JLM Vending Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Tomorrow Im gonna have to do a full day of servicing because I need to start locating my singles asap. Anyways, sometimes just preparing alone takes up a lot of time with the U turns. When you have 8 select machines and are dealing with 14 products, it gave me a headache tonight determining how many bags of each i need to put in my car. And then i had to remember which locations have which products. Then i always have to make sure I have extra canisters and parts ready such as chutes. Then i had to open some hot tamales and mike and ikes ahead of time so i could shake them with pam spray, some are still stuck. Then had to move dozens and dozens of bags into my vehicle. One of my 8 select spots took 45 minutes to service. Takes a heck of a long time just gathering the coins out of the machine, then if i have to use pam spray and repair any doors, that takes more time as well. Luckily, I am able to bring that machine into the backroom and have some privacy. It maybe my best one, but literally takes more than a half hour to service it. I got off the phone with a guy who is in the business. He isn't trying to sell me anything. But he mainly does singles. He used to do U turns, but eventually decided for himself that the negatives outweighed the positives. He says sometimes in business you can't be too greedy. Im never gonna pay 900 for one of the machines ever again. Most of my spots probably only call for 1 or 2 products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I've learned from Jax simplier is better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Been there, done that! Multi-selection bulk candy vending is just not worth the time in most locations. Replace an 8-select with a double and you will most likely net the same amount, but the service time will be much less and inventory management will be simpler. There is a reason why people are dumping their Uturns, Vendstars amd 1800's on eBay. Multi-selection bulk candy vending just doesn't work well. Let the full line snack vendors do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Been there, done that! Multi-selection bulk candy vending is just not worth the time in most locations. Replace an 8-select with a double and you will most likely net the same amount, but the service time will be much less and inventory management will be simpler. There is a reason why people are dumping their Uturns, Vendstars amd 1800's on eBay. Multi-selection bulk candy vending just doesn't work well. Let the full line snack vendors do that. Today was my worst service day ever. Im really pissed. With the U turns I only averaged $13 gross per each machine today. Absolutely pathetic. Im EXHAUSTED. This barely paid for my gas and charity fees. Im pissed. I had a spot that used to do 40-90 bucks and now only 10 bucks. And worse off, some of the canisters stopped working, one guy told me that Peanut m and ms don't work. I checked and nothing seemed wrong with the tumblers, yet it wasn't working. So had to put in another canister. This is blowing my mind away and is insane. And I have a vendesign that has a mike and ike container, the bottom BROKE and completely splattered all over the floor. I cleaned it up, this servicing has become a nightmare for me. Do you know how HEAVY my BAG is when you have all these products? I have to bring all of them because i don't know which one is going to sell, although it's mainly just PMM. Im just real pissed right now, I have had better months, but this month was less than half of what i was previously doing. I couldn't make less money if i TRIED TOO! That is fact! And those nuckleheads sell them for 900 a piece? Glad I bought most of them on craigslist. That is just pure wrong. It's a hell of a workout servicing these U turns, it is insane!!! For 13 bucks!!!! Stresses me out... I mean I talked to a guy yesterday that is Grossing more and netting more than me with SINGLE heads!!! Something is wrong here... I have 4-8 heads that are BIG and he is beating me BEFORE cost with single heads. How insane is that? Im just pissed right now, am grasping for straws, and am not exactly sure which avenue to take. Toys, gumballs, singles? This is just crazy. I want it bad, I have determination, but I can only do so much when these spots are performing so bad for me. And the U turn rep told me he never made less than 30 bucks.. yea....169 average for a u turn? 169 dollars my a** for a U turn average... I made less than that with 10 spots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 LMAO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 LMAO I think it's safe fore me to say that I have no benefit of buying a u turn ever again. This was HELL. For PEANUTS. I really don't know why my sales dropped so much. And on top of that, the machines are having more problems then they used to. Why are people such pigs? Mustard stains and all kinds of crazy stuff on my machine. And what a workout... All for nothing.. Boy am i ever glad that my girl (friend) convinced me to start slow instead of go for the 100 machine U turn deal that they tried to get me in. Boy am i glad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Now start selling them things off on ebay and craigslist and get with the program, the sooner the better. A&A's, Northwestern, Beavers or Oaks focus on toys and gumballs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Man that sucks. Try better locations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I think it's safe fore me to say that I have no benefit of buying a u turn ever again. This was HELL. For PEANUTS. I really don't know why my sales dropped so much. And on top of that, the machines are having more problems then they used to. Why are people such pigs? Mustard stains and all kinds of crazy stuff on my machine. And what a workout... All for nothing.. Boy am i ever glad that my girl (friend) convinced me to start slow instead of go for the 100 machine U turn deal that they tried to get me in. Boy am i glad. WOW! Not a good day at the office! LOL Well, here are a few things to chew on (in no particular order). 