While visiting Russia several vending machines caught my eye. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a lot of pictures at the time; so this post won't be image intense.One of the first things I noticed about the vending machines in Russia that was the availability of bottles of beer. This was quite a novelty to me since I had never seen it before. The beer was quite reasonable in price; about $2-3 for a large bottle, though I'm not sure about the quality.
At the airport I saw several vending machines that dispensed fresh orange juice. I didn't use one of these machines, but they squeeze your juice while you wait. There is even a little window to show you just how fresh the oranges are (pictured below). This machine struck me just right, and I find myself wondering why we don't have these in malls instead of soda machines.
While not a vending machine I did notice free standing recycling machines in the park next to my hotel. I thought that this was a great solution to having the area littered with bottles and cans. If you make it easy for people to recycle then they are more likely to do it. I didn't see a single bottle or can in the area the entire time I was there. I really wish that we could have these in the States.
One final note on my recent vending machine observations. Due to the largest denomination of coin being 5 rubles (about 15 cents in USD), the vending machines can sound like a slot machine paying off when you are due 50 rubles change. This was startling the first time I encountered it, but then it amused me to no end.
So, has anyone out there used one of these orange juice vending machines?
Apparently you did not stumble upon the "no need to pack a drinking glass with you, the vending machine has one you can borrow, which others have used before you and still more will use after you" milk vending machine that I ran into in Russia during the summer of 1990.
ReplyDeletePerhaps those special vending machines are of a bygone era.
Indeed I did not see any milk vending machines with communal glasses. That certainly doesn't sound like something that I would partake in, though I'm sure I would have taken a picture had I seen one. Thanks for letting me know about that one; I'll keep my eyes peeled in the future.
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ReplyDeleteI think these are a pretty nifty idea, we should have these in the States. We should make these in America (or have the Chinese make them for us;-). It would be totally neat to have in a Mall or Department Store. Though, I do beleive that us germ-consious Americans will forego the communal cup, in favor of disposable styrofoam or paper:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing information. After reading your blog I have decided to travel to Russia to meet the vending machine of my dream.
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