Newspaper Vending Machines

Owning and operating newspaper vending machines can be a reliable way to supplement your income or, if you’re ambitious and conscientious, earn a living. With relatively low maintenance costs and the modest time commitment required to service them, newspaper vending machines can return healthy profits without requiring a burdensome capital outlay. In addition, the rise of specialty publications has created even more opportunities for newspaper vending machine owners looking to diversify.

Newspaper Vending Machines That Sell More Than Just the News

Periodicals of all sorts can turn a profit when marketed properly through vending machines. Beyond local and national newspapers, vendors offer a wide range of other publications, including:

• popular magazines
• specialty newspapers (sports newspapers, local real estate, automotive and employment guides)
• city guide books and periodicals
• trade publications

Of course, the determining factor in deciding which additional publication types to offer will depend strongly upon the market you’re servicing. For example, a booming, up-and-coming community will likely attract many new residents who may be unfamiliar with the area’s real estate market and want to do some simple poking around to get their house-hunting started. Such a municipality is likely to have a relatively high circulation rate of local real estate guides, which are frequently compiled by publishers who round up the area’s real estate listings. This is especially common in smaller communities that may not have their own daily newspapers where current real estate listings can be published. The end result is opportunity for a periodical vendor.

Anticipate a High Pedestrian Volume When Placing Newspaper Vending Machines

The secret to achieving a steady income from the operation of newspaper vending machines is really little more than simple common sense: put them where people gather. However, if common sense were common, everyone would have it, and many don’t. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing where to place your newspaper vending machine:

1. Is the vending machine easily visible to pedestrian traffic?
2. What attractions, businesses or services are nearby that promote a steady traffic stream? For example, newspaper vending machines and bus stops or subways stations are a match made in heaven. Ideally, you want to look for a constant stream of potential customers who might be in the market for something to read. Transit terminals (i.e. bus or train stations) are also good bets.
3. Are you locating the vending machine somewhere people are likely to be carrying change? Outside drugstores, supermarkets and strip malls are wise, popular choices for good reason.
4. Are there nearby businesses which also sell newspapers and periodicals? If so, you may want to locate your vending machine in an area where you’ll have more of a stranglehold on the immediate marketplace.

Typical Features of a Newspaper Vending Machine

Most newspapers feature an interlocking door device that is connected to a coin slot mechanism, which provides a single release when the correct amount of currency has been fed into the machine. While these reliable, standby models are still being produced, manufacturers also offer machines that employ more up-to-date technology, and these are becoming increasingly popular. At the low end of the more modern models are vending machines that accept paper bank notes and make change, so customers don’t need exact change in coins to complete a purchase. Furthermore, today’s vending machines come equipped with tools that can help you analyze sales trends, storing time and date of sale data for vendors to review at their discretion.

Invest wisely: research the various newspaper vending machines available for sale, perform cost-benefit analyses on the various offerings and know your marketplace. If you put the right newspapers in the right place, the profits will soon follow.