strange things are afoot at the circle k

[spatch]

I just put a buck twenny-five into the Wheel O' Death vending machine in our break room.

I opened the little window and retrieved my bottle of juice product.

The vending machine display then flashed "WINNER" at me, and it gave me back my five quarters.




Ohhhh-kay, he intoned slowly, money in hand, while backing away from the crazy machine.

Comments

[ticket-monkey.livejournal.com]

Waaaay back in undergraduate school, there was a vending machine which would, if you manipulated it correctly, not only dispense back your change but a jackpot in quarters and dimes. Completely cleaned it out every time, to the tune of $1-$3 per go. The secret was closely guarded and there was an honor amongst thieves to put the money back into the machine so others could reap the benefit as well. 'Free' candy bars were doled out like, well, candy.

For an entire spring break I subsisted solely on Symphony bars and Captain's Wafers from that machine.

A couple of months later, the vending company got wise that they were running through massive amounts of product with no profit from that machine, and replaced it. By that point, though, we had done permanent damage to our teeth, our figures and our complexions.

[spatch]

You were lucky to have a vending machine what gave out free Symphony bars! I loved those things but can see how overkill would just do you in.

[phonemonkey.livejournal.com]

We had one of those in the Zoology department. Thing is, sometimes you wouldn't get anything at all.