Vending machines have been with us for a long time, adding extra convenience to our busy lives. From the usual ones that dispense canned drinks to more interesting ones that are able to provide wagyu and salmon steaks, here are 13 unique vending machines in Singapore!
Interesting Vending Machines in Singapore
Cotton Candy Vending Machine
The Magic Cotton Candy vending machine offers 18 cotton candy flavours priced from S$3 to S$6 created using a fully automated system. Remember when huge cute cotton candy flowers went viral in Singapore? Now is your chance to savour the melt-in-your-mouth snack and take IG worthy pictures!
The names of the flavours certainly were something that wowed us! You can take your pick from flavours like ‘Rose Elf’, ‘Heart of the Oceans’ and ‘Celestial Beauty’.
Watch your cotton candy come to life with their fully automated system through the glass display. Seeing the machine work its magic sent us on a trip down memory lane, and we reminisced watching the pasar malam stall owner expertly spin cotton candy onto a stick, as we watched in awe!
The Magic Cotton Candy vending machine can be found in Sembawang Shopping Centre, Thomson Plaza and Plaza Singapura. Not only that, it was also seen in Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and possibly other countries!
Popcorn Vending Machine
myEureka is well known for their wide variety of flavoured popcorn ranging from their original Sour Cream and Onion to more local flavours like Nasi Lemak.
With more than 20 flavours to choose from, myEuruka’s latest new snack vending machines, gives you the added convenience of enjoying their flavoured popcorn at a location near to you!
These vending machines can be found in over 20 locations across the island, covering all regions. Some of their locations include Waterway Point, Hillion Mall, Thomson Plaza, Northpoint City, Downtown East and Suntec City. Do head over to their website for a full list of locations!
SafeEntry Token Vending Machine
Uniquely Singapore. SafeEntry Tokens were introduced in April 2021 as the national check-in system. The Singapore government has made it more convenient and efficient by placing SafeEntry Token vending machines at community clubs and malls for Singaporeans to replace their faulty tokens.
The vending machine requires users to provide their Identification Card and old token for a new token to be dispensed. To be eligible for the replacement, tokens have to be collected/replaced more than 60 days ago. The vending machines are currently located in 149 locations spread across 108 Community Centres and selected shopping malls. To view the full list of vending machine locations, as well as information on stock availability, head over to https://token.gowhere.gov.sg/
Wagyu Beef Vending Machine
The Wagyu Beef vending machine by Easy Meat SG sells affordable Australian Wagyu Beef, available 24/7 for those who want to whip up a meal late at night. The company’s founders aim to bring quality cuts to consumers without the need to schedule and wait for deliveries, an idea that was born out of the founders’ late-night cravings for wagyu steaks during the pandemic.
Some of their offerings include a 200g cut of steak, priced at $25 and 250g of sliced shabu shabu, priced at $19. The meat is frozen upon slicing, and vacuum sealed to ensure that they remain as fresh as possible. The vending machines are also meticulously maintained to ensure that the temperatures are kept optimal at all times. If kept in a freezer, Easy Meat SG claims that their Wagyu ribeye can remain fresh for up to 6 months!
Easy Meat SG also periodically partners with other brands to bring you new offerings, such as their A5 JAPAN WAGYU CROWN LOIN YAKINIKU, the product of their collaboration with Yakiniku Plaza, aiming to bring Japanese wagyu to a location near you.
These vending machines can be found in Sembawang Shopping Centre, Simon Plaza and Thomson Plaza.
Raw Salmon Vending Machine
The fish is freshly cut and vacuum-sealed in Europe before being shipped to Singapore, maintaining the highest quality of freshness and hygiene standards. The meat is also frozen at -18°C to keep it well-preserved for a long duration. According to packaging instructions, the fillets can be kept for up to three days in the freezer of a typical refrigerator.
A range of different cuts of salmon are available for you to choose from, such as Premium Salmon Fillet (150g), Premium Smoked Salmon Slices (100g), Premium Salmon Sashimi Slices (100g) and even Hot Smoked Teriyaki Saba (100g). If you opt for the sashimi, a fork and a sachet of soy sauce is included, so you can consume it right after defrosting if you wish!
