Introducing Vending Machines To Beginners
The first vending machine had been created by a 1st century inventor called Hero of Alexandria. This machine could dispense a fixed amount of “holy water” after accepting a coin.
In simple words, a vending machine is a machine that allows a customer to obtain a product after depositing the required amount of money. Most traditional vending machines accept coins and dispense merchandise. Some new vending machines even have a currency detector to determine if the money inserted is sufficient to buy the desired product.
- Common vending machine locations include:
- Restrooms
- Break rooms
- Coffee maker
- Reception area
- Near cash register
- Music store
- Doctor’s clinic
- Airports
- Hotels
Different vending machines carry diverse products like candy, toys, soda, snacks, newspapers, tissues and even digital items like iPods. In the United States, vending machines even offer alcoholic beverages like beer and cigarettes. However, these function during certain time period of the day because of the concerns regarding usage by underage buyers.
Vending machines can be categorized as per the products sold through them. Some of them are listed below:
Candy vending machinesPopular among children, these machines vend a handful of candy, toy or jewelry on insertion of a coin.
Soda/ snack vending machinesthese machines are widely popular among all kinds of customers and location owners due to their ability to substitute meals for people who don’t have the time to go out to a restaurant.
Specialized vending machinesThese machines dispense personal products, especially in public toilets used by waiting or traveling people in high traffic locations. These can be found in train stations and bus stops.
The various forms of vending machines have the same basic mechanism for functioning properly. They use a spiral technique to separate and hold the items to be dispensed. The vending takes place when he spiral turns and pushes the product forward.
You must choose a reliable vending machine from a good company like
Planet Antares Inc to ensure effective functioning and reduce problems later on. However, issues like stuck up coin acceptors, bill validator, etc may arise. You should be able to handle the minor faults on your own but for technically advanced problems, you will need to call the technical support staff of your vending machine supplier.
Another factor to be considered is the innovations in vending technology. This helps in attracting new customers, keep the existing ones coming back and increasing profitability. There has been development of cashless vending technology as well as high-end security mechanisms.
Selecting Snack Vending Machines
Many people complain that they don’t have the time to pack lunch for work or take the time to go to a restaurant. With ever growing shortage of time, vending machines are the most common way to satisfy their hunger and thirst. Everywhere you go, you will find vending machines of various kinds, styles and prices.
If you want to get into a vending machine business, there are many alternatives like gumball, candy, toys, soda and snacks to choose from. Before you make a decision, research is necessary. Ask various vending business owners and check online forums to get more information about the different aspects of the business. Do your homework and analyze your needs to make the right decision.
Go online to search for “food vending machine”. Instantly, thousands of results will be displayed on your computer screen. You can find a diverse range of vending products that can dispensed. From small items like candy and toys to large items like newspapers and snacks, choose according to your own requirements and budget.
You can choose small vending machines that can be placed in a small space or hang it on the wall. Otherwise, you can buy large vending machines that occupy more floor space. Another fact to be considered is whether the vending machine is manually or electronically operated. Planet Antares vending machines are fully automated and user friendly.
When you choose the vending products for selling, make sure that there are enough profit margins while deciding the price to be charged from customers. Try to keep products with different prices in the machine as the same priced items will be either too expensive or too cheap.
Another factor is to select a vending machine with multi payment options or coin acceptacle. This will affect the customer base of your vending machines and the price which can be charged per vend. The various alternative modes of payment include:
- Coins
- Notes
- Credit card
- Debit card
- Smart card
Snack vending machines may dispense coffee along with snacks, sandwiches and other kinds of food. Many healthy and nutritional items are also available for providing meals to customers. For employees, such vending machines are a great hunger fix without taking break from work. Just ensure that the products are fresh and vending machines are clean.
Where And How To Find The Right Vending Machine Location
Since its beginning, the vending industry has become bigger and bigger. The best thing about the vending business is that it isn’t just for the large companies alone. Even small companies and individuals who want to earn a good income can enter this business easily. Depending on your funds and business sense, you can start small, medium or big vending business with new, used or rented machines.
If you think that purchasing good vending equipment like Planet Antares vending machines is the only important task in ensuring vending business success, think again. Location is a very important determinant of the performance of any vending machine. Initially, you may choose to locate your vending machines yourself. Some people may even hire a vending locator.
While hiring a location company, make sure that you have done your homework regarding their services and experience. Enquire about:
1) Location of their office
2) Association with the BBB
3) Legal judgments against the locator company
4) Longevity of experience
5) Previous customer reviews
6) Terms and conditions of service contract
If you hire a vending machine locator without verifying all these factors, you may have to face problems later on. This may take the form of bad locations, hidden costs, high vending commissions, bad vending machine maintenance, etc.
Even though you started locating with the help of Location Company, you must know how to find and obtain good locations for your vending machines. You may not want to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars to a locator for expanding your vending route or place new machines each time.
Here are a few tips to do it on your own:
• Keep an eye on new sites being constructed as potential locations.
• Smaller machines can be placed in diverse location which may be missed by locators who focus largely on bulkier, larger number of machines.
• Look for secure places with lesser chances of vandalism and theft.
• Don’t expect to get prime locations for a few machines, like bulk candy machines.
• Start with smaller locations instead of trying to secure corporate chain accounts.
Analyze and match the potential locations with the chosen machines and products to be sold. Big, sophisticated buildings and offices may not always be the best places for all vending equipment. A strategically placed machine that is easily accessible by the target customers will earn more than a wrongly located vending machine, even if it is placed in a high-end location.
To get best results, learn as much as possible about effective locating of your vending machines to enable optimization of profits and success in business.
Planet Antares Vending Tips: Quality Vs Quantity
Most people make the mistake of buying a vending machine on the basis of its features, capacity and price. What they ignore is the quality of the equipment. No matter how many vending machines you buy and install, your vending business will prosper only when these machines are of good quality and capable of satisfactory performance.
Basically, you will find vending machines of three grades: A, B and C. it is important to understand the categories of vending machine quality before you actually purchase a vending machine. Different grades will have different build, price and features. So, you must be aware about the various options to make the right purchase decision.
While other vending operators take machines and then deal with breakdowns and other painstaking issues, you can be smart and avoid future trouble by making a prudent choice right at the beginning.
Preferably, you should buy vending equipment from a reputable source like Planet Antares Inc to ensure that you have to indulge minimum possible time, money and energy in maintenance of the machines and value for your investment.
Grade C vending machines are usually built of plastic and lack reliability and strength. You must be prepared for frequent breakdowns and wear and tear of components like coin acceptors. These machines will rarely find acceptance at high profile locations. This means that your earning potential is limited and there is scope for additional income only.
A better quality option will be the Grade B vending machines that are made of metal and have reasonable stability. However, they suffer from various design flaws like wear and tear, vulnerability to scratching and rust. Make sure that your metal vending machine does not have corrosion which may damage the products stocked in it too.
If you plan to go for used machines, watch out for rusted parts or broken machines. It’s best to go for a high-end metal machine or a durable plastic model. These will be good enough for starting with a low budget, small vending machine business.
For those who want to treat their vending business as a full fledged venture, Grade A vending equipment is the most suitable option. This included high quality metal and plastic components. It is superior to Grade B and Grade C vending machines and combines the best of both categories.
Assess your business needs and objectives to decide which type of vending machines is best for you. Once that has been decided, look for a reliable, experienced vending machine provider like Planet Antares Inc to get the best quality machines at competitive prices.
Keep all these factors in mind and select the right vending equipment because ultimately, that will determine your business success or failure.
