Flight Cancelled? How about an iPod Shuffle?
Airport travelers can now find big-ticket items somewhere other than the lost and found: vending machines. Apple iPods are sold in this way at Las Vegas McCarran Airport. You can rent a laptop for a fee while awaiting a plane in Austin. And there’s a host of other items you’d not expect to find behind a sheet of glass: condoms, diapers, and more.
There are several companies pioneering the trend towards more than just snacks in vending machines. Large crowds that are often stuck in one place with only what they’ve got on them pass the time present excellent markets for goods more commonly found either behind the counter at a kiosk or more significantly, not in an airport at all.
Europe and Asia have been doing this for years. However the popularity of convenience stores in the United States have made it difficult for an industry that has little advertising and even less assisted sales to take off. One of the big factors to the new vending machine’s popularity: The ability to pay with a credit card. Better inventory software and more improved security practices are fueling adoption as well.
I think part of the reason that these uber-vending machines are taking off is that many airplanes, well, don’t. Long delays and extensive lists of what you can and can’t get past security these days means that you’ll often find yourself on the other side of the checkpoint without nail clippers or even a bottle of water. So bring on the vending machines—daddy needs a new iPod, anyway.
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