I just bought 5,000 bubble gum machines and im going to place them in

[rsnoble-im-back]

strategic positions.

And.............im going to use "hollow" gumballs.

That's the trick to it.

 

[Alright123]

bro, are you drunk ? lol

 

[sawastea]

You know, Warren Buffett started the same way.

 

[cornfish]

some guy at work here has a ton of vending/candy machines on a bunch of different routes. He's always saying how much of a cash cow they are and he has his wife out stocking and removing money each day. I guess it's a good route for some, but I always wonder if he's blowing smoke about how much profit (not gross dollars) he pulls in.

not my cup of tea, but if you are maintaining 5,000 machines you probably won't need to do cardio LOL

 

[tahoe2003]

Let us know how it works out

 

[bran987]

he was definitely drunk, that would cost like a million bucks and lol nobody would buy that many at once.... (i hope)

plus I read a book "The truth about vending" or something when I had the idea I was going to put in a bunch of machines and just collect the cash... doesn't exactly work that way lol.

 

[Razorguns]

Buy one of those camera-taking kiosks and put 'em in big nightclubs. They're always popular and a hit with drunk folks whenever i see them.

 

[Devastation]

You know, Warren Buffett started the same way.

buffett had pinball machines, not gumball lol

 

[bran987]

buffett had pinball machines, not gumball lol

have you seen those super fancy gumball machines where the candy like gets bounced off the walls and goes through hoops and shit and they charge your $15,000 for them and try to tell you you will make like $30 grand per year off of it?

 

[Razorguns]

some guy at work here has a ton of vending/candy machines on a bunch of different routes. He's always saying how much of a cash cow they are and he has his wife out stocking and removing money each day. I guess it's a good route for some, but I always wonder if he's blowing smoke about how much profit (not gross dollars) he pulls in.

Well, the way i look at it is -- how much effort you're putting in vs how much you're getting out.

The tasks: Pretty much grunt work labour. Not very attractive, especially at a long-term standpoint (read definition of wanting a job that you enjoy).

Pros: You're your own boss. Probably good job security, unless the nation gets word that gumballs spread cancer.

Cons: You spend all that time, energy just to make a salary that's probably on par with most working a normal daily easy going 9-5 job.

Not a very romantic job personally. Even if i was the owner of it. It's still pretty much a blue-collar job where the rewards aren't beneficial enough to make it worthwhile.

You'd probably make more money owning a hot dog stand downtown.

 

[bran987]

Well, the way i look at it is -- how much effort you're putting in vs how much you're getting out.

The tasks: Pretty much grunt work labour. Not very attractive, especially at a long-term standpoint (read definition of wanting a job that you enjoy).

Pros: You're your own boss. Probably good job security, unless the nation gets word that gumballs spread cancer.

Cons: You spend all that time, energy just to make a salary that's probably on par with most working a normal daily easy going 9-5 job.

Not a very romantic job personally. Even if i was the owner of it. It's still pretty much a blue-collar job where the rewards aren't beneficial enough to make it worthwhile.

You'd probably make more money owning a hot dog stand downtown.

you left out some of the most important components (again, only because I read that book)

the competition for the spots that produce any income is FIERCE

the owner's want a HUGE cut of your profits because their spot is good for you

these things break A LOT and get vandalized and unless you are a mechanic they are very expensive to fix

the one point that is definitely true is this: it becomes a job like any other, and I doubt this is the kind of 'job' most people would consider a 'passion' or 'fun'



your best shot at making money off these things is if you own your own retail store, have some vending schmuck put one in your store and you take half the profits with no expenses of your own!

 

[hammercurls]

.

 

[beefybull]

I know this thread was created in jest, but lets keep going...

Dont get it twisted. Vending is still huge. Think about Japan where they are a vending machine-crazed society. You can get full meals and 64oz mugs of beer over there in vending machines.

Still, the points made above are valid. The market is saturated. It does take time and effort. Someone does have to go collect the cash.

The best vending machine spots are universities and high schools, especially if you can rope them into long-term exclusitivity deals (and enforce them if any school tries to fuck around).

 

[Crox]

You also have to consider personal safety in the equation. You a prime target for some lowlife, who is after some cash, its easier than robbing a store.

 

[musclemuscle]

yeah....good luck with that...let me know how that works out for yuh