"S-"Vending the Plastic

It has recently come to my attention that I do not carry cash or coins around. My wallet is completely empty. Nothing. Nada. Zilch! Why you ask? I'm a college student, that's why. But surely, even a college student has to have some, how ever small in denomination, bank notes in his wallet. I seem to be one of those who do not. That is not to say that I am broke, I simply prefer to use my check or credit card for transactions. Now I do not have crazy charges on my credit card, and I always pay off the balance, but there is something about swiping a card. Its easy, quick, no need to fumble for change, etc.

Now, imagine the predicament I was in when I required a thirst quenching drink of a carbonated beverage that was only accessible by a vending machine. No change, no bank notes, no nothing except a MasterCard. This got me wondering....why don't vending machines have the ability to take credit cards? Wouldn't it be a no brainer considering that everyone who wants a drink will only be a swipe away from it? The laws of supply and demand can be applied to such a scenario.

If one utilizes technology to improve on a task or duty (a.k.a fishing for change) then that person is more likely to use said technology more often knowing that the task or duty has been diminished. in layman's terms, this would mean that if vending machines accepted credit cards, more people would use them since they would not necessarily be concerned with finding physical money. This is called a rise in demand, for those of you who understand economics.

For crying out loud, we have vending machines for Ipods!

So what does it take to have a vending machine that will accept credit cards:

1. Phone line....check!

2. Vending machine that accepts credit cards...check! (obviously, just look up)

So what is keeping these vending machine companies from swimming in their money? Why do they not want to swim in more money? Who knows, but if we can have cell phones carry our credit card information and transmit it upon request, then surely we can have vending machines that accept credit cards.

The bad man notice: I am not affiliated with Apple and do not endorse the purchase of an Ipod or other Apple paraphernalia from a vending machine.