The Large Machine-like Thing That Gives Drinks

More evidence that my kids are growing up virtually on another planet: Their glee, while in Florida on homeleave, at discovering a Minute Maid drinks vending machine. Seven-year-old Nathan could not get over the fact that after we inserted a few shiny coins into a slot and pushed a button, an icy cold drink would come tumbling out of the machine -- just...for...us. Nifty! He stared in awe as we obtained drinks for both munchkins. What ho, such a marvelous device, this large-generous-dispenser-of-beverages!

One doesn't really come across food vending machines in Bangkok. Feminine hygeine and condom dispensers, sure, but not food. All snack transactions involve human beings. It's nice when you're grabbing a Thai iced coffee by the side of the road if, like me, you like lots of milk but not so much sugar, and you can tell the "cooker" (as Alec calls anyone who's preparing food) how you like it. Then you can enjoy a perfectly tailor-made thirst-quencher. The same goes for all sorts of food items, of course.

I rather prefer not having vending machines, because they cut out a lot of potential food service jobs. I doubt the companies managing the machines hire enough maintenance staff to make up for the loss of jobs that mechanizing everything entails. Wah.

Comments

[Washington Cube]

The world is always renewed and seen with new perspective when you have a child.

[Henry Rearden]

Your rationale for objecting to vending machines shows a shocking lack of understanding of economics. I really didn’t think that there was anyone left who still harbored such misconceptions.

All machines are employed to save labor. And it only makes sense to use them where labor is more expensive than machines. This explains why you see vending machines more often in places like the U.S. and Japan, and not in places like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, for example.

The goal of any business, the vending machine business included, is not to employ as many people as possible. The goal is to use the earth's limited resources as efficiently as possible.

As an example, do you use a washing machine to wash your clothes? If so, shouldn't you feel guilty about cutting a maid out of the tedious job of washing your family's clothes by hand? (That was a rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is NO!) Each person must do what makes economic sense. In some cases this means using the labor of a person and in some cases it means using a machine. It all depends on the cost of each.

So you may object to vending machines because you find them impersonal – but you shouldn’t object to them for taking away jobs – otherwise you would have to object to ALL machines, and I don’t think that even someone as economically ignorant as yourself is prepared to do that!

[Bangkok Expat Mama]

Thank you for your informative comment, Mr. Rearden.

FYI, I'm no Luddite. I don't "object" to vending machines. I rather prefer interacting with human beings if the option's available, which is one of the myriad reasons to love Thailand. I miss my favourite iced coffee and kai yang vendors -- their chat AND their chow -- when I visit the West.

And congrats! You're the first person to insult me ("economically ignorant") on this site. Where's yours so I can check out your own writing?