17 replies to this topic

[cowboyTX]

Hi, all,

I plan to hire a locator to help me find a place for my vending machine. Is it worthwhile to hire a locator? How much is a reasonable price? What is a reliable source to find a good locator?

Thanks a lot.

[RJT]

Hi, all,

I plan to hire a locator to help me find a place for my vending machine. Is it worthwhile to hire a locator? How much is a reasonable price? What is a reliable source to find a good locator?

Thanks a lot.

What type of machines? Bulk? Drink, snack?

A reason you cant locate them yourself?

[Ronald]

What type of machines? Bulk? Drink, snack?

A reason you cant locate them yourself?

send me an email to g.vending@yahoo.com i will give u name of the best locator 30.00 for bulk machines

[cowboyTX]

RJT,

Thank you for your reply. I want to get in Vending business. I planned to buy a vending route. I saw an ad about a vending route on the web and contacted the seller. But the selling agent told me that it was sold. The agent offered to sell me a new vending machine (genesis GO-127/137 Combo) with a price $2,995 and shipping fee $300 (6-year part warranty). The agent also mentioned that a locator will help me find a business to place the vending machine with a fee $300.

I wonder if it is a good idea to hire a locator. I do not have the experience and do not have much time to find a good business.

The vending machine is a combo machine
Drink Capacity of 145 Bottles and cans with 6 selections.
Snack Capacity Up to 140 snacks with 13 selections.

Do you know if this a decent machine? To me, the price is high. What do you think?

Thank you for your input and help.

Cowboy in TX.

What type of machines? Bulk? Drink, snack?

A reason you cant locate them yourself?

[sphincorp]

very tough machine to earn your money back on... if you look around you can find them much cheaper....when those machines empty out, you r only looking at less than 100 bucks,, and that is empty

[RJT]

RJT,

Thank you for your reply. I want to get in Vending business. I planned to buy a vending route. I saw an ad about a vending route on the web and contacted the seller. But the selling agent told me that it was sold. The agent offered to sell me a new vending machine (genesis GO-127/137 Combo) with a price $2,995 and shipping fee $300 (6-year part warranty). The agent also mentioned that a locator will help me find a business to place the vending machine with a fee $300.

I wonder if it is a good idea to hire a locator. I do not have the experience and do not have much time to find a good business.

The vending machine is a combo machine
Drink Capacity of 145 Bottles and cans with 6 selections.
Snack Capacity Up to 140 snacks with 13 selections.

Do you know if this a decent machine? To me, the price is high. What do you think?

Thank you for your input and help.

Cowboy in TX.

NO!!!!! DO NOT DO THAT UNDER ANY CURCUMSTANCES!!!!

Classic bait and switch ad from con artist in the industry. Even if the guy is honest it is NOT a good deal. I wrote a book about vending and do consulting for this VERY reason. People get ripped off all the time in vending.

That is NOT a good machine and is NEVER used by professional vending companies. I just bought 3 nice used machines that need a little TLC mostly cosmetic for $700.00 for all three. I will put new paint and new Tufffronts on them and they will look great and close to new condition.

Buy used equipment but only after you research what brands are best. I offer consulting for folks like you and you can find my ad about my services and book.

Even if you don’t hire a consultant (which I recommend , even if it isn’t me) If you hire a consultant make sure they DO NOT sell anything but consulting. If they sell equipment, locations, etc they are not a true consultant. How can they give you a fair unbiased facts if they sell products and services? I suggest you research for 3 to 6 months about vending before buying the first piece of equipment. Then after 3 to six months you start with one or two machines.

No need to hire a locator when you can go find accounts yourself. Just using his number of $300.00 to “locate” for you. I can buy a nice used machine for that price.

[RJT]

very tough machine to earn your money back on... if you look around you can find them much cheaper....when those machines empty out, you r only looking at less than 100 bucks,, and that is empty

How can you come up with this number without knowing the prices of products??

Either way it is not a good machine or a good deal...

[snack dude]

RJT,

Thank you for your reply. I want to get in Vending business. I planned to buy a vending route. I saw an ad about a vending route on the web and contacted the seller. But the selling agent told me that it was sold. The agent offered to sell me a new vending machine (genesis GO-127/137 Combo) with a price $2,995 and shipping fee $300 (6-year part warranty). The agent also mentioned that a locator will help me find a business to place the vending machine with a fee $300.

I wonder if it is a good idea to hire a locator. I do not have the experience and do not have much time to find a good business.

The vending machine is a combo machine
Drink Capacity of 145 Bottles and cans with 6 selections.
Snack Capacity Up to 140 snacks with 13 selections.

Do you know if this a decent machine? To me, the price is high. What do you think?

Thank you for your input and help.

Cowboy in TX.

