Jump to content

Boy I Tell ya -


Recommended Posts

This vending stuff is fun stuff! Granted I am a 1.5/10 on fixing things and don't like that aspect... BUT:

* It is so fun

* Now that I have a feel for my accounts, I am selling out quite on a lot of items, and  hope to narrow it down to selling out on 80% of items (80/20 rule!)

* I have enough machines so I don't have to buy variety packs - thank God - so long Fritos and Regular Lay's!!!

I absolutely hate fixing machines.. GRANTED - It does feel good when I learn a new machine and do something like converting it from 2-deep cans to 1-deep bottles!!!

***Does anyone else LOVE the feeling of learning what an account likes, catering to that, and going back to that account the next service time to find a BUNCH OF SOLD OUT ITEMS?!?!?!?!***

I hope to get big enough so I don't have to ever move a machine on my own, and that I have a guy that can repair machines for me. The only thing I hope to be an expert at is setting up machines (prices, Depth-to-sales, etc.), and putting the right product so they sell out!!!***

 

Does anyone else have extreme success with doritos, cheetos, flamin cheetos, TGIF Chips, Honey Buns, Big Texas;, Gardettos, and cheddar ruffles?

Same question drinkwise: It seems like AZIT bottles, Gatorades, waters bottles, and Monsters FLY FF THE SHELVES!!!! 

* I have Rockstars in some machines, but think that based on my small-route I should only serve Monster. Rockstar doesn't seem to be popular compared to Monster. Granted I do sell enough Rockstar to support keeping it.

 

After many nights spent suffering from over-thinking, I am glad to think that I have some of the "breadwinners" narrowed down. Non-chip selections can be tougher, but I find snickers, peanut M&M's, and nuts do quite well!

 

Interestingly enough, Famous Amos and M&M Cookies don't sell that well... I must admit I'm surprised!!

 

I find that Starburst absolutely are terrible - but get some Now & Later's and I do a lot better. SKittles are good, Sour patch are decent, but not like snickers. Fruit snacks surprised me and don't do well, I only charge a dollar for that big bag!!!! Same thing with Poptarts, the margin is great and you receive a quality product for just $1 - but they just aren't popular!

 

***FInd  the right account, and Grandma's Cookies KILL it!!!*** Same thing with Bugles, if they sold CHeddar Bugles I would by the crap out of those!***

 

Peanutbutter crackers and nature valley bars do okay - and that is good because they are cheap! 

 

It seems that Corn Nuts can do okay, never that great.  Sweet and Salty mix is the same. Oreos are the same, but COMPLETELY SURPRISE ME!!!! They are such a good deal for just $1....

 

I must admit, based on my current accounts, 25 machines and 14 accounts, I hope to exnay the following items:

*STarbursts

* Fritso and regular Lay's

* 7up (replace with sprite)

* BBQ Chips (they may be popular, but for my small route I don't think I can justify)

* CHex mix (rep Gardettos)

* CUpcakes

* CLif BArs and all gum products

* Vitamin Water

* Either carry diet pepsi, or diet coke - not both. Unfortunately Diet DP and Diet MD are a must. 

* Jerky - it's expensive, if I price it at even the lower scale of margins that I want it seems even more expensive... unless the expiration date is good it scares me...

*Hot Tamales - I took over a route that had bags of these in their machines - Has anyone had good sucess with $1 hot tamale bags????

*Payday and Lorna Dune - Unless your machine is around a lot of older people...

UNTIL I GET BIGGER I AM SCARED TO HAVE:

*White and Orange monsters... I have an account or two that sells these good, but they scare me. As far as flavored Monsters go, I am in the belief that JAVA Monsters are where it's at. Heck of a drink - though some people do not understand why it costs more than other Monsters. 

* Vita water..... They do not sell cases of a single flavor and some of their flavors are totally undesirable BS - I WONT BE BUYING THIS AGAIN - until they start selling single cases of XXX!!!

*Danishes - Bg TExas and Honeybuns are hard enough to not let expire with such a small route...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how long you've been at it, but the repairing of machines gets easier as you go along. I've replaced boards, cooling decks, coin and bill acceptors, sensors, vend motors and diagnosed quite a few other issues in my less than 2 years. 

It looks like we have very similar sized routes. I have 30 machines over 16 locations on the full-line side. Some of the products you're removing are solid for me (payday, reg lays and BBQ chips). I sell quite a few of the bear claw danishes. The cheese Danish is hit or miss. Also, I've transitioned to only diet coke and stoppd carrying diet pepsi.  I sell famous Amos pretty well (along with the fudge stripes) and pop tarts move at a few locations. Alot of these are location dependent products. I like to introduce new products to locations regularly. Variety keeps people interested as well as I've stumbled into products that become one of the locations favorite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're at a point where you need both variety packs AND full boxes. It's tough, but that's how it is.

You'll quickly find out that demographics is a real thing. Famous Amos is a good seller, but not everywhere. Stickers is a top selling candy bar, but not in every machine.

At your size, just focus on what sells. When you get bigger, you can start to experiment. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And remember, you will never really get to a fixed snack menu, items get tired and need changing.  People will lock on to a product for a while but then get tired of it and want some variety.  Pastries seem to sell better in cool/cold weather, during the summer they slow down at a lot of places.  Famous Amos is an evergreen (always carry) product for me, but you are right on about the M&M cookies.   It's nice to see vendouts but seeing too many might mean you are missing too many sales as well! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...