“Federated Department Stores Inc. is bringing consumer electronics back into its stores with a robotic vending machine that will roll out in 180 Macy’s stores this fall,” Lisa Cornwell reports for The Associated Press. “Federated’s top executive announced at Friday’s annual shareholder meeting that the company has signed an agreement with San Francisco-based Zoom Systems to provide the self-serve, robotic “Zoom Stores” at Macy’s locations in 32 cities beginning this fall.”
“‘This is exciting because it brings most-wanted merchandise into our stores in a unique new way,’ Terry J. Lundgren, Federated’s chairman, president and CEO, told shareholders while demonstrating one of the machines. ‘It gets us back into a category we know our customers want.’ Lundgren demonstrated the 28-square-foot unit to shareholders, using his Macy’s Visa card to buy an iPod. Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod music players and accessories make up the primary assortment of merchandise displayed on shelves behind glass,” Cornwell reports.
Full article here.
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This isn’t the one with the crane and the joystick, is it?
What if your Nano gets stuck and you dont have another $200.00 to put in the get the one behind it to make them both drop?
Twiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiix!!!!!!!
-George Costanza
Just make sure you’re directly over the item you want!
You guys have got to be joking!
America where are you going?
Down to the local Macy’s to whack bills into a machine so you don’t have to interface with a real person. Bloody hell give me a break!
This is crazy. Are you all such poor social animals that you cannot toalk to a shop assistant anymore.
Shut the bloody store down and just put the machines on railway stations and near bus stops…..
Unbelievable….
I don’t totally agree with Sad Enough but I think this is a fine idea for airports and areas where an entire store front would be difficult to pull off. However putting a vending machine that sells anything but cokes and candy inside a fully functionable store seems like a absolutly stupid idea. The more I hear about Federated the more I hate them.
I wonder how long the iPod will retain its hip image now that they’re selling out of vending machines?
Agree with it or not, exclusivity and new are two properties which make products more desirable to consumers, particularly the younger generation.
the headline is cooler if you just read the first two words.
Two years ago I saw an iPod vending machine at the airport in Barcelona, Spain. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I just hope these Macy’s machines sell the iPod in it’s original box. Opening up an Apple product is part of the “Macintosh/iPod experience” (notice I put Macintosh first).
Makes sense. Federated sure doesn’t want to hire intelligent sales people to answer any “technical” questions. Might make the rest of their people look bad…
Since it’s a federated store… how many times are you going to be asked to open up a charge card before they give the iPod to you?
This way the salesperson won’t try to talk you into a Zen mp3 player or whatever earns the salesperson the most commission that day.
Good for Macy’s… they’re trying to become more hip, and this will only help them. It also makes sense because the May Co. stores (who they bought last year) sold iPods with great success.
It’s part of Macy’s stategy: grab people from the category-killers. First, you go to the THISIT dept. to get yourself some hip clothes, bypassing Abercrombie and American Eagle. Then, you get yourself some Angel perfume and Lancome makeup at the cosmetics counters, ignoring Sephora in the same mall. And finally, you deal a blow to The Sharper Image by getting an iPod from one of those vending machines. Put it all on your Macy’s Star Rewards Visa card, and you’ve got a profit-booster.
MDN MW: “complete”; as in Macy’s wants a complete solution for the young set
I saw one in Atlanta this weekend. There was actually a line (of 3) formed waiting to buy an iPod. Never seen anything like it in my life. Life was definitely not like this in the 70s and 80s.
Is this going to be one of those claw machines?
Mom! I need another $300, I almost got it last time!
“There was actually a line (of 3) formed waiting to buy an iPod.”
Federated found they didn’t have to pay shills to line up. These morons, disappointed they couldn’t kiss Steve Jobs’ ring at the new apple store, hiked over after a wonderful dinner at Dunkin’ Donuts.
From what I’ve read, robotic vending machines like this are quite common in Japan, where they sell a great variety of products.
If this keeps up, civilization as we know it will end.
;o)
How long before one of these machines gets robbed? It’d be even more convenient if one of these were right by the doors.
After all there are some ghetto Macy’s on the east coast.