Vending machines are everywhere. At train stations, airports, hotel lobbies and shopping centres. They spit out for cash all sorts of goodies such as bottled water, soft drink, and chocolate bars. The sort of essential items you might just have an urge for RIGHT NOW -these machines are there to entice you. Other vending machines offer essential items such as toiletries or bus tickets. The convenience makes life easy! More recently vending machines help you with other items such as a quick mobile device battery top-up and anyone for fishing bait?
The latest in what seems to be a vending machine craze is gold ingots. So you're out shopping in the Westfield shopping centre in West London and you have an urge to buy gold then your desires can be fulfilled quickly and easily at the "Gold to Go" vending machine. First officially unveiled in Abu Dhabi in 2010 a machine has now popped up in England. For £40 you can pick up a 1g gold coin or £10,250 buys you a 250g gold bar. The interest in gold at it's heights at the moment you can also buy a 2.5g gold ingot engraved with London's landmarks for £100 -did I mention it's my birthday coming up?
The computer updates the gold pricing every 10 minutes in line with the current trading price and it hopes to entice investors as gold is considered a solid investment choice. Convenience does however come at a price with the "Gold to Go" machines pricing at a premium over the spot price for gold. There has also been reports of malfunctions where customers have not received the correct sized coin or ingot that they were charged for. In an anti-money laundering move the machine asks for a passport scan for purchases over £2,500.
Posted by harrisk at July 3, 2011 10:00 AM
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