It’s the Japanese who blazed a trail for selling anything and everything from vending machines, but the Americans are catching up.
Pennsylvania has gone hi-tech to keep it’s tough controls on selling alcohol, whilst allowing non state-owned supermarkets to sell it for the first time.
To get hold of your favorite tipple you need to swipe your driving license, your payment card, and then blow into a breathalyser before the door will open and allow you to grab your prize.
All of this is monitored by CCTV to make sure you’re not fiddling the system with someone else’s driving license or blowing into the machine with a portable hair drier.
The system is currently on trial as they decide if it prevents abuse as well as if the customers are willing to jump through these hoops for their wine.
Rumours that Tesco is going to ask customers to blow on the cashiers before being allowed to buy alcohol have been denied.
