SAFTEY MEASURES TIPS (add some!)

[eboniesmith]

Okay, guys, I have another question.  What tips do you all have in promoting security and saftey in the bulk vending business.  What do you all do to prevent crime?  Do you carry a weapon like mase?  Do you service the machines at a certain time?

[caserri]

Great topic Ebonie,

Below is a repost from member Smiley. He posted this elsewhere on the board and it fits here as well. Thank you Smiley!

Steve

If you count the money first, bring it out to your vehicle and then go back to fill, repair and clean you increase the risk that someone is going to break into your vehicle. As a matter of fact nearly every vehicle break-in my company has experienced is a result of breaking company policy.

Policy being:

1.Go in (emptyhanded, except for pen and paper) first and do your best to figure out EVERYTHING that you are going to need.

2.Get everything you need.\

3. Bring everything back to vehicle.

We had a break-in this month where the driver did all of the above but then after throwing everything in the van, he walked a block away to eat lunch. So I guess I need to add that to the policy. Either eat lunch first or drive away and eat somewhere else.

People are watching you, be careful.

[West Coast Vend LLC]

Ebonie

I was told when I started this business that if you don't feel safe or don't feel your equipment is safe in an area, don't place the equipment in that location. You know the bad area's I am talking about. We all do. They are sometimes the best money makers but it's not worth risking your money or your life for a few quarters. Just move on. There are plenty of safer locations you can do business in. This is suppose to be a fun business not one that you have to look over your shoulder each time you collect.

Gary

[Beer980]

I service my routs usually on Mondays but I sometime have to do it another day. It is never at the same time. Sometimes I hit some on one day and the rest on another. For money I never count it until I get home. Get gallon zipper ziplock bags and quart zipper ziplock bags. I have different packs for each machine. Use a Sharpie pen to mark the gallon with the machine location and the quart ones with A, B, C if you use triple machines. I use that to track my sales for each candy. I keep all my candy and misc stuff in a backpack like kids use for school. Then I just go in, dump the money in bags and dump the candy. Wipe down the machine and replace dixie cups if I have them on the machine.

[Gwen]

I count the money in a different location or as soon as I get in the car. I use a scale for faster counting. Then I put the money in a pmm bag.  Just looks like a bag of candy.

Before I waited to get home but I had a bounch of  bags and it got to the point were it was hard to keep track of what bag was for what location.

Gwen

[West Coast Vend LLC]

Gwen,

It's great that you have brought up this subject again. I was just thinking about this while I was driving home from collecting this month.

Most people get robbed because thieves follow a persons patterns. What I mean is that they know exactly what time a delivery or collection is going to be done. If you run your route the same way every month, they will be waiting for you to come out of the store with your money.

What I do is change the order and time that I do my stores each month. Different time, different day, etc. There is know way that anyone can predict when I will show up. I also count all money behind the counter so that customers do not see what I have taken out of the machines. They may hear the quarters dropping in to my container but they don't know how much there is. Walking out to the car, I always look around to make sure there is no one near or next to it. If you don't fell comfortable about going out or collecting from an account, it would be better that you service the account and go back later to collect. Most of the time if something doesn't feel right it is probably because something isn't right. It's not worth taking a chance.

Gary

[Jay-Son Vending]

Gwen,

For organizing I went  to Staples They had (in the clearance rack) a package of Plactic Deposit bags ..they are grey in color and have a seal(tape) if you want tot use it...I do not..

I have written each location on the bags and when I collect, I put the quarters in each bag and roll it up and put it in my case...That way when I get home I can count each location..this allows me to get to more accounts faster ..potentially hit more accounts in any given day..and then count the take in the evening while I relax and drain the brain after the kid has gone to bed.

As for the safety part of this..I agree with the changing of the routine...I live in a fairly safe part of the State and my locations are all in ok places...

[Smiley]

I'd like to add an observation to my above re-post. As has been stated, we all know which locations are the riskiest to service, We know which neighborhoods have higher violent crime rates. We know which stores have young men hanging around in front, looking suspicious, during hours when most people work.

Do those stores first. Get to them early in the morning. It is my completely unscientific theory that most criminals do not wake up until 11 AM. Service these stores between 8 AM and 11 AM. 

Plus,  if you get robbed early in the day, you've got less money in your vehicle.

[Gwen]

I do the same usually I go on a Wednesday or Thursday  morning I find most places have hardly any people during that time. But I never start in the same place. Sometimes I can't go so my husband goes after work or on a Saturday. Then I just take the once that aren't open on Saturdays or evenings. My question is how exactly do you think is easier. I try both ways and I have over 40 location I had 3 ziploc per location lable on for each lane. It was a very messy thing specially when I had to change the candy. Then had to write the new candy on the bag then you get home and can't remmember exactly or gets errase. Theres got to be a better way... 

I agree its better to count it home. Yet I found it to be very complecated when you have 120 ziploc bags with quaters in your dinner table.

Anymore sugestions?

Gwen

[Jay-Son Vending]

Early in the day is good for those reasons...also by seperating the $$ by location..depending on how you carry your supplies and collections...If a person were to to robbed it is likely that they may only grab a couple of bags and not the whole collection..

I do my route with a rolling cart with seperate drawers(posted in a seperate thread at an earlier time)..this way not likely someone is going to knab everything...My look also attracts attention from many so if there is a concern..good possibility that it would be seen by more people.

