sturtzy Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 i am having an issue with my vending products that i am not sure how to solve. I have a few snack machines that i sell a variety of products in and now i am getting an overabundance of product i dont need an example is sunchips. i get a variety pack at costco that has 4 flavors (havest cheddar, salsa, french onion and original) which cost me 0.33cents each. the problem is that i am running out of salsa so fast that i am having to buy boxes just to get salsa which is cutting into potential earnings. ive looked online for just salsa but everything plus shipping is so expensive it is not worth it. i have concidered selling the others for a lower price but i dont think that will solve the problem. any suggestions are much appreciated. i am also running into the issue with ranch doritos (run out), while the cheesy doritos go a lot less but there are more per box. thanks for your help fellas. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 i am having an issue with my vending products that i am not sure how to solve. I have a few snack machines that i sell a variety of products in and now i am getting an overabundance of product i dont need an example is sunchips. i get a variety pack at costco that has 4 flavors (havest cheddar, salsa, french onion and original) which cost me 0.33cents each. the problem is that i am running out of salsa so fast that i am having to buy boxes just to get salsa which is cutting into potential earnings. ive looked online for just salsa but everything plus shipping is so expensive it is not worth it. i have concidered selling the others for a lower price but i dont think that will solve the problem. any suggestions are much appreciated. i am also running into the issue with ranch doritos (run out), while the cheesy doritos go a lot less but there are more per box. thanks for your help fellas. -John We all have that problem with the combo packs - I think the mix is purposely set so they can move items that otherwise wouldn't sell well. The combo packs work well if you're looking to test new items but not for your daily ops. The only way I know of to solve this problem is to find an independent wholesale grocer that will sell the case lots (64 for LSS) of the ones you want. Fortunately, I have such a place within my route bounds but you may find yourself making a special trip once a month. If you notice somebody else buying vending stuff at Costco, ask them where the closest wholesaler is - most guys are pretty good about this and the kind of places you're looking for typically don't do much advertising. Mom and Pop stores also buy from these places so that might be another source of info. Ps. If you'd tell us where you're at, somebody here could probably point you in the right direction - this is usually "word of mouth" info as you won't find squat online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 i am having an issue with my vending products that i am not sure how to solve. I have a few snack machines that i sell a variety of products in and now i am getting an overabundance of product i dont need an example is sunchips. i get a variety pack at costco that has 4 flavors (havest cheddar, salsa, french onion and original) which cost me 0.33cents each. the problem is that i am running out of salsa so fast that i am having to buy boxes just to get salsa which is cutting into potential earnings. ive looked online for just salsa but everything plus shipping is so expensive it is not worth it. i have concidered selling the others for a lower price but i dont think that will solve the problem. any suggestions are much appreciated. i am also running into the issue with ranch doritos (run out), while the cheesy doritos go a lot less but there are more per box. thanks for your help fellas. -John This is probably one of the hardest things to have to deal with as a small vendor. Its why I suggest growing to at least 5-7 locations as quickly as possible because at that point, if you pay attention, you can at least have a chance to manage the issue. No good real answer for you, you've got several options none terribly effective. 1. Buy individual packs at the grocery store and accept a lower margin. OTOH it limits your stales as you are buying what you need when you need it 2. Continue to buy the variety Packs and plan to give, eat or throw away the other stuff that doesn't sell before it goes out of date. 3. Buy cases of a single item at a wholesaler and hope to sell them before they expire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 When you have enough accounts u should be able to place the slower movers in diferent locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvending Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Keep your eye out for a Frito Lay route truck delivering to stores in your area. Approach the driver and see if he might order them for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojorhino Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Contact Vistar & set up an account. * One of the issues you will run into with Vistar is they require minimum orders ($1,000 or 50 cases per order if I remember correctly) & if you don't meet the minimum they will charge you additional $ for delivery. * I have been able to overcome the delivery charge by finding other vendors in my area & placing orders together (along with theirs) & having them deliver to 1 location so that the total of our orders meets their minimum requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Isnt vistar more expensive than sams tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojorhino Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Yes . . . In general Vistar is a little bit more expensive however on some items they are the same or lower. Vistar does have their downfalls but here are some of the positives that I can think of at the moment They have a much larger selection than Sams or Costco (example - I had customers recently request Sweet Tarts (actual Sweet Tarts in the roll not the chewy minis that Sam's sells) & Mike & Ikes which Sam's does not sell & got them for around .55 per package) They deliver to you so you don't have to drive to get the product You use your computer & order from them directly You can create order lists & save them so that you can place future orders more easily They sell 16 oz water that is vendable from can machines If you have a freezer big enough you can order frozen pastries & store them & only sell what you need so you don't throw away product that doesn't sell before it expires. They sell Jack Links beef jerky which has a really long shelf life & sells for a pretty high price point while still allowing you to make a good margin on it. (I put beef Jerky in some of my snack machines & since then they have been generating more profit than the soda machines that are right next to them. They sell pork rinds which I have been unable to find at Sams & several of my locations just tear them up every time I put them in my snack machines. They offer other flavors of Pop Tarts besides the standard Strawberry & Brown Sugar that Sam's sells. That's all I can think of right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I STILL have problems with variety packs. My problem isn't so much that I can't sell the items