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Building Your Empire?


West Coast Vend LLC

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I just want to update all of you on Blockbuster Video. I rode all the stores today with my contact and we decided on locations for each machine. I will be going back Friday with machines that I have in stock and ordering machines for the rest of the stores.

10 stores are getting a total of 13 triple-head machines.

6 stores are getting bulk racks with 6 heads. Stickers, tattoos, 2" caps & candy.

They will be testing these stores for now and at the end of 90 days, decide if they are going to do all 132 stores in the Region.

Gary

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Happy New Year, All!  Just an FYI to any Blockbuster locations.. I have a hunch that Blockbuster might be out of business by year's end... No tangible proof, but they sure are phasing video inventory a bit at a time and they are heavily promoting their mailorder biz....

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It might not be this year but it will definately be soon there after once enough people are using netflix. Blockbuster has a lot more overhead with all the store locations, and this is why they are looking outside the box and have recently put in their own gumball machines trying to minimize the gap between their bussiness model and the inevitable future of mail/internet delivery of movies.

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It might not be this year but it will definately be soon there after once enough people are using netflix. Blockbuster has a lot more overhead with all the store locations, and this is why they are looking outside the box and have recently put in their own gumball machines trying to minimize the gap between their bussiness model and the inevitable future of mail/internet delivery of movies.

For vendors, there is a bright side.  DVD vending boxes are on the rise.  I have a local BBV, but I refuse to go there if I can help it.  I have other local locations that have DVD vending boxes and I can find something interesting in at least one of them.  And for only $1.00 a day for a rental, instead of the $4+ from BBV, I like the savings to my pocketbook.

 

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Hi all,

First, congratulations Gary on the Blockbuster deal.

WAY TO GO!!!

Let me say I agree about Blockbuster to a certain extent.

I like Blockbusters current program of mail order / store

exchange combo.  But I do know that Internet delivery of

pay per view movies is not far off. I already use Vongo,

even with their limited selection. 

We used to use Hollywood Video all the time, but it got to

be less and less, and now I noticed they're closing them

down around here. The one we used to go to every week is

gone! I just threw away my membership card this weekend.

The DVD Vending boxes are everywhere around here too.

I think they're called "The Big Red Box", which of course

they are, big and red I mean. They are in the grocery store,

which BTW, closed their own video store recently, in front of

every McDonald's, and alot of other places like the mall

etc...

I guess to get back on track a little, my goals for '08 are simple.

Write that business plan I've been putting off.

Place the rest of my 30 machine fleet.

Start buying 1-800 machines, and place as many as possible

in some of the more heavily trafficked retail outlets in my

area.

Help out as many people as I can here on VENDiscuss.

If I can do that I'll be good to go.

Dave

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Good stuff, Lurker. I think BBV will be around for a while. They have a good on-line business as well as their stores.  Hollywood Video is out-of-business everywhere. There just isn't room for 2 video chains so one had to go...

Your business plan is the most important thing to do. You can't just leave it to luck. Once you have a plan in place, and a vision for your future, things will fall in to place. Don't wait a minute longer, it will be worth it. Get those machines placed...

By the way, welcome to the forums. We are happy you found us.

Gary

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This sounds kinda like what I plan on doing for 2008

For 2008 I hope to buy and place my first machine.  I would like to try and average $10 profit/month and put the profits into a few more machines or just save up and have at least a minimum of 5 and no more then 20 if it all works out.

I'm just taking it slow, unless the money is so fabulous that I have to expand at an amazing rate (not counting on it).

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BVO, being Canadian you have an advantage over our American counter parts. The Loonie, Canadians are use to using the Loonie; in my impartial test's with a Loonie machine beside a quarter machine The vending action is almost the same. (140 .25  vends ($35.00) to 120 $1.00 vends ($120.00) typical for the three months I tracked it) For the same products for the most part that I sell at other locations I'm able to get $1.00 there. So keep your eyes open for good deals on a Loonie machine and try it. Oh it's placed in a Pizza shop with take out and delivery only.

Grumpy

B.V.O. wrote:

For 2008 I hope to buy and place my first machine.  I would like to try and average $10 profit/month and put the profits into a few more machines or just save up and have at least a minimum of 5 and no more then 20 if it all works out.

I'm just taking it slow, unless the money is so fabulous that I have to expand at an amazing rate (not counting on it).

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Are you saying Canadians pay 1$ for gumballs and other items that are typically 25 cents? And they do it just as often as when it was 25 cents!

If thats the case Grumpy, Make room because I'm on my way up there! :shock:

Steve

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No! Gumballs may be a stretch. But PM&M's and cashews and gourmet jelly beans and ....

The point is I sell those items for a quarter, but at the test site I sell them for a dollar. I do not find gumballs popular at any of my locations, but then most of them are break rooms.

Test Site

Quarter Vend

Skittle and Zingy Zaps

Dollar Vend

4 selections of Jelly Bellys #3,4,5, 8

PM&M's     #1

Cashews   #2

Chocolate coffee beans

Pistachoes # 6

Grumpy

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The Loonie machine when I bought them had these products in them.

Tutti Fruitti

Chocolate almonds

Cashews

Bridge Mix

Choco Coffee Beans

Pistachoes

Foil wrapped chocolate

easter eggs

It was obvious that his supplier was Costco, he said that he had paid off his eleven machines in 14 months at $990 a piece. (he was moving out of the country is why he sold) He also said that they were placed in breakrooms as they are not really that hard to ripp off. (GTA area)

Now looking at that list do you see anything that is really worth a dollar? I do not do choco almonds in them anymore as they only give three at maximum setting. ( I do have a Conscious!

Grumpy

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Pizz

Depending on what you are looking for, they are both good. Sam's club is cheaper than Costco for Peanut m&m's, Mike & Ike, Hot Tam., Plain m&m, Skittles, Reese's Pieces. These are West Coast prices. I don't know if it would be different in your part of the country.

Gary

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  • 2 months later...

Since we are now in to the first quarter of 2008, it would be a good time to check your proposed 2008 business plans. Double check to see if you are meeting your personal goals and make adjustments if necessary. You may want to add or remove some of the goals you set back at the end of 2007.

Here are some of the plans I have achieved so far;

Picked up 16 BlockBusters.

I have added equipment to existing accounts.

Didn't get the Senior Apartment complex.

Didn't get the Jiffy Lube's.

Didn't get the car rentals around the airport.

My Q-2 plans are to pick up another 60+ Blockbusters in Southern California.

Continue to add equipment to existing accounts.

Remove equipment from the under achievers and find better locations.

Please list your Q-2 plans now if you want to be prepared to grow in 2008.

Gary

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