[Bravo Duck]

I agree its better to count it home. Yet I found it to be very complecated when you have 120 ziploc bags with quaters in your dinner table.

Anymore sugestions?

The Bagman in the bulk classifieds section sells zipper money bags, for an extra .80c they will add a clear business card window. On the back of one of your  cards write the location, product and location #. when you get home its real easy to arrange and count. Take the cards out, put a rubber band around them and use them next time you run that route.  Tom

[Gwen]

Great Idea!

Thanks!

Gwen

[Beer980]

Mark a gallon size ziplock bag with a machine number and the 3 quart inside bags with the A, B, C. Mark in your route book a machine number for each stop. You can even mark the inside of each machine with a number like I did.

[Yvette]

The bank where I opened my business account supplies me with blue plactic deposit bags which makes collecting a lot easier for me.  These bags also have a seal (tape) at the top so ask your banker if they have any bags that can be used to transport your monies.  Whenever I run out of bags, I just go back to the bank and they supply me with more bags free of charge.

Each bag has a space to record the name, date and amount and other information regarding my location.  As I collect from each location, I record the date and name of the location on each bag.  Sometimes, I record this information in advance before I even arrive at the location.  I empty my monies into each bag and put the bags away until I have finished servicing the account.  I then count all of my monies at home and either discard the bags or re-use them.

In addition, I work full-time and operate bulk vending and full-line vending machines on the side so I never have the opportunity to service my accounts at the same time on the same day of the week; therefore, no one can detect a pattern in when or how I'm going to service my machines.

Be blessed and stay safe.  We live in a tough world.

 

 

[lexingtoncv]

What if your machine was broken into do you move it? Do you put a different lock on it?

[Yvette]

From a female perspective, I would be more inclined to move the machine to another location because more than likely, someone will try to break into the machine again.  Jeopardizing your own personal safety for a few quarters is not worth the headache to me.

[joebob051977]

While I don't have particularly risky locations. I attempt to be discreet about the money collected. Any questions about the financials...say by employees, I try to downplay it the best I can. "It does about average, but you really need a lot of machines to make any money." I don't want them stealing my machine or deciding they should become one of my competitors.

I collect the money in plastic zip lock bags and then place the money in my cloth lunch bag, or my cooler during hot months(its convenient, pull the money from the machine and put it in with the candy). I do retail first, and factories last. Factories are the most secure place. The ones I am in have security guards who knows who's supposed to be there and who is not. Plus they have a security camera down "vending machine alley."     

Joe

[desert_gold_hound]

I don't think it needs a new topic so I will simply ask here being that it is on the same subject.

Why don't vending machines (or mine doesn't) have numbers stamped in them?

This would make your machines identifiable should they get stolen. I will be punching my buisness name in my machines or at least a number if I plan to sell at some time. This would give me something to give to the police should they get stolen. I thought about making a tracking device for the machines but I don't feel that would be cost effective.

So if you like my idea maybe we can get together and come up with a numbering system that we could all use say the first 3 numbers/letters would identify you. The rest would set the machine apart from the rest.

This is a very good topic thank you.

 

[lurker]

Good ideas here folks. I like all of 'em.

My wife has had to run our little route alone the last few times so we developed a plan for her to be as safe as possible.

Park as close to the front door as possible.

Try not to look like you are collecting money. How? She carries in a reusable shopping bag, (like the kind they sometimes give away at Walmart), with everything she needs to do a regular service on a machine.

Use coin bags that are not see-through, like zippered deposit bags.

Take care of the money first when servicing a machine, and get it out of the way, and down in the bottom of the bag, or tote, etc...

Transfer the coin bag to the floor boards in the back of the vehicle, under an old blanket we only keep around for emergencies.

Be aware of what's going on around you at all times. Are people standing around watching? Is someone slowly walking back and forth in the parking lot, (like they are waiting for something)? Did someone follow you in to see what you are doing? Etc... Then come back at another time and service the machine.

She also carries with her a cell phone, a 200,000V stun gun, a pepper spray keychain, and a whistle around her neck, you know just in case. We also have plans to have her take a self-defense course.

Dave

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[davidsurvz]

Good Stuff Lurker (and others)

This may fit here also:

http://www.vendiscuss.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=1987&forum_id=1

[bacho]

Why don't vending machines (or mine doesn't) have numbers stamped in them?

This would make your machines identifiable should they get stolen. I will be punching my buisness name in my machines or at least a number if I plan to sell at some time. This would give me something to give to the police should they get stolen. 

 

I place labels on the inside of all my machines and number them. The numbers start with the initials of my business followed with three numbers. For example, #PPI001. I know they are easily removed being they're peel off labels but with them on the inside the thief might not see it. I also have these numbers recorded on my route sheet for each location.

It was mentioned in another thread that the thieves don't wake up until 11am. I have the luxury that most people don't. I start my full time job at 11:30am, so I service my route on the way to work in the morning. It takes me two days to service it. The first day, I go to every location and just collect the money. I first record what product needs restocking and then empty the machines in a zippered bank bag. I'm in and out of there within one minute. I then go to the next location and transfer the money from the previous location into a marked zip lock bag. After collecting all the stops, the following day is when I restock the machine and wipe it down.