View of a pathway to the beach from a Mantoloking summer rental

Thinking About Investing in a Mantoloking Summer Rental?

Many people are aware of the benefits of investing in real estate. While there are many benefits, it can also be one of the riskier types of investment with the potential of large losses. So, how do you know if investing in a Mantoloking summer rental home is right for you? This article will review just a few of the top things to consider before you decide whether or not to invest in a summer rental property. One great resource aside from your financial advisor is a real estate agent that is local to the property. When you want current information on an area, there is no one better to ask than a real estate office.

If You Want to Invest in Real Estate You Need to be Patient

Most forms of real estate are thought to be good investments. If you have some extra money and are looking for something to invest in, buying a Mantoloking summer rental should be on the top of your list. However, one major detail to consider when it comes to buying real estate is that it will take time in order for you to see the largest financial benefit. If you want a quick return on your investment, real estate is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you want something other than stocks and bonds to put your money into, purchasing a vacation rental home in Mantoloking is a good choice.

Real estate appreciates over time so the longer you can wait, the more money you can potentially make. In addition to that, the greater number of renters that visit, the more rental income in your pocket. It then follows that the longer you own the home, the more income you make. However, investing in vacation rental properties is not the same as investing in general real estate. Local knowledge is crucially important to this decision.

Location Matters When Deciding Which Mantoloking Summer Rental to Buy

View of a pathway to the beach from a Mantoloking summer rental

When considering whether or not to buy a vacation property in a shore town like Mantoloking, location is an important detail. Typically, the closer the home is to the water, the more expensive the home costs. Plus, taxes and insurance policies are going to cost more than just a primary residence would as well.

How close the home is to the beach or the bay impacts not only the price of the home, but how likely the home is to be rented. When considering whether or not to purchase a rental property, ask yourself, would you rent it? In order to increase the value of your investment, the home needs to be desirable to vacationers.

Another aspect is that homes closer to the water also bring in more rental income per reservation than homes farther inland. In other words, you can charge more to rent a home closer to the water than one that is located mid-block. Even though towns on the Barnegat Peninsula are less than 1-mile wide and no homes are that far from the beach, location still matters.

Other Things to Consider Before Buying a Mantoloking Summer Rental

Additional costs come hand-in-hand with owning a rental property. The obvious additional cost is a second mortgage. If you can’t manage that, your dream ends here. However, if you have money to invest, a Mantoloking summer rental might be right for you.

Another additional cost comes in the form of maintenance. If you don’t live close to the summer rental, you will have to hire (and pay for) a property management company. These crews help flip the house in between renters. They provide services like laundry and cleaning as well as minor repairs.

Blue, three story beach front Mantoloking summer rental

Speaking of repairs, rental properties take more of a beating than a primary residence. This means things like flooring need to be replaced more often, repairs are commonplace, and upkeep is much more costly. Replacing things like furniture and décor has to happen more often than in your home in order to stay competitive in the rental market.

If you are thinking about investing in a Mantoloking summer rental, the best place to start is with a knowledgeable realtor like Birchler Realtors. They will provide you with the best source of information regarding the market, home valuations, and local news.

Cartoon man holding a card in his hand smiling at a teller on the screen of an ITM supplied by an ITM company in NJ

ITM Company in NJ Gives Customers Greater Access to Tellers

The invention of the ATM was a game changer for community banking. One of the biggest complaints customers used to have about banking was the limited hours. It is hard to believe that branches used to close their lobbies at 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon, hours before most people are out of work.  This made the ability to do a teller transaction nearly impossible unless you wanted to waste your lunch hour waiting in line with everyone else doing the same. Implementing Automatic Teller Machines gave customers increased access to their money. As the technology advanced, more and more service became available through these machines. Currently, it has evolved into the Interactive Teller Machine. When branches team up with an ITM company in NJ, they give their clients greater access to their tellers.

The Transition to New Fintech Can be Intimidating to Clients

Many branch managers are hesitant to make the switch from ATM to ITM for fear of clients not being able to use the machines. One of the top qualities of ITMs is that as long as managers stay with the same manufacturer, ATMs and ITMs are very similar. In addition, the tellers that do the transactions on the machines are the same tellers that customers deal with in the lobby. All ITMs are manned by the tellers of the branch where they are installed so customers still get to deal with a familiar face. So, even if clients are confused on the use of an ITM, the tellers they already know are there to help them through the process.

