Pa. Gets Vending Machines —for Wine

Thanks to complicated and antiquated liquor laws, it was quite difficult to get a bottle of wine in Pennsylvania…until now. The state recently introduced the nation’s first wine kiosks, ie, alcoholic vending machines. Normally, wine cannot be sold in a supermarket—only a state-owned store—but thanks to these machines, residents can now buy wine alongside their other groceries by simply swiping an ID, looking into a camera, and blowing into a breath sensor.

It’s a little more complicated than that (a state employee remotely checks your face to make sure it matches your ID) but the process only takes 20 seconds, officials tell the AP. If the kiosks are successful in two pilot stores—and consumers seem to like them—they could be placed in about 100 others. Of course, that still doesn’t mean you can use the machines on Sundays or holidays…and it’ll cost you an extra $1 convenience fee.
(More wine stories.)