Posted on 02/20/2014 10:23:52 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
(Newser) – It's a story straight out of an episode of Seinfeld, just with an ending both more—and then less—satisfying. Last fall, a man from Spirit Lake, Iowa, decided he wanted to snack on a Twix while working his warehouse job at Polaris Industries. So Robert McKevitt inserted a dollar in the vending machine, punched in the code for the candy, and watched it get stuck midair on the spiral hook. He inserted another dollar in his quest to free it; no luck. He banged and shook the machine; ditto. And so, according to state unemployment records, he took a more extreme action: He drove an 8,000-pound forklift over, raised the machine two feet, then allegedly let it fall on the concrete floor—six times, reports the AP.
What he gained: three candy bars. What McKevitt lost: his job, five days later. And that's not all. In a Dec. 16 hearing whose outcome only last month became public, McKevitt's claim for unemployment benefits was turned down, over what the judge called a purposeful disregard for his employer's interests. But he insists to the Des Moines Register that the dropping part is false; he says he shook the machine so hard it moved away from the wall, and just needed the forklift to return it to its place. Adding insult to injury, McKevitt says he's heard "they have all new vending machines" at the warehouse.
And I think its too bad he didn't get his unemployment.
And I’m glad that someone more responsible will take his place.
Sure it wasn’t a Million dollar bar?
One of the funniest Seinfelds ever.
Violence against vending bots is warranted in ALL cases.
If he put in two bucks and the Twix still didn’t fall then there’s no way it was only one turn away from falling in the first place. It had to be a few turns away from the git-go. I feel his response was appropriate, though.
” then allegedly let it fall on the concrete floor—six times..”
It was an accident.
The vending machine at my work has a sensor that knows if the candy has dropped, and if it hasn’t, it will continue twirling the spiral until something drops. This can end up giving you more than what you paid for, if one extra twist can dislodge not only the stuck one, but the one behind it.
I'm glad he got fired, and I'm also glad he didn't get unemployment.
So I'm walking down the hallway, thinking about something else, cartoon bubbles popping before my eyes...almost up to the vending machines when I hear a rumbling noise and one of them starts walking away from the wall toward me...
It was actually a guy behind it trying to get clearance for the door so he could service it. "It was coming right for me!" I sez to the guy, and he laughs and looks real serious and sez, "It's tellin' you you better buy something."
Theft by machine. Reminds me of stoplight cameras with no witness to question in court.
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 America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi! |
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Imagine the stories a vending machine in the lobby of an anger management clinic could tell :)
I agree. If he was this reckless with a vending machine, how reckless will he be when he gets angry with another human?
It’s even more simple: you want this guy loading the merchandise you bought on a truck?
Come on! Who HASN’T done something like this in the quest for candy?
Yes, the running debate over which one contained peanuts was golden.
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