(Newser)
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There's a new Kroger on the Ohio Northern University campus, but you can't enter it—because it's a vending machine. The Kroger Shop24 Kiosk, which opened last month, is about the size of a bus stop and includes 164 items, from milk and bread to toiletries and flowers, all priced the same as they would be at a regular Kroger. The refrigerated kiosk gets restocked each day, and the selection of items is changed often—particularly when a special event like the Super Bowl calls for chicken wings to be stocked.
Customers can pay with cash, debit or credit, or even federal supplemental nutrition-assistance program cards, the Toledo Blade reports. Depending on how this experiment goes, Kroger could open more of the kiosks, which are purchased from Columbus company Shop24 Global. "We're kind of testing it to see how it goes," says a company spokesperson. "We've had a lot of positive feedback."
