The vending machines you're most familiar with, be it in the corner of the office kitchen or in a stuffy airport departure gate, are likely to filled the same selection of confectionary, crisps and fizzy juice.
It's far from a nutritious, but the draw of a mid-afternoon sugar rush from any of these long life products which sit spiralled into place by metal is often hard to resist.
On one Scottish island, however, the concept of the vending machine is being turned on its head, with a self service system offering an array of local delicacies and fresh produce with the pressing of just a few buttons.
The Dunes Larder first launched in the village of Hougharry on North Uist as part of the popular Balranald Campsite and Dunes Cabin food outlet in April this year.
A family business, run by Anne and John Allan MacLellan, the croft shop seeks to cater to both campsite visitors and locals alike, with a 24/7 set up which requires no staff to access a range of store cupboard essentials and foodie treats.
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Filling the refrigerated compartments of machine in the past have been items such as salted butter from Highland Fine Cheeses in Tain, Uist machair potatoes, ready to eat creel caught lobster, smoked wild goose breast from Hebridean Charcuterie.
Following a successful opening weekend in Spring, which also raised £400 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Alzheimer Scotland, the team told Uist Beò, "The Dunes Larder is a hub for the finest local Hebridean produce.
"We stock a range of products including machair potatoes, Lochmaddy Bay Prawns, Hebridean smokehouse salmon and pâtés, Hebridean Kitchen preserves and bakery items and Charlie Barley’s Black and White pudding.
"Where we haven’t been able to source produce from the Outer Hebrides, we’ve sourced produce as close as possible for example cheese from the Connage Highland Dairy.
“Our long term goal is to supply meat from croft to plate – our own beef, mutton and hogget from our croft and Scolpaig Farm.
"We’re working on setting up meat processing facilities locally so that the meat can be processed on North Uist and we minimise food miles."
Adapting the idea to suit their island home, The Dunes Larder has cited the Thorneybank Farm Shop as inspiration for their venture.
In November 2018, this Aberdeenshire business invested in vending machine technology to create a service that was "clean, safe and user friendly".
Following an expansion in 2019, you'll now find an impressive selection of oven ready meals, pour-your-own milkshakes and home baking on offer at the shop.
For more information on The Dunes Larder visit @theduneslarder on social media.
Do you have a favourite 'hidden gem' that deserves to be celebrated? If so, we're always on the lookout for Scotland's quirkiest eateries and local culinary heroes.
You can send your recommendations to sarah.campbell@newsquest.co.uk.
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