Sneaky new vending machines

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,014
137
106
They brought in new vending machines at work. They take cash, credit/debit cards, and even Apple Pay-style payments. 20 cent per vend surcharge if not paying cash.

The one new feature I have never seen on a vending machine before is that your change is not returned automatically.

Let's say you put in $1 and select an 80 cent item. The item is delivered... period. No change returned immediately. The display now reads "Credit 20 cents". You have to push the coin return button to get your change back. I think people have been conditioned that they don't have to pay attention - if there is change due, the noise of the change being dispensed alerts you to pick it up from the coin return area.

What I'd like to know is whether this behavior is built-in, or can be enabled/disabled by a setting in the machine. It seems kind of sneaky to me. In any case, I will now be glancing at the display any time I walk past to see if there's free change awaiting the push of the coin return button.
 

ghost recon88

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2005
6,209
1
81
Interesting, seems shady to me! Or maybe people just hate change and opt to leave it in the change return bin more often than not? And they tack on 20 cents to use a credit card? Screw that!
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
You give people too much credit. At one of my previous jobs you'd frequently find change left behind by people, and this was not the new sneaky coin-holding machines. Makes you wonder how they didn't hear the coins being dispensed...

Maybe they think people would be more likely to get multiple items if their change is ready to purchase a 2nd item instead of dispensing the coins automatically.
 

twinrider1

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2003
4,096
64
91
Unless the machine eats the credit after a short time, I don't see how it's shady.
 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,255
403
126
Definitely different than how vending machines are normally, but I sure in the heck wouldn't forget it (my change).
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,014
137
106
Hah! ALREADY scored a nickel from someone who didn't push the coin return. Good question about whether the credit times out. That would be very interesting to know.
 

CraKaJaX

Lifer
Dec 26, 2004
11,905
148
101
Thanks to the new vending machines at work and my same old idiot co-workers, I can now retire 3 years earlier!
 

madoka

Diamond Member
Jun 22, 2004
4,344
712
121
That's not too sneaky.

Sneaky is more like the one at the LA Convention Center.

I was there in July for Anime Expo and I used the sandwich/snack vending machine on the second floor. I put in $5 and bought a $2 cheese stick. Then the machine told me that it does not have change, kept my $3 with no option of buying anything else and reset to $0. There was no warning to use exact change. I still feel burned by that one. I tried warning others as they used the machine, but I know people were putting in $10s and $20s and not getting any change back.
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,397
4,455
136
Unless the machine eats the credit after a short time, I don't see how it's shady.

It holds it for 90 days; if you haven't claimed it by then, it sends you a text. After another 120 days, if you still haven't returned, it dies of loneliness.
 

Pulsar

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2003
5,225
306
126
They brought in new vending machines at work. They take cash, credit/debit cards, and even Apple Pay-style payments. 20 cent per vend surcharge if not paying cash.

The one new feature I have never seen on a vending machine before is that your change is not returned automatically.

Let's say you put in $1 and select an 80 cent item. The item is delivered... period. No change returned immediately. The display now reads "Credit 20 cents". You have to push the coin return button to get your change back. I think people have been conditioned that they don't have to pay attention - if there is change due, the noise of the change being dispensed alerts you to pick it up from the coin return area.

What I'd like to know is whether this behavior is built-in, or can be enabled/disabled by a setting in the machine. It seems kind of sneaky to me. In any case, I will now be glancing at the display any time I walk past to see if there's free change awaiting the push of the coin return button.

Our management removed our cafeteria and put in a new 'vending lounge'. Cameras everywhere, and it's all self serve. Nothing's locked up. Grab your food, scan it at the scanner. Then you can pay with credit card, cash, or prepaid 'meal' card. If you pay cash you don't get any change back. You have to put the change on your prepaid card or you can swipe your thumb on the finger print scanner and it will create a biometric account with your change in it.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,413
1,570
126
Our management removed our cafeteria and put in a new 'vending lounge'. Cameras everywhere, and it's all self serve. Nothing's locked up. Grab your food, scan it at the scanner. Then you can pay with credit card, cash, or prepaid 'meal' card. If you pay cash you don't get any change back. You have to put the change on your prepaid card or you can swipe your thumb on the finger print scanner and it will create a biometric account with your change in it.

where the fuck do you work?

o_O
 

Linux23

Lifer
Apr 9, 2000
11,303
671
126
That's not too sneaky.

Sneaky is more like the one at the LA Convention Center.

I was there in July for Anime Expo and I used the sandwich/snack vending machine on the second floor. I put in $5 and bought a $2 cheese stick. Then the machine told me that it does not have change, kept my $3 with no option of buying anything else and reset to $0. There was no warning to use exact change. I still feel burned by that one. I tried warning others as they used the machine, but I know people were putting in $10s and $20s and not getting any change back.
Lmfao. You got ganked fool.
 

ra1nman

Senior member
Dec 9, 2007
333
4
81
Our management removed our cafeteria and put in a new 'vending lounge'. Cameras everywhere, and it's all self serve. Nothing's locked up. Grab your food, scan it at the scanner. Then you can pay with credit card, cash, or prepaid 'meal' card. If you pay cash you don't get any change back. You have to put the change on your prepaid card or you can swipe your thumb on the finger print scanner and it will create a biometric account with your change in it.

