Vended products can be dated back to 215 . when Hero of Alexandria used a coinoperated mechanism to dispense a fixed-amount of holy water at temples. Moving forward to 1888, Thomas Adams of New York installed Tutti-Fruiti gum machines on elevated train platforms, and forever rewrote the way humans can purchase products today. Vending in only the USA, is a $30 billion-a-year industry. Nowadays you can get just about anything you can think of from a vending machine. In addition to the standard tradition of vending snacks, you can also buy electronic devices, or over-the-counter medicines from vending machines. Advancements.