7 replies to this topic

[bubblehead]

Does anyone else have these machines? Purchased as Venstar Elite (now I think they call them 5000's), triple head with the middle one designed specifically to dispense York peppermint patties. Good seller but now there's a problem. Just purchased a resupply and turns out York has modified the packaging of the patties. Previously they were form-fitted and wrapped with foil. Perfect fit for the tube designed dispenser. Now they are packaged in a pouch similar to the other Hershey mini-candy bars. The pouch packaging does not permit the patties to be loaded in the tubes any longer. Anyone have any suggestions? I contacted York and received a canned response that was of no help. I don't believe the machines can be modified to accept the new packaging, it's just too loose. Thanks, Lynn

[Sensible Snacks]

This change has affected many vendors. There is a company selling conversion kits to you can use another brand peppermint patty. I do not have any of these machines, so I do not remember their name. I also heard that the other patties cost less.

search the forum and you sould find the company.

[chrisdunn77]

Here is a link that might help you http://dunnsvendings...ending-is-dead/

[bubblehead]

Chris, Thanks for the info on Pearson Patties. Trying to decide if to convert or just give up the business altogether at this point. Hasn't worked out as well as I had hoped after a year and half. I've tossed more product than I have sold since the shelf-life is short on this type of candy. Sales are not consistent and hard to judge how much to buy/load to keep the product fresh. Lot more work than it should be and getting little in return. But this is a good alternative and has answered the question to give me the option.
Regards, Lynn

[Aquarterdollar]

Wow York managers must be smoking something... I mean there must be 1,000,000's of vending machines selling their products.

[bubblehead]

Thanks to Chris's reply to my initial post, I hooked up with C-N-A Vending to obtain a conversion kit for my Vendstar machines to dispense Pearson Mint Patties. Works well and I even collaborated with the owner to provide further mods to also accommodate the side opening on the tubes to keep the top-loading feature. Here's the link: http://mysite.verizo...ng222/id19.html Hope this helps others who have the same problem. I'm now still in business, whew! Lynn

[vendingforms.com]

Chris, Thanks for the info on Pearson Patties. Trying to decide if to convert or just give up the business altogether at this point. Hasn't worked out as well as I had hoped after a year and half. I've tossed more product than I have sold since the shelf-life is short on this type of candy. Sales are not consistent and hard to judge how much to buy/load to keep the product fresh. Lot more work than it should be and getting little in return. But this is a good alternative and has answered the question to give me the option.
Regards, Lynn

Lynn,

What is the spoilage rate on the patties?

[bubblehead]

Lynn,

What is the spoilage rate on the patties?

Hi, well I'm not experienced enough to have done this scientifically with some kind of formula to determine an exact spoilage. I will say that most of my tossing has been the result of customer dissatisfaction at being "stale". This usually occurs at about 3-4 weeks of being in the machine because the chocolate begins to dry and harden a little. It has been difficult to determine traffic trends based on sales since this has not been consistent at all. I have learned now to not stock as much and visit more often. And not to stock as much at home. Not a knock on York or Pearson but the "loose" foil wrapping is not conducive to long-lasting product life. Something I have learned over the period of a year being in this business. And obviously York has as well by now sealing their product. Just like the learning about the other products I offer. The environmental factor is the biggest thing to consider. And in Las Vegas, that can be huge depending on the location. So this has been a learning curve for me that I'm still on. But to answer your question, I would estimate that I had to throw away 30-50% of my peppermint patties in the beginning. I'm getting better at this and now I would say it's in the 10-20% range and working its way down. Obviously no one wants to lose money by tossing product, but it does require close attention to prevent it. About all I can say for now. Lynn