[Tagging] Laundromat and parcel box (vending machines)

[Daniel Koć]

W dniu 16.06.2016 21:02, Martin Koppenhoefer napisał(a):

> a vending machine is vending (selling) something. Here nothing is sold
> (as opposed to the tobacco example). E.g. a pinball isn't a vending
> machine, even if it sells entertainment ;-)

"A vending machine is a machine that dispenses items such as snacks, 
beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets to customers 
automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the 
machine."

[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine ]

English is not my mother tongue, but I see here nothing about selling - 
just "dispencing" (which means "releasing", I guess). So your pinball 
example is still invalid, as expected, but laundromat fits this 
definition IMO. I guess the definition should be broader a bit, since we 
already have parcel sending machine as vending and laundromat is 
partially about sending too. They are not the same, but still I see the 
strong analogy (including the fact, that this was just pushing the idea 
further by the same company which operates parcel boxes here in Poland).

ATM is also interesting case, but here the "items" are money and payment 
is indirect, so that's a different story for me.

-- 
"Low, low, low..." [M. Kempa]