
The beauty of Japan's lonely vending machines - Arkaad
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/japan-vending-machines-eiji-ohashi/index.html
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Arbalest
Reading a little bit of the way through, to the part about farmers vending in
a non-present way, I am thinking, this is the hangover from a culture that is
wary of it's peers. Trade is done in such a way that no harm can happen. A way
for tribes to trade. Trade between warrior tribes. So perhaps this is a
remnant of Samurai culture? This is a big stretch on my part, I welcome any
corrections or insight.

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AlEinstein
This still happens in Australia too. The primary reason to do it this way is
that you don’t need a person standing there all day to sell items. A working
farm cannot spare a person full time.

I imagine that farms stop the practice when it’s no longer profitable due to
dishonesty and theft. It’s only a small secondary source of income in any
case. The main income is wholesale anyway.

~~~
gatesphere
It's quite common on country roads in upstate NY, too. I'm not sure why the
author tried to posit it as something that could only happen in severely low-
crime areas.

