Two vending machine kiosks that allow users to purchase gun ammunition have been installed at Fresh Value grocery store locations in Tuscaloosa and Pell City — with more locations coming across the state, the manufacturer says.
See for yourself:
American Rounds promotes itself as the first automated ammo retail dispenser and targeted Pell City due to the area’s affinity for hunting.
“The stores were really the inspiration for it, they knew their customer base and came to us thinking this would be a really good opportunity,” an American Rounds representative says in a promotional video. “There’s a lot of hunting communities here in Pell City and they thought their customer would love the opportunity to be able to buy ammunition.”
“We’re super excited to offer what we think is the first ammo kiosk,” said Fresh Value COO Terry Stanley. “We’re always looking for more ways to give our customer another reason to come visit our stores…Based on the feedback we have gotten from customers they are so excited.”
The representative goes on in the video to discuss the high rate of theft ammunition sees in traditional sporting goods and outdoors stores, and claims their automated kiosk solves this issue.
The machines, which are roughly the size of a refrigerator, takes identification for age verification and uses 360-degree facial recognition to confirm that customers are purchasing the ammunition legally.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
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