VENDING MACHINE APPARATUS

A vending machine of the type having a selection carriage movable between front and rear stacks each containing several vertically extending columns of a merchandiseable commodity (e.g. different brands of cigarettes). The shifting mechanism for controlling the movement of the selection carriage is spring biased so that the carriage is normally driven by a single direction motor toward the rear stack. Upon actuation of a selector button for one of the brands of merchandise in a front column, a reversing relay is actuated energizing a solenoid and thereby setting the shifting mechanism so that the selection carriage is driven toward the front stack.