Vending machines & drink machines

[elleklobber]

Does anyone get nervous around vending machines or hot drinks machines?

I have trouble with machines and technology and have a fear of using them as I probably wouldnt know how to use them properly.

Ive used vending machines in the past and sometimes I have been able to use them ok, other times the design of it is a bit complicated. Sometimes what you have paid for gets stuck and wont drop down and Im too afraid to go and call for help, especially when there is a queue, so I no longer use them.

Also those hot drink machines, which are the same as vending machines I avoid because I tried to use one once and had trouble. If Im with someone and there is no queue, Im ok as the other person would show me how to do it or do it for me. But its mostly looking silly in front of others because I dont know how to use something that they probably all know how to use ok.

Then when you are in those food areas and there is a hot drinks machine and you are given the cup and you have to stand the cup under and press certain buttons to get your tea and milk out for instance. I have trouble using them too so just avoid them.

Does anyone else feel the same way? Is there anyone else who finds machines and technology hard to use and then you are afraid to ask for help incase people laugh at you etc?

Im also scared to go into cafes even with others because if you havent been in there before, you dont know what you are supposed to do. Whether you are told to sit down or shown where to sit or whether you have to get up and get your food / drink yourself over the counter or whether it is waiter service

 

[PhantomPod]

I get similar feelings, in those situations. Especially the thing about cafes. I don't like having to go into new restaurants like that because I feel all unsure if I should wait to be seated or have to seat myself, or when it comes to paying, do I have to go up to the register or just leave money on the table, etc."

And yeah, when it comes to certain drink machines, which I do not know how to use, I will just avoid it completely until no one else is around and then I can start messing with it and trying to figure it out myself, without feel stupid and nervous, and if the person behind me is laughing because I don't know how to use it.

 

[marciaX3]

my food/drink-getting anxiety is mostly when i'm in a food line (like a buffet or assembly line kinda deal) and you have to quickly make your choice, grab it w/o dropping it (nervousness makes me shaky and clumsy!), and keep moving without holding up the line or bumping into the people next to you. most of the time, i'm so nervous that i pick food/drinks i don't even like! so not only does it end up being an anxiety-ridden experience for me, but it's also a waste of food and money, and i'm still left hungry and thirsty! oy.

back when i did use vending machines (i don't anymore cuz they're so fucking expensive and don't have the stuff i want anyway 90% of the time), i was also a bit of a wreck with it. depending on how desperate i was is when i'd ask for help or not. i hated having a line behind me though. usually, i would go up to the front of the machine and look at the choices and then go to the back of the line hoping like hell no one picked my choice!

 

[Sacrament]

Vending machines ruined my life and ran over my dog.

Twice.

 

[slimjim119]

I've always had a fear of using photocopier machines. I make sure no one is around when I need to make a copy of something. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake and look stupid. So I know what you mean. It's just irrational fears associated with SA.

 

[Moonie]

I am not the greatest with technology, so I have some problems/worries with them, too. The biggest thing for my is when you have to swipe a credit card on a pinpad. I'd have to watch the person before me to see how it is supposed to be swiped. But, people tend to have little problems with this in general. I work at a retail store and get many a comment like, "These things are always different." Still, I'd much rather pay cash, instead of swiping a card. It's not bad if I am familiar with a particular stores way of doing them OR if there is no one behind me in line. That way you don't feel "dumb" or like you are holding up the line.

And like the pp said, I also have problems with copy machines. I don't remember the last time I even used one and I am sure somone helped me with it.

I am okay with vending machines. That is the one thing I can master. I am also okay with soda/slushie machines. I don't usually get coffee or anything - so don't have problems in that area. And usually when I do get these beverages, no one is around or I have one person there with me getting something, so we can fool around together with the machine.

 

[Emma]

I'm too scared to use them.
One time I was really thirsty, but I was too scared to use the machine, but I could see it, and when no-one was around, I went to use it, but as I was trying to get a drink out, these guys came to use it as well, and I dropped my money, and I couldn't get the machine to work, I lost my money, and didn't get anything to drink. :evil:

 

[2Crowded]

I dont have this exact problem with the vending machines so much I dont think..But then again I never have used one of those hot drink ones either...come to think of it maybe thats why I havent ... I do have that same fear of not knowing how to operate something if I have to try it for first time with people near & or watching me....could be something basic & simple.. but i will avoid it for fear that someone watching will think I look like a newbie at it & laugh at me...maybe not outloud u know but inside.

 

[miss_amy]

If anyone was around I would be a total nervous wreck, my brain would go blank and I wouldnt be able to figure it out. I'd probably shake and drop my money all over the floor. And if after all that I actually managed to get a drink out I wouldnt be able to drink it in front of people.

Actually I'd think all the above before I got to the machine and probably avoid using it.

 

[obita]

I hate it when it’s my turn at a vending machine and suddenly there’s a queue building behind me, I feel under pressure to be as quick as possible, even though I’m probably taking the same amount of time as everyone else.

