There are vending machines at Baskin Robbins ice cream shops here. One is near my workplace so I walk by it a lot. I've never seen anyone using the machine. Half the appeal of Baskin Robbins is looking at all the icecreams with your nose up to the glass and taking 10 minutes to decide which one you want. Maybe it's used more often by the drunks at night when the shop is closed.
Putting perishable foods in them does seem rather silly. I can't see it creating more waste than a normal cake shop. Maybe they should sell the stale cakes for a discount or give them to hungry people.