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10 top feel-good vending machines of 2024
Let’s dive into 10 top feel-good vending machines of 2024.
December 18, 2024 by Sandra Carpenter — Editor, Networld Media Group
2024 saw a wave of unique and innovative vending machines that went far beyond traditional snacks and drinks.
From promoting healthy eating to supporting local artists and even changing lives, these machines offered a diverse range of products and services, reflecting the evolving needs and desires of consumers. Let's dive into 10 top feel-good vending machines of 2024.
10. Healthy food vending machines
Vending machines are no longer limited to shelf-stable, highly-preserved snacks and beverages. Thanks to climate-controlled and smart tech, as well as an increased consciousness of healthy eating, healthy food vending machines have become increasingly popular. Some healthy vending machines even go as far as trying to eradicate food insecurity in food desert communities, like the Nori Project in Louisville, Kentucky.
9. Art vending machines
Art vending machines aren't a new trend; however, their popularity continued to grow over 2024. Art and engineering students at FSU, for example, are currently transforming a snack vending machine into an art vending machine that dispenses works including paintings, sculptures, and prints, in order to make visual art more accessible.
8. Harm reduction vending machines
Harm reduction vending machines, usually strategically placed in places with higher concentration of unhoused population and increased food traffic, dispense things like Narcan opioid overdose reversal medication, fentanyl testing kits, wound care supplies, safer smoking kits, sharps disposal and medication disposal kits, all free of charge and typically anonymously received, to anyone who needs them. Typically funded by public health initiatives or by grants awarded to non-profits, harm reduction vending machines have become an important tool in combating the opioid crisis in the U.S.
7. Self-care vending machines
Self care vending machines are becoming increasingly popular, as self-care is becoming a staple practice for modern people on the go. One example is Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky which has installed a vending machine stocked with diverse hair and hygiene products. The vending machine is part of the Living Curls College Beauty Supply initiative that aims to bring essential beauty and wellness products to college campuses, especially campuses that are located in rural communities where students may not have as much access to racially-diverse beauty products.
6. Public health vending machines
In the wake of limited access to various forms of healthcare in the U.S., many non-profits and student organizations have taken the initiative to dispense free public health supplies via vending machines in communities and on college campuses. The vending machines often include feminine hygiene products, emergency contraception, safer sex supplies, pregnancy tests and COVID/Flu tests among other things.
5. Flower vending machines
From Malaysia to New Jersey, flower vending machines have become a convenient and heartfelt resource for anyone looking for a gift on-the-spot. The refrigerated vending machines, often rather large to accommodate a range of flower arrangements, offer a variety of fresh flower bouquets, usually priced comparably to retail. Customers can simply select their desired arrangement and complete the purchase through the machines' user-friendly interfaces.
4. Young entrepreneur-owned vending machines
Entrepreneurs as young as 10-years-old invested in their first business ventures this year via vending machines. From the U.K. to the Southern U.S., pre-teens cite TikTok, snack shortages and family business role models as inspiration for beginning their own vending businesses. An especially-enterprising 12-year-old Texan has already established three vending machines that allow him to earn passive income while focusing on school.
3. Book vending machines
Elementary schools across the U.S. have increasingly adopted book vending machines to reward good behavior and invest in childhood literacy in a fun and engaging way. Most of these machines are funded by grants and the books are free of charge to the students. Typically part of the schools' Accelerated Reader or Reader in Me programs, these vending machines are most popular at U.S. elementary schools and carry books ranging from preschool tales to young adult literature.
2. Charity vending machines
Charity vending machines, like Light the World vending machines, offer opportunities for people to give back to their communities, typically during the holiday season. A donation to these machines dispenses a card in the amount of your chosen donation to things like clean water, meals, toys and more to those in need through a unique giving experience. Donations go directly to global and local charities to help change lives around the world, all while allowing donors to keep a physical card to acknowledge their contributions.
1. Airhead vending machine, paid for with fun
What's a better feeling than enjoying a candy bar at the community pool on a hot summer day? Not much, except perhaps enjoying a candy bar you had to dive underwater and pay for with fun instead of money. The Airhead vending machine is fully waterproof in depths of up to eight feet and equipped with an air propulsion system that launches the candy out of the machine. Rather than taking cash or cashless payment, the machine takes "fun" in exchange for the candy. The machine provides swimmers with prompts such as "do a flip," or "have a tea party," underwater and then accepts the movement as payment. Airhead's "paid for with fun" feature earns it the top spot on this year's list.
About Sandra Carpenter
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