Swiss vending machines, like this one in Germany, will offer a
more discreet option for buying pregnancy tests or condoms.
Next time you shop for a chocolate bar at the train station’s vending machine, you may find a surprise.
Pregnancy tests will soon be offered on display among snacks and sodas across Switzerland, as the market leader company, Selecta, is equipping thousands of machines in train stations, offices and other public areas….
In a country where the concept of privacy is sacred and dutifully respected, the initiative is an effort to make sure that such products can be purchased out of sight. This can prove particularly crucial in the case of young people, who may find themselves having to deal with a pregnancy without wanting to share the news with anybody.
Indeed, the Zug-based Selecta says it wants to cater to the needs of its younger clients, offering them a more discreet option. Selecta’s director, Thomas Nussbaumer, says the full roll-out of the products is planned for the end of the month, while some trial sales have already occurred over the past six months.
“We have seen that acceptance for such a product is high enough for us to proceed with equipping the 3,000 machines we have all over the country,” Nussbaumer told AOL News. He added that, since condoms are selling well at the vending machines and demand is growing, it suggests there might be room for a “connected” product.
“The majority of our clients are between 16 and 28 years old. The main advantage for them is the availability — there’s going to be a pregnancy test just around the corner,” Nussbaumer said.
“It’s also a matter of privacy, which we can help protect,” he added, explaining that it offers younger people the chance to buy a pregnancy test without necessarily interacting with a person, be it the pharmacist or the supermarket checkout operator.
The tests, which in Switzerland are also available at supermarkets, will be offered in vending machines in big cities, as well as in more remote or rural areas, where chances are higher that the news of a similar purchase can spread.
“You will find pregnancy tests at 3,300 meters of altitude, as well as in tiny villages,” Nussbaumer said.
