u/Even_Cup152

I’ve been leaning toward the smaller bags lately. They seem to move pretty well, especially around the $1.50–$2 range.

One thing I’m struggling with right now is keeping the planogram in Cantaloupe accurate.
The card reader data is close, but sometimes what it says is there doesn’t match what’s actually in the machine.
I’m guessing part of it is how products are entered or updated after restocking.
For anyone using Cantaloupe, do you have any simple tricks for keeping the planogram and actual inventory in sync?

I see there are bill reader card cleaners? How do they do?

For those of you with machines outside, what are you doing to protect the payment readers from direct sun and high heat?

Thanks in advance!!

Interesting statistics:
In 10 days, I’ve sold 45. One location.
25% of people purchased more than one
75% of people purchased a drink when they purchased uncrushables
So far so good
Frankly, wish I would’ve started carrying them earlier. Obviously.
What other great seller am I missing folks?

Besides snacks and beverages, what have you seen being sold in vending machines (all over the country not just us) that brings in high foot traffic and increase sales and engagement?

You already know that you have to be nice to get past the gatekeeper/front desk of the property to get to the decision maker/property owner. Maybe share snacks, compliment, etc. You get to the decision maker and fast forward. Your machine is in and doing well.
Now you're route is thriving and you are looking to expand, maybe hire machine stockers. My first go-to is to go back to the front desk person. They're often excited to make some extra $$ to do an easy job like restock the machine as they are already there. Bonus: they take care & do it well. Double Bonus: they give you space on site to stock products to make it easy for them to restock AND even let you bring in a small fridge to keep refrigerated items. Boom! 🎉

I have a location asking for more than just snacks and drinks. They’re interested in everyday essentials like detergent, personal care items, etc.
Has anyone tried putting these products in the same cooler as food and drinks?I’m wondering if it’s better to keep everything together for convenience, or use a separate cooler for non-food items.
Any issues with smell, customer perception, or maintenance?Would love to hear what has worked (or didn’t work) for others.

Besides snacks and beverages, what have you seen being sold in vending machines (all over the country not just us) that brings in high foot traffic and increase sales and engagement?

For those of you with a machine at gyms, what kind of products do you sell?

I’m trying to buy a warehouse location with 250 employees,for $1500, the vendor only has drink machine there and makes around $350 a month every 2 weeks restock, problem is she said there's another combo machine in same building with a different vendor, wanted to know your thoughts if it's worth it for the $1500, and what i can do to get that vendor out so i can get this location fully, she mentioned the manager of the building isnt satisfied with the combo machine vendor thats there, so what should i say to him to help me get the other placement on where the combo machine is at? Thanks for the help

I been having a 55 and up location for 6 months now and at first it was going good ($200+). Now the things that were selling aren’t anymore. Im trying new snacks and drinks and those arent selling well either.
Im considering looking for a new location for my two combo machines because I believe they would have better opportunity value else where. Im trying to find a steady selling product mix but it seems like it’s a moving target. I’m exhausted. HELP

For operators who switched from traditional vending machines to smart coolers or AI vending setups:
Did you notice any change in average order value?
I’ve heard some people say customers tend to buy more when they can see more products and have a smoother checkout experience.
Not sure how big the difference is in real operation though.
Would love to hear actual numbers from operators here.

I used to think choosing the right vending machine was the biggest decision.
After spending more time looking into daily operations, I realized the machine itself is only one piece of the puzzle.
The things that really affect efficiency are often small details:
How quickly can you find a problem?
How easy is restocking?
How much time does each service visit take?
When managing multiple locations, these small differences add up.
Sometimes the boring operational details matter more than the exciting features.
For experienced operators, what is one thing you wish you paid attention to earlier?

I counted my spoilage data these months. Buying full cases of new snacks blindly leads to most wasted goods. Now I only order small samples first, and waste from new products fell to 8%.
Testing goods in small batches is necessary for small operators. What low-risk ways do you use to try new snacks and drinks?

I want to refresh the product lineup inside office break rooms regularly to keep regular customers interested. The problem is I hate ordering large batches of untested items.
If they don’t sell well, I end up stuck with stock that will expire soon, and that hits my bottom line hard 🛒.
What low-risk testing methods do you use before rolling new products out across all your machines?

I’m debating whether to skip cash functionality entirely to cut maintenance work.
Some people say you’ll lose a small group of customers.
Has anyone seen clear pros or cons from going cashless-only?

I’ve been running office vending machines for a few months now, and one issue pops up way more often than anything else. People message after hours saying they got charged, but their snack or drink never dropped 🥤🍫.
Most of the time it’s just a minor product jam, but tracking everyone down to process refunds eats up so much of my evening free time. I’ve tried shifting how I arrange items to prevent jams, but it still happens constantly.
Curious, what recurring headache do you find yourself resolving over and over on your route?

I’m debating whether to keep running 5-year-old smart machines or budget for replacements. Reliability seems to drop gradually after 4 years. What equipment lifecycle do other operators follow?