1. You may be experiencing a novelty spike. Sales start off good but then drop off as the novelty wears off and people get bored with the candy. 2. You may be experiencing a seasonal slow down. Sales can drop as fall arrives and nose dive into the winter holiday season. Sales can then suddenly pick back up in January or in the spring time in the northern snow belt states. You will need to go through an entire year to evaluate this. Sept to Dec sucks for me and I can’t wait till Jan 1. Happy New Year, Indeed! Also, what state are you in? 3. Your MMP are essentially log-jamming. The UT wheel openings are simply too deep and too skinny as the setting is lowered. Use spring stirs on those fat MMP to break those log jams. 4. Many candies just don’t sell well in a bulk machine. An interesting (and painful) phenomenon. Let the snack vendors and retailers sell most of those dud candies. 5. Cannibalization. When all those product selections are from the same family (candy in this case), quarters just get shifted to other coin boxes rather than new ones being added. Same problem with racks that vend similar products (like 4 jewelry selections). 6. Excessive mis-vends. If your machine is mis-vending badly, well then, the customer will stop using it and will golpher to others who will also stop using it! Hope that helps. If you are really serious, then sell off those 8-select Uturns right now! Then gradually sell of those 4-selects and replace them with (non biz-op) doubles. Do it gradually, roll the money into the doubles and don't over extend your credit cards. It took me almost 3 years too sell mine off. It’s OK, just eat the proverbial elephant one bite at a time. You will be mush happier 5 years from now. And thank your lucky stars for your smart girl friend! And of course, just my opinion. It's your business and decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I'm so happy I don't fool with bulk candy. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I'm so happy I don't fool with bulk candy. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk Wish you would have posted that 10 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Wish you would have posted that 10 years ago! Well jax your information has been helpful. It could be a number of reasons. But the bottom line is these U turns are stressing me out. It kinda defeats the whole purpose and is not making me any money accept for a couple of lucky spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Well jax your information has been helpful. It could be a number of reasons. But the bottom line is these U turns are stressing me out. It kinda defeats the whole purpose and is not making me any money accept for a couple of lucky spots. Yup. Listen to Jax. He knows what he is talking about. I would just like to add that I like the fact that you have not mentioned anything about quitting. You started off on a bad foot with those u-turns, but that's no reason to throw in the towel. Take a couple days off from vending just to get over the crappy day or two you've just had. Then start your next phase in the vending business by getting a plan together to sell off those u-turns and replace them with singles/doubles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Yup. Listen to Jax. He knows what he is talking about. I would just like to add that I like the fact that you have not mentioned anything about quitting. You started off on a bad foot with those u-turns, but that's no reason to throw in the towel. Take a couple days off from vending just to get over the crappy day or two you've just had. Then start your next phase in the vending business by getting a plan together to sell off those u-turns and replace them with singles/doubles. Naw i don't really want to quit, although i feel beat. I already got this far. I knew that i was not gonna get rich quick anyways. I mean if it got SO bad that it didn't make sense to do it anymore, then I would be quitting for a legit reason, not because my hopes are too high. Having said that, do you think certain parts of the country such as CA just don't use candy/gum machines? Im just grasping for answers as far as why it's so so bad right now. I hear gumballs are better than u turns, however gumballs sell poorly in my u turns, so it's hard for me to believe that. Also, do restaurants care to take in charity machines for toys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Oh Jax, i must add something else. I got my u turn into a spot at a tire, and next to a double head. I don't think it was northwestern. And after the 2nd month, his machine is no longer there. But i only made 5 bucks myself, so it couldn't have affected him too much. But it goes to show that even with a double, he flopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Naw i don't really want to quit, although i feel beat. I already got this far. I knew that i was not gonna get rich quick anyways. I mean if it got SO bad that it didn't make sense to do it anymore, then I would be quitting for a legit reason, not because my hopes are too high. Having said that, do you think certain parts of the country such as CA just don't use candy/gum machines? Im just grasping for answers as far as why it's so so bad right now. I hear gumballs are better than u turns, however gumballs sell poorly in my u turns, so it's hard for me to believe that. Also, do restaurants care to take in charity machines for toys? I can't really say what the market is like in CA. But, we have members there, so I'm hoping someone can chime in with