Futuristic Vending Machines (with Fresh Groceries) Coming to Vancouver Buildings

Photo sourced from Happy Vending

Would you get your eggs, milk and fresh fruit out of a vending machine?

Starting in January, special refrigerated vending machines will begin making an appearance in select Vancouver high-rise buildings. Installed by a local company called Happy Vending, the futuristic machines aim to provide condo dwellers with basic groceries, from breakfast staples like bacon to personal items like diapers and Band-Aids.

The machines, currently slated to be installed in two area buildings, are capable of carrying from 50-70 items and are meant to function as a mini convenience store – offering patrons last-minute necessities and sparing them a trip to an actual store. While commonplace in Europe, the smart vending machines are still a novelty in Canada.

But how do they work? In the past, the biggest challenge to selling fresh food in vending machines was tracking the condition of perishable items.  But new technology now makes it easy to monitor the expiration date on fruit, milk, meats and other perishables.  In fact, the machines are paired with a special smartphone app that allows building residents to instantly see the inventory, prices and expiration dates of items being offered.

An example of a grocery vending machine in Spain. Photo credit: mabokoisland | Wikimedia Commons

In addition, all machines are equipped with an elevator mechanism so that fragile items like eggs get a soft landing when dispensed.  The sophisticated machines are able to handle nearly any package, regardless of shape, size or weight.  Based on market research, machines will be pre-stocked with a lineup of top sellers such as eggs, milk, bacon, onions, cucumbers, apples, bananas, yogurt, coffee, pet food, diapers, Advil, tampons and Band-Aids.  Building residents can also nominate specialty items that they would like sold in the machines.

So will one of these smart vending machines be coming to a building near you? To be financially viable, the machines must be installed in larger buildings with at least 250 residents, according to an article by the Vancouver Sun’s Randy Shore. Happy Vending hopes to quickly expand from its two pilot buildings (whose locations haven’t been disclosed) and install more machines in Vancouver and across Canada.

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Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2015/01/26/futuristic-vending-machines-with-fresh-groceries-coming-to-vancouver-buildings/