VAVending Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, bhumphrey829 said: One more thing I forgot to bring up, and this is only my boxes. Other's on here may vary, but it costs me about $8.00 to stock the small box and about $22.00 to fill 40 items in my large boxes. Yes, realizing that snack box products cost 30-60 cents, these numbers make sense. However if you’re buying, you’re buying 30 and 50 packs of things, so it does wind up costing more on the first purchase. Made my first Sam’s order today and it came out to about $67. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhumphrey829 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 12 minutes ago, VAVending said: Agreed on the screws, it was the simplest mechanism I could come up with without purchasing something more. The missing link between our previous conversation and now is the chat I had with Mehehe. He pointed out that with a 40 item box I would have to start with more product selection in order not to duplicate too many products. With a 20 item box I can start with less kinds of product which will lead to fewer stale products as I get off the ground. In this line of reasoning I feel it’s worth it to mix box sizes; starting with small. If I really want to go uniform one day I can just switch over to large and put the small in storage. In addition he gave me a list of what products he would begin with at my budget to help reduce stales, and what I can build toward as my cash flow increases. I know it’s probably inevitable that I will wind up with old product starting out, but isn’t that something everyone faces? If all goes to plan I intend to grow quickly and get out of the new route slump. If you feel the market will bear $1.25 then I will reprint my price labels right now. Thanks for the tip. You are definitely on the right track. I most definitely would go with the $1.25. The market will bear that price no matter where you are at. As far as stales go, yes, even with over 360 boxes out on location, I still have stales to throw out, The main thing is just keep up with the percentage and keep it as low as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAVending Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 10 minutes ago, bhumphrey829 said: You are definitely on the right track. I most definitely would go with the $1.25. The market will bear that price no matter where you are at. As far as stales go, yes, even with over 360 boxes out on location, I still have stales to throw out, The main thing is just keep up with the percentage and keep it as low as possible. I really appreciate the feedback and constructive criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flintflash Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 17 hours ago, bhumphrey829 said: You are definitely on the right track. I most definitely would go with the $1.25. The market will bear that price no matter where you are at. As far as stales go, yes, even with over 360 boxes out on location, I still have stales to throw out, The main thing is just keep up with the percentage and keep it as low as possible. Bryan is giving you some great advice! I would also encourage you to start at the $1.25 price point. I will be going to that price point soon enough (I am currently $1.00) and I purchase product by the pallet. Prices are going up and up and you don't want to start out at $1.00, only to have to raise your price within a few months. If I can make another suggestion: I would recommend avoiding pastries in your boxes to start. Honey buns and danishes can be a good seller (sometimes), but with only a few boxes to rotate product, you will DEFINITELY throw out more than you sell. TRUST ME! When planning your menu think of these 3 things: SALES, COST, SHELF-LIFE. Ask yourself: 1. Will it sell? (Is it something people will buy or is it some cheap, offbrand no one wants); 2. How much does it cost? (it can't be too expensive or you will have no profit margin, especially when shortages come into play); 3. How many chances do I have to sell it? (Shelf-life is NOT looked at by time, but by number of times you can rotate the item to sell it. For example: 2 months may seem like a long shelf-life, but if you are servicing your boxes every two weeks, you only get 4 rotations to sell that item). I could go on and on about the nuances of menu selection, but I don't want to overwhelm you (or BORE you...LOL). Feel free to message me anytime for info or help. I started in Honor Snack Trays 25 years ago when the industry was probably at it's peak. I've seen the rapid decline of honor snack businesses across the country, and now it seems to be on a rebound. I would LOVE to see this industry flourish again, so feel free to pick my brain anytime if you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAVending Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 3 hours ago, flintflash said: Bryan is giving you some great advice! I would also encourage you to start at the $1.25 price point. I will be going to that price point soon enough (I am currently $1.00) and I purchase product by the pallet. Prices are going up and up and you don't want to start out at $1.00, only to have to raise your price within a few months. If I can make another suggestion: I would recommend avoiding pastries in your boxes to start. Honey buns and danishes can be a good seller (sometimes), but with only a few boxes to rotate product, you will DEFINITELY throw out more than you sell. TRUST ME! When planning your menu think of these 3 things: SALES, COST, SHELF-LIFE. Ask yourself: 1. Will it sell? (Is it something people will buy or is it some cheap, offbrand no one wants); 2. How much does it cost? (it can't be too expensive or you will have no profit margin, especially when shortages come into play); 3. How many chances do I have to sell it? (Shelf-life is NOT looked at by time, but by number of times you can rotate the item to sell it. For example: 2 months may seem like a long shelf-life, but if you are servicing your boxes every two weeks, you only get 4 rotations to sell that item). I could go on and on about the nuances of menu selection, but I don't want to overwhelm you (or BORE you...LOL). Feel free to message me anytime for info or help. I started in Honor Snack Trays 25 years ago when the industry was probably at it's peak. I've seen the rapid decline of honor snack businesses across the country, and now it seems to be on a rebound. I would LOVE to see this industry flourish again, so feel free to pick my brain anytime if you wish. Greatly appreciated! Right now the only product in my boxes that doesn’t have a shelf life out to March of next year are the chips, and that’s inevitable. Closest thing I have to pastries are Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies, but I was surprised to see that those also have a long life. I will definitely be sure to ask you or Bryan (or more likely both of you) first thing if I have more questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAVending Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Placed both boxes in about 15 minutes. Hit a strip mall and was about half way down when I got both my bites. A Long & Foster office and the busiest nail salon in town. Price point is $1.25. Cameron boxes will be ordered within the hour after I finish inputting my stock into Vendtrack. Looking forward to seeing how they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAVending Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Any future updates will be posted under a different thread, provided I decide to do that kinda thing. Thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAVending Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share Posted August 3, 2018 As a capstone to this thread, I got my 20 Cameron Boxes today. They are much nicer looking than in the pictures and hold the advertised 20 snacks. Very happy with my purchase. Time to cut & build a ply box: 40 min. Time to fold & label Cameron box: 1.5 min. Cost to build ply box: About $2.80 Cost to buy 20 Cameron boxes: $3.86 w/ shipping ($77.22 for all 20) In the end, I’d recommend the Cameron from the start. Yes you have to order more at once and the shipping total is scary, but it’s just easier. In the end you be the judge. What is your time worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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