RUN!!!! dont walk.. Run like hell to the nearest exit. The ad was to get you to bite, there never was a route for sell.
I have never had one but if you go back thru past topics in this forum you will not find anything good being said about the genesis machine.

[Blue Moose]

RUN!!!! dont walk.. Run like hell to the nearest exit. The ad was to get you to bite, there never was a route for sell.
I have never had one but if you go back thru past topics in this forum you will not find anything good being said about the genesis machine.

[RJT]

I agree with all of the previous posts. Stay away from buying these machines NEW. You can find them on your local Craigs List for a lot less. I would not hire locators or consultants if you are just thinking about starting your vending business. Read these forums and Vendiscuss too. Lots of free information for you.

I have been in this business 28 years. You can make a living at it but like any business it takes time and money. See if you can find someone in your local area wanting to sell a small route. Try calling some of the local vending companies to ask if they have any spots they might want to sell. The advantage of contacting with local vending people is the ability to connect with them. Vendors help each other out.

If you have questions please feel free to call 888-802-1410. Also be sure to check out NAMA's site. They have a lot of free information. Plus go on line and subscribe to Automatic Merchandiser. This is a monthly magazine on the industry which is also offered free or atleast it was free. Check it out.


Good luck.

Poplady

Blue Moose,

No offense but since I am a consultant I have to disagree with you on not hiring a consultant. A “good” consultant can save a person thousands of dollars and lots of time. Not sure why you think hiring a consultant is a bad thing. I have saved my clients thousands of dollars and most of them had wished they had hired me prior to buying anything when they got started. Reading these forums are great but they are not the end all solution for people starting out in vending. I have a client from these forums that read these forums and bought two "how to" books and he said in a two hour consult he learned more from me than all them combined. He also wished he had contacted me prior to buying his locations. The forums are a valuable tool and they are free but they are not always the most accurate in information.

Not sure where you are from but in my area which according to gurus in the industry is one of the top vending states and getting “help” from other vendors is a joke. Other vending companies are usually not willing to share to much information or help you out. Vending is VERY competitive and for the most part I have never ran into any local guys willing to “lend a hand” to help someone get started in vending.

I am not saying that everyone should hire a consultant but it can help people out if the consultant knows what they are doing and the consultant is not trying to sell them on any other services other than consulting. A "consultant" does not sell locations or anything else related to vending other than knowledge and expertise.


Large professional vending companies rarely if ever hire locators to find them locations. They use a inside sales staff. Small guys can do this also if they learn the selling process. Hiring a locator is like hiring someone to cheat on a test for you. What have you learned? Then the money you paid to get the location could be spent on more machines and investing back into your company. Go out and do the selling yourself and save the money...

I am not a fan of management companies because most get their locations by promising them commissions. In return take a portion of the commission themselves to "manage" the accounts. This either cause’s inflated prices to the customer or causes local vending companies to make fewer profits. In addition, I have seen vending management companies sell out to national vending companies and leave their small vendors high and dry. I know because we have been the victim of such practices. The last company I worked for lost a quarter of a million dollars a year revenue because the vending management company was sold to a national vending operator. The national company kicked out all of the local vendors to do the vending in house.

[Blue Moose]

Blue Moose,

No offense but since I am a consultant I have to disagree with you on not hiring a consultant. A “good” consultant can save a person thousands of dollars and lots of time. Not sure why you think hiring a consultant is a bad thing. I have saved my clients thousands of dollars and most of them had wished they had hired me prior to buying anything when they got started. Reading these forums are great but they are not the end all solution for people starting out in vending. I have a client from these forums that read these forums and bought two "how to" books and he said in a two hour consult he learned more from me than all them combined. He also wished he had contacted me prior to buying his locations. The forums are a valuable tool and they are free but they are not always the most accurate in information.

Not sure where you are from but in my area which according to gurus in the industry is one of the top vending states and getting “help” from other vendors is a joke. Other vending companies are usually not willing to share to much information or help you out. Vending is VERY competitive and for the most part I have never ran into any local guys willing to “lend a hand” to help someone get started in vending.

I am not saying that everyone should hire a consultant but it can help people out if the consultant knows what they are doing and the consultant is not trying to sell them on any other services other than consulting. A "consultant" does not sell locations or anything else related to vending other than knowledge and expertise.


Large professional vending companies rarely if ever hire locators to find them locations. They use a inside sales staff. Small guys can do this also if they learn the selling process. Hiring a locator is like hiring someone to cheat on a test for you. What have you learned? Then the money you paid to get the location could be spent on more machines and investing back into your company. Go out and do the selling yourself and save the money...

