A4family Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Just wondering what people struggle with most in their bulk routes, curious to hear from people. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Honestly- time. I'm not quite big enough for full time yet, so I still have to balance my route with my day job, and that means a lot of my prime locating and expansion time is spent working for somebody else. But, it's not like I can just stop eating or paying the power bill while I locate away all day, so I'm sort of stuck in limbo for probably the next year or two. I'm making progress, but it's one of those things where you're never moving quite as fast as you want to go. My next one would be locating, but that's just one of thsoe things you've got no control over, and you just have to try your best and keep going, whether you win it or lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReillyNoFun Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I'll agree about time because I'm in the same part-time boat as Performa. I started vending as a sideline to my other business and it's hard to find time to juggle both effectively - especially considering I don't have a car.My other issue is that I'm Canadian - which is a double edged sword I guess. I do great up here because all my machines have $1 or $2 vend prices, but on the other hand I've found that sourcing equipment and products I want at any sort of reasonable price can be a hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo Duck Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Finding and retaining good locations, every other problem is secondary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherlockHolmes Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I would say my biggest problem is dealing with issues that come up when I service my route. Things like broken doors, broken springs, a machine that isn't working right are all frustrating. It's not frustrating that I have to fix them. It's frustrating that they take up extra time and I don't get any extra money for doing it. The actual servicing which includes emptying and filling machines is actually very straight forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A4family Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Thanks for the replies. I agree with the time issue. Performa, what's your percent of time locating vs. servicing? Do you suppose if you upped the amount of locating time or hired someone say off craigslist to locate for you it would speed your move to full time vending. Have you considered where the line is to go full time, or are you happy doing both jobs? I've heard there is usually "one thing" that is the catalyst to hitting your goal, sounds like locating might be it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I purchased a route in a city that was about a 45 minute drive to get to. Many businesses on the route closed by 5, one by 4:30, and one didn't open until 4:00. (And those last two were really close to each other.) Trying to time this route was a major pain, at least until the business that opened at 4:00 kicked me out because I wouldn't pay him 50% of the gross. (He was "smart" and bought his own machine.) I attempted to hit every machine in a day, and failed every time for over half a year. I figured out that some locations I only needed to hit every other service cycle. And I started cutting out the terrible locations. Plus started experiencing being kicked out here and there, making the route smaller, and more manageable. One location I was seriously thinking of pulling my machine because of poor sales, and terrible location in relation to the rest of my route. Another vendor tried to compete by completely filling something the size of a Northwestern Super 60 with Hot Tamales, which I was already selling my my machine, but keeping the product low enough that it was always fresh. I pulled that machine, and let him watch his product go stale.So yes timing can be annoying, but the most annoying was when I forgot something. Instead of going back, and making it a 3 hour drive, I would modify my route so I only hit the locations that didn't need what I forgot. (Usually gumballs for some reason.) While I spent most of the time in my car driving, I would either listen to the radio, or informational cd, or (more recently) podcasts. I am taking advantage of my time in the car, and enjoying listening to something, and usually learning something while driving. Not too often, a story might be a good distraction. But it is really kind of like spending my time being entertained, and every once in awhile I would take a break to enter a business to empty and fill a machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Thanks for the replies. I agree with the time issue. Performa, what's your percent of time locating vs. servicing? Do you suppose if you upped the amount of locating time or hired someone say off craigslist to locate for you it would speed your move to full time vending. Have you considered where the line is to go full time, or are you happy doing both jobs? I've heard there is usually "one thing" that is the catalyst to hitting your goal, sounds like locating might be it for you. I spend far more time servicing than locating. Most of my "prime" locating times are spent working the day job these days, and after I trashed my van my locating has been on a hiatus of sorts. Pictured: the aftermath. I would LOVE to hire someone, but my funds are limited, and I prefer to really look for myself. I don't want to say I'm picky, but as a guy in a more rural area, I want places that are more worth my time, and I'm willing to work to get them- rather than just getting a smattering of "okay" spots. Full line locators here are unheard of. I guess I'm not too worried about "when" my route gets big enough to warrant it. I don't hate my job, but I sure don't want to assistant-manage a chain retail store for the rest of my life either. I figure I'll know it's time to go full time when the route is turning a "consistent" profit, and I can afford to drop the day job in favor of just running the route. I guess I don't see this as having a single "AHA!" moment, but rather a process that you transition to over time. But, that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OU8SUMCANDY Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Time is definitely the biggest problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RikaKazak Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Time for sure! It's hard to balance wife/daughter, my other business, and vending. I always feel like I put too much time into one area, and not enough to others. Really wish I could just clone myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deee_z Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Candy that gets beaten and cracked by the heat is a problem for me. Skittles turn into a sticky mess and M&Ms crack and turn into crumbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Candy that gets beaten and cracked by the heat is a problem for me. Skittles turn into a sticky mess and M&Ms crack and turn into crumbs. The heat and humidity gets to them, and you've either got crumbled chocolate, or a "glob" that has melted its way through your vend wheel into the hopper- totally freezing it in place. Ah, good times trying to clean those out! I'd put that as my very close second worst thing- I'd deal with most anything else before I'd even try to tangle with a NW60 head clogged with Skittles again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdvend Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 cost and availability of candy. Peanut m&ms are my best sellers and the price is getting larger and the bag is getting smaller. There are days I can not mike and ikes or hot tamoles and reeses pieces. I give a fair portion and my costs are getting almost unprofitable. Cashews are not profitable by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 cost and availability of candy. Peanut m&ms are my best sellers and the price is getting larger and the bag is getting smaller. There are days I can not mike and ikes or hot tamoles and reeses pieces. I give a fair portion and my costs are getting almost unprofitable. Cashews are not profitable by a long shot. Best seller doesn't always mean most profitable. So you could try something else. A lower cost, but higher profit candy could bring in similar, or even more, revenue from less sales. I did test out 50¢ at a location, and found that while the sales went down, my profit is up. It is a real good location though, and made sure to plaster the new price, and LARGER SERVING SIZE on the machine, so people know they are getting more, not just a price increase. The amount is about 50% more than it was vending. I just redid the math, (based on the new size and price,) and my profit off of 2 sales is 44% higher than the profit from 4. Right now I don't see them being worth it to sell at 25¢, so unless I feel a location can absorb the higher price, they are going away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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