Our work has the same thing however we do not have a Meal card. When I transferred within the company to a different building it was strange as I had to create a new profile to utilize the machine. It appears that the machines from site to site are not networked?
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
4,777
146
Isn't it illegal to do a "surcharge" for a credit card? As part of the rules of accepting a credit card, I thought there were some legalities about trying to charge for a different type of payment.

Either way, I don't carry cash - and I love it when vending machines accept credit cards. Though I wouldn't have any problem walking away if they wanted me to cough up extra for using a card.
 

Charmonium

Diamond Member
May 15, 2015
8,784
2,297
136
Isn't it illegal to do a "surcharge" for a credit card? As part of the rules of accepting a credit card, I thought there were some legalities about trying to charge for a different type of payment.

Either way, I don't carry cash - and I love it when vending machines accept credit cards. Though I wouldn't have any problem walking away if they wanted me to cough up extra for using a card.
I'm paranoid to use a credit card because of how easy it is to install skimmers on machines that aren't be monitored on a regular basis - like daily.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
58,054
12,244
136
Our management removed our cafeteria and put in a new 'vending lounge'. Cameras everywhere, and it's all self serve. Nothing's locked up. Grab your food, scan it at the scanner. Then you can pay with credit card, cash, or prepaid 'meal' card. If you pay cash you don't get any change back. You have to put the change on your prepaid card or you can swipe your thumb on the finger print scanner and it will create a biometric account with your change in it.
We have something similar (Company Kitchen), but with the prices on everything, it's hard for me to not lose respect for anyone I see using it (versus planning ahead slightly and bringing your cinnamon roll, yogurt, Pop-Tarts, snack bag of Doritos, etc from home).
The convenience, quality, and price of interstate gas station food right in our workplace :awe:
 

akugami

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2005
5,644
1,829
136
Isn't it illegal to do a "surcharge" for a credit card? As part of the rules of accepting a credit card, I thought there were some legalities about trying to charge for a different type of payment.

Either way, I don't carry cash - and I love it when vending machines accept credit cards. Though I wouldn't have any problem walking away if they wanted me to cough up extra for using a card.

Depends. Some states it's illegal, most are not. The ones where it is illegal are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Generally speaking, the merchants are allowed to pass on the cost of processing the credit cards onto the customer for credit card charges but not debit cards. Usually this comes out to about 2 to 4% of your purchase.

Even in places like California, it's not illegal to offer a cash discount. You'll frequently see this at gas stations that offer one price for credit cards and another for cash payments. It's a technicality but it is legal.
 

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
856
126
I'm paranoid to use a credit card because of how easy it is to install skimmers on machines that aren't be monitored on a regular basis - like daily.
I don't understand this. Skimmers are easy to spot if you know what to look for and know that they are often styled to look like a piece of the ATM. They only get people who aren't paranoid because they are the ones who swipe blindly.
 

Banana

Diamond Member
Jun 3, 2001
3,132
23
81
That's not too sneaky.

Sneaky is more like the one at the LA Convention Center.

I was there in July for Anime Expo and I used the sandwich/snack vending machine on the second floor. I put in $5 and bought a $2 cheese stick. Then the machine told me that it does not have change, kept my $3 with no option of buying anything else and reset to $0. There was no warning to use exact change. I still feel burned by that one. I tried warning others as they used the machine, but I know people were putting in $10s and $20s and not getting any change back.

You should've tipped the machine over. Exact justice. :whiste:
 

Spacehead

Lifer
Jun 2, 2002
13,201
10,063
136
That's not too sneaky.

Sneaky is more like the one at the LA Convention Center.

I was there in July for Anime Expo and I used the sandwich/snack vending machine on the second floor. I put in $5 and bought a $2 cheese stick. Then the machine told me that it does not have change, kept my $3 with no option of buying anything else and reset to $0. There was no warning to use exact change. I still feel burned by that one. I tried warning others as they used the machine, but I know people were putting in $10s and $20s and not getting any change back.

Cap'n Dave's vending?
(it's on the radio but might not be SFW)
 
Nov 20, 2009
10,043
2,573
136
At college we were irked about a vending machines on a loading dock at one of the buildings. We used a solution of of electrolytes and some wire to short the unit and get free drinks. They replaced the machine with a much, much newer unit.

We switched things up and got out the acetylene torch and used that on the new machine. Much love was in the air that night with the smell of torchy goodness. God I miss the early 90's.

Nowadays they probably have built in cameras, GPS and cellular call-home for help.