The Benefits of Full Line Vending

There are two kinds of machine vending in the U.S. – full line vending and bulk vending. Full line vending machines hold individual sodas, snacks, candy and sandwiches. Some full line machines geared toward adults sell condoms and cigarettes. Bulk vending machines are smaller and sell bulk candy, gum and small capsules containing kid toys. Full line vending machines are more popular in the U.S. and have an advantage: they can earn more money with fewer locations. They are also more expensive to purchase, so the number of vendors who can afford them is smaller and the competition is less steep. Those who cannot afford the machines directly have been able to secure them through third-party vending programs, which can supply the machines without the upfront costs.

If a full line vendor has employees, there is a quality control feature that helps to protect profits. Many soda and snack machines have vend counters that determine how many items have been sold. That counter makes it hard to steal money or vending items from the machines.

There are a few drawbacks to full line vending. The machines are too heavy for one person to lift and require special equipment or several people in order to change locations. It can be a time-consuming process. Repairs, troubleshooting and coin jams can also be time-consuming. In the case of coins, you have to go through the entire coin deposit mechanism, including the change dispenser, to figure out where a coin gets stuck in the machine. Additionally, all of the products, including sodas, in full line vending machines have expiration dates. Vendors must monitor those dates carefully to make sure they are not offering products that are stale or spoiled.

The time factor can be even more of an issue when restocking machines, especially if the locations of the machines of one vendor are all far apart. Stocking requires special attention to prices (and price changes), variety of snacks available, and proper storage of leftover items. This does not include the time it takes to actually order or shop at wholesale outlets for the items that will be stocked in the machines. More time is spent returning to these machines for service calls if customers lose money in the machines, get a faulty snack or soda or if there has been some kind of mix-up during stocking.

The full line vending business has not always been a business for the small, independent contractor. At one time – during the 1990s and early 21st century – vending machines were mostly operated by national companies who were contracted to do vending for all branches of a particular business. What most businesses found, however, was they could not change the snack or drink selections by request. Connecting with the small vendor enabled them to make requests and change available selections.

The vending machine business is not for the impatient or those who have limited time. It takes a lot of energy, troubleshooting and willingness to be flexible based on the needs of customers. Since the business mostly takes in revenue in the form of coins, you must also be willing always to count your money in change.