ZonkyTheDonkey Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 So I've had this vision in my head about making a small kiosk in a mall with gumballs/candy/toys. I actually contacted a couple of malls about leasing some space and got one to reply to me saying they had space in a food court. Only thing is, I've never really thought about in detail how I would make this kiosk. I've see some of these gumball kiosks at malls where all the single heads are bolted down to the table, and all the coins seem to feed to a central location in the base. Does anyone have any experience building a type of mall kiosk that could get me going in the right direction and can provide a link to anything that would help me along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZonkyTheDonkey Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 No one has got any ideas about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dperry Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I think minivend is very heavily into kiosks. You should ask him. I don't think its an easy or cheap undertaking either. If you are good with woodworking, I imagine you can make something decent. I make all my racks from wood, so I know how much effort goes into making just one small piece. By the way, you should check out some of the older threads. This has been discussed a few times here. You might find some answers to your questions back there. Also, you could try here, at modularvendingsystem.com and check out their location photos. That reminds me, has anybody heard from Simon? Haven't seen him in years. I think Steve updated the forum software twice since we last saw him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yea, minivend has some beautiful bulk kiosks. Not cheap but very nice with signage and LED lighting. Sent using the Tapatalk Forum Viewer for Android. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Friend of mine has mall contracts in several cities as a bulk vendor . He's trying to get out and/or being forced out of many of them. All the malls I'm familiar with work their bulk machines on a lease...just as if the kiosk were any other store in the mall. Kiosks are VERY expensive to make or have made. And you can't go cheapo....the mall is expecting top-notch kiosks no matter how big or small your vending company is. If you go cheapo on the kiosk, you can forget about getting your lease/contract extended when it's up. And no matter how much you spend on the kiosk (sometimes it's in the $thousands) they won't stay looking good for long. So, you have to be willing to replace or remodel them often...otherwise, you can expect to get kicked out when your lease expires after your competition comes in with their glossy brochure of nicer looking kiosks. I mean...have you seen those kiosks the big vending companies have? They are NICE! So, why should mall managers give the contract to your worn 2 yr old kiosk at contract renewal instead of giving it to that shiny new kiosk your competitor is willing to bring in for the same amount of cash? Mall managers also come and go very quickly. The one you signed your last contract/lease with will likely not be there when you need to sign another. So there is no goodwill built up with mall managers to help keep your foot in the door. That kiosk you spend a wad on today may not have a home in as little as 12 months...and it's not like you can just fit those things anywhere else. Another issue is that, on a whim, the mall can decide to go month to month on you after a lease/contract is up. If that's the case...you will have to submit to price increases and/or the threat of getting kicked out way too often. So, IMO, mall locations are better left to the huge vending companies who can sign contracts on a regional or national level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loach33 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I think minivend is very heavily into kiosks. You should ask him. I don't think its an easy or cheap undertaking either. If you are good with woodworking, I imagine you can make something decent. I make all my racks from wood, so I know how much effort goes into making just one small piece. By the way, you should check out some of the older threads. This has been discussed a few times here. You might find some answers to your questions back there. Also, you could try here, at modularvendingsystem.com and check out their location photos. That reminds me, has anybody heard from Simon? Haven't seen him in years. I think Steve updated the forum software twice since we last saw him. That's the first time I've seen that website www.modularvendingsystem.com Does he build those wood racks himself? They all look very nice and I could see how a business would be much more likely to say yes to something like that vs. the usual machine on a stand. I just wonder how expensive something like that can be, although it looks like they're in some really high traffic spots - so it must be worth it. Very nice setups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dperry Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You can prolly buy a round office table like this one and mount some machines around the edge. Put some 2in machines in the center to maximize your space. http://www.officefurniture2go.com/product/KGA109/42-in-Round-Wood-Veneer-Conference-Table-by-Rudnick.aspx#colors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You can prolly buy a round office table like this one and mount some machines around the edge. Put some 2in machines in the center to maximize your space. http://www.officefur...ick.aspx#colors You'll want a coin-changer on there too. Mall bulk vending kiosks will do a lot less money if there is no coin changer near the machines. Unlike restaurants and other retail places where we normally set up machines, there is no cash register to change out mom's dollars for quarters only a few feet away in the mall concourse. Bulk kiosks are usually in the middle of the mall...which is where you want them...But, you need to help parents out by giving them somewhere to change out folding money for the kind that jingles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 My newest location is shops of grand river near Birmingham. Two food court AA racks with 22 total heads. I will get some photos up. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loach33 Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 My newest location is shops of grand river near Birmingham. Two food court AA racks with 22 total heads. I will get some photos up. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk With these mall setups - how do you get the location? Do you go in and just pay for the space like anyone else or are you offering a share of the profits to the mall. I wonder because our mall here has banks of gumball and candy and they have video games, ride on machines, etc.... seemingly everything but toys. If I was able to set up a bank of machines with just toys I just wondered how to go about it. Any pics yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Visit the mall office and meet with the specialty leasing agent. Bring detailed plans including photos, product samples, insurance documents. Give some thought to what sorta flat rent you can pay. Most likely you will be set up on a flat rent with a break point. When you hit the break you will have to pay a higher rent. But at the break your making good money. You have to report your sales each month to the mall. Be sure they know that you will not need to use their dumpsters. So that they don't hit you with cam charges. Before you talk to them look at some areas of the mall you want food court is best. If they show you halls and corners walk away. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have noticed that most of these wooden mall racks have mostly gumball heads, with a few candies and maybe one superball. But no toys or flat vending. Then I saw a sign on one rack with advertising for the candy store in the mall. It seems like most of the mall racks in this town are owned by the mall's candy store. Which would explain the lack of toys and tattoos - which would probably do real well. I have also noticed that most stores in a mall or shopping center usually obtains an exclusive for their products. So maybe putting in certain toys or sport stickers on a rack would violate a contract with another store. Or maybe the candy owner just has no clue about vending toys. Just speculating a bit. But, I had a number of these issues at an outdoor shopping area. A current business transferred to this location and my first reaction was, "Cool, many more people". Well I soon found out from the business owner that coin operated machines were prohibited any where else on the strip because the arcade guy had a lock on all coin machines in this strip. Even if he would allow them, then there was a candy exclusion that another store had, the sports memorabilia store had an exclusive on all licensed sport products and would not allow any NFL stickers, etc, etc. Oh, and the entire strip center had a no-gum policy! Was ready to give up. Then I caught a little break. The strip center owner(the big boss) inspected the new business and liked my gas pump machine and wanted it in his store (still no gum, but toys were fine). But still had to remove some other heads due to mall "protectionism" policies. But I was happy to salvage something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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