Chips? Check. Candy bars? Of course. Used panties? WTF? Count your exact change and straighten out that dollar bill, because here are some of the most bizarre vending machines on earth.
11. Caviar
You know you’re a high-roller with an open mind if you’re willing to plunk down $500 on an ounce of Beluga Caviar just to hit the spot.
Where you can find it: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
10. Mashed Potatoes
What can you get for a dollar at a U.S.-based 7-11? A slushy? A hot dog? What if you could get a steaming cup of mashed potatoes and gravy? The words ‘life’ and ‘changing’ come to mind.
Where you can find it: Singapore.
9. Gold
Usually gold is what people are trying to get rid of so they can obtain cold, hard cash. But this isn’t a vending machine for your average person. Gold to Go spits out solid gold coins to very rich, very stupid or very both patrons who need the status-affirming comfort of real gold on their person.
Where you can find it: New York, Las Vegas, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other locations worldwide.
8. Crack Pipes
There exists a machine that sells 25 cent Pyrex crack pipes. It holds 200 pipes and is restocked every five days, which means that it’s getting pretty regular use. What the hell is the point of this? It actually provides safer crack-huffing supplies. Whereas hard-to-find crack pipes usually undergo wear n’ tear, chipping and becoming a hotbed for bacteria that make users ill (colds, cold sores, the flu, HIV, etc.), now they can just discard them and purchase a fresh one. This also decreases the street value of the crack pipe and the violence surrounding their acquisition. Sound controversial? It is.
Where you can find it: At the Washington Store in the downtown east side of Vancouver.
7. Giant Coca-Cola ‘Friendship’ Machine
To celebrate the South American holiday, “Friendship Day,” gigantic Coke machines (reported to be around 12-feet tall) with a BOGO deal attached to them were erected in half a dozen countries. To get the deal, you’d have to get a boost from a friend.
Where you can find it: It was just for a marketing campaign, but assuming the machines are still around: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.
6. Used Panties Machine
Though Japan declared it illegal to sell used schoolgirl panties in vending machines way back in 1993, many instances of this still exist. Charming.
Where you can find it: Japan.
5. Live Bait
Live bait machines are perfect for fishermen or tour operators who can’t wait for their favorite tackle shop to open to get their hands on hooks, sinkers, bobbers, tackles, hand warmers, and yes – live bait.
Where you can find it: 300 locations around the U.S.
4. Porn
For the roving businessman who has a sudden whack attack or the student who needs release from his daily studies, we really can’t hold it against the creators of a vending machine that suits basic human needs.
Where you can find it: Japan.
3. Raw Meat
If you’re a meatatarian, you’d love Spain; not only do they offer the most delicious chorizo sausage and Iberico ham, but they’ve got a goddamn vending machine outside of a 100-year-old butcher shop that sells freshly butchered meat. The idea was so good that Lil Mart in Odenville, Alaska opened their own in 2011, selling sirloin tips, rib-eyes, tenderloins and ground beef.
Where you can find it: Spain and Alaska.
2. Relief
The anger release machine allows the user to insert their money and watch as a piece of delicate China or a porcelain figurine falls to the bottom, exploding in spectacular fashion. Just the tantrum you needed to move on with your day.
Where you can find it: Though it exists, we’re not actually sure it ever made it out of research & development.
1. Church Supplies
B10. Select, “Go to Heaven.” These vending machines offer churchgoers the opportunity to buy rosary beads, armbands, prayer candles and other divine accessories to ensure their good graces with the big guy upstairs.
Where you can find it: Spain; Hamburg, Germany; Little Havana, Miami.
Vending machine image by Shutterstock
Crack pipe image by Shutterstock
Stripper image by Shutterstock
Church supplies image by Shutterstock