ITMs Can Perform Just About Any Transaction

Any transaction that a teller can do, an ITM can do. ATMs took this one step and changed every bank transaction from being a teller assisted transaction to a independent transactions without the requirement of a staff member. ITMs take it a step further by bringing the tellers and the machines together. Whatever processes ATMs could not do because they still needed the help of a teller can now be done through an ITM.

These pieces of fintech don’t only let users complete basic transactions, but teller assisted transactions as well. Some of the transactions that can be completed with an ITM:

  • Cash Withdrawals
  • Check Cashing
  • Bill Payments
  • Cardless Transactions
  • Loan Payments
  • Cash Advances
  • Open New Accounts
  • Money Orders
  • Order New Credit or Debit Cards
  • Bank Checks

How Does an ITM Company in NJ Help a Branch Succeed

With the right equipment, exceptional maintenance, and superior service, an ITM company in NJ can be the best contact a branch manager has. Afterall, just owning the machine doesn’t provide any additional benefits. It is only with expert maintenance and service that ITMs and other fintech yield all the perks advertised.

One of the rewards ITM owners enjoy is increased revenue. Since wait time in lobby lines are drastically decreased, in-person tellers have more time to spend with customers. This improves customer relationships. This translates to more business due to improved loyalty. In addition, it also gives tellers more time to introduce new products and services.

Branches with ITMs are seen as innovative and modern. Staying up-to-date with the most current technology is very attractive to the younger generations. This can turn into a big competitive advantage over branches that are slower to make the transition. If you are a branch manager and have been putting off adding one of these machines to your fleet, don’t wait any longer, contact an ITM company in NJ today.

Most fintech is advantageous because they cut transaction costs and ITMs are not immune to this. Some branches report up-to an 85% reduction in transaction costs by implementing an ITM in their location. They can also decrease labor costs making it a win-win for operating managers.

Cartoon man holding a card in his hand smiling at a teller on the screen of an ITM supplied by an ITM company in NJ

An ITM company in NJ can give branch customers more convenience than they have ever had before. With greater access to tellers, the wide range of transactions that can be completed with the machines, and the fact that ITMs come in models perfect for just about any location, it’s easy to see why they are becoming more and more popular in community financial institutions.

Web design Ocean County professionals looking at a screen of code

Things Web Design Ocean County Professionals Wish You Knew

The one place that people look for information nowadays is online. The internet is the modern-day yellow pages. This makes having a website absolutely essential for businesses because if someone can’t find you online, they can’t find you. Designing, building, and launching a website is so much more involved than one might think and it also involves a lot more than just what someone surfing the internet sees. There are details about the front-end and the back-end of a website that web design Ocean County professionals want you to know about. How a website performs and how successful it is at enticing a user to complete a goal is more important than simply just having a pretty website.  There are so many intricate parts of web development that web design Ocean County professionals wish you knew so let’s get started!

There is No Replacement for a Truly Unique Website

Websites that sell templates for website development have become very popular over the last decade. Sites where you can plug your information into a template make it seem like building a website is super simple. Professional web designers cringe at this thought.  This solution may be ok for websites that are for bloggers or for information sites only. However, companies should avoid these if they want a successful website. Even though these templates say you can personalize your website to make it our own, a truly unique website is only achieved when it is designed from scratch. Unless you are a coding expert, you’ll have to hire a professional website designer. Only with their help can a truly unique website be made. This is because websites aren’t just about colors and images. What really matters when it comes to web design Ocean County is hidden in the code.

Web Design Ocean County is More Than Just Visuals

A successful website isn’t just about what a customer sees. Having an eye-pleasing website is great, but if it doesn’t produce results, it doesn’t matter how pretty it is. Much of what goes into a website isn’t ever seen by the end user. The navigation needs to work, users searching the internet need to be able to find it, and the website needs to be able to convince the user to perform a specific function. If the appearance of a website was all that mattered, the job of web design professionals would be much easier.

Visuals are important, but they aren’t everything. One advantage of using a professional website designer is that they build your website with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. The back-end of a website includes possibly more useful information than the front-end of a website. Using specific terms and words in certain places and in particular ways helps boost your search engine results rankings. The higher your website appears in search engine results the more likely users are to visit your website. You can have the fastest, best built website on the internet, but if no one ever sees it, none of that matters. This is why SEO services are so important.

