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More newbie questions


JCS Vending

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Hi Everyone, just a few more questions as I'm new to the business. I tried the search function here to find answers to my questions from previous threads but didn't have any luck, maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. For example I searched for "coin counter" to read threads about if you all are using coin counters or not but up came pages of threads, none of them had coin counter in the title or anything close so I assumed the search picks up the word coin and/or counter in one post on the threads which doesn't exactly help me.

- Do you use a coin counter?

-What method do you use to get coins from your machines back home again? (I read on here someone used labeled zip-lock bags but wanted to see what else is being used.

-I read somewhere that we don't have to pay tax on the bulk candy we buy. In my state (NY) it says I am not responsible for paying tax on bulk vending candy sold for a quarter or less :) Now just not sure what I need to do or get to give to Sams Club when I buy candy so I don't pay tax.

-Do I need to buy special machines to sell toys/capsules? I own an XYZ Vending machine and Vendstar 4000s.

-What do you do with all of the quarters? Roll them yourself and take to bank or can you take them in bags to the bank and they put them in a coin counter?

-Do you have insurance? How much do you pay for it?

-Would LOVE to see a scan of your business card for ideas if you could post it!!

-Does anyone have any advertisement on their vehicle? (Large magnet or painted)

- Thinking of vending trail mix at bars and/or health clubs. Your feedback appreciated on this.

-Do you purchase a permit in each of the towns/cities you vend in? Are they only good for a certain period of time?

-Do you wear gloves when refilling your machines if you have to touch the food product?

-Is there a way to change my user name on this forum?

Thank you in advance for your responses :)

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If you click on the advanced search tab (star like symbol directly to the right of search bar) you have the option of searching "all words" and "within titles". This will help you find titles that contain specific word(s) like the ones you're asking about. By default the search bar is set to search for "any words" and "within title and content". If you still have unanswered questions, I think you'd get better responses if you would limit them to one or two at a time.

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Hi Everyone, just a few more questions as I'm new to the business. I tried the search function here to find answers to my questions from previous threads but didn't have any luck, maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. For example I searched for "coin counter" to read threads about if you all are using coin counters or not but up came pages of threads, none of them had coin counter in the title or anything close so I assumed the search picks up the word coin and/or counter in one post on the threads which doesn't exactly help me.

- Do you use a coin counter?

-What method do you use to get coins from your machines back home again? (I read on here someone used labeled zip-lock bags but wanted to see what else is being used.

-I read somewhere that we don't have to pay tax on the bulk candy we buy. In my state (NY) it says I am not responsible for paying tax on bulk vending candy sold for a quarter or less :) Now just not sure what I need to do or get to give to Sams Club when I buy candy so I don't pay tax.

-Do I need to buy special machines to sell toys/capsules? I own an XYZ Vending machine and Vendstar 4000s.

-What do you do with all of the quarters? Roll them yourself and take to bank or can you take them in bags to the bank and they put them in a coin counter?

-Do you have insurance? How much do you pay for it?

-Would LOVE to see a scan of your business card for ideas if you could post it!!

-Does anyone have any advertisement on their vehicle? (Large magnet or painted)

- Thinking of vending trail mix at bars and/or health clubs. Your feedback appreciated on this.

-Do you purchase a permit in each of the towns/cities you vend in? Are they only good for a certain period of time?

-Do you wear gloves when refilling your machines if you have to touch the food product?

-Is there a way to change my user name on this forum?

Thank you in advance for your responses :)

I'll try to answer what I can--

-I don't use a coin counter, don't really need one with just 10 machines, maybe someday.

-I went to Office Depot and got three of those zippered blue bank bags and just put the quarters in there. I think you can get some with label windows on them.

-The tax laws are different in each state so you might be better off calling your county treasurer and getting the specifics from them.

-My bank allows me to bring unrolled change in and they have a sorter. Some banks want you to roll it all, write your name, acct number, address, etc on the roll which would be terrible in this business. Might want to check with them and if they require that then consider opening an account just for your business at a different bank.

-When I had my cards made I talked to the people at Office Depot and they went through all of their clip art with me and stuff and we just kind of made it up there on the spot. It has a gum ball machine drawing on the side and my info on it, nothing too fancy.

-I tried trail mix at my fitness club and the whole vendstar only made $.75 and then $1.00 or so so I pulled it, I wouldn't recommend a fitness club at all. There isn't much of a selection to offer then that makes sense

-On the permit you would probably need to contact a city official. I'm not required here but again it's all different in different states and counties

-DEFINITELY wear gloves when you are servicing you're machine. Even if you aren't touching the product directly I would still wear them because it gives the people watching a good feeling and is just sanitary. You can get a box of surgical gloves for a few bucks at Sam's

-Not sure about changing your user name. I'd imagine there would be a way to do it. Just look around in your settings or message an admin.

Hope your first few machines go well!

