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I THINK I HAVE A NEW AND AMAZING IDEA FOR HONOR BOXES. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK?


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I'm new to this forum and I just wanted to get some input from you guys about something. I've tried honor boxes for about a year and for whatever reason, where I live, they just don't work well at all. I guess honor isn't a hot commodity here.........Anyway, it's time to transition my business and here's my idea: I'm thinking of using bookshelf cases in place of the honor boxes. I've seen them advertised at Target for around $16- $24 ($16 for the small case and $24 for the big case). Instead of having to restock honor boxes like I've normally done, when I go to service an account, I would just simply place whatever products on the shelves Maybe one shelf for candy bars, one shelf for cookies, one shelf for chips, etc. Then on top of the bookshelf I would install a stand alone security camera, some type of receptacle for people to put their money in, and a sign that has the cost of the items and a sentence or 2 that says they are being monitered via security camera. I'm thinking about also going to my local Humane Society and asking them if I can get sponsorship through them and do this similar to the way bulk candy vending operators do with their gumball stands (with the charity stickers). Maybe I'd also put something on the sign that says something about raising money for the Humane Society. I'm also thnking that not every location would need a real security camera and I've checked into getting fake cameras and they are much cheaper. Say if one place suddenly had a spiked increase in theft (that had a fake camera) I could switch that one out for a real one. Anyway, my idea here (at least the way I see it) is basically a much, much cheaper way of doing full line vending machines. It would also take far less time too because how much time does it take to just simply lay products on shelves? There would be no planagram with restocking boxes to follow and I think I could also do requested items (menus) as long as those customers would eat those requested items before the expiration dates. Most of you guys (I think) run your routes once every 2 weeks, but with this idea I wouldn't think you would need to run it more than once a month or once every 2 months. That would enable you to concentrate much more on marketing............Anyway, you guys if you have any thoughts or ideas be it negative or positive, please "throw in your 2 cents".

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Welcome to the forums and I think it's great that you're thinking outside the honor box. That being said, this idea has plenty of legal and logistical hurdles to clear and I don't see it working.

First, I'd love to see the look on a business owners face as you explain you'll be potentially videotaping him/her, their employees and customers. Assuming you did get somebody to agree with this, I could see an almost Mayberry/Barney Fife relationship developing between you and your customers over time. So you place the video camera on top of your bookshelf. What keeps an employee from flanking the back of your bookshelf, reaching around it and grabbing their product out of camera view? :ph34r: Hell, I'm an honest person and it sounds like something I would do at work just for fun to see the look on your face the next time you came in to service your bookshelf! ;D

You do have courage, but I think this is the wrong dream.

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Security cameras can be used to avoid accusing someone of a theft without proof.

And cameras are used to avoid a his-word-against-yours situation.

But, they don't stop the theft itself...thieves will steal anyway.

Consider that nearly every corner store, department store, and grocery store in America has security cameras...and still, they deal with theft every day.

I'm not talking about armed hold-ups.

I mean the kind of theft honor boxes experience...people shoplifting.

Your idea about using a security cam real or otherwise is not likely to succeed on an honor box/shelf.

Remember that customers do not have to deposit money to remove the product.

So, someone caught stealing on camera can simply say,

"I deposited a $5 bill last week and couldn't get change, so I've just been picking products to use up my credit when your camera caught me taking without paying".

Or they can say,

"I paid for an item a few days ago and had to throw it away because it was spoiled/stale. So I was just getting my replacement product when the camera caught me taking without paying."

Or they can say any number of other lies to explain away what you have on video.

Would you review days and days of video footage to see if they really bought something and/or paid with a $5 last week?

So after all the expense, hassle, and video-taping, you are probably going to wind up with little usable proof of the theft.

AND in the end, you will have a his-word-against-yours scenario anyway...so what good did the camera do you?

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Hey guys, I don't expect to stop every single theft with the use of the camera. Don't you think though that it would at least provide incentive against someone trying to steal, especially if I'm working on behalf of a charity? I mean who wants to be seen on camera as someone who is ripping off The Humane Society or perhaps The Wounded Warrior Project? I believe that virtually all of the scumbags who steal are crafty, and crafty people in an office environment NEVER want to be exposed in doing something like this. I already charge $1.00 for all of my items that I buy from Sams Club but when the theft rates are consistently 50% or much higher at my locations, what choice do I have other than to pull the box? I'm just thinking that this might bring those theft rates way down to at least 25% margin where I can at least make a decent profit from this business. I'm not concerned with losing some products due to theft, I'd just like to not lose so much (like I've been doing) where this business is no longer practical due to people stealing from me. I guess you guys are very fortunate because you all reside in an area where you all don't have to resort to thinking about doing things like this. Also I've done all the basics from writing notes to talking with the boss to putting the box in another location- nothing seems to work. I was just thinking that this might possibly change things.

