I would bug my mom for quarters as a kid for the cheap thrills that come from coin-operated vending machines. The elation at the sight of a collection of machines dispensing cheap little toys, stickers, or candy at an otherwise boring grocery store was real, and could usually be found near the exit. While the machines would give you a general idea of what kinds of items you could get, the exact thing contained in the plastic eggs or capsules was usually a surprise.

As a child, it’s not like we could buy lottery scratchers or hit the casino to get those kinds of cheap thrills.