Automatic_Merchandiser_April_2021 - 6

EDITOR'S NOTE

No respect

Nick Montano
Editor

nmontano
@vendingmarketwatch.com

Follow us at
Facebook/VendingMarket
@VendingMagazine
linkedin.com/
groups/3927197

Industry pioneers
had long strived
to demonstrate
that vending is
not a second-best
option to retail, but
rather a novel and
better way to sell
goods. "

6

Editorial
Advisory
Board

LAST MONTH WE HEARD FROM SEVERAL READERS ABOUT AN

Joe Hessling

article in Roll Call, a Washington-based political news outlet, headlined " Lunch from a vending machine? It's the new happy hour. "
Reporting from the Rayburn congressional office building, the
newsperson lamented, " Group lunches, happy hours and post-work
cocktails used to be the lifeblood of political Washington and may be
again. But these days, bland food from a vending machine feels like a
better symbol of where things stand on Capitol Hill. "
The article reminded me of a letter I received years ago from an
operator who complained about an ad campaign that his bank was
running. The bank was promoting a new savings program with a tagline " saving can mean much more than buying lunch from a vending
machine. " He was angry because his vocation was being disrespected,
especially by an institution with which he had done business.
The Roll Call article underscores that convenience service operators who provide vending machines, micro markets and OCS - despite
their call to duty throughout the pandemic - are still confronted with a
public perception problem.
The Roll Call reporter depicted the vending machines at the Rayburn building as a " last resort " to be used only if one did not have time
to pack lunch at home. Vending machines suddenly became useful
because delivery apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub couldn't be used
because of the security barriers erected around the Capitol after rioters
stormed Congress on Jan. 6.
The public has been conditioned to think of vending as a last resort.
The media think it only deserves attention when there's a gimmick
involved. (Breaking News! Vending machines sell cannoli kits, pastries,
steaks, frozen pasta, jars of sauce, spices, fishing bait, etc.)
Industry pioneers had long strived to demonstrate that vending is
not a second-best option to retail, but rather a novel and better way to
sell goods. In one of its first PR crusades, the industry set out to convince a dubious public that there was nothing about a vending machine
that enabled its operator to sell anything through it for a nickel less
than what a grocery store would charge.
The public perception of the industry has since improved, but
there's still work to do. Thanks to the flexibility of self-checkout micro
markets, which fed many essential workers throughout the pandemic,
vending has moved from retailing's mainstream to its forefront - but it
still lacks the respect it deserves.
Comedian Rodney Dangerfield was best known for saying " I don't
get no respect! " That catchphrase, and his self-deprecating monologues
around it, catapulted his brand, but it also defined his persona for
the rest of his life. Off stage, the real Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney
Cohen) was gentlemanly and highly intelligent; he was a math genius
who could solve complex problems in his head.
Like the real Rodney, vending is distinctive. Today's operators are
building on a rich tradition of innovation that deserves great respect.

365 Retail
Markets

Automatic Merchandiser * April 2021

Josh
Rosenberg
NAMA Board
Chair

John Reilly
Avanti Markets

Anant Agrawal
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Elyssa Steiner
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Carl Moser
Canteen
Corporate

Chuck Reed
Crane Payment
Innovations (CPI)

Cory Hewett
Gimme
Michael Miller
Mondelēz
International

Paresh Patel
PayRange

Jeff Deitchler
Prairie Fire
Coffee

Jim Carbone
Tradecraft
(retired)

Sandy
Thornton
VendEdge
http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com http://www.facebook.com/VendingMarket http://www.twitter.com/VendingMagazine http://www.linkedin.com/groups/3927197
Automatic_Merchandiser_April_2021

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