Websites Should be Designed with Customers in Mind

It may seem like business owners should design a website based on their wants and preferences. In fact, the opposite is true. Even though a website should be designed with the brand in mind, it is the customer or consumer who really matters. The instant that someone finds your website and clicks on the link, you have a potential customer. Now the job of your website is to turn that potential customer into a long-term client. You can achieve this with smooth, easy-to-use navigation, engaging visuals, and a clear path to complete your intended goal. If you own a business that sells products, your website should clearly lead a user to your product pages and make it easy to complete a purchase. On the other hand, if the objective of your website is to build a customer database and obtain information, your website should guide the user to your forms.

Web Design Ocean County Professionals Help Boost Business

Web design Ocean County professionals sitting at a computer looking at a screen of code

Well designed websites that make it fun and easy for users to engage with can boost business in a number of ways. For one, every new person that visits your website is a potential customer. That’s why designing a website with the user in mind is so important. After that, word of mouth begins to spread. Once a new user has a great experience with your professionally designed website, they’ll most likely tell their friends. A great website is the best form of marketing you can invest in. So much of life is done online nowadays that companies with a flawed internet presence stand no chance of success. Web design Ocean County professionals are advantageous in so many ways!

Say Yes to Web Design Ocean County Professionals

Web design Ocean County graphic showing lines of code in all colors going all directions

No matter who you are or what you do, you interact with websites every day. Besides the fact that people now rely on websites to do just about everything nowadays, websites are important for a variety of reasons. While they are important for everyone, their purposes vary greatly. This means that types of websites and website designs differ drastically. The reason for this is that the purpose of a website always drives the design. Although to the end-user all websites look and function somewhat the same, this is far from the case. Each type of website requires different functions and services. The best way to achieve a website that does everything you need it to do, and do it well, is to have it build by a web design Ocean County professional like D-Fi Productions. They are top of the class when it comes to web design.

The Goal of Every Website

The end goal of the website will inspire the entire design. A website that is built for a blogger is going to be dramatically different than one being built for an online store. The reason for this is that even though the purpose of every website differs, the main goal is the same. Turn visitors into customers. Whether this be followers of a blog or clients of a contractor, a website can be the thing that initiates that conversion from a casually interested browser to paying client. The way to do this is to cater to the needs of the client. If your goal is to attract paying customers to your interior design business, a photo gallery showcasing your work is going to be key. Now that you have their attention, the second goal of a website is to give the visitor clear directions on what to do next.

Web Design Ocean County Design Firms Know About CTAs

What in the world is a CTA? It is a Call to Action. Website designers use these to give directions on how to navigate a website. Ultimately, the goal is to have the user end up in the intended spot in order to complete the purpose of the website. In other words, for an online shopping website, the calls to action will lead you to the online store so that you can make a purchase. What is the point in an online shopping website if you can’t find the store? Badly designed websites can make navigation hard to understand and frustrating for the end user. Using CTAs incorrectly or not at all is always a disastrous result. This is why hiring a professional web design firm is so critical to the success of your website, and therefore your business. A website only works when it’s designed correctly.

A Well-Designed Website is Your Best Employee

Why is a website so important anyway? Especially within the last year, almost everything we do daily involves being online. We visit websites to buy groceries, we go online to purchase our clothes, and now we even go to school online. Without websites, our world would stop. That’s why having a website is so important. Plus, think of your website as a 24-7 employee. Always available to help customers, constantly able to provide contact information and avenues, and consistently showcasing what your company has to offer. Now consider what happens when you don’t hire a professional web designer, but instead a friend of your cousin’s college roommate who just learned how to code. Now all those benefits are null and void. Without a reliable design and monitoring plan, your site could be down or broken more than it is up and working. A broken website is the worst employee.

Professional Web Design Ocean County Websites Boost Business

If you own a business, write a blog, or are a non-profit that needs to spread your message, an expertly designed website is the best way to do it. A poorly created one not only doesn’t help, but rather, can be very damaging to your company. In reality, your website is the face of your company. It is usually the first interaction a potential customer will have with your business. You want it to be the best possible experience you can make it. The best way to do that is to hire an experienced, professional web design Ocean County firm. Only with the help of a skilled specialist can your website reach its full potential. Almost anything you can dream can be made a reality when it comes to web design. Plus, a professional can counsel you on your ideas and let you know what will work and what won’t.

When it comes to web design Ocean County, the pros always know best.

