Minute of nostalgia: vending machines in the USSR. Photo

They were wildly popular.

The first boom of vending machines in Moscow experienced in the 1960s. Then in Malaya Dmitrovka there was a unique store-automatic “Progress” in the hall which was not sellers, and in some vending machines, placed throughout the city, for coins or tokens, you could buy not only a glass of soda or newspaper, hot coffee, cigarettes, sandwiches, beer and wine. The Creator of the Museum of Soviet arcade games Alexander Vugman told how emerged and why did the Soviet vending.

Khrushchev’s visit to USA

The first Soviet appeared not gaming and vending machines. I found mention about the imported machines, which were installed in Moscow for the festival of youth and students 1957, but I can say that the EN masse to promote their production and placement of steel after the Khrushchev visit to America in September 1959.

From what he saw then in the States, he was impressed by not only the prospect of the use of maize agriculture, but also the phenomenon of automation of trade, he observed there and decided to transfer in the Soviet Union. That’s why in the late 1950’s — early 1960-ies in our country began production of vending vending machines.

For the most part they were made in Ukrainian SSR — that’s where Khrushchev gave them. So in the Soviet years the vending machines in the Ukraine was higher than in the RSFSR.

No electronics

The simplest was a vending machine for Newspapers that was put on all railway stations and bus stations, and then in the subway. Interesting that it was completely mechanical and had no electronics.

Coin pulled the lever that unlocked the main mechanism, and by pressing the handle, you can with spring device to apply a thin newspaper. Modern multi-page edition of the “Arguments and facts” would not fit there. Later came such devices with electric filling.

In the same year appeared the most popular in the USSR, vending machines with soda water (the syrup) that in Moscow, it seemed, was at every step. They stayed in Moscow longer than the others and was active even in the 1980s, according to various sources, was from 2000 to 2800 of these machines.

Shop machine

In the 1960s and 1970s vending machines in Moscow and other major cities was an incredible amount and seems to be at the highest level was considered a prospect in the future to switch entirely to them, abandoning the live sellers.

Shop “Progress”.

In the 1960s, even in Moscow there was a unique store-automatic “Progress” on Malaya Dmitrovka street (then known as the Chekhov street. — Approx. ed.) where there were no sellers, and in devices you can buy Mozhaisk milk in bottles, condensed milk in cans, Packed oil, cheese, bread and more.

Separate machines represented there, selling sandwiches with cheese and sausage for example, can be found at airports, vehicles for the sale of sunflower oil in a large, progressive Department stores and conventional grocery stores.

In Moscow 1960-1970-ies on the streets, in pubs and shops you can see the machines through the sale of kvass, juices, beer and even wine, milk and ice cream, kerosene and cigarettes, hot tea and coffee, cigarettes, matches, pencils and notebooks. At the entrance to the subway there were vending machines for dispensing coins, railway stations and major stations — ticket.

Apparatus for the sale of beer and wine often worked from the coins I had to buy the cashier a cafe or pub, where they were installed. The badges usually were of yellow alloy, the diameter slightly less than a penny, with the inscription “Ministry of Commerce of the USSR” on one side and one or two gutter slits on the other.

Although beer vending machines, took a trifle, according to my data, also existed. Some beer on the ground floor there is a hall with such machines, and the second bottling was from the tap. Variety, as a rule, were the same and only one didn’t have a choice.

The costs of construction

Vending machines with beer and kvass was similar and was done so that could give two niches two varieties of the drink. In practice, charging one, and no choice was not.

Not become popular and widespread, such devices have not received for the reason that required regular flushing of the entire system, and it is very troublesome. In addition, they were demanding to the point of installation: most often they are put in enclosed spaces with designated bays, as these machines had side and rear walls.

And in General, the need to regularly lift the containers with a fresh drink, pour it, if it is not sold, has not yet expired, making such devices not be the most profitable.

And as a result, by the early 1980s, a unique and experimental “Progress” was closed and the majority of Soviet machines were dismantled and taken away, leaving the machines selling soda and Newspapers.

Cologne and music

Old photos and in the movie “money changers”, you can see the device with built-in mirror, which is 15 cents sprayed your hair and face three grams of Cologne. They hung in restaurants, shops and hotels, sometimes next to the Barber.

Machine beautiful and useful, but, unfortunately, he was often incapacitated. His weak point was located at the top of the atomizer, made in the form of the flower, which often broke off in the first week after installation.

Musical devices, or jukbox, as they are called today, were established in restaurants. In the 1960-1970-ies in the USSR was to be found mainly model Meloman production of the Polish company Unitra Fonica. There is a perception that this is what the word “audiophile” has penetrated into the Russian language and stuck there forever.

These Polish jukbox can be seen in Soviet films: “100 grams for bravery”, “the one”. And yet there is dedicated to the Soviet vending machine story “jumble”, “Done”, where the detail shows the principle of operation “Audiophile”, 5 cents lost the disc with the selected track.

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