Man Loses Job Over Twix Stuck in Vending Machine

Newser ^ | 02/20/2014 | Kate Seamons, Newser Staff

[Responsibility2nd]

Robert McKevitt's dollar failed him, so he used a little force

(Newser) – It's a story straight out of an episode of Seinfeld, just with an ending both more—and then less—satisfying. Last fall, a man from Spirit Lake, Iowa, decided he wanted to snack on a Twix while working his warehouse job at Polaris Industries. So Robert McKevitt inserted a dollar in the vending machine, punched in the code for the candy, and watched it get stuck midair on the spiral hook. He inserted another dollar in his quest to free it; no luck. He banged and shook the machine; ditto. And so, according to state unemployment records, he took a more extreme action: He drove an 8,000-pound forklift over, raised the machine two feet, then allegedly let it fall on the concrete floor—six times, reports the AP.

What he gained: three candy bars. What McKevitt lost: his job, five days later. And that's not all. In a Dec. 16 hearing whose outcome only last month became public, McKevitt's claim for unemployment benefits was turned down, over what the judge called a purposeful disregard for his employer's interests. But he insists to the Des Moines Register that the dropping part is false; he says he shook the machine so hard it moved away from the wall, and just needed the forklift to return it to its place. Adding insult to injury, McKevitt says he's heard "they have all new vending machines" at the warehouse.

[Jane Long]

Yep. The fact that the employer replaced ALL of the (crappy?) vending machines should vindicate the guy.

[Starstruck]

If he was this reckless with a vending machine, how reckless will he be when he gets angry with another human?

I always get mad when somebody robs me.

[Cyber Liberty]

Do you kill them for it?

[I want the USA back]

“Man Loses Job Over Twix Stuck in Vending Machine “

wrong. It’s about what he did with the 8,000-pound forklift.

[Manic_Episode]

I worked with some guys who did the same thing but only dropped the machine not even an inch. The candy bar came loose but the unintended side effect was the price of everything reset to a nickle!

Word got out and the line in front of the machine was 30 people long.

They did it a few times with identical results each time.

[Responsibility2nd]

Let me guess. You two want to see this guy charged with and convicted of willful damage of a vending machine.

This pic posted twice. For both of you.

[TurboZamboni]

I bet he’ll get ‘disability’.

[Starstruck]

Do you kill them for it?

Nah. Just rough them up a bit.

[dfwgator]

Imagine the stories a vending machine in the lobby of an anger management clinic could tell :)

Or Fax Machines from back in the day.....

[Responsibility2nd]

Do you kill them for it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, I bet he did. Just like McKevitt killed that vending machine.

Dude. Your spring is wound up way too tight. I know you can’t see the humor in this thread, but if you don’t loosen up, you are gonna get pwnd here.

[meatloaf]

He hit the shuffle button on the forklift by accident. Then wondered why it repeatedly went up and down. /sarc

[Zathras]

I thought they called it “Junk” in todays lingo.
:-)

[jocon307]

“Imagine the stories a vending machine in the lobby of an anger management clinic could tell”

You reminded me of these lines from a Donovan song:

The violent hash smoker shook a chocolate machine
He was involved in an eating scene

[SoothingDave]

Is that the one with the swirling chocolate in the commercial?

[Charles Martel]

It’s even more simple: you want this guy loading the merchandise you bought on a truck?

I dunno - it sounds like he had pretty good skills with the forklift.

[cyclotic]

I coach a high school robotics team. You ain’t seen nothing till you’ve seen a group of future engineers with access to a machine shop trying to rescue an undropped candy bar from a machine. My son was right in the thick of it. They were successful

[cyclotic]

I coach a high school robotics team. You ain’t seen nothing till you’ve seen a group of future engineers with access to a machine shop trying to rescue an undropped candy bar from a machine. My son was right in the thick of it. They were successful

[EinNYC]

That is exactly what I want to do to the Queens UPS depot. They (for the millionth time) failed to deliver a package to me yesterday that was guaranteed overnight. Even after I was assured on the phone by a UPS professional liar that I would get the package that night, it never came. So I have to wait around another day, the first nice weather day we've had in L-rd knows how long, for these imbeciles to get the package to me.

I'd do this to the UPS truck, painted such a appropriate color to match the quality of their service, right in front of the driver, letting him know he was next.

[windcliff]

ping

[Tenacious 1]

Come on! Who HASN’T done something like this in the quest for candy?

Not a vending machine. But I know "a guy" that frequently had to use one of those old air dispensers that they used to have at gas stations (many years ago when he was much younger). "The guy" had a slow leak in a tire and often had to fill a compressed air tank. When he complained to the service station manager, he was told, unless it's knocked over, the owner won't get it fixed. A few days later, it seems that an automobile (maybe a pickup truck) backed over it as it was on it's side behind the curb. 7 days later, it was fixed and worked perfectly. It also had steel bollards around it to prevent future accidents. I can't say for sure if "the guy" had anything to do with the accident, but based on a follow up with the manager, several customers were happy it was repaired.

I'm sure "that guy" is much more diplomatic these days IF he was involved in the mysterious and obviously accidental damage to the equipment.