Feb 14, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: 21st Century Vending Machines
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Vending machines have all types of items available these days, including iPods.
CBS
When you think of vending machines, most people think of snacks and drinks. These days, you can pick up the latest movie, a digital camera, even an iPod from one. 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan shows you the vending machines of the 21st century.
Remember old fashioned vending machines selling soda and candy? Well, welcome to the future.
The number of items in vending machines has risen in the last few years and you can now buy almost anything. Things like MP3 players, Playstation units, curling irons, even digital cameras.
PowerPort makes an automated vending kiosk that lets you charge your cell phone, download music, even rent a laptop.
"The minute you pull it out of the bay you lift open the lid and it's already booted up and it's ready to go," said Rose Kane with PowerPort.
Information technology expert Michael Kasavana says these new and improved vending machines are a big hit. He says it's about convenience and reliability.
"I think it's a great idea because we all forget things," said traveler Rod Kraft.
That's what Shop24 is banking on. Its machines offer 200 products.
"Anything that you can buy at a convenience store, you can buy at our Shop24," said Bonnie Derrick with Shop24.
And the prices for buying on the go are about the same as in stores or on the Internet. Consumers seem to appreciate the convenience and see the machines as the wave of the future.
So what about returns? If you buy something from a vending machine or automated kiosk and it doesn't work, you should contact the company as most of them will refund faulty merchandise.
Related Links:
Shop 24: http://www.shop24.be/frames1.htm
Powerport: http://www.powerports.com/
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