'Cookie ATM' dispenses treats

Cookies, Etc. in Clear Lake, Iowa, has unveiled a 24-hour cookie ATM that, instead of cash, dispenses cookies, ice cream and drinks that customers purchase by swiping their debit or credit card and punching numbers into a keypad.

Mary Jo Banwart and her family have owned and operated the cookie shop for 35 years, and in the past, the summer was the shop's busiest time of year until the pandemic hit, according to a report on KIMT3 News.

Once pandemic restrictions were lifted and the store could open, the cookie shop staff began serving customers outside, but business was slow. While tending to customers, Banwart noticed the ATM mounted on the outside wall of the store wasn't being utilized as much as it had in the past. She had an idea.

Working with engineers from an Iowa-based vending company, Banwart created an ATM that dispensed the shop's treats, instead of cash.

To install the machine, workers first removed the standard cash ATM and installed the new machine. The cookie ATM resembles a cash ATM with a touch keypad, and card swipe, but it also displays frozen treats on one side and cookies on the other for purchase.

The vending company had never used a machine for such an application, according to Banwart.

The ATM works much the same way as a typical ATM. Customers view the treats through the machine's glass, punch the corresponding number for the treat on the keypad and swipe either a debit or credit card for payment.

The staff of Cookies, Etc. sanitize the keypad throughout the day and encourage customers to wash their hands with hand sanitizer before and after they use the ATM.

«The pandemic was the positive thing in that it gave us the push to provide an opportunity for people to come in and have a contactless way to get cookies without coming in contact with staff» Banwart told the news outlet.

Source: ATM Marketplace