Angliában egy óriás ételkiadó automatából már akár tejet, tojást, piperecikket és esernyőt is lehet vásárolni!
Is this the future of the village shop?
Giant VENDING MACHINE in pub car park dispenses everyday essentials for rural community who lost their local store. Engineer Peter Fox, 50, spent more than two years designing the machine. It has been installed 14 years after Clifton, Derbyshire, lost its last shop. Residents can buy bread, milk, eggs, toiletries, pet food and umbrellas.
It may not provide that great village shop tradition of a catch up with the latest gossip or a chat about the weather. But despite the lack of a human touch, this automated shop is a lifeline for residents. The giant vending machine opened this week in Clifton, Derbyshire, which has been without a village shop for 14 years.
The machine, which contains chiller compartments, stocks essentials such as bread, milk, eggs, toiletries, pet food – and umbrellas. Residents select their items, pay by cash or credit card and take the goods from the dispenser. Electrical engineer Peter Fox invented it after the village shop closed down. Unable to interest a firm in developing the machine, he spent three years building one himself. The machine, complete with chiller compartments, has a faux red brick front and a traditional awning to give the modern shop a traditional feel. Mr Fox says the machines will be introduced to other villages in the area in the next few months – claiming they could become a lifeline for small communities hit by the rise of internet shopping.
The 50-year-old father-of-two, from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, said: ‘I had this idea a few years ago but I couldn’t find a manufacturer who could deliver what I wanted, so I rolled up my sleeves and did it myself. The result is what essentially amounts to a huge outdoor vending machine – but the term "automatic shop" is actually far more appropriate. ‘The problem with vending machines is that they can’t handle the range, weight, or delicacy of a wide range of products such as milk, eggs, bread, washing powder and so on. Our shop can handle all of these and many more besides.’ The shop is fitted with an array of security features including cameras and alarms and will be run by Mr Fox from an industrial unit.
He has also applied for a number of patents for his design. It works by lifting a small basket up to each shelf before a mechanism pushes out the desired product. That way it only has a small distance to travel, preventing milk bottles from bursting or eggs from smashing. He added: ‘I know everything that’s happening minute-by-minute and, uniquely, customers can also view all our stock, and its availability, live on our website.’
His new company intends to stock each machine with local produce where possible, and Peter is already in talks with other publicans who are invited to host the machines without having to pay a fee. He said: ‘I hope I can put something into the community while developing a truly 21st Century piece of technology. ‘It’s hard to compete with the supermarkets on everything, but we can get pretty close, and when you take the travel time and costs into account, we think we can compete, and bring the village shop back to the village.’ Clifton resident Simon Catley, 56, said: ‘It’s a magnificent thing.
‘The last village store in Clifton closed about 14 years ago, so this is a great addition. Before it was installed you would have to get in your car and drive almost two miles to a Sainsbury’s in Ashbourne even if you just fancied a cup of tea and needed a pint of milk. ‘It is also nice to be putting money into a local business rather than a superstore. It stocks everyday essentials, and a little more. You can basically buy everything to make a full English breakfast.’
vending machine – ételkiadó automata
to dispense – kioszt, kiad, kiadagol
rural – vidéki
to be installed – beszerelik, üzembe helyezik
resident – lakos
toiletrie – piperecikkek
to provide – nyújt, szolgáltat
to catch up – felzárkózni, beérni, itt: elmondani, meghallgatni a legújabb pletykákat
gossip – pletyka
human touch – emberi kéz érintése
lifeline – életmentő dolog, alapellátmány kiszállításának módja elszigetelt helyekre
chiller compartment – hűtő részleg, hűtő rekesz
dispenser – kiadó, adagoló
faux – nem igazi, mű
awning – napellenző
to be hit by – lesújtva, elérve lenni valami által
manufacturer – gyártó
to roll up one’s sleeves – nekigyürkőzni
to amount to – kitenni valamit, felérni valamivel (mennyiség, méret tekintetében)
range – választék
wide range of – széles választék valamiből
to be fitted with – ellátott, felszerelt valamivel
array of – egy sor valamiből
industrial unit – ipari egység, telep
patent – szabadalom
preventing sg from – megóv valamit valamitől
to burst – szétrobban, szétszakad, szétreped
to smash – összetörik, összezúzódik
availability – hozzáférhetőség, megvehetőség, kaphatóság
local produce – helyi termék
publican – vendéglős, fogadós
to compete with – versenyezni valamivel
to take sg into account – figyelembe venni valamit
magnificent – lenyűgöző, csodálatos
addition – hozzáadás, bővítmény
to fancy – kedve van valamihez (inni, enni stb.)
