These automated vending machines are moving into NYC’s subway newsstands

For most New York City subway riders, especially in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, underground newsstands are often nothing more than a relic of history turned into prime real estate for graffiti and branded stickers. Once a staple of the commuter experience, the underground retail stops began phasing out with the decline of print media. The nail in the coffin was slowing subway ridership during the pandemic. Only around 52 of the subway’s 195 retail storefronts (which include n...