As always, you need to speak with the person in charge. Generally, you're going to have to do some asking around to find out who is calling the shots. Most universities will have a food and beverage manager, I'd try starting with this person. If you don't know where this individual's office is located then start at the administration building. They can probably point you in the right direction. Perhaps, the university your interested in has an information phone number with operators that can transfer you to the "big-wig's" phone, I know that mine does. One great place to put machines is in student union buildings. These are the places where the pool hall, bowling alley, and arcade are located. Although, for the most part, any location on campus is going to get a lot of traffic. Goodluck and happy hunting.

These Oak Vistas look pretty cool. They sort of remind me of RedBox movie machines. Does anyone else own any Oak Vistas that can vouch for their credibility in comparison to Beavers? If Oak Vistas are less expensive than Beavers but they're just as dependable then, perhaps, they are a better investment? Any ideas or thoughts?

http://www.oakmfg.co...oducts.asp?id=8

I've only been in operation for a month and a half but I recommend you stay the course. Having machines vandalized or ripped off is apart of the territory sometimes, plus, businesses close and machines break, that is if you do not buy Beavers. When I placed my first machine the owner told me there's a high possibility the machine may get stolen from the laundromat but I'm not going to let this discourage me. It's been 6 weeks and it is still there. I'm glad I never bought any terminators but I came close once. I currently only have 3 machines and I'll admit they are crap but I'm just starting out and once I can afford it I'm only going to buy the Cadillacs in the industry (Beavers).

I had trouble trying to find twenty-five cent stickers. So I simply used Microsoft Word to do it. Then I saved the document to a jump drive and took it to Kinkos and had them print it out on sticker paper. Plus, you can print out the price stickers in different colors like sky blue, red, green, or yellow. Having .25 on the globe looks and works great. I followed the same format with my company name and contact info. In general, it's a good idea to have you're contact information on the machine because if it breaks or needs attention someone might be kind enough to let you know in advance before your next scheduled service.

I agree with Minivend. $18,000 is too much. More than likely the seller is being overly optimistic. Plus, when you're starting out in this business it is a good idea to take gradual calculated steps and then build your way up as you learn more. For example, I'm a "newbie" too and I recently made the mistake of buying a 2-head machine that has a plastic body, I think the brand is Liberty. Yes, bad idea. Hypothetically, if I had bought an entire route that cosisted of these crappy machines, it certainly would have been a costly mistake. I don't have much money but from here on out I'm only going to buy Beaver machines. Sure they cost more up front but they will save time and money in the long run. Speaking of Beaver, does anyone know which is a better place to buy them from, gumballs.com or beavervending.com?