Our office just installed a couple of those new "smart" vending machines, and I'm curious what everyone thinks. They've got touchscreens, take card payments (and even some mobile payment apps!), and apparently track inventory in real-time. On the one hand, it's pretty cool – no more digging for coins, and they seem to have a wider variety of snacks.
But on the other hand, it feels a bit… impersonal? And is all that data collection really necessary for a bag of chips? What are your initial impressions? Are they a step forward, or just an over-engineered way to get a chocolate bar?
"Real-time inventory tracking" sounds innocent enough, but what else are they tracking? My purchase history? My preferred snacks at certain times of day? While it might seem trivial for a bag of chips, it's still data about individual consumption patterns. And who has access to that data? The vending machine company? Our employer?