Paperbacks were sold on railway platforms in England from the 1930 and was one of the factors in the launch of Penguin.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...ending-machine
Shouldn't there be such vending machines with a screen, USB socket, SD slot (both covered with hatch till you purchase) and WiFi so that ebooks can be bought too?
Is the House of Random Penguins simply replacing the 1930s counter with a more limited vending machine. Lack of imagination.
It's been done with VHS & DVD (sale and rental basis) decades ago.
A vending machine to do paperbacks is a 30 year old or more off the shelf. I actually worked on design and development of a vending machine with a mechanical expert in 1992 with a PC and voice synthesis.