ITM Company in NJ Needs to Have These Important Qualities

If you own a business in the financial industry, you’re familiar with the newest financial industry technology updates. Businesses that do not keep up with this faction of the industry do not succeed. Only those that strive to always be on the cutting edge and have their customers wants and needs in the forefront of their business model. One of the newest technologies to hit the market is the Interactive Teller Machine, or ITM. Similar to the ATM, these machines provide added convenience for the bank’s customers. But unlike an ATM, ITM’s allow customers to complete teller required transactions. In order for these machines to provide the most benefits, the ITM company in NJ that you purchase from should be reliable, expertly trained, and professional, like RMC ATM Solutions. For the best service, you need to buy from the best.

Your ITM Company in NJ Needs to Be Reliable

ITM company in NJ should be able to provide remote support, hand shown using touch screen in bank of cash machines with white technology themed circular image superimposed

It feels good to call your service company for help and hear that they’ll be able to be over right away to fix your out-of-order machine. Then, hours go by. That machine has not been in use for all that time. Your customers have chosen to take their business to other locations. A machine that is out of order for any length of time is a huge negative. What you need from your service company is honesty and reliability. An ITM service company should be able to provide reliable, prompt service either remotely or in-person.

Expertly Trained Technicians Are a Must

Your ITM service company needs to be reliable, but they need to be knowledgeable as well. Even if you find a company who shows up to repair your machines when they say they say they will, it’s not helpful if they can’t actually repair your machine. Ideally, an ITM company in NJ should employ and maintain manufacturer trained technicians. Repair technicians trained by the company who makes the machine means they are expertly knowledgeable about these machines. Having this level of education on this intricate technology means repairs happen quicker also.

Professionalism Fosters a Better Working Relationship with Your ITM Company in NJ

While efficient, effective service is crucial to keeping your machines running, being treated rudely or badly while having this done is not. Regardless of how good their technical service is, speaking with rude employees makes your job less enjoyable. Work can be stressful enough. Companies like RMC put their customer service high on their list of priorities. Fostering a friendly, trusting working relationship with your vendors and service companies can make so many things about your work day less stressful. When searching for an ITM company, look for the ones who will be able to provide you with personalized service. Knowing your business partners on a personal level builds long, healthy business relationships.

It’s the Combination of Qualities

Each of these elements are important on their own to look for in your ITM service company. However, it’s the combination of all of them that makes the difference between the good companies and the great companies. When you’re dealing with the financial industry, only the best companies will do. Daily life is changing so fast that customers are constantly needing more conveniences from their banks and cash institutions. A bank that does not keep up with demands will be left in the shadows. What this means many times is staying current on the most recent technologies and conveniences. In order to do this effectively, the machines need to be purchased and maintained by experts. Only the best ITM companies in NJ qualify to fill these requirements.

ITM Company in NJ Needs to Check Many Boxes

ITM company in NJ supports professional relationships, two business people shaking hands, one wearing white button down shirt, other wearing denim shirt.

Just being on-time isn’t enough. Just being nice isn’t enough. Having the right education just isn’t enough. However, being all three and more? That is what any bank needs in an ITM company.  Service isn’t just about repair. It means providing good support to the institution as well. This entails providing the best equipment at fair prices, remotely monitoring machines to avoid downtime, and treating the banks staff with respect. Efficiency, professionalism, and knowledge are crucial to being an effective ITM company in NJ. Service companies with all these qualities are rare, but are the best in the industry.

Three Things You Need To Know About Wildlife In Your Home Or Yard

wild-life-removal-ocean-county-nj
Ocean County Wildlife Removal Experts

We all love to get away to nature every once in a while, but the last thing we want is for nature to “get away” to us! Having wildlife in your yard or home is more than just a nuisance that can ruin your garden and stir up your pets, it can also be a hazard to you and your family. Animals chew on wiring, which can start fires. They bring disease-bearing pests in with them, such as Lyme carrying ticks. Some wildlife may even be aggressive.

If you discover you have wildlife in your New Jersey home or yard, naturally you’ll want to talk to a wildlife removal expert in Ocean County. After all, you don’t want the problem to persist. You’re also going to want to understand these three important facts:

Wildlife Appears For A Reason

When you consult with an Ocean County wildlife removal expert, one of the first things you should find out from them is why the critters are in your yard or home in the first place. While sometimes it’s just a random occurrence, usually animals show up for a reason. You may not be securing your garbage correctly. Your landscaping may provide good nesting opportunities. There may be flaws in your foundation that provide a good entry point for small animals. Whatever the reason, figure out what it is so you can correct it.

