Chocolate prices

[Grazing Hippo Vending]

Peanut M&Ms vend like crack.  I don't mind using chocolate and candy products as much in the charity locations. The commission locations you obviously making a lot less. BUT, there's a million reasons, like keeping an excellent location, to give the chocolate crack mamas what they want especially if you're making it up a selling 3 cent gumball for 25 cents. Don't you agree?

Makes sense to me. To me it sounds like the car business. When I carry Honda and Toyota I generally make about $500 per unit but the inventory turns quick (PMM). When I sell almost anything else such as Audi, GM, Ford, or Nissan I often clear roughly $1500 per unit (Gumballs) but they do not sell as quick. I try and clear $1200 per unit overall(I have a very small lot) but it's all about averages. I see chocolate as the same thing. The margins have to equal out as a whole (after commission, time, product, fuel, depreciation, etc).

[sherlock]

Makes sense to me. To me it sounds like the car business. When I carry Honda and Toyota I generally make about $500 per unit but the inventory turns quick (PMM). When I sell almost anything else such as Audi, GM, Ford, or Nissan I often clear roughly $1500 per unit (Gumballs) but they do not sell as quick. I try and clear $1200 per unit overall(I have a very small lot) but it's all about averages. I see chocolate as the same thing. The margins have to equal out as a whole (after commission, time, product, fuel, depreciation, etc).

 

Interesting analogy and informative.

Only big difference between cars and candy in your example is that the Honda/Toyota can sit on your lot as long as the GM/Ford and still be appealing to potential buyers.

The elements do not effect one brand of vehicle more than another while they are on your lot.

Not so with candy like m&m products.

 

Especially during the hot humid months in the south -- m&m's can start looking bad in as little as a month if a location is not keeping the place cool enough.

And you can't let sunlight on your machines for even a small portion of the day if carrying m&m products or they can go bad in less than a week (don't ask me how I know ...let's just say the business' tinted windows and blinds didn't protect my candy as much as I'd hoped).

 

It's all fine when that lower profit-margin product sales fast enough.

But, I don't have that experience with m&m products.

On my route, m&m products are just as hit-or-miss as any other candy.

They do well in some places, poorly in others...nothing special about them.

Yet, they offer a smaller margin, a shorter shelf-life, and less tolerance for the elements than do other types of candy that costs less to stock.

So I only carry m&m products on a very limited basis...VERY limited.