The prices range between $5.90 and $8.90, and there are usually promotions being held from time to time, so do check them out to see if you can snag yourself a good deal!
Subway Vending Machine / Subway Grab & Go
Subway’s Grab & Go vending machines were created for customers who do not want to queue for their subs especially during the pandemic! This is the first ever Subway vending machine in the world and was last seen outside Tampines West Community Club’s Subway outlet.
The machine is operational for 24 hours a day, and offers only subs and salads, along with a selection of canned soft drinks. Subway’s more popular subs such as Egg Mayo, Roasted Beef, Turkey, Cold Cut Trio and Italian BMT ™ are available in 6 inch versions at the machine, which offers only NETS cashless payments. Instead of having your choice of sauces added onto your sandwich at the counter, each sandwich comes with 2 packets of Kewpie dressing, (Roasted Sesame and Thousand Island) for you to add to your sandwich according to your liking. The sandwich is nicely packed in a transparent packaging that houses both the sandwich, as well as a sealable bag that holds a napkin and the packets of dressing.
The salad comes with 4 choices of ingredients, Egg Mayo, Cold Cut Trio, Veggie Delite and Italian BMT™, and contains every vegetable option that is available at Subway. It comes packed in a small box, and includes both Kewpie dressing options as well as a plastic fork and knife.
Check out the vending machine in operation in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUSekC0Zp0g&ab_channel=DancingBacons
Polar Puffs & Cakes Vending Machine
You can now enjoy Polar’s Curry puffs, Sausage rolls and more through their vending machines! The vending machine can be found in several locations and one of them is located in Temasek Polytechnic. Prices are made affordable for students starting from $1.50!
We were unable to find a list of all the locations that the vending machines are located at, but a few of the locations that we have seen pop up over the internet include Mediacorp HQ, Singapore Institute of Technology and Republic Poly.
Book Vending Machine
BooksActually is a local brick–and-mortar bookstore that also has unique vending machines that sell – you guessed it – books!
The BooksActually vending machine is only located at the National Museum of Singapore and Singapore Visitor Centre at Orchard, as well as outside their store in Tanjong Pagar. The unique feature about BooksActually’s vending machine is that their mystery books ($19) are wrapped up, so you won’t know what you are buying till you unwrap it. However, they are all local titles by local publishers and authors. This is not the first time a book vending machine has been seen. Other countries also implemented book vending machines in schools, subway stations and more!
Salad from Shake Salad Vending Machine
Shake Salad was created to bring fresh and affordable packaged salads at your convenience. Guess there is no excuse to not be healthy anymore. Just purchase a base of your choice and other toppings that you would love to pair with your base. Shake Salad can be found at HDB blocks, schools like Republic Polytechnic and more!
Laundry Services Vending Machine
Imagine dropping off your items in a locker and within a week, all your items turn sparkly clean. WashBox24 allows users to drop off and pick up their laundry after dry cleaning services at their convenience. The lockers are available at some condos, office buildings like Suntec City, and convenience stores.
Petite Bakehouse Vending Machine
The Petite Bakehouse vending machine is located at Anchorvale Rd and showcases their halal top-selling bakes up for purchase. These include Classic Vanilla Petite cakes, Red Velvet Petite cakes and more. Satisfy your cake cravings with their vending machine available 24/7!
Super Car Vending Machine
AutoBahn Motors specializes in selling used exotic cars via a giant toy car display. With a tap on a touchpad, the chosen car will be brought down to ground level using their unique fish-bone type lift. This special vending machine is located at Alexandra. This is not the first-ever car vending machine, U.S. company Carvana was the first to develop this idea.
Orange Juice Vending Machine
Fresh orange juice with no rinds, pulps and seeds for just $2 and available 24/7? Hooray! Get to watch the oranges being sliced and squeezed via the little glass window when you purchase a cup. i.Jooz has multiple locations island-wide to quench your thirst like Esplanade, Clementi and more!
With the rise of unique vending machines.. who knows what the future might hold? Maybe the next unique vending machine would be able to customize bubble tea of your preference!
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