A self-service point fails in the hour when a payment does not complete and nobody on the floor knows the next step. Settle that path before the cabinet arrives.
Settle payment, restocking, downtime, and the written exception path before the cabinet arrives. Take model number, speed, and power draw from the manufacturer sheet for that machine.
The list
- Payment: if a card or cash step fails, who is allowed to finish or void the sale, and where is that written?
- Restock: who fills the cabinet, on which days, and what is done when a lane is empty at noon?
- Downtime: is there a paper or staffed fallback for the hours the cabinet is off?
- Floor: is the standing area free of the spills and loose mats that the Health and Safety Executive groups under slip and trip causes? The HSE slips index points to causes, prevention, and what those accidents cost.
- Records: which identifier, if any, is on the cabinet, and who keeps the service log?
For open retail shelves, use the planogram facings and shelf capacity guide to match available stock to the refill interval and check the shelf’s supported load.
The photograph shows an unbranded cabinet in a bright room.
A locker used for prepaid collection is a different object—see collection cabinets and the space around them. For the physical utility rough-in, 2010 ADA reach limits, four-point floor loading, and dual-path network specs of refrigerated or robotic point-of-sale cabinets, see smart vending machines: retail footprint, power, ADA, and network site prep. Where automated checkout pairs with digital shelf-edge pricing on open gondolas and coolers, review electronic shelf labels (ESL): POS sync, 5-year battery life, and rail mounting. All sit under retail technology.
Method and sources
Health and Safety Executive, Slips and trips. Updated October 2026.
