Suitable Vending Machine Locations

Vending machines can be placed just about anywhere and it can be very hard to tell which locations will be profitable and which won't be worth the time. You only need three or four people to use a machine regularly to make a location worthwhile, so it is possible to put machines in small businesses or offices and to be rewarded for your efforts. Other locations can seem to be busy at certain times of the day but only get occasional sales instead of loyal customers.

The decision to place a machine comes down to a combination of intuition, experience and luck. Let's consider a variety of suitable vending machine locations that you might consider.

The Workplace - Offices and Factories

People need access to food, snacks and beverages during their working day. Offices, factories and other working environments can offer great potential, even if there are convenience stores nearby.

The ideal situation is where you have people on the premises all day. On the other hand, a less than ideal situation would be an office with a lot of sales representatives who are out on the road for large parts of the day.

As a rule of thumb, look for businesses with at least 50 employees as any less than this number and the location is probably not worth the time and effort.

Apartments and Hotels

Locating a vending machine close to where a lot of people are living or staying can naturally be a good move and many venders specialize in this area. Getting to know real estate managers is the key here as they are in charge of numerous properties and can usually help to smooth a deal through with the owner.

Venders report greater success in lower socio economic areas than they do in more middle class apartments. Try to have your machines inside the common areas of the complex so that they can be secure at night. The laundry is a great location to have a machine as residents will usually spend a fair bit of time there waiting around while they do their washing.

Schools and Universities

Accounts in the educational sector can be very lucrative but are often tough to get. Schools and other educational institutions usually only work with one vendor and often have long term agreements with them.

Modern schools catering to students under 18 years old will nearly always have strict controls on the types of snacks and beverages that can be vended to their students. You will have to have a range of healthy snacks and juices and still offer prices that students can afford.

Schools nearly always push for the maximum amount of commission. They usually have plans to use the funds to contribute to schools projects such as building a new swimming pool.

Retailers and Service Providers

While some stores will like to sell their own drinks and snacks there are many others that find that it is not worth the hassle. A surprising number of people pass through hair salons, doctor's clinics and other small stores and service providers. A 'waiting room' location can do an amazing turnover from customers and employees as well.

Shopping Malls

With a huge amount of foot traffic, malls are a great place to locate machines. Most malls enter into high commission agreements with large vending companies so it can be a tough sector for small operators to break into.

Others Vending Machine Locations

The main categories are covered above but there are numerous other locations that you could consider. You can pretty much locate a machine in, or close to, any public or privately owned building and this means that the scope of possibilities is limited only by your imagination. Airports, car sales yards, police stations, train stations, swimming pools, prisons, churches and parks are a few of the many options.