A rectangular 2x2 foot box usually about 4 feet high. The front has a clear panel behind which the above the fold portion of the paper is shown. This serves as advertisement and even if all the papers inside are gone, you can take the display copy. Archaic money acceptors allow you to pay for your paper, or if it's a free alternative weekly, like Creative Loafing, you just take it. On some city streets many of these will be in a tight row effectively creating a barrier to pedestrian travel.