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Need advice on a can machine that can, well...bottle


Lbfrozen

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So, when I am shopping for drink machines, and a good can machine finds itself as part of a larger deal, I usually pass. Nearly all of my accounts require sport drinks and water. They have been happy with 12 oz. Gatorade (for kids) and 16.9 oz. water. I am fine with charging $1.00 for cans, 12 oz. Gatorade, and 16.9 oz. water. (More importantly, my customers are fine with paying $1.00 for same.)

I usually only consider bottle machines, but I hate passing on decent, working (can) machines. I know there has been some discussion in the past on bottles from a can machine (usually goes about as well as trying to get an apple tree to grow oranges. (Deal with it; I passed on much, much more colorful analogies!)) Most discussions end with, at best, ambivalence to the idea, and a return to a bottle machine. That is my normal decision as well.

Anyway, has anyone had dependable, ongoing success with vending 12 oz. Gatorade (or similar sport drink) and 16.9 oz water (or, even soda) bottles from a particular model can machine? By dependable, I mean that the machine vends whether there are one or 20 bottles on top of it, and regardless of temperature, humidity, or planet alignment. If not, I will continue to whistle right past great can machines, as dependable vends are just about the most portent thing to most of my locations.

Thanks all,

LB

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So, when I am shopping for drink machines, and a good can machine finds itself as part of a larger deal, I usually pass. Nearly all of my accounts require sport drinks and water. They have been happy with 12 oz. Gatorade (for kids) and 16.9 oz. water. I am fine with charging $1.00 for cans, 12 oz. Gatorade, and 16.9 oz. water. (More importantly, my customers are fine with paying $1.00 for same.)

I usually only consider bottle machines, but I hate passing on decent, working (can) machines. I know there has been some discussion in the past on bottles from a can machine (usually goes about as well as trying to get an apple tree to grow oranges. (Deal with it; I passed on much, much more colorful analogies!)) Most discussions end with, at best, ambivalence to the idea, and a return to a bottle machine. That is my normal decision as well.

Anyway, has anyone had dependable, ongoing success with vending 12 oz. Gatorade (or similar sport drink) and 16.9 oz water (or, even soda) bottles from a particular model can machine? By dependable, I mean that the machine vends whether there are one or 20 bottles on top of it, and regardless of temperature, humidity, or planet alignment. If not, I will continue to whistle right past great can machines, as dependable vends are just about the most portent thing to most of my locations.

Thanks all,

LB

Given your product assortment , you're better off sticking with the glass fronts.  My personal experience has been that any bottle in a stack machine will eventually jam which is one reason I stick to cans.

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Single price machines are just fine for the products you are using.  Just make sure to use a proper water bottle such as the 16.0 oz bottles from Arrowhead, Zephyrhills, Poland Springs and other regional brands from Nestle.  DON'T use any Nestle branded bottle.  Proper set up will keep your bottles vending smoothly though because they are plastic you will get an occasional jam.  Plastic doesn't play well with metal.

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I have a few can machines. They have their place. I don't even attempt to put water in them though. I have added Gatorade cans in them. They are good for a place that has a water cooler and want cheap prices. Like Moondog, I prefer glass front machines too.

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Thanks everyone. As I mentioned, I would rather have an inventory of all can/bottle, but I hate walking away from good machines. If I found a can machine that would handle those 12 oz. bottle sports drinks, I would consider it when a deal comes by. However, I am trying to stay married to a good and patient woman, and our basement already has too many "one day, we will be soooo glad we got this" things. So, if no one has infomercial-worthy testimony on success with 12 oz. plastic bottle sports drinks, I will continue to avoid the can only machines for now (unless I get an account that only wants cans).

Thanks for the reminder on 16 oz regional waters from Nestle, AZ. That is what I should have said. Nestle Pure Life 16.9 is a great profit item in our other business - but not stacked up in a machine!

As for Gatorade in a can, that is still a hard one to swallow (quite literally). I guess I t works when you have no option for a bottle, but there is something just not right about the taste and feel of it. Kinda like Hawaiian Punch or sweet tea in a can. Many of the blended and flavored teas are fine in a can, but sweet tea in a can is sacrilege (for this Southerner, at least).

Wish I could afford the cost, hassle, and size of a Bev Max for these accounts, but that is currently not a good fit.

Thanks again, guys.

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I'd love to be able to sell can Gatorade but no one around here (Raleigh-Durham) sells it. I contacted the Pepsi folks, they said it's not being made in NC anymore. Sucks!!

That's not good. Just drive to Chicago once a year and grab about 50 cases. Have fun why you're there and write it off as a business expense. :)

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