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I already charge $1.00 for all of my items that I buy from Sams Club but when the theft rates are consistently 50% or much higher at my locations, what choice do I have other than to pull the box? I'm just thinking that this might bring those theft rates way down to at least 25% margin where I can at least make a decent profit from this business.

You have stated that "honor" is not a common trait found in your area.

Just curious: If you believe that, why would you stick to ANY kind of "honor" vending where you live?

Read the posts in the Honor Box Forum.

A 25% theft rate is better than a 50% theft rate....but it's still too high for most successful honor box vendors.

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Instead of honor boxes there is a company called Company Kitchen that will sell you everything you need to do what your talking about. They have the racks, coolers, kiosk and cameras, and you can get everything you need from them (one stop shop so to speak).

The package will cost $15,000.00 and up and works very well. It is used in larger locations to replace vending equipment. Locations that have say 300 and up employees. I heard through a Company Kitchen rep that there is one vender close to me that has 300 snack machines in a warehouse that he took out when placing Company Kitchens.

We have the second Company Kitchen going in soon in my teritory and being someone that started in the snack box business I find it funny that the vending community is finally discovering the honor system.

For small accounts that the snack box operator services do as the person above said mark your price accordingly and don't worry about the shortage. That is what the vender is doing with the Company Kitchen format.

Just my thoughts.

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Hey wait a minute. I looked up that Company Kitchen thing and that would mean a WHOLE LOT more product being put out there. I can't see the difference at all between my idea and the Company Kitchen thing except that would involve a whole lot more risk. Guys what do the rest of you think about this Company Kitchen thing? Are any of the rest of you supporters of this idea?

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I can't see the difference at all between my idea and the Company Kitchen thing except that would involve a whole lot more risk.

Yes.

Besides the Company Kitchen offering refrigerated products, hot drinks, a cashless system, fresh made foods, preloaded spending cards, interactive software to track your personal dietary intake and spending history, an electronic check-out process, using no security cameras, and marketing themselves as a healthier option than typical vending sources, their idea is very much like yours.

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So you guys think this Company Kitchen thing is a real bad idea in the same way that you think my idea is a bad idea?

In the end, this is your dream/idea.

No matter what people say, good OR bad, it's still up to you to make it a workable plan.

And one of the great things you can expect to get out of this thread is the ability to face questions and issues you may not have thought of yourself.

This way you can find solutions before you go any further.

But, you haven't addressed the questions people have asked on this thread.

Nor have you explained how you would handle the issues others have brought up about your idea.

If you don't answer the questions or discuss the issues others post, we won't know enough to form a real opinion about your idea.

Best of luck.

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Actually just thinking about it Sherlock, I think the idea isn't very good anyway so that's why I haven't responded. However I have thought about this: Just having a vroute that you can go on where you can walk through the businesses and sell the stuff in person. I'm thinking about maybe going through with a small rolling cart of some sort (like a room service cart at a hotel) and selling all kinds of items. Also I could even have one of those new credit card acceptors that connects to a cell phone. I could work with a charity with that too. What do you think?

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Actually just thinking about it Sherlock, I think the idea isn't very good anyway so that's why I haven't responded. However I have thought about this: Just having a vroute that you can go on where you can walk through the businesses and sell the stuff in person. I'm thinking about maybe going through with a small rolling cart of some sort (like a room service cart at a hotel) and selling all kinds of items. Also I could even have one of those new credit card acceptors that connects to a cell phone. I could work with a charity with that too. What do you think?

Not meaning to pee in your cereal bowl...... B)

The first thing that comes to mind is generating enough revenue to make it worthwhile, you would need to offer things that the existing vending machines on location don't have, have a LARGE potential customer base.

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if you are going down that road just start a lunch truck route. these can be very profitable if you work it right.

you are out by about 5 or 6am but back in by 3p.

i got a few accts for a lunch truck operator they are actually pretty easy to get

most business want to keep employees on staff. look for places with both a day and night shift

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