CATEGORIES
- NYC COVERAGE
- WEB STARTUPS
- WEB NEWS
- CONFERENCES
- WEB TECH JOBS
- VENTURE CAPITAL
- MICROSOFT
- INTERVIEWS
- ADVERTISING
- VIDEO
- ALL TOPICS
- ALL COMPANIES
CONTRIBUTORS
- ADRIAN CHAN
- ALICIA NAVARRO
- ALLEN STERN
- CORSIN CAMICHEL
- DRAMA 2.0
- DARREN HERMAN
- HANK WILLIAMS
- MARK DAVIS
- RICK TUROCZY
- SANFORD DICKERT
- SHANNON CLARK
- Comment on YouTube Down by DVS01
- Comment on Twitter COO Costolo: Advertising Coming To Twitter Soon by Satoshi Nakajima
- Comment on Twitter COO Costolo: Advertising Coming To Twitter Soon by OMG Stop the Web! Twitter is gonna run ads ? and Scoble says you?ll love it
- Comment on What?s Up With Yahoo Mail Delivery? by MJ
Macy’s Launches Vending Machines for Electronics
Macy’s department stores is announcing that they will be pushing out their electronics vending machines nearly chain-wide. They have been testing the machines in a few stores over the past year and apparently they have done very well. I’ve seen these machines in a variety of airports over the past couple of years as well.
Macy’s says the machines are loaded with, "products including iPods (Touch, Classic, Nano and Shuffle); Canon 7MP and 8MP digital cameras; Samsung 7MP digital camera and 1GB Camcorder; MyVu Personal Media Viewers; Sony, V-MODA, Bang and Olufsen and Harman Kardon headphones; and mobile accessories by Belkin. Products range from $14.99 to $349.99." My guess is that pricing is list and isn’t discounted like most online merchants – but for impulse purchases, price is usually not a factor.
Returns appear to be handled by mail – no returns in-store. It also looks like there’s no customer service or ability to play with the device before purchase. Of course with most customer service going down the drain, does it even matter anymore?
These machines are the new gum and candy rack at the checkout. "I wasn’t thinking of buying a new iPod today but it’s right there, why not pick one up?" And since it’s a pain in the arse to return, I’ll just keep it.
I am still waiting for these machines to show up at Starbucks to deliver your beverage – just enter what you want and it sends it right out to you – I get that Starbucks is supposed to be the classy and high-end coffee shop, but we all know that image is gone.
Update: These machines would have even more of a chance of succeeding if they the products came charged – buy an iPod and it’s ready to go immediately. Or a camcorder, etc. – that would be killer.
i can see me using it for small stuff £10 – £20 .
but no way would i buy something costing over £100+
from a vending machine .
digital cameras and Camcorders are not something i tend to
buy on impulse, i like to research and compare to find just
what i am looking for at the best price i can get it.
@antje I doubt anyone will break into these machines. In the Macy’s in San Francisco, the machine has been in place for well over a year and it’s in the highest trafficked portion of the store – the food court in the basement.
I wouldn’t buy anything from these machines (with the apple store right around the corner) but it’s a pretty nifty system.
I would fall for it but that’s only because the customer service of Macy’s was never worth it. I would rather shop somewhere else instead. Vending Machines would be risky and could lead to customer complaints.
Interesting. But not interested.
How often will people try to break into those???
DO NOT EVER use these machines! I was stupied enough to buy a $350 item and it did not work. I called the phone number the package asks you to call for exchanges/ returns and I was told to wait for an email 3-7 DAYS (yes for an email) for return directions. Then I called back to ask why? They said they would have to have me fill out a claim form FIRST! Then mail in the product, wait even longer to get a new one. It also states from their reps and on there site they will return it to you if they do not find a problem. This was a nightmare! You would be better off buying it used on ebay. I have never had a problem like this with ebay.