Re cafes: I couldn’t agree more. I hate it. You don’t know if you should just sit down, or be seated, where / how to order, where / how to pay etc.

 

[wherecaringhappens]

I had an experience the other day in school when I was trying to get something from the vending machine, and it was kinda embarrassing. This particular machine was in the area of a lounge where people are sitting and studying or doing whatever.
First I tried to put in a dollar but for some reason this machine didn't accept it, so I spent like two minutes trying to slip the dollar bill in, and everyone was looking at me like "wow, this guy doesn't know how to use it!"
Finally, I pulled out some coins, and luckily it accepted them. However, whenever I put a coin in, it made a loud sound and I had to put in 3 quarters, a nickel, and 2 dimes so it seemed like the longest 30 seconds or so of my life trying to put in all the coins.
After that I took a while trying to decide what to get, and I am glad that nobody was in line behind me or else that would have been truly torture. I was able to get what I want, and I felt so relieved...

I'm happy I got through it, but now I am not gonna use that vending machine anymore, and actually use one that works right! That was too close for comfort!
Now I am kind of apprehensive about using vending machines in case this happens again, but I know somedays I just NEED something to eat lol!

 

[Slothrop]

The only thing people are born knowing how to use is the nipple. Everything else is learned. You learn to walk, you learn to talk, you learn to read, you learn to write, and by posting in this forum you've demonstrated a mastery of far more complicated technology than any vending machine I've ever encountered. You aren't mentally deficient, you just lack experience and confidence. Everyone that has ever used a machine has been in that position.

You can either a) continue to avoid using the machines and never gain the confidence to use them, or b) use them whenever you like, regardless of any errors you may make or the consequences of those errors, and quickly become confident that most of the time, nothing bad will happen, and that even if something bad happens, most of the time it won't be very bad at all.

For instance, most of the time, the thing you bought drops down fine and doesn't get stuck. That's what it's designed to do. Even if it did get stuck, and even if you were unable to get help (which won't always be the case), it still wouldn't have anything to do with you, and you'd only be out like 50p, not a huge loss, right? All of which goes to say that you shouldn't be afraid to use those machines, because what's most likely to happen is that you get what you want without any problem. It's just not worth the trouble of avoiding them.

Anything you need to do to minimize your anxiety enough to get that experience is worth doing. Maybe that means trying out every vending machine you ever come across. Maybe it means finding a time of day when you know there won't be a queue and go through the whole procedure as slowly as you need to feel like you're comfortable with how you're doing it and that you're doing it right, so that you can do it when there is a queue safe in the knowledge that you're doing it right.

 

[weak]

Used to have a similar problem at gas stations when I first learned how to drive. I wasnt sure how to work the pump and all that. I was worried I'd fuck up and that a line would build up behind me as I tried to figure it out.

Same thing with ATM machines, job application machines, parking meters, etc.

Once I had done it enough times though, I finally got it down and the anxiety went away.

I think that can be applied to a lot of things relating to anxiety. If you do something successfully enough times, the fear wears off. And just as well a bad experience can bring it all back.

Heres another example. I used to be afraid of street parking here in LA. I feel incompetent for saying so, but I had hard time figuring out the parking signs... "no parking on Sunday 10 to 5 except Monday" blah blah blah. Certain hours you didnt have to put quarters in the meters, certain hours you did. I never got the hang of it and one day my car got towed. I was stranded in the middle of Chinatown and I didnt even have my cell on me. It was an absolute nightmare. It took me 4 hours to walk home and cost me hundreds to get my car out.

And so for years I refused to park on the street. But after asking around, I finally figured out how the meters/signs worked and after a number of successful experiences, my anxiety for public parking went away.

I think the key to all of this is repetitive positive experiences.

 

[Slothrop]

everyone was looking at me like "wow, this guy doesn't know how to use it!"

It may have felt that way, but feelings are not reality. Are you sure that anybody was looking at you? And if so, are you sure they gave you the merest thought? And if so, are you sure that's what they were thinking? And if so, are you sure that doesn't say more about how empty and boring their lives must be than anything about you? Even if they did think you didn't know how to use the machine, aren't they wrong?

You have a choice as to whether you respond to the event based on the way it felt or based on what really happened. The former perpetuates anxiety, the latter counters it.

I am not gonna use that vending machine anymore

Why not? You got what you wanted, right? I'd call that a success. I can see avoiding that particular machine if you happen to not have any crisp and pristine bills or change, but avoiding it entirely over one occasion in which it didn't accept a certain bill is excessive.

 

[wherecaringhappens]

Slothrop I see what you are saying...

I felt relieved and happy after I got what I wanted and yeah you have a point by saying it was a success, and it was in a way. It is just that it was a kinda embarrassing moment for me and I don't want to risk that happening again.
And as for your point of what I perceived others were thinking of course that is all just my opinion and it probably is the case that nothing that I thought actually happened.
However, I guess that is what SA does to you, it makes you think things and feel anxious, things that are normal for other people.

But hey, thanks for your support! I appreciate it, the more support I can get the easier it will become for me to overcome this, so thank you!