I am not a fan of management companies because most get their locations by promising them commissions. In return take a portion of the commission themselves to "manage" the accounts. This either cause’s inflated prices to the customer or causes local vending companies to make fewer profits. In addition, I have seen vending management companies sell out to national vending companies and leave their small vendors high and dry. I know because we have been the victim of such practices. The last company I worked for lost a quarter of a million dollars a year revenue because the vending management company was sold to a national vending operator. The national company kicked out all of the local vendors to do the vending in house.

[Blue Moose]

..

[RJT]

I am not a fan of new vendors hiring a vending consultant. They can get all of the help they need speaking to local vending companies, NAMA, software programs and reading books. Blue Moose does a pretty good job whether you are a new company or established company seeking information on the vending industry. All of our information and support is free. It has been developed from 30 years of experience. 25 years running and owning a large established vending company with 23 box trucks on the road 24/7. And we do not accept any on going commissions from our vendors. We work with some of the largest companies in California so we are not solicitng any type of new business from "New" vendors. So our advice is coming from a place that is not motivated by any type of financial gain.

Now if your service also provides hooking them up with solid locations in their vending service area then that might be the type of help they could use with their new company. Blue Moose is a group of retired vending owners coming together to provide information and support to the vending community.

My advice to new vendors is to hold tight to your money and take advantage of everything you can find that is free.

Blue Moose Vending Management
909-583-9068
Riverside CA

Blue Moose I guess we will agree to disagree. So, if you don’t think a new vendor should hire a consultant then who do you think should?

I am not a fan of locating companies that charge for locations. I say, go get the locations yourself. Why pay someone to locate in your area that you are familiar with. So my advice to new vendors is go get the accounts yourself and "hold tight to your money" and use it to buy more equipment.

I am not sure why you think "local vendors" are going to help a new guy get started. I have never meet any that was willing to "lend a hand" with information how to get in the vending industry and take business from them. NAMA is a great org. with good resources. What "book" do you think is good. I havent found many good ones so that is why I wrote mine.

Unless you are very bored I find it hard to believe you have all the time in the world to sit around and give away all this "free" advice without wanting something out of it. While I try and give my share of "free" advice on here and other forums and I give my clients a little extra time than what they pay for I am far to busy to sit around and give "free" advice and expect nothing in return.

[Blue Moose]

Blue Moose I guess we will agree to disagree. So, if you don’t think a new vendor should hire a consultant then who do you think should?

I am not a fan of locating companies that charge for locations. I say, go get the locations yourself. Why pay someone to locate in your area that you are familiar with. So my advice to new vendors is go get the accounts yourself and "hold tight to your money" and use it to buy more equipment.

I am not sure why you think "local vendors" are going to help a new guy get started. I have never meet any that was willing to "lend a hand" with information how to get in the vending industry and take business from them. NAMA is a great org. with good resources. What "book" do you think is good. I havent found many good ones so that is why I wrote mine.

Unless you are very bored I find it hard to believe you have all the time in the world to sit around and give away all this "free" advice without wanting something out of it. While I try and give my share of "free" advice on here and other forums and I give my clients a little extra time than what they pay for I am far to busy to sit around and give "free" advice and expect nothing in return.

[Blue Moose]

..

[RJT]

Actually I am on the golf course atleast once day. Retired should send you a message. I have a book on Amazon too. If you would like a list of NAMA vendors willing to spend sometime working with independent vendors in their service area I will be glad to pass it on. I for one have committed a few hours each day to give back to this industry which has provided me with a very comfortable life.

As we both know new vendors want information about this business. A vending consultant should be spending their time working with vendors that are growing their business, vendors that have some experience and need additional help with more technical questions. If they need the basic's on starting their business they should go to SCORE. Again, totally free.

Let me ask why there are only 4 vending consultants listed on the Vending Connection directory and all of them have written books which they are promoting years after writing them? A free subscription to Automatic Merchandiser magazine will give them lots of current information. And NAMA has training courses both on line and in Chicago. Are you a NAMA member? I would think a vending consultant has atleast gone through the basic training offered by NAMA. Did you attend the last NAMA convention and did you have a consulting booth? Have you ever attended a NAMA convention.

Actually I am not trying to attack you or put you out of business. I just want you to know there are members on these boards that have put many many years into this industry. I just want anyone selling their services to be a certified vending professional with the proper NAMA credits. Someone leading these new vendors towards a professional vending career.

Blue Moose Vending Management
www.bluemoosevendmgt.com
909-583-9068

NAMA is a great organization and I think they are essential to our industry. I hate to tell you but anyone that is willing to spend the bucks can advertise with NAMA and join the organization. So being a member or paying for one of their courses to be “accredited “ or "certified" does not impress me. Like I said, all you have to do is spend the bucks. NAMA is a great organization but in the end it is about making money because it is a business just like me and you.

