Another conglomerate that will be difficult to deal with

[mission vending]

The link is to an article about the recent announced Snyder Lance merger.

http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/web/online/VendingMarketWatch-News/Snyders-of-Hanover--Inc-And-Lance-Inc-Sign-Merger-Agreement/1$27667&ref=nl

[Beach Bum Vending]

interesting read  thanks for link

[RJT]

I will take a "conglomerate" over Lance in vending any day. The day Lance got out of vending was the best thing to happen to independent operators. Hard to compete with folks that make product, sell it wholesale to the public and give them a free vending machine to use. 

I remember a few years back the company I was a sales manager for bought about 80 Lance accounts when they sold off their vending division and got out of vending all together. It was a real pain going around to those customers and explaining to them they no longer could have a key, to the machine, buy product wholesale and make a 50 % profit margin. Them was some mad folks. They just couldn’t understand why we couldn’t do the same deal. 

So I will take them merging any day....  

[gumball427]

I agree. Why mess with them when you can buy snack machines, parts and supplies from direct wholesale operations? I've looked at several sites and found good resources here. Hope this helps!

Start 'Lite,' Start Right  |  Snack Machines

[alboy88]

ha ha i bought 6 locations from lance  all at schools  and let me tell you those pleople are weird  i took and changed the locks and they threw a fit cause they didnt get a key

then i raised the prices  needless to say i only have 2 locations left  but  found 4 to replace them

[RJT]

ha ha i bought 6 locations from lance  all at schools  and let me tell you those pleople are weird  i took and changed the locks and they threw a fit cause they didnt get a key

then i raised the prices  needless to say i only have 2 locations left   but  found 4 to replace them

LOL  LOL

I feel your pain. The school people freaked out just like you said. They could not understand why we wouldnt sell them product at wholesale, give them a key, and let them count the money and pay us on terms for the product sold.  What was sad was to hear them say “we depend on that money for stuff for the kids”.  School systems are in sad shape if they depend on cracker sales to get kids what they need.  I just explained that we are not a manufacture of products and could not sell them at what was our cost. I offered them a fair commission and  told them if they wanted to look around and see if someone else would do for them what Lance was I would gladly pull out the machines. One school told us to pull the machines and they was going to do vending themselves. Guess what? The next year they called us back and said it was not worth the hassle. They said their machines got broke into the first month they had them and  they just kept having problems.

We only lost like 2 out of 80 plus so it wasnt all bad. Not sure about your area but Lance had the Walmart break rooms. We thought these would be dog of accounts because they were in a Walmart of all places. I couldnt believe it but these things rocked. We had 3 of them and all three had two machines and had to be worked twice a week and everyday during the holidays.

Then Canteen got a national contract and the ride came to a crash....

Lance out of vending is one of the best things to happen to the industry and independent operators.

[alboy88]

yeah i had one lance machine at a school that  the office lady took the money  it out before i came back to restock it  i couldnt figure out where it  went til she said key didnt work on lock ha ha i changed it told here she didnt have any business in my machine