Vending machines ought to follow high street shops on the conveyor belt of death that is online retail. Yet a growing fondness for anonymous shopping (see also supermarket checkout bots) is giving new life to old tech.
Best Buy, the US electronics store, has wheeled gadget-filled vending machines into airports and elsewhere across North America, while employees at Facebook HQ in California can scan their ID cards to receive replacement keyboards or stationery. There are even plans in San Diego for 30 machines to dispense marijuana prescriptions.
