Where Is Your Favorite Vending Machine In The Magic Valley?

It was a sad day for my wife when T's (the drive through barn convenience store) closed. She loved it because it was so easy to have all the kids with her and still get a drink or treat without ever getting out of the van. Now she has to rush into a store for the vending machine to get her treats if she has the kids, or unload all of them - which is a pretty big chore! But, if history has its way...those vending machines may soon disappear too, so say your farewell now and get used to a world free of vending machines and yelling at your M&M's getting stuck in the spinny thing. 

In addition to home phones, VCRs, and Social Security, you might be telling your grandchildren someday about "the vending machine". Because some people think vending machines are in danger of going extinct.  Over a three-year period from 2007 to 2010, vending machines disappeared from more than 134,000 locations across the U.S.  (--That's the most recent data available.) Vending machines still sell a total of $42 billion worth of products, and while that seems like a LOT of money, it's DOWN 11% from 2007. To try to save the vending machine, companies are experimenting with different products.  That's how they came up with those Redbox DVD units, and the airport vending machines that sell headphones and other electronics. Some other products being tried in vending machines are live bait and prescription pills.

(Wall Street Journal)