How to employ in this biz

[Lucero]

Long post   This is probably my #1 concern with bulk.

Does anyone currently employ to run their biz?

In my experience, I have seen full line vendors utilizing employees for sure.  I'm not so certain about bulk.  On all the boards I've breezed through, I've only seen Kyle claiming to have an employee. 

Based again on my reading of the forums, it seems like a person can build up a 500/600++ machine route, and earn around 100k.  Pretty good, but I'm not a full time type of guy, and I want to understand how to get around a ceiling like that as I begin to commit resources to the business.

The potential issues with employing (that are specific to this biz), as I see it, are:

- Will they be able to locate?

- Will they steal?   This is a cash biz, there won't be any cameras watching them, and the temptation to start small with just a quarter or two per machine will always be there.

- Eating the product (not so big a threat)

In truth, the stealing is the biggest issue in my book.  If I had to locate a signifigant hours out of the week, but do no servicing, I will have built up a very large fleet.   With that many machines, I will be able to  find a locating service smart enough to cut a tremendous deal with me and locate my machines on an exclusive contract.  If I can get a locator willing to place for about $20, with a large enough fleet, a < ~2 mo profit hit on a relocated machine isn't disasterous.

My main concern is theft.  My gut is that a technological solution is the best bet, here.   So my question to you folks:  Do any of the major vendors have built in coin counters?  Even better, are there any with built in coin-counters requiring a different key to reset than it takes to open the coin tray?  This would be ideal.

Are any of you folks looking to turn this into a large business, rather than a small one?

I appreciate any thoughts on the topic.

-Lucero

[Bravo Duck]

Beaver has two solutions to your security problem that I know of:

1. A locking cash drawer that the route driver doess not have the key to. He carries empty cash drawers and exchanges them for the full ones.

2. A non-resetable coin counting mechanism inside the coin mech. The route driver brings the loose quarters back everyday, but you can always check up on him by going to the vending machine and getting the count.

Tom

[grumpy]

tstrong you missed one other that Beaver promotes and that is smartmech ( www.smartmech.com). This is high tech and for a begining route may be the answer with large growth in mind. The cost is $24.00CDN per head and $.30 a month for data storage. Also currently they only support palm enabled software PALM Treo 650 and 680. Check out the demo and see if this is the kind of information and control you want.

[Lucero]

tstrong you missed one other that Beaver promotes and that is smartmech ( http://www.smartmech.com). This is high tech and for a begining route may be the answer with large growth in mind. The cost is $24.00CDN per head and $.30 a month for data storage. Also currently they only support palm enabled software PALM Treo 650 and 680. Check out the demo and see if this is the kind of information and control you want.

Dynamite link, thanks grumpy!  I explained my exact circumstance and interest to Beaver (and Seaga, and Oak, and NW) and heard no mention of smartmech at any time.  It looks as though it will be possible to retro-fit these guys.  If that's the case, I need to really think hard about my path.

Right now I'm considering switching to A&A PMSupreme300s and/or PO89 small/large panels, because I can have a digital counter installed in each for the low low price of $15.75(yuck).  I don't think I'd switch to having someone service the route for me until 125 machines or so, and if I can simply retrofit Seaga Millenias, maybe I should just stick to those stinkers for the price, and then retrofit with smartmechs when I'm ready to have the route managed by someone else.

Thanks again for the lead grumpy.  I'm going to give these guys a ring and see who they fit with, and if they are partnering with anyone on an OEM basis or are still trying to get the traction (would be nice if a manufacturer OEM'd the part and took full responsibility for it).

-Lucero

[grumpy]

Your welcome Lucero!

I don't think I would go with the counters then to smartmech. Why spend more than you have too! Currently smartmech is a retro-fit but beaver is working on a model were you do not need to open it to take a reading, just use the IR and know how many vends were done on that unit.

Try the demo then decide what you want to do, if you already have the Treo then the major cost is done or if your plan is ready for an upgrade then maybe it's time for an upgrade. Information is valuable even if you are doing the route yourself. The nice thing about smartmech is that you do not manually have to enter the information after the route run. It is transferred to the servers over the cell network.

But either way counters and smartmechs are nice to help determine which product is selling, no need for a different money bag for each head, or counting at the location.