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Article: A vending machine for iPods? American society has given birth to 'Generation P' (for plastic), and paying with plastic is good news for vending-machine operators.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- January 18, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Cristian Lupsa Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Old-school vending machines, bulky bastions of high-calorie snacks and sodas, meet your new-school challenger: chic upscale gadgets stocked with consumer electronics and pricey cosmetics. As more of these machines pop up in high-traffic areas such as airports, the old quarter-chuggers may someday find themselves out-vended.
The new vending machines sell iPods, cellphones, USB drives, headphones, DVDs, and a host of other gadgets.
This latest development in the $30 billion-a-year vending industry (a figure that only includes food and beverage sales) is a natural outgrowth of ...