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Is this as absurd as I think?


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I have a picky customer who tells me nothing sells well (but in actuality, everything sells well, I service this account frequently). In order to keep the account I must meet most/all of his new item demands. His account is way too small for any big business, yet decent for a small 30-machine route like mine.

Will this guy actually find someone willing to service his account? Drink does like $40-$50 every week. I was willing to try a snack and he said sure... until I got this list!

****The only reasonable one here - G2 - 3 flavors, and snickers****

Smart water, absolutely no generic water

NOS energy

Blue rockstar zero carb

rockstar punch zero carb

red bull

no soda

"Any fancy potato chip"

Pop CHips

Other healthy items

Power Bars

Luna Bars

Reeses peanut butter BARS

Lenny and Larry's cookies

 

Will this guy actually find someone to prodide him service????

 

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So over 70? Perhaps there is a small healthy-only vendor out there that can support this. I wouldn't be comfortable with adding so many product all at once, especially for just an account like this. 

 

Another vending curveball. Just glad they come one after the other rather than all at once. 

 

 

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I have a somewhat similar account. The circumstances are different, but the account has become almost unprofitable. Unless this is a gym, there's no way that stuff will sell. If an account doing maybe $85/week from soda and snacks demanded I do that, I would straight up tell them that I don't carry that and their volume is too low. If they find someone,  my mover needs a 2 week window to uninstall. Just let me know if you find someone to meet your demands and give me two weeks to part ways amicably. 

That will solve a lot of problems. It could get you kicked out too. Conversely, you could offer to meet half way and try to sell a few power bars and see how it goes. If you can't sell two different kinds of very popular power bars, then you know he's an idiot.  Customers like this just want to push you around so they can see the stuff in the machine and feel good thinking they are vending experts. 

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There's always someone that will take even the crazy accounts. I'm flexible to a point on suggestions but once they get like this I'll start looking for an account to replace this one with . I sell accounts all of the time as well as run them but I wouldn't sell one like this and do that to someone else .


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I have a somewhat similar account. The circumstances are different, but the account has become almost unprofitable. Unless this is a gym, there's no way that stuff will sell. If an account doing maybe $85/week from soda and snacks demanded I do that, I would straight up tell them that I don't carry that and their volume is too low. If they find someone,  my mover needs a 2 week window to uninstall. Just let me know if you find someone to meet your demands and give me two weeks to part ways amicably. 

That will solve a lot of problems. It could get you kicked out too. Conversely, you could offer to meet half way and try to sell a few power bars and see how it goes. If you can't sell two different kinds of very popular power bars, then you know he's an idiot.  Customers like this just want to push you around so they can see the stuff in the machine and feel good thinking they are vending experts. 


I like that. I am going to look into a few items for him, tell him they are specifically for him, and that I am not comfortable with any more.

If it works real well I will add more of his requests.

If he doesn't like the idea, same thing like you said, I'll get the machine out for you.

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I walk into a newer customer about two weeks ago. The manager confronts me in the breakroom that machine is terrible and they want a new one funny thing this machine left its previous location because it sold out of everything the usi 3 wide was to small. So I know the machine is fine the account makes 50 to 60 a week snack they sell cokes 25cents for their employees. He tells me pickup the machine or give them a new one he say well what are you going to do I say we will have it picked up in the next two weeks. My point is don't be afraid to cut dead weight accounts small accounts that make ok money but are pain to deal with are not worth having.

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Seems the little accounts scream the loudest. 

We do what we can to accommodate requests but it gets to the point of being ridiculous. Walk into Coke or Pepsi warehouses and look at all the different sku's of products now. It's out of hand. 

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7 hours ago, Snickers said:

Seems the little accounts scream the loudest. 

They do, and they can hurt your image.  They look at it like you don't care. You look at it like they aren't worth a big investment.   I think a lot of these accounts struggle with this with other industries too, so they learn to throw tantrums.

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I had an account tell me almost the exact same thing. My response to him was that I was willing to try a few of the products he requested and if they sold we would add more, if they didn't he would be responsible for buying (at retail) any expired products at the end of each month. We would count them, box them, and hand him the box and an invoice that was due on receipt. He quickly decided to let us leave the machines as is. 

I also had a $10 / month account that demanded that every spiral be filled front to back. I told him the same thing and he backed off also. 

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8 hours ago, Snickers said:

Walk into Coke or Pepsi warehouses and look at all the different sku's of products now. It's out of hand. 

yea, drink variety is getting big.  I carry a lot of drink SKU's for one or two locations where they sell well.  Glassfront machines are the only way to do that, most of mine have 15 to 17's SKU's each.... it's a pain, but it does generate sales

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Don't let an account control your machine.  You are in the business to make money, and while we always want to accommodate and please our customers, you still are in control of your machines.  I would explain to this account that, while some of his suggestions are fine, you simply can't bring in that much NEW inventory.  You have no other customers that want those items and based on the sales at this location, you would have product "outdating" in your warehouse.  I would tell him that you can accommodate a few of his requests, but if the sales aren't there, you will remove those items and replace with items that will sell.  If this is not good enough for him, MOVE ON.  You don't need this kind of headache.  Just my 2 cents.  :)

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