How many vending machines in the world

Pippens is one of thousands of individual operators who make up the bulk of the vending machine ecosystem. But are vending machines really a viable side hustle? How much does the average machine bring in? And what does the job entail? Delivered weekdays plus a bonus Sunday feature.

Unsubscribe whenever. Some big corporations, like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, own their own arsenal of machines. Oddities aside, the majority of vending machines Several things attract new operators to vending:. But starting out in the business comes with its share of hurdles — the first of which is finding the right machine. Once an operator like Valdez has secured the right machine, the next obstacle is finding a quality home for it.

Many of the best locations — places with heavy foot traffic, or large worker populations — are already saturated with machines. The reason for this competition is simple: There is a tremendous variance in how much revenue a machine can bring in, based on where it is.

Jaime Ibanez got into vending in And remember: these figures are pre-expenses. The business comes with its share of overhead costs. Even something like logistics can be a burden: Vending machines are extraordinarily heavy — lbs. To make vending work as a full-time gig, an operator typically must implement economies of scale , building the business up to dozens of machines that collectively generate a livable wage. The biggest input cost of all — the amount of time a vendor spends on-site — has been minimized by technology in recent times.

Twenty years ago, operators had to drive to each machine on a semi-daily basis and jot down the items they needed by hand. Today, telemetry tools have largely allowed newcomers to operate remotely.

This seemingly dull routine has piqued the interest of hundreds of thousands of young entrepreneurs on the Internet. But something else is driving this fascination: the allure of a semi-passive income has led to a spike in vending during the pandemic. Their journey into vending began back in , when Barry — then a year-old special education teacher — bought a few machines to make extra income during the summer.

Lory and Barry Strickland have seen an uptick in their vending machine course during the pandemic Barry and Lory Strickland. If so, please share your experience. What jobs do you think will be most affected by automation over the next 50 years? Exercise 6. Automation is going to cause unemployment, and we need to prepare for it. Do you agree with this statement? When I was in Japan on tour in , I felt like I was 30 years into the future. Why do you think Japan often has this effect on tourists?

Exercises for Further Self-Study. These self-study exercises are optional and should be carried out after the lesson has finished. Exercise 7. Sentence Building. Write at least one sentence for each of the words in Exercise 1: Vocabulary. Begin by making sure you understand the definition of each word. Use the example sentences as a guide if you are unable to think of a sentence. Practice reading your sentences out loud.

In Tokyo, not even the train stations accepted credit cards to purchase subway tickets. Major chains took credit cards, but lots of stores did not. The practical effect of this is that you are always carrying around a considerable amount of cash, and not just paper bills, but coins.

By the end of my trip, I had fashioned a makeshift coin purse to corral the money weighing down my pockets. As I discovered, dropping a single coin into a vending machine for a drink was a convenient and useful way to get rid of the change jangling around in my pocket. Japanese culture is obsessed with automation and robots, journalist Tsutomu Washizu explained to The Japan Times in Washizu, who wrote a book on the history of vending machines in Japan, credits this fascination as a main reason why the machines are so popular.

For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. One of the first things that many visitors to Japan will notice while strolling through the city is the overwhelming abundance of vending machines in the country.

As of the end of December , the number of vending machines installed in Japan was 2,,, which is said to be one of the highest penetration rates in the world. Considering that the total population of Japan is about million, it can be calculated that vending machines in Japan are installed at a rate of one per 43 Japanese citizens.

There are actually five reasons to why vending machines are so prevalent in Japan, which even some Japanese people would not know. Unraveling the mystery behind the abundance of vending machines in Japan reveals its deep connection to Japan's economic history and culture.

Apr 01 Mar 09 Vending machines automatically process purchase and payment, which obviously implies that they hold the money that has been paid by the consumers.

In fact, cases of crime around the world involving vending machines are never-ending, and it's common to see prevention measures like steel cages around machines.

In other words, a safe environment with a low crime rate is absolutely essential for vending machines to be installed and operated effectively.

Japan is known as one of the world's safest countries, where it's relatively safe for women to walk by themselves in the evening and where people on the train can have a nap with their smartphones on their laps.

This suggests that Japan fulfills the criteria for the widespread use of vending machines, which can explain their abundance in the country. Of course, there are instances where vending machines have been damaged in Japan, but the number of cases is only a fraction compared to the rest of the world.

One reason that explains the prevalence of vending machines in Japan is how vending machines allow customers to make a purchase quickly and thus meet the needs of a busy Japanese workforce. For example, this can be seen in prefectures such as Tokyo and Aichi, where the number of installed vending machines is particularly high. Both prefectures are home to cities Tokyo and Nagoya with some of the largest economies in Japan as well as have the highest rates of overtime per day for office workers in Japan.

In other words, there is a correlation between the number of busy office workers and the number of vending machines installed. How about comparing office workers' working hours internationally?