in the variety packs, I just can't sell an entire CASE of hot cheetos or fritos. I like to rotate the odd-ball items in my machines so people feel like they see something different from time to time, but I can usually sell everything. I just want you to know that I still deal with it. The BIGGEST problem is the short dates on those variety packs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Yes . . . In general Vistar is a little bit more expensive however on some items they are the same or lower. Vistar does have their downfalls but here are some of the positives that I can think of at the moment They have a much larger selection than Sams or Costco (example - I had customers recently request Sweet Tarts (actual Sweet Tarts in the roll not the chewy minis that Sam's sells) & Mike & Ikes which Sam's does not sell & got them for around .55 per package) They deliver to you so you don't have to drive to get the product You use your computer & order from them directly You can create order lists & save them so that you can place future orders more easily They sell 16 oz water that is vendable from can machines If you have a freezer big enough you can order frozen pastries & store them & only sell what you need so you don't throw away product that doesn't sell before it expires. They sell Jack Links beef jerky which has a really long shelf life & sells for a pretty high price point while still allowing you to make a good margin on it. (I put beef Jerky in some of my snack machines & since then they have been generating more profit than the soda machines that are right next to them. They sell pork rinds which I have been unable to find at Sams & several of my locations just tear them up every time I put them in my snack machines. They offer other flavors of Pop Tarts besides the standard Strawberry & Brown Sugar that Sam's sells. That's all I can think of right now. I just bought and filled a freezer with $400 worth of pastry from Vistar, just for that reason. Second on the pork rinds bbq flavor! Sell just as fast as I put them in. I'm allowed to order $300, but I get charged $18 for delivery. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I was able to buy a case of Sun Chips Salsa from Vistar and sold all of it no problem. If I remember right it had like 66 or 80 bags in case. I don't buy the variety cases any more! mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I was able to buy a case of Sun Chips Salsa from Vistar and sold all of it no problem. If I remember right it had like 66 or 80 bags in case. I don't buy the variety cases any more! mike I'm not there yet. I have had a lot of local vendors tell me that they sell the crap out of Cheetos but I have trouble even if I try to give them away. It seems like it's only a matter of time before I start landing accounts that absolutely love cheetos. It just doesn't make sense! On a side note, your name makes me hungry every time. If I ever go to Louisiana, I am going to try to get a hold of you so you can show me where to get some great grub! Crawfish? Shrimp? I'm there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc vending Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I have used vistar for years they offer new products that sams doesn't have. Pastries are a big reason I use vistar,dill chips, pork skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I'm not there yet. I have had a lot of local vendors tell me that they sell the crap out of Cheetos but I have trouble even if I try to give them away. It seems like it's only a matter of time before I start landing accounts that absolutely love cheetos. It just doesn't make sense! On a side note, your name makes me hungry every time. If I ever go to Louisiana, I am going to try to get a hold of you so you can show me where to get some great grub! Crawfish? Shrimp? I'm there. I like Vistar for the different pastries I can't get at Sams. 1-carrot cake 2- apple pie 3-ding-dongs 4- chocolate pies All above is in my chest freezer and good for a whole year! As for Cheetos can't give away either or Doritos! Seafood I can eat it everyday! Plenty of good places to eat from Baton Rouge to just about any cajun restaurant along the coastal area. All I can say is come on down! mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc vending Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Cajun I would recommend kars sweet in spicy from vistar great seller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Cajun I would recommend kars sweet in spicy from vistar great seller. Thanks TC I sell a lot of Sweet n Salty out of my machines and I can get them at Sam's cheaper, along with M&M Peanuts. I just started putting Pay Days in my machines and they sell very good. Sam's in DS's sell stuff I can't get in Lafayette. So I make a trip to there when I need certain things. I also like the fact I can get 18 packs of cold drink cheap there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc vending Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Cajun, the kars sweet N spicy out sell the kars sweet n salty all day long pour the cajun seasoning in the bag and everybody loves them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The first of the year, I'm going to set up a Vistar account - they're more expensive and they won't deliver to my house but I'm spending way too much time picking up supplies. I may even bite the big bullet and start buying from the bottlers (only if they'll deliver) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 They deliver here locally I talked to another vendor he says his stuff piggy backs for the major sellers like cinemark theatres and dollar general. So he gets no shipping cost and they deliver right to his door Do they do tax exempt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 They deliver here locally I talked to another vendor he says his stuff piggy backs for the major sellers like cinemark theatres and dollar general. So he gets no shipping cost and they deliver right to his door Do they do tax exempt Not for me I pay taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Not for me I pay taxes. Do you have a resale certificate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Do you have a resale certificate? Yes I do mission. On my next order I will give them the numbers. I just might have to fax the paper to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Yes I do mission. On my next order I will give them the numbers. I just might have to fax the paper to them. They will need a paper copy for their records, might get in touch with them before you order so they can update your account status ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaTurtle Vending Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 The bottlers will not deliver to residential addresses in my area. I even offered to to pick up from their warehouse. Still a no go. They did however, offer to deliver to me in a PARKING LOT at one of their business stops. That just blew my mind. It seems that could be more of a problem than drop shipping at my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I may give vistar a chance thay vendor sent me a catalog ima look it over and see what the pricing is like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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