should we stay away from collecting now?

[jay22]

other than the fact that it’s risky being out in general, do you guys think the panic corona is causing could cause owners to have us get rid of our machine if we come across them? it happened to me yesterday for the first time. they didn’t mention the virus, just that the machine wasn’t doing anything for them(i gave them 20%, it’s a single head gumball machine that averaged $15 monthly over 3 months it was there, and i expected it to do well come spring.)my guess is that since stores are spending more time now cleaning everything, our machines are getting more attention, and more people are questioning “Do we really need this?”

Edited March 14, 2020 by jay22

[gumball guy]

2 hours ago, jay22 said:

other than the fact that it’s risky being out in general, do you guys think the panic corona is causing could cause owners to have us get rid of our machine if we come across them? it happened to me yesterday for the first time. they didn’t mention the virus, just that the machine wasn’t doing anything for them(i gave them 20%, it’s a single head gumball machine that averaged $15 monthly over 3 months it was there, and i expected it to do well come spring.)my guess is that since stores are spending more time now cleaning everything, our machines are getting more attention, and more people are questioning “Do we really need this?”

     I located 12 machines about 2 weeks ago. Prior to going out I was prepared for an unreasonably tough day locating but was pleasantly surprised how easy we placed the equipment. Unfortunately things have changed alot in 2 weeks. I had planned to do some locating yesterday but put that off. I also told my route guy that we are not going out next week primarily to protect our customers as well as he and I. I am also concerned about locations being randomly closed due to the virus. Not a good thing when you drive 2-3 hours to run a route and find out that multiple locations are closed.

     I have the same worries as you when it comes to people showing us the door over this situation. I lost one long term business office location last week and while they gave the reason that they were "changing the office around" I suspect it was a panic decision. There are always a fair amount of locations that seem to "begrudgingly" let us keep our machines there and this could be a catalyst to show us the door. Bottom line we are generally not seen as a necessity and we are easy get rid of. 

     Overall I am concerned about the long term effects of this virus on our already slowing business model. If this thing lasts for a long time, comes back seasonally or becomes extremely virulent then we could be facing some real challenges going forward.  I discussed the situation with 2 of my local competitors (good relationships with both of them) and they have the same fears. My plan is to see how things go in the world during the next week and just reassess every week. Whenever it looks like it's easing up and safe to roll then we will be hitting the streets. This thing is going to be an economic catastrophe for alot of businesses and we will not be exempt.  I have no doubt this will crush bulk sales over the next 3-6 months if not longer. I hope I'm wrong.

    

[jay22]

47 minutes ago, gumball guy said:

     I located 12 machines about 2 weeks ago. Prior to going out I was prepared for an unreasonably tough day locating but was pleasantly surprised how easy we placed the equipment. Unfortunately things have changed alot in 2 weeks. I had planned to do some locating yesterday but put that off. I also told my route guy that we are not going out next week primarily to protect our customers as well as he and I. I am also concerned about locations being randomly closed due to the virus. Not a good thing when you drive 2-3 hours to run a route and find out that multiple locations are closed.

     I have the same worries as you when it comes to people showing us the door over this situation. I lost one long term business office location last week and while they gave the reason that they were "changing the office around" I suspect it was a panic decision. There are always a fair amount of locations that seem to "begrudgingly" let us keep our machines there and this could be a catalyst to show us the door. Bottom line we are generally not seen as a necessity and we are easy get rid of. 

     Overall I am concerned about the long term effects of this virus on our already slowing business model. If this thing lasts for a long time, comes back seasonally or becomes extremely virulent then we could be facing some real challenges going forward.  I discussed the situation with 2 of my local competitors (good relationships with both of them) and they have the same fears. My plan is to see how things go in the world during the next week and just reassess every week. Whenever it looks like it's easing up and safe to roll then we will be hitting the streets. This thing is going to be an economic catastrophe for alot of businesses and we will not be exempt.  I have no doubt this will crush bulk sales over the next 3-6 months if not longer. I hope I'm wrong.

    

it really sucks because we’re going to lose our prime season. i started out last july but didn’t start really getting going until september so i was excited to see numbers come april, but now i’m nervous to even check on the machines. like you said, we just gotta wait it out and hope things get better.

[SSVEND]

On 3/14/2020 at 6:38 PM, gumball guy said:

     I located 12 machines about 2 weeks ago. Prior to going out I was prepared for an unreasonably tough day locating but was pleasantly surprised how easy we placed the equipment. Unfortunately things have changed alot in 2 weeks. I had planned to do some locating yesterday but put that off. I also told my route guy that we are not going out next week primarily to protect our customers as well as he and I. I am also concerned about locations being randomly closed due to the virus. Not a good thing when you drive 2-3 hours to run a route and find out that multiple locations are closed.

     I have the same worries as you when it comes to people showing us the door over this situation. I lost one long term business office location last week and while they gave the reason that they were "changing the office around" I suspect it was a panic decision. There are always a fair amount of locations that seem to "begrudgingly" let us keep our machines there and this could be a catalyst to show us the door. Bottom line we are generally not seen as a necessity and we are easy get rid of. 

     Overall I am concerned about the long term effects of this virus on our already slowing business model. If this thing lasts for a long time, comes back seasonally or becomes extremely virulent then we could be facing some real challenges going forward.  I discussed the situation with 2 of my local competitors (good relationships with both of them) and they have the same fears. My plan is to see how things go in the world during the next week and just reassess every week. Whenever it looks like it's easing up and safe to roll then we will be hitting the streets. This thing is going to be an economic catastrophe for alot of businesses and we will not be exempt.  I have no doubt this will crush bulk sales over the next 3-6 months if not longer. I hope I'm wrong.

    

Absolutely agree and we have the same concerns. Bulk vending hasn't been the same since 2008 and this will no doubt hurt us much worse...likely forcing many businesses to close up. It's going to be a very interesting couple months. Bulk vending right now is a fragile industry. Hopefully we can ride this out. Good luck to all of you.

[Josephe]

I only have one location that had closed for now (barbershop) and 3 other locations that are still open (mechanic shop and 2 restaurants). I was a bit leery on going out to collect but have been driving by just to check on my machines. 

Honestly I won't be surprised if some locations closed down indefinitely after this so I'm trying to prepare for the worse but hope for the best. I can't wait until this whole thing is over!

Edited March 21, 2020 by Josephe

[gumball guy]

I've put all servicing on hold indefinitely. This is a truly surreal situation that now has no definitive end in sight. We will just have to do our best to pick up the pieces after this thing runs it's course. Right now staying healthy and helping others when we can is the name of the game.

[Vendin it]

Hopefully this runs its coarse & in May locations open back up, sports like racing etc. are rescheduling for May event's, let's keep are fingers crossed. It seemed like the public had become more interested in our products, more than ever before,  we offer a very affordable product. What else can you buy for a quarter these day's?