I know vending companies that have been in business for 30 plus years that are not members on NAMA nor a local state organization. Does this make them bad vending companies? No, they just choose not to participate in the organization. Some dont like the politics involved in the organizations other just choose not to be members.
SCORE is a another great organization however finding a SCORE counselor that actually knows about the vending industry is nil. They can help you with the basics of starting a business but not specifics about the industry. Matter of fact I recommend SCORE and other free organization to my clients if they need help with a business plan or they are looking for funding through the SBA.

I am sure you have vast experience in the vending industry and you represent a certain segment of the industry which is locating and vending management. Two areas of which I think have a place in vending but I personally don’t use nor recommend my clients to use either unless they can not grasp the selling process on how to land account themselves. However, most that cant grasp the selling process most likely will not make it long term in vending because they don’t have the mentality for a service industry. I would rather teach people how to land their own accounts and save their money.

You are correct a new vendor wants amd needs information about the industry. However, like yourself which got taken in the beginning of your vending career, some people may not know who the legit players in the industry are. They all can seem legit on the surface but can take you for a ride. I offer consulting and NOTHING else. If someone wants to know what machines to buy I tell them. If someone wants to know what locations to go after and what to expect in revenue from them, I tell them. If someone wants to know how to land accounts, I tell them. Consulting is needed for startups as well as established companies. I tend to think it is more so needed with startup people than existing companies. Most existing companies have "paid their dues" and learned the hard way and dont really need consulting. They may need some consulting on how to sell and land accounts but the operations side they most likley have figured out. I try and teach new people in vending the ins and outs to help them from making mistakes and having to pay their dues to learn. Some of those dues can cost them thousands of dollars.

I spoke with a lady the other day that had been and is in the industry for over 20 years and I had forgot more about vending than she knew. She was operating a vending business and did not do drinks. Crazy but true. I don’t care how much time she has in the industry she is going about vending the wrong way and loosing major money in the process.

I have seen people place ice cream machines in medical centers with less than 100 employees and make other similar mistakes. Ice cream vending does not work for 95% of the locations people try them in. When you look at ROI’s in ice cream vending it does not work most times. Why? Because they didn’t know any better.

I have seen people pay thousands of dollars to locators for less than “average” locations. Why? Because they didn’t know better. Lets say a locator charges $3000 for a 75 person location with some foot traffic. The 3k fee is before equipment cost and product. If the person would locate themselves this $3000 could be used to buy more equipment that could also be placed and make them money. $3k will buy you roughly 3 to 6 pieces of used equipment. Matter of fact I just bought some nice USI snack machines for $300 each from a vending company doing some upgrades at their larger locations. So for that $3k I could have bought 10 machines.


These are just a few examples of where I see people making BIG and costly mistakes in vending.

Again, I am not “not trying to attack you or put you out of business” but I just look at it in a different way than you and offer a different service to the industry. You have your niche and I have mine, they just happen to be different and both have their place in vending.

[dogcow]

I am not a fan of new vendors hiring a vending consultant. They can get all of the help they need speaking to local vending companies, NAMA, software programs and reading books.

I purchased 3 books which i will not name that cost me about $70.00 in total, read these forums/asked questions and i still got a bad deal on the equipment/locations i bought.

RJT covered all the useful information I could glean from those three books in about thirty minutes over the phone, however more in depth, because I could ask specific questions.

A good example would be one book i purchased had a section on locations the extent of their advice was "any location can be good or bad, there is no sure fire way to tell".

RJT gave me a run down of types of locations i should be targeting tailored for my specific revenue goals and the constraints of starting out part time. Though he was honest that there is no sure fire way to know
how much a location would make, we discussed some basic rule of thumb stuff on demographics of a location which could help me in projecting revenue when I go to move or buy equipment.

This is useful information, to me it was well worth the money, i would have saved a lot of money on books and equipment and saved a lot of time on learning things the hard way.

Yes there is useful free information out there and RJT has provided a lot of good info on these forum sites ( imo anyway) for free.

[RJT]

I am not a fan of new vendors hiring a vending consultant. They can get all of the help they need speaking to local vending companies, NAMA, software programs and reading books. Blue Moose does a pretty good job whether you are a new company or established company seeking information on the vending industry. All of our information and support is free. It has been developed from 30 years of experience. 25 years running and owning a large established vending company with 23 box trucks on the road 24/7. And we do not accept any on going commissions from our vendors. We work with some of the largest companies in California so we are not solicitng any type of new business from "New" vendors. So our advice is coming from a place that is not motivated by any type of financial gain.

Now if your service also provides hooking them up with solid locations in their vending service area then that might be the type of help they could use with their new company. Blue Moose is a group of retired vending owners coming together to provide information and support to the vending community.

My advice to new vendors is to hold tight to your money and take advantage of everything you can find that is free.

Blue Moose Vending Management
909-583-9068
Riverside CA

RJT