Fruit vending machines a big hit
Print Edition
Zhu Qijin, 60, scanned a QR code with her mobile phone and the windows of a refrigerated unit opened, allowing her to choose from neatly packed cherry tomatoes, corns and peeled onions.
After the door closed, around 10 yuan (US$1.4) was automatically deducted from her payment account tied to Alipay or WeChat Pay.
Thanks to the new self-service vending machines in her residential community, Zhu and her husband do not need to get up early and thrust their way into morning markets kilometers away from home.
鈥淲e never expected that fruits and vegetables would be sold in vending machines. They are clean and fresh, and convenient to use,鈥 said Zhu.
The screen beside the machine displays the real-time video of how the fruits and vegetables are picked from farmland, trimmed and washed. 鈥淚 feel reassured about food safety,鈥 she said.
Zhu鈥檚 community is among a few residential compounds in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China鈥檚 Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, that have installed the fruit and veggie vending machines since June.
Yinchuan is one of China鈥檚 pilot 鈥渟mart cities,鈥 trying to effectively apply technologies in city administration, public security, transportation, health care and environmental protection for better services.
Automated parcel lockers, smart dustbins, face-recognition access control as well as air-and-noise monitoring systems can be seen increasingly in the landlocked city.
鈥淭he self-help vending machines can dispense more than 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and our staff replenish the shelves once every two days to make sure the products are fresh,鈥 said Chen Yujie, initiator of the concept.
Chen said the fruits and vegetables are delivered directly from plantation bases, so their price is 15 to 20 percent lower than that of similar products in the supermarkets.
The idea of introducing fruit and veggie vending machines in Yinchuan popped into her head when she was under home quarantine during the COVID-19 epidemic.
She bought fruits and vegetables online but usually found them not fresh enough. If there were a 鈥渃ontactless鈥 shopping store near home that could allow customers to see the products before paying, it would be perfect, she thought.
Chen, the general manager of a local firm, discussed the idea with her colleagues and decided to promote the machines in densely populated residential communities initially.
So far, these machines have been installed in five residential compounds. But Chen鈥檚 company has a bigger ambition 鈥 covering 85 percent of Yinchuan communities in the next three years.
New consumption and retail models have emerged from China鈥檚 鈥渃ontactless鈥 economy amid its battle against COVID-19, and rapid growth of internet technology and prevalence of mobile payment make such models widely accessible.
鈥淎lthough such vending machines are rarely seen nationwide, the new consumption pattern will gain growing popularity among residents as long as we can ensure good quality and a favorable price for the products,鈥 Chen said.
Chen and her team have also joined the local government鈥檚 poverty alleviation program. Farm produce from poverty-stricken areas in Ningxia and southwest Guizhou Province will be put on the shelves in the near future. 鈥淲e provide good products for citizens and help poor farmers sell what they sow. It is a win-win deal.鈥
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