Do you think vending machines are a rip off?

I think vending machines charge wayyyy to much for some of their stuff also. Alot of times they charge an outragious price and then you open the package and it is not even half full.

It's not the vending machines that are charging out the "wazoo", it's the companies that owns the machine. It is ridiculous that a tiny bag (with mostly air and five chips) or a minute-size candy bar can cost a dollar. The best thing to do is make your grocery list to include little "Ziploc" baggies and stock up on what you usually get out of the machines. Not exactly healthy choices but why spend an extra 75 cents on a bag of air with five chips?

yes they are you can get the same thing in a store for less what they do is put the machine in a place like a hospital so we dont have a choice but to use it it sucks!

My favorite vending machines are the coffee vending machines, haha, I still am amazed how the machine mixes the various flavors, and maybe because I really love coffee hahaha ^_^_^

Convenience is directly proportional to cost. The more convenient a service or a thing the more costly it would be. Sad but it's fact

This is a surprise. I also thought that vending machines are way too expensive. But when I tried the convenience store at a gasoline station, I realized that they were more expensive. A small bottle of diet coke is only $1.75 in a vending machine, while it is $1.84 from the store. Plus, you have to pay for taxes at the store. So I prefer the vending machine where I at work at.

they are actually pocketing more than that since they dont pay retail...so that little bitty bag that we would pay 30 cents for in a store, they would pay 10cents for when buying their stock for example...

any kind of convenience food is usually a ripoff. the machines i really hate though are the ones with the screw type dispensors. 5 times out of ten they stop before it drops it,and then they make 100% profit if you can't find somebody to refund you.

Well, I agree that items in vending machines are considered quite expensive as compared to a normal store. However, I guess this is the price of convenience. They will need to make additional money just to pay for the maintenance of the machines (such as topping up the machines and repair of the machine etc), and also to pay the place which is putting the vending machines. Yes, places like hospitals do get an income from the vending machine suppliers for the sales of the items in the machine. Well, in places like hospitals where there are not much places where you can buy items, vending machines are a good alternatives, especially during odd hours such as late nights and early mornings. Price wise is quite similar to convenience stores which open 24 hours, so it is really up to individuals to select where they will buy from. Anyway, I also buy things from vending machines when there are not much choices available too. I do say it's more costly, but that's of no choice if you need them...

They do charge more than they should. What I would like to know is where do you shop that you only pay 35 cents for a bag of chips. I shop at dollar stores and they charge at least 60-65 cents for a small bag of chips. Even candy bar are 60-65 cents in the dollar stores.

I am not that fond of vending machines. Everytime you put your money in, you have to hold your breath. Will you get what you wanted or nothing at all? What is really aggravating is when your item is stuck between staying in and coming out. Then if you try to get your money back, the coin return doesn't work. I'll pass on vending machines unless it is my only choice.

Yes!! I hate vending machines!! In my neighborhood there's a night store and a few meters from there stands a vending machine. In the store it costs me 1 dollar for a redbull and at the vending machine 2.5!! 2.5!!!! C'mon thats rediculous!! What should you choose? 1 or 2.5?? :D

i agree with you. at work the vending machines were almost always broken, put money in , don't get your money back or the item that you wanted or it gets stuck in the little cubicle it is supposed to come out of and no amount of kicking or rocking the machine will loosen it. so you either have to put more money in and get 2 instead of 1 or wait until someone else decides to get that same item! thats when i decided to stop at the store for the stuff i wanted instead of wasting money and time on the machines.

YES! Vending machines are way too expensive. I try to avoid them.

i don't have an exact idea of how these vending machines are charging. i lean on the belief though that they charge high for the items. the business needs to keep going and they get their maintenance from the sale of items they place inside. plus, of course, they might be renting space from the building to put their machines there. i don't patronize vending machines, if given the choice. i would rather be eating properly seated and enjoy savoring what i pay for in a cafeteria or a restaurant. . i usually see vending machines in hospitals here. sometimes u don't have a choice because their canteens are not easily accessible.