[CydeWeys]

It's much harder to steal out of a vending machine than it is to grab something off a shelf in a store and walk out.

[ethbr1]

With sufficient value?

A pickup truck, a stout chain, and one of crowbar / sledgehammer / angle grinder / cutting torch goes through that right quick.

And there's a lot of economically depressed parts of the country where those things are in abundance.

[CydeWeys]

Yeah, that's a lot more work and required tools than just taking something out of a shop. A lot easier to get busted too if you're walking around with those tools.