.

I'm wary of using vending machines lately. You can use a debit card on the soda machines, but they'll charge you much more than the cost of the soda, and not refund you the difference for several days. I think that sucks.

This morning. Packed schedule bouncing between corporate buildings with no time to eat. Grabbed some peanut butter crackers to tide me over.

Probably about 15 months ago. My last job had a vending machine just outside the building. New job has one way, way over there. I don't want a chocolate bar that much.

Diet Coke. Maybe about a year ago. Probably during break from class

2022 sometime in may. Probably.

Many many years ago.

But I'm planning to go to Japan and Im hoping to find a lucky vending machine that breaks that cycle

A few years ago, when I was finishing up my degree in college. It was evening school, so I had a few dinners that were soda (usually cherry coke) and some random salty or sweet snack. I had a nutty buddy for the first time since childhood. Tasted like nostalgia.

About a year ago at an airport. Coffee. Was cheaper than the cafe.