Twice yesterday I read about old soda vending machines that were chests where you slid the glass bottles in slots.
First, Lileks on his Substack:
It would be my most specific pop memory for years, until I found myself working down South as a seed salesman for Northrup King in the summer of 1979. I drove the highways and backroads in an unairconditioned van, stopping at small towns and suburban grocery stores, taking orders and picking up the wire racks they no longer needed. In one hamlet I pulled over for gas. Blazing day. There was one of the old pop coolers, the chest type where you’d slide the bottle down a metal trench line to an opening. They had Nehi. I’d never had a Nehi. I’d only heard of it from M*A*S*H, as it was Radar O’Reilly’s favorite beverage. Well, when in Rome, Georgia, etc. Popped the cap on the bottle opener, and took a sip.
The second was in River City P.I..
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of these devices before, but I read about them twice today.
In case you’re wondering, here’s kinda what they looked like:
Another thing for me to consider collecting and fixing up, but I’m not doing so much of those things these days, so probably not. I have a garage to clean and a couple of nigh-thirty-year-old refinishing projects to handle first.
