JEREMYTINA Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 My wife and I are new to bulk vending here in the Tampa area. We have been thinking about trying full line out as well, but we were going to wait until next year. My employer at my full time job knows that my wife is trying to make a go of vending as a full time business, and asked if we would like to place a full line machine in my building and maybe some of our other locations as well. The company I work for is a wholesale distributor for swimming pool supplies for construction, service, and retail. They employ 10-14 people at each location, but the walk in traffic in these places pushes 60-80 per day during the summer here April-September. The machine would be in the showroom, so everyone would would be able to see it if they came through the door. The kicker is they want 15% commission (to be used for employee parties), and they want to move down from two machines that another operator has in the break room to a single combo machine. We don't own any machines currently, but this seems like a golden opportunity to get started. Should we buy used, or new? Lot's of used machines on CL, but a reputable place for used would be more comfortable for me. What kind of machines would you all recommend? How many selections? Etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snack dude Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Since it is going to be in the showroom I would go with a refurbished machine from a reputable dealer. There is I am sure some good folks on here that can give you some names that are close to Tampa. To me Refurbed is the way to go here because they look close to new and you want it to look good enough to sit out on the showroom and the owner wont be embarassed to have it there. And yet you will not pay new prices. You might try contacting the local Pepsi or Coke bottler to see if they would install a machine for you. Some bottlers will some wont but the worst that can happen is they say no. Lastly ( and this is just my experience) I would go with a bottle machine in these types of locations. Customers to places like this seem to me to like bottles over cans because they can put the cap back on and take it to the car with them. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxer518 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 You might try contacting the local Pepsi or Coke bottler to see if they would install a machine for you. Some bottlers will some wont but the worst that can happen is they say no. If you need to be placing a combo machine the third party route will not work for you.I would try and talk him into doing full size machines, combo machines just suck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEREMYTINA Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 They are really wanting to go with one machine..Do combo machines have a lot of issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxer518 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Depends on what your business plans for the future look like, when I first started I was very excited for a combo machine location, now I will not take a location that wants or will only warrant a combo machine, they are not so "ideal". But don't get me wrong they are a great way to get started in full line vending, I just personally with I made it more of a point since day one to always place full size stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 The biggest "problem" with combos is the lack of capacity. Once you hire some help this is a location that likely will not be profitable after covering expenses. That's not a bad thing, you'll just need to sell it to someone that is in your shoes now, just starting out. Find a good equipment dealer in your area and "git er done" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEREMYTINA Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have a bulk double head machine that does $50 a month from the employees, and the current guy uses an old soda machine that vends, six selections of water, Gatorade, and coke products. The snack machine he has thirty selections, but it seems like a lot of them don't move and he winds up throwing 10-20 items away every other week in our trash. The machine is in the break room, so it doesn't see the customers, and I would expect that it would be a little more profitable out front. I know that I see at least $5 total going in the machines every day, and I'm sure there's more than that. How many selections of snacks do I need? If I go with bottles instead of cans, what price point should I vend them at? I know that I will go with Coke products. Where should I buy my snack/soda product from? A whole bunch of questions that I am sure have been answered, but I am short on time to get this rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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