Coinstar

Ok, I did actually interact with the Red Box... but I'm betting that one
will be done to death in class. Also, the movie selection was so poor
and so limited that I ended up just browsing menu screens and didn't
actually rent a movie. I guess you could say that one of my biases was
having a broader and deeper selection, like in a movie store.

Right next to the Red Box was a Coinstar machine, and I had brought a
boatload of change with me. I've never previously used a Coinstar, and
all I knew about them came from TV ads years ago that showed a fairy
putting a heavy bag of change into one and coming out with much lighter
paper money. Anyway, the machine was simple enough to use, with a touch
screen for selecting language, another for selecting a cash voucher or
putting the balance on a gift card and an on-screen prompt showing
operating instructions.

The on-screen directions should be more clear, because it took me a
little while to figure out what they actually meant. The feeder system
is a metal plate with a hinge on one side, such that you pour the change
onto the plate and raise up one end so the change slides down into the
sorting slot. The most confusing part was that the plate had
various-sized holes punched in it, roughly the size of coinage. Going
by the "sift change" instruction I thought at first the change was
sorted by going through the proper sized hole. Turns out the holes
aren't big enough for any coins to go through, but I could definitely
see an scenario where a user might try to force something through the
holes, or give up and go home.

When used properly, the Coinstar was pretty neat. It automatically
sorted my change, even though I fed it in one giant blob, and the screen
kept track of how the balance as it was sorted and processed. Afterward
it printed a voucher for the cash, much like a bottle return machine.

-Kevin E.