that answer. As far as restaurants, I have plenty of charity location restaurants. But, I don't keep them as charity spots if they are good money earners. Eateries that just do so-so, I have no problem keeping as charity locations. However, for restaurants wherein your machines do well, I recommend you convert them to commission. Otherwise, someone else will come in and offer the manager/owner commission and out goes your machine. I do mostly toys and flat vends, but I do also have gumball locations. They do quite well. But, you are right...not all locations will do well with gumballs. GB's are not magic beans. They are like any other product. They do well in some locations. While in other locations...not so much. Remember to consider your COG on those gumballs. You may sell more PMM than gumballs at certain locations, but you aren't necessarily making a whole lot more money on those PMM's over what you earned on the GB's if you consider your cost-per-vend on PMM's compared to the cost-per-vend of the GB's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 I can't really say what the market is like in CA. But, we have members there, so I'm hoping someone can chime in with that answer. As far as restaurants, I have plenty of charity location restaurants. But, I don't keep them as charity spots if they are good money earners. Eateries that just do so-so, I have no problem keeping as charity locations. However, for restaurants wherein your machines do well, I recommend you convert them to commission. Otherwise, someone else will come in and offer the manager/owner commission and out goes your machine. I do mostly toys and flat vends, but I do also have gumball locations. They do quite well. But, you are right...not all locations will do well with gumballs. GB's are not magic beans. They are like any other product. They do well in some locations. While in other locations...not so much. Remember to consider your COG on those gumballs. You may sell more PMM than gumballs at certain locations, but you aren't necessarily making a whole lot more money on those PMM's over what you earned on the GB's if you consider your cost-per-vend on PMM's compared to the cost-per-vend of the GB's. how many variety of toys/ products do you offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrifty Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 hmmm, 100 machine U-turn deal? I think id rather get kicked in the nuts. repeatedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 how many variety of toys/ products do you offer? Around 10 give or take depending on how low I am getting on certain items. And not always the same things. Especially with my toys/flats. I think most of us rotate what's on location and what we keep on stock...except for some solid regular sellers. There are some threads re: what sells best for vendors around here some place. Read up on those threads...they will help you get a solid core of product to carry if venturing into toys/flat. Remember: The number of different products I carry may not be right for your needs. Big vendors carry a whole lot more variety than I do. Whereas someone just doing singles/doubles can get away with less than half of what I stock. And, rotate your offerings every couple of service cycles. You don't want people getting tired of the stuff in your machines...whether it's a toy or candy/gum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 what kind of gumballs you using JLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Oh Jax, i must add something else. I got my u turn into a spot at a tire, and next to a double head. I don't think it was northwestern. And after the 2nd month, his machine is no longer there. But i only made 5 bucks myself, so it couldn't have affected him too much. But it goes to show that even with a double, he flopped. Sure, we all have dud locations regardless of the equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dperry Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Man that sucks. Try better locations? That's like saying "try making more money". Good advice but in no way helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 That's like saying "try making more money". Good advice but in no way helpful. And dperry, that was all i ever heard from the u turn guy, ''You need better spots, that's all.'' He started telling me I should put them in McDonalds and the airport and places like that. Of course I was only able to get average typical spots and he would say if it makes less than 50 bucks, move it. Based on that, i would have to move all my machines except for one. These U turns are not even paying for the product cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 And dperry, that was all i ever heard from the u turn guy, ''You need better spots, that's all.'' He started telling me I should put them in McDonalds and the airport and places like that. I would have stopped listening to him right after he suggested you put your U-Turn in a McDonalds. Anyone seriously in the bulk vending business for 2 weeks knows how improbable it is to get a bulk machine in a place like Mcdonalds, Wendy's, etc. Very improbable. And, building a route full of those types of locations...even less probable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 He started telling me I should put them in McDonalds and the airport and places like that. LOL! A Uturn in a McDonalds? Yea, right and hold the pickels and biggie size it to an 8-way!! And in the airport?? Yea man, we see biz-op bulk machines in airports all the time!! I have a better change of getting a date with a Dallas Cowboy's cheer leader - which is zero (maybe even in the negatives)!! And that would be without wearing a Steelers jersey. Too funny!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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