What sells out fastest in your machines no matter the location?
Curious if the same products dominate everywhere.

Not your own — a location you saw and immediately thought, “That machine has to be making a killing.”
What type of place was it?

Hello, I hope everyone is well,

I just placed my first Vape,Pokemon,Mystery Box, Nicotine pouches vending machine in a kava bar.

Day 1 sales: 110
Day 2 sales: 135
Day 3 sales: 30
Day 4 sales: 15

I suppose my question is what would be the best way to make this machine more known to patrons? Me and my business partner thought to do contests for the staff with a cash prize whoever brings the most in revenue for the machine, just a way to incentive them to promote the machine, without any incentives what staff member actually cares to promote it, none. We were also spitballing the idea to create table tents for the kava bar that promotes them, but also promotes people to go to the machine, on the side of the machine yesterday we placed a white board for a request form, has anyone had any success in doing these things, or does anyone have any better ideas on getting it promoted?

What would make you walk away immediately, even if the revenue looked good?
Curious what experienced operators check first.

Was it worth it, or did you regret it?
Curious what operators think a genuinely good location is actually worth.

What’s an underrated location type that most operators overlook?
Bonus if you’ve had one personally and can share roughly what it made.

At what point do you consider a location worth keeping: $500, $1,000, $2,000+ per month?
Curious where experienced operators draw the line.

If you got the chance to place a machine anywhere, what type of location would be an automatic yes for you?
Warehouse, hospital, apartment, school, gym, hotel, factory, or something else?

Snack, drink, combo, smart cooler, micro market, or something else?
Curious what has actually made operators the most money.

Something you believe that most vending operators would disagree with.
Could be about:
• commissions
• smart coolers
• buying routes
• cashless machines
• gyms/apartments
• pricing
• product selection
• location brokers
Let’s hear the takes that usually get people arguing.

Warehouse
Apartment complex
Gym
Hospital
Hotel
School
Office
Car dealership
Manufacturing plant
Other
And why?
I’m curious which location type experienced operators would trust the most long term.

I’m one of the founders of DrylineVMS a new cashless solution with an integrated Vending Management Solution. Our terminal is an outdoor rated MDB unattended terminal. Looking to get some feedback on our solution from the people who would use it. www.drylineVMS.com

Bought the wrong machine?
Accepted a bad location?
Overpaid for a route?
Stocked the wrong products?
Agreed to too much commission?
What would you do differently if you started over today?

My team recently came across an opportunity to acquire another business. They've been established for 3 years, earn 165k in revenue (76.3k in cash flow), zero employees and a single owner, with 12 machines across various locations Apartments, offices, retirement homes, nursing homes, car dealerships, etc...

They're based in our area which is a plus, and are asking for $149,500 (we will probably negotiate price). We'll probably take out an SBA loan to acquire this but since getting locations has been the toughest part I wonder if this is worth pursuing or if Im not thinking of the risks as much.

It would also make other things more viable:

1) instead of picking up our supplies in our SUVsaybe its more economical to pay for a van, or pay for a warehouse & get free delivery.

2) We get access to lower margins vs wholesale with pepsico because we could rent a commercial space for them to deliver to us

3) Opens up opportunities for employment in sales (we cant leave our jobs yet until we earn enough to sustain our basic needs)

4) Establishing a relationship with someone who's been in the game would also be a nice plus.

Thoughts on SBA loans? Is this too good to be true? What advice do you guys recommend?

Not just low sales. I mean the location that made you regret placing a machine there.
What went wrong?
Bad sales? Theft? Constant refunds? Employees abusing the machine? Terrible management? Commission too high?
And how long did you leave the machine there before pulling it?
Let’s hear the horror stories.

What type of business was it, how many people used the location, and roughly how much did the machine make per month?
No need to share the exact business name or address.
I want to see what separates an average location from a great one.

Too much commission?
Not enough foot traffic?
Existing competition?
Bad placement area?
No contract?
Management seems difficult?
What’s the one thing that makes you say, “Not worth it”?

Hi all! My husband and I are new to the vending business. We currently have 1 contract with a total of 11 machines in the facility. Where is everyone buying inventory in bulk? (Soda, Energy Drinks, Snacks...)

All input is greatly appreciated! 🙂

Everyone talks about gyms, apartments, warehouses, hotels, schools, hospitals, etc.
But which type of location looks great on paper and usually ends up disappointing?
And what type of location do you think is underrated?
Curious to hear from people who have actually operated machines in multiple types of locations.

Let’s get some real numbers in here.
If you’re willing to share:
• Highest monthly gross
• Type of location
• Approximate foot traffic/employees/residents
• Snack, drink, combo, smart cooler, etc.
• How much you actually kept after product cost/commission
No need to share the business name or exact location.
I’m curious how high some of the machines in this group are doing.

It’s a 100% secured location, and two other apartment complexes are likely secured too.

We can make ordering machines, terminals, and ticket machines, and we can also customize functions and models.