Avoid Unknowingly Providing Animals With Shelter

One of the most common problems for New Jersey homeowners, and one of the primary reasons they need Ocean County wildlife removal, is inadvertently giving shelter to wild animals. What does this mean? It means aspects of your home provide a perfect nesting place for critters. Space underneath your deck, flaws in your foundation, openings to your crawl space, and a host of other issues can be attractive to animals – and once they’re in, you’ve got problems. Best to eliminate those problems areas before it even happens.

Know The Signs Of Animals In Your Home

If you get a small mammal in your home, it can be difficult to even know it’s there until they’ve done actual damage. In order to nip the problem in the bud before it gets out of control, you need to know how to recognize the signs that an animal is there in the first place. First, look and listen for signs of gnawing. Small animals like mice gnaw in order to keep their teeth sharp. Look for droppings in remote corners of the house, too, such as in the back of cupboards, behind bookcases, and so on. Finally, look for the telltale greasy fur marks they leave along well-traveled routes, especially when squeezing through tight areas.

The good news is that having a critter in your home is not the end of the world. In most cases, an expert can remove the problem for you with little to no hassle, and usually in a humane manner. That keeps you and your family healthy, and is also friendly to animals. Win win!

Should You Get An Attorney For Your DUI?

DWI - Do you need a lawyer?
DWI – Do you need a lawyer?

It’s a position no one wants to be in and a mistake no one wants to make, but sometimes even a good driver can find his or herself faced with a DWI charge in New Jersey. If you don’t feel you are guilty you will be swamped with panic, anger and fear for what will happen to you once you have your day in court. If you did overindulge, you may have feelings of guilt, remorse, and trepidation about the judge’s verdict.

Before grappling with any of that, however, the first thing you should do if you get a DWI Ocean County is to contact an attorney. It could mean the difference between moving past this incident and having it haunt you for the rest of your life.

First, it is important to understand that getting a DUI can be a very expensive lapse in judgment. Between fines, court costs, suspension of license, insurance rate hikes and more, you may be looking at more than $10,000 coming out of your pocket. Keep that in mind before you balk at the comparatively low cost of hiring an attorney to represent you when you go to court.

What can an attorney do for you if you have a DUI Ocean County, New Jersey?

Save Your License

Perhaps more than any single thing, this is what those facing a DWI charge are looking to avoid. In New Jersey, a guilty verdict on a DWI results in an automatic suspension of your driver’s license. There is no avoiding it. The days of being able to plea to a non-DUI charge are over.

Or are they?

Get The Charges Changed

No attorney can guarantee getting your DWI charge turned into something else, but one thing is for certain: YOU’RE not going to make it happen. A good lawyer who specializes in Ocean County DWI charges, on the other hand, may recognize flaws in the case against you. If the case is flimsy enough – and it happens more often than you think, because prosecutors know most people do not fight these charges – the prosecutor may be willing to do a please bargain. This is especially true if he or she has a working relationship with your attorney.

One way that happens is by knowing how these cases work.

Find Flaws In The Case

Police are well-trained, but they are still only human. Mistakes happen. If your sobriety check was not done correctly or the equipment for your breathalyzer was not properly calibrated or the paperwork was not completed the way it should be under State of New Jersey law, you may have a chance to win in court. A layman would not recognize these issues, however. A trained attorney would.

Remember, there are no guarantees. Courts do not look favorably on DUI charges, especially in New Jersey, and mandatory penalties can be stiff. That’s why it may be to your benefit to hire an attorney if you face a DUI in Ocean County or at the Jersey Shore.

Because a any chance is better than none at all.

Basic Tips For Being A Dog Sitter

A Cool Dog at NJ Dog Daycare
A Cool Dog at NJ Dog Daycare

We’re all bound to encounter it at some point. A friend or family member is going to be out of town for a week and they need someone to watch their dog. That someone is you. But what do you do? You’re not a dog expert. Heck, you haven’t had a pet since that goldfish you had in sixth grade, and it died because you forgot to feed it for two weeks. How are you supposed to watch someone’s dog?

The truth is, it’s easy. With these simple dog sitting tips, even Snooki could run her own NJ dog daycare. Follow this advice and your dog watching days will be smooth and easy.

