The vending machines at the Big Y supermarket are a lonely place to be, even during the busiest time of day, after five at night. There are eleven machines and you can get anything you want from them, if you're lucky. Dubble bubble gum, skittles or mystery candy. Those all cost twenty-five cents. Or you can get jewelry, which usually costs seventy-five cents. Like Strawberry Shortcake charm bracelets, Spongebob Squarepants watches, gemstone necklaces with flashing lights, and faux gold and silver chains. There's other stuff, too. Like keychains and stickers, whoopee cushions and rubber pencils. You can really get anything you want from those machines, but it's not easy.

Kids are always at the Big Y during those busy hours. They are dragged there by their parents or grandparents after long days at work, after school or daycare or Oprah. Shopping is a boring job. Cart collisions and conveyer belts are one of the few entertainments. There's also a television in the food court, which lasts as long as a slice of pizza, or a look through the stacks of gourmet cheeses, tofu or onions. By the time they have reached check-out, dulled by the bright lights and all those shelves, kids have resigned themselves to pulling on the edges of the paper or plastic, peering over the bags and boxes, only to turn around and discover the vending machines. Those towers of metal and glass, right behind them.

As they are dragged out, they hook one imploring finger underneath the metal hinge that releases the toys and candy, and finding nothing, allow the metal to snap shut as they disappear through the automatic doors. You don't get much time to reach for what you want. Not after scouring sixteen aisles of shelves for sales. You have to be lucky to get any time, at all.

Zoe got one second. She crammed her finger inside the miniature handcuff machine. "Ooh, little handcuffs," she reached, hopeful.

But quickly little fingers were swallowed by bigger ones and she was carted off, with the groceries - bags full of ice cream, hot dogs and frozen French fries.

"Yeah, but you don't know if you're gonna get 'em," said her mother, already through the doors.