Snack Vending Machines

The different types of snack vending machines available for the commercial market are almost as varied as snacks themselves. Vending machines now take in about $40 billion a year in the United States alone, and even the most conservative of estimates suggest that number is going to do nothing but increase in the years and decades to come. Snack food sales make up the lion’s share of that figure, too, so if you’re looking to get involved in the lucrative snack vending machine market, you’ll need to know what to do to maximize the returns on your investment.

Places Where Snack Vending Machines Perform Well

The first thing you’ll need to think about is where to position your vending machine to reach people with the munchies. Generally speaking, the only outdoor locations where snack vending machines are viable are on commercial properties such as strip malls, outdoor shopping centers and areas where no food stores are available–think campground check-in centers and rest stops. Otherwise, operators usually seek out indoor locations with a high volume of pedestrian traffic.

Be creative in your approach. Conventional wisdom rightly suggests that cafeterias and lobbies of multi-purpose buildings make good choices. But what about spots like workplace lunch rooms and hospital waiting areas? Sit down and make a list of places–any and all places–that you can think of where people gather or pass through in large numbers. Check them out, and take notice of how many of them are already serviced by snack vending machines. If vending machines are already present, consider yourself on the right track; if not, you may have identified a need in the marketplace which you can then act to fill.

Know the Types of Snack Vending Machines Produced for the Commercial Market

Broadly speaking, snack vending machines are manufactured in two different styles: those designed solely to sell snacks, and snack food/soda combination machines.

Units designed simply for snacks usually have lower operating costs, since, unlike combination machines, they don’t have to increase power consumption to run a refrigeration system. The largest snack vending machines normally stock about 48 different products, with at least a couple of rows dedicated to different product types. Since chips, candy bars, nuts, licorice and candies all come in different-sized packaging, the best-designed vending machines offer dedicated chambers to use the machine’s interior space most efficiently. Thus, while one row of chambers may be designed to carry five different brands of potato chips, a row dedicated to candy may be able to offer a dozen or more different treats. Smart vendors know that machines that offer varied choices tend to outperform machines with narrower selections, even when the additional costs of supplying the machine with various products is taken into account.

For this reason, combination machines are often worth the extra investment because they generate greater sales volumes. After all, nothing washes down a bag of chips like an ice-cold soda, and if a consumer can get both from the same machine, it’s the operator who profits. However, the initial cost of a unit like this usually runs into the range of several thousand dollars; on the other hand, the simplest snack-only machines might only cost a few hundred dollars. Also, keep in mind that you can save some money by purchasing a used unit, though it won’t come with a warranty. It depends whether you’re looking to supplement your income by operating a snack vending machine or two, or whether you want to get into a whole new line of work. If you’re in the latter category, a good financing plan will work wonders to help you get your new business off the ground.