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This forum is chock full of information, so the search idea is the best. You have so many questions here that we really can only give sound bites. Plus at a certain point people get tired of repeating the same information over and over.

But here are my sound bites:

I use a coin counting tube myself, and will count while doing my routes. I chose this as a cheap option, but as my route grows, I will start counting at home, still using the tube, and later probably upgrading. At that point I will be taking another idea from this forum. (If I remember right, this idea came from Caserri.) Where I will number a group of bags, and then mark the bag number on my records. Then when I get home, I will know which bag went to which location.

Some here use a coin counter, (don't buy the $30 one at WalMart,) I will probably upgrade to a scale, as others here have. They do make these specifically for coin counting, though I doubt that is necessary, but you do need an accurate one.

Some banks require coins be rolled, while others prefer they are not rolled. My bank will run coins through their counter, at no charge, without a problem. You may want to search for a bank with this option. There are coin counters that will roll quarters for you.

I don't wear gloves, but I don't ever touch the product. They will either see the containers I use, (ziplock 5 cup) or me opening up a new bag. I always attempt to look clean and presentable when servicing my machines. (Showered, shaved, and groomed.)

I also use a specific order to the whole process. I fill the machine with candy first, then collect the coins. Then I will use the pop up wipes to clean the machine. First thing I clean is the chute, the handle, the spillage tray if equipped, (thinking of dumping the tray,) the front, top, sides, back, then the pole. If anyone sees this, they will notice a new wipe was used first for the chute, and the handle where they will be touching, before wiping the rest of the machine. Though the wipes can come out a little wet when first pulled out, so you may want another clean rag just for wiping off the excess in the chute. I don't worry about it anywhere else.

I really don't carry a business card with me, but I use one as my contact information on the back of my machines. In this business I don't see the business card as very beneficial, and doubt anyone I gave it to would contact me back. Instead I think it is better to get their information and be the one who contacts them.

And similarly, I don't advertise on my car when doing my route. In fact I think it is better that I am anonymous, and nobody is expecting a person to be heading to their car with a bunch of quarters, or expects to find a ton of change in your car while your busy with the machines inside.

Don't know about trail mix, could work. If your thinking of something healthy, trail mix isn't always as healthy as you would think, depending on what all is in it. (Complex discussion probably not for this forum.) And in fact a form of nut, (cashew or almond) is quite healthy. But I have heard the oils and salt can shorten the lifespan of a machine. It should be pointed out that many people will request the healthy options, but they too often won't actually buy them. (Interestingly research has shown that adding a healthy option will increase the sales of the less healthy option.)

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First and for most welcome to our family you definetly came to the rite place, I'm also a vendor in NY feel free to pm me at any time most of the questions you asked have been answered numerous times on this forum Im sure if you change the words around in your search box you will eventually find the answers to all your questions.The best advice I could give you is to stay tuned to the forum and the info. you could get here is priceless.

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Welcome aboard! The others have already covered most of the bases (which is what I get for showing up late to the party) but I'll see what I can do for you:

Insurance is a big question, and it's pretty much a necessity these days. It will minimize your risk, will allow you to set up in much larger accounts (which require insurance by default) and it shouldn't cost you too much. Now, for one machine it's not too much of a concern, but before you get too much bigger consider investing in some solid liability insurance. Seek out an independent agent, and push the price down as far as you can go.

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Here's the method I use for coins, contingent on you liking peanut butter or knowing people who do:

I have a different plastic peanut butter jar for each location, with a label stuck to the lid indicating the location's name. (I noticed when I'm buying peanut butter at the grocery store there is a different color lid for each type, ie. crunchy, smooth...these could be used for different towns or areas) I put these in a box and keep them in my trunk when I'm servicing. They are a nice uniform size, the screw-on lids are secure, they are easy to pour in and out of...well you get the point. You can fit about $75 worth of quarters in one, which is usually plenty of space for a 6-wk service cycle.

When at a location I pull out the coin tray and empty the contents into a home-made bag made out denim. The tray can be slid into the bag easily, then the whole tray and bag is flipped over to dump the coins out into the bag. (I use 1800 triples with removable coin trays- highly recommend removable trays) This keeps the annoying sound of coins to a minimum at the location and keeps people from seeing all those quarters. After servicing the location I'm back at the car and I simply pour the bag's contents into the appropriate peanut butter jar for counting later.

Back at home in the comfort of my living room I count and record each location's coins for tracking, using a simple quarter tube designed for rolling quarters. As each location is counted I dump them all mixed together in large containers (consider using those plastic trail mix containers with the wide screw-on lids). At the credit union I use the coinstar is free for members so I just put them all in there.

I think this method is great for a small to medium size route, but of course a really big route would probably justify getting a coin counter. Instead of using peanut butter jars you could also try the semi-disposable tupperware containers made by glad. Hope this gives some ideas!

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