A Look at the Vending Industry Series: Article One

Vending has become a symbol of America's quest for convenience, operating 24 hours around the clock, seven days a week. Vending machines have been described, accurately, as "labor storage devices","unattended points of sales" and "robotic retailers." Total sales through vending machines have grown from $600 million in 1946 to more than $41 billion in 2006. Dollar volume grew more than 160% in the decade from 1980 to 1990, and has grown almost 150 percent in the ensuing decade. Amusement and music equipment grossed an additional $6 billion plus in 2006.

So why should you get into the vending business? The information and statistics are based on market research conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Forbes Magazine and Vending Times.

ARTICLE ONE:
VENDING IS A BUSINESS THAT YOU CAN START PART-TIME AND STILL KEEP YOUR REGULAR JOB. You can start off as small or as large as you like, and continue to expand at your own pace while maintaining your full-time employment. It only takes about 3 minutes each month to service a vending machine. A route consisting of 50 vending machines can be entirely serviced by one person in one weekend. According to research conducted by Forbes Magazine, vending is one of the easiest businesses to start. The more machines you own, the higher the profits.

*Information provided by Vending Times Magazine Market Research and Forbes Magazine: December 2007 "Seven Easy to Start Businesses" by Maria Faurell.

Okay, as most of you know...it's really not that easy, right??? Well, with proper planning and diligent research, it can be that easy. If you position yourself within your community as a trusted and dependable person...the rest is cake! I've posted other articles on the web tackling the "Location" issue, and for good reason. No location, no vending machine, no money! Try the places you're familiar with or a location where someone you know works. Get the easy ones out of the way first and the hard ones will follow.

Now, the Vending Times and Forbes people are telling the truth, "the more machines you own the higher the profits." Just don't spread yourself too thick too quick, try to keep your locations in a centralized area when starting out. Get a feel for what you're doing first.

I'm always looking for new or even (better) insight for my blogs. So please add your comments, I welcome them! If you ever have a question for me, don't hesitate to ask...call or email me and I'll talk to you soon!! Have a great day!

800-435-6415
brad@arrowvending.com

Thanks,

Brad