Maintain A Safe Environment – It’s great that you enjoy keeping the house at 101 degrees during the summer and like a yard full of sticky burrs, but a dog will like neither. Too much heat is bad for Rover, so keep the A/C on in the summer, and make sure your yard is free of foliage or debris that might hurt a dog. If you’re sitting the dog at the dog’s own home, great. You’re already halfway there.

Have A Sleeping Place For Them – If the dog is staying home and you’re just checking in on it, you have it made. Fido will already have his favorite spot to sleep. If Fido is staying with you, make sure they have a place that can be their spot. A crate or even just a soft old blanket in the corner should work great.

Get Some Doggy Toys – You can’t play with the dog 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but Rusty is going to want to. You can help keep Rusty busy with some doggy toys. You don’t have to go crazy with squeaky alligators and four-foot chew bones with leather holding straps and titanium mounts. A bouncy blue ball will do the trick.

That Dog Needs Exercise! – Don’t think you can just put Buddy in the yard and have that be that. Buddy needs to get some exercise! This is important for the dog’s health and happiness. If you’re playing at being a NJ dog daycare kind of guy, taking the dog out for a nice walk is great. So is a run in the park (many New Jersey towns now have dog parks made especially for our furry friends). But even something simple will do. Remember that bouncy blue ball? Go out into the yard and throw it around! Buddy will love you for it.

They Get Just As Thirsty As You Do – You already know that Spot can eat three times his own weight in chow every day, most of it ending up as giant stinky piles for you to clean up, but don’t skimp on the water. Dogs need to drink plenty, especially active dogs (you ARE keeping Spot active, aren’t you?), so be sure to keep their bowl filled with fresh, clean water.

It all seems like good common sense, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. With these tips in mind you’ll see that there is no reason to be intimidated by the prospect of playing NJ dog daycare for your friend or family member, because you’ve got it covered.

The History of the Vending Machine

vending-machineThe vending machine. They seem like a modern marvel. You put in a dollar bill and out springs cold drinks, snacks, hot coffee, and sometimes even a warm meal. It seems like something out of the Jetsons cartoons we watched as children.

But believe it or not, the vending machine has been around a lot longer than you might expect. We spoke to a vending machine company in NJ to get the lowdown on the long, rich history of the modern vending machine. We think you’ll find it fascinating.

Believe it or not, vending machines date back to the first century. Hero of Alexandria, born in the year 10 AD, invented a coin-operated machine that dispensed holy water. A coin dropped into the machine activated a weight-sensitive panel that allowed water to flow out. We don’t think there is a vending machine company in NJ that has a machine like that, though!

The modern vending machine took off during the Industrial Revolution. London, England played host to the first modern coin-operated machines in the 1880s. Rather than giving holy water or soda pop or candy, though, they dispensed something a little more boring: postcards. Right around the same time, Richard Carlisle, a publisher and printer in London, invented a vending machine for selling books.

By 1888, vending machines were introduced into the United States. The Thomas Adams Gum Company paved the way for them when they created machines designed to dispense candy. The first candy to come out of a modern vending machine? Tutti-Fruti gum, which is still sold today. The machines first appeared on News York City subway platforms.

A few years later, the Pulver Manufacturing Company jazzed up their version of the vending machine with little animated figures and statues. Their creation would morph over time and eventually lead to the modern slot machine and pinball game.

By 1909, round, hard-coated gum was invented specifically for coin-operated machines. Think of the classic red gumball dispenser with a bulbous glass filled with gumballs and you have the right idea. By the 1920s, almost anything you can imagine was coming out of vending machines. Stamps. Postcards. Cigars. Soda dispensed into a cup. Cigarettes. Vending machines were common and popular during this period – probably not the picture of the Great Depression you imagine! In the 1930s there was even a popular machine in England called the Penguincubator that stocked new paperbacks.

In fact, book vending machines were quite a hit for several decades both in England and the United States. The Book-O-Mat and Readomatic were both well known models that dispensed books from big publishers like Pocket Books. In the west, those machines have long since faded away, but they remain hugely popular in Japan, where vending machines stocking books, magazines and comics still do brisk business.

Here in the United States, a vending machine company in NJ or elsewhere will generally stick with snacks (chips, candy, etc.), coffee, and of course, cold drinks. For as modern as these conveniences seem, however, it’s amazing to consider that the modern vending machine was actually 2000 years in the making!