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Types
of Vending Equipment
There
are many different types of
vending machines that a vendor
can offer your company. Below
is a brief description of
each catergory of machine.
All machines should come with
equipment that will take dollar
bills and give change. The
newer equipment can take $1,
$5, $10, and $20 bills.
Soda
Machines
 Soda
machines can come in a wide
variety of shapes and sizes.
The most popular are the Coke
or Pepsi branded machines.
These machines generally have
between 7-10 selections and
can vend 12oz cans or 20oz
bottles.
A
new type of soda machine is
called the Bottle Drop. These
machines can vend 40 different
types of beverages including
a wide variety of non-carbonated
beverages. The down-side to
these machines is that they
do not hold a large capacity
of products like a regular
stack vending machine.
Snack
Machines
 Snack
machines are very popular.
They carry between 30-45 selections.
A good vend operator will
work with you to determine
the different types of products
that will go into the machine.
The machines are usually divided
into six categories: Salty
Snacks, Pastries, Gum/Mint,
Candy, Cookies and Nuts.
There
is a big push right now to
offer healthier products out
of vending machines. Vend
Operators are making a big
effort to have these types
of products available to you
and generally have a fairly
wide selection of products
including trail mixes, fruit
snacks, baked chips and granola
bars.
Fresh
Food machines
 Fresh
Food Machines are quite expensive.
A vend operator will want
to take a good look at your
business before he installs
this type of machine. This
machine can offer a wide selection
of refrigerated products including
sandwiches, salads, fruit
salads, yogurt and quick serve
type meals. These products
are all perishable, so the
vend operator will not be
happy if he has to throw food
items away. Usually a vend
operator will not install
this type of equipment unless
there are a large number of
employees.
Frozen
Food Machines
 Frozen
Food machines can carry a
wide selection of quick serve
meals including burritos,
pizzas, Lean Cuisine meals
and even ice cream. Because
the items are frozen, the
vend operator will not have
to throw products away if
they are not eaten immediately.
Once again the machines are
extremely expensive so the
vend operator will expect
large numbers of employees
or walk through traffic.
Coffee Machines
 Because
of the popularity of Starbucks,
coffee machines have had to
step it up. A new coffee machine
can deliver a great tasting
cup of coffee, including some
upscale gourmet coffees such
as capuccino, hot chocolates
and soups. Once again, this
type of machine is expensive.
Large numbers of employees
buying from this machine is
a necessity to help the vendor
pay for the machine.
Machines with Credit Card
Readers
 Vending
machines can be installed
to accept both cash and credit
cards.. These units are expensive
to install and require the
vend operator to pay a monthly
monitoring fee. You see credit
card readers at a lot of the
larger locations like colleges
and universities where the
volume justifies the purchase
of this type of equipment.
Wireless
Monitoring of the Vending
Machine
 Cantaloupe
systems in Berkeley California
has developed a product called
“Seed” which will
provide the ability to monitor
the vending machine through
a cellular Internet connection.
This will enable the vend
operator to see what is in
your vending machine while
he's still in the warehouse.
He can them make a decision
on whether or not to send
a driver to your location
and which items need to be
refilled. It can also track
sales and commissions (if
any).
This
is relatively new technology
but it's catching on quickly.
We
hope this overview has been
helpful. Feel free to search
for a Vend Operator for
your operation, and please
let us know if we can help
in any way.
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