expiration dates

[MNvending]

I'm wondering what's the best way to keep track of expiration dates, especially in beverage machines? It seems like it takes me forever to stock the machines because I write the dates of all the drinks down. It will look something like this: 

 

Mountain Dew- 6, 7/24-12, 8/18   (6 bottles, date 7/24- 12 bottles date 8/18)

Diet Dew- 9, 6/23- 10, 9/2

and so on...

 

I'm curious how other people do it because I know I take too long to stock them. Any help would be great. 

[AngryChris]

Ideally, you sell things fast enough that you don't need to worry about dates.  If you need to keep track of the dates of all of your soda, you probably need better accounts.  Most of us don't worry about dates unless we know they have been in the machines for a while, and that only happens on slow accounts.

[MNvending]

Agreed. I only have 2 of these accounts that I worry about dates this much. I should drop one of them but don't because its easy and it's literally a block away from one of my high schools. The other I need because it's at a hotel that i took over the owners combo machine, I needed to add my own beverage machine or else i'd have to be there twice a week to stock the combo machine. It usually sells everything before the the expiration date but I still keep close tabs on it. I'm just curious how other people do it so i can be more efficient. 

[AngryChris]

Agreed. I only have 2 of these accounts that I worry about dates this much. I should drop one of them but don't because its easy and it's literally a block away from one of my high schools. The other I need because it's at a hotel that i took over the owners combo machine, I needed to add my own beverage machine or else i'd have to be there twice a week to stock the combo machine. It usually sells everything before the the expiration date but I still keep close tabs on it. I'm just curious how other people do it so i can be more efficient. 

 

I just look at the dates on flavors that don't sell well.  Most regular (non-diet) canned soda lasts about 10 months.  Diet canned soda lasts 2-4 months.  Mountain Dew lasts about 6 months.  Regular bottled soda lasts 2-3 months.  Regular diet soda lasts about 2 months.  Everything depends on when the product made it to the store you bought it from and how long it has sat around though.

 

I think we all are guilty of servicing slow accounts because they are easy to service, but if you're having problems with bottles at such a location then you need to switch to cans or get out of that location.  The only fast way I can think of to do what you do is to keep a piece of paper inside the machine.  Even then, you practically have to vend out one of each selection to verify that what's in there is not expired.  Then, if it's a short date, you need to get it back near the bottom to be vended ASAP.  It's a huge waste of time and the point is that you won't find a fast way to do it.

What I do is one of two things:  On most machines, the cans face the back of the machine.  I can easily look at the date on the bottom of the cans to see how the dates look.  I only check things that don't sell well.  On bottles, I only take out the bottles closest to me (maybe 10 bottles or so) and check the dates to make sure they all look good, then I put them back in.  There's no need to check the bottles in the back of the same column because they should have all been loaded at the same time.  Aside from that, I don't check dates.  I'll pull out of a location if I have to read or record every date on every product.  I have also removed selections that didn't sell if need be.

 

About 5 months ago, as I was talking to a customer at a location, I told them I wasn't going to sell diet pepsi at the location anymore.  This customer acted disappointed because she said she liked diet pepsi and would buy it occasionally, so I told her I would try to keep two bottles in there for her.  What she didn't know is that I already had that selection empty for about 3 months before that.  She never brought it up because she never actually bought any of it lol.  Meanwhile, I sell coke zero and diet coke pretty consistently.  Weird.

[MNvending]

Thanks for the advice man I appreciate it. 

 

It's funny how customers do that. One time someone left a note on one of my snack machines that read "WONDERFUL PISTACHIOS!?!?", I had taken them out about a month earlier because they never sold. So I put them back in a week later and still nobody ever bought any! I swear sometimes customers just want certain things in the machine because they feel better knowing it's there, they're never gonna buy it, they just want it there.  

[AngryChris]

... sometimes customers just want certain things in the machine because they feel better knowing it's there, they're never gonna buy it, they just want it there.  

 

This is EXACTLY what they want.  This is why I don't take odd requests.  I simply tell them that I don't carry it.  I had a guy at a location that kept pestering me about pepsi max for 2 years.  I never put it in the machines because I knew he wouldn't buy it, and I knew I couldn't sell a case anywhere else.  In fact, I'm not even sure I could get it without a special order.

[vendman0729]

I always prefer selling cans over bottles.

I watch my diet drinks here and there but when it comes to diet drinks in my slower locations, I put in less than more.

I have already told my slower accounts about this and they understand.

It's a mutual understanding which helps.

Of course I don't let it stay sold out for no more than 1 service.

Meaning if it's sold out when I service the location, I will definitely bring it the next time I come.

Watch out for that Diet.Dr Pepper.

 

Also yeah never go by what the customer wants.

At the end of the day you open the machine and you know what sells and what doesn't.

That doesn't mean I haven't tried different drinks, but if it doesn't sell I make sure they understand that this is my business and I decide what goes in and out.

[deee_z]

All of the drinks I get have dates on the bottom of the cans printed at the cannery.

[TKK]

Wow you do that? Thats crazy writing down stale dates. You should know what places sell.what etc. Snacks are a bit harder to keep in slower act but still you just rotate them to busy ones.