Germans are increasingly resorting to vending machines for their bratwurst, bockwurst, and barbecue meats when they are dealing with middle-of-the-night cravings.
According to a poll by the German Press Agency, the machines are “booming” outside of German cities in locations where stores are less likely to remain open late.
Heike Richter, an industry spokesperson, says that “especially in structurally weak, rural areas, vending machine solutions are becoming increasingly popular.”
“There is a strong development towards the vending machine, which is used to deliver meat, milk, eggs, and other products to customers outside of core opening times,” he continued.
Customers can purchase everything they need for a traditional, hearty German feast from some butchers’ vending machines. They may sell three or four different varieties of sausages as well as punnets of complementing potato salad.
Others supply eggs, milk, butter, fruit, and vegetables, ensuring that kitchen necessities are always on hand.
There are more than 570,000 vending machines in Germany. It is expected that they will complement existing shops rather than replace them by operating in places where a shop might not be economically viable.
Wolfgang Kampmeier of the Berlin-Brandenburg trade association told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that “vending machines will play a complementary role in brick-and-mortar retailing.”
Unusual vending machines have long been associated with Japan in the minds of foreigners, where they are known to sell everything from sake to lingerie.
