Abstract: A vending machine suitable for use for vending newspapers and the like, has an enclosure in which there is a magazine for retaining a stack of newspapers, and near the magazine is a chute at the lower end of which is a tray accessible to a customer seeking to purchase one of the items in the machine. A moveable inner arm with a pair of jaws at one end thereof is moveable from a first position to a second position. In one of the two positions the jaws are over the chute such that an item held in the jaws can be released and dropped through the chute. In the other of the two positions, the jaws are against an exposed face of a top item or an end item in the magazine. The inner arm is pivotally mounted on a shaft which extends through the enclosure and connects to a second arm on the exterior of the machine, such that movement of the inner arm may be controlled by moving the exterior arm. The movement of the jaws is controllable by an actuating lever arm on the handle at the end of the exterior arm.