How to fix vending machine keypad panel selection Part 2

I tired to visit the location again a few after changing the keypad membrane on the Crane GPL 474 4XX Series.

I was shocked to find out that the keypad is not working again.

I opened the vending machine and saw the smaller board that is connecting to the keypad membrance is a little bit burnt.

I took the smaller board and put the vending machine Out Of Service again for the 2nd time.

The residents are disgruntled and very angry and was shouting and at times cursing.

If you have been in the vending machine service industry, you have to be have a cold heart since people will never stop complaining and you jus have to be apologize all the time and just set aside your feelings.

I used to have a brick and mortar store recycling ink and toner from customers on their printing needs and everyday I have to absorb all the complaints of my customer especially living in a very big city when i was still in Manila.

There was an incident that i recalled, we had the Epson printer converted into a continuous printing printer and there was a slight problem on the resetting of the printer firmware and i recalled he was charged P 4,000 pesos and he got furious and tried to call the secutity and complained, screaming at the top of his voice demanding that the job done was a lemon since it stopped working.

When you are in the servce industry, this is normal and you just have to deal with it in a very calm and civil way.

Getting back to the vending machine.

Here are some of the helpful tips on how to diagnose vending machine keypad selection problems in case it is not the keypad membrane:

1. turn off vending machine

2. isolate the problem by disconnecting the cable to the keypad

3. turn on vending machine

4. if the smaller built in keypad inside the vending machine works then the problem lies on the smaller board, see the picture

I took out the board and i went to an electronics store in Burnaby.

I do not know which electronic part is not working on the board.

But upon visually checking the culprit, there is a burnt out resistor which is 1 Watt, I spent $2.58 for the parts.

So this is a long shot because this part might be working and it just seemed burnt on the board but it might be working.

In order to save $125 ( by calling a technician ) and another $85 ( to go back to your location ) + $? ( parts ) which im sure he will be overcharging, i figure that if you are not well versed in electronics, he may simply tell you that this resistor is worth $30 bucks!!!

Thats why vending machine technician’s make a fortune on easy work especially on electronics.

I got hold of my soldering iron as shown below and resolved the issues, when i got back to the location. Below are the pictures on how to replace the burnt resistor

5. Visual inspection will save you hundreds of Dollars!!!

Yesterday i went back to the location and everything seems to be working fine.

I have noticed that the keypad is erratic behavior, sometimes when you press the letter B, C will come come out the display, when you press 5, 4 will come out on display.

I made a visual inspection again and somehow the resistor is a lit burnt again.

My next visit is that i will bring the proper resistor and probably insert a Resistor Socket and everytime i notice when the keypad is misbehaving, i will just have to pull it out and insert a new one.

Replacing a resistor every 1 month will just cost me $0.50 cents, than replacing the smaller board and even saving me by changing the Main Board in case if it is the main problem that cause the resistor being burnt it every month.

I have a question for you.

Would you prefer to save $125+$85 + Parts by replacing a $0.50 resistor eveytime the keypad is not working?

Sometimes the advice of a technician might be changing the MAINBoard which is about $550 and Smaller Board which is $250!!!

In order to survive this vending machine business then you better learn how to make a visual inspection in case these things happen on your vending machine.

People think vending machine business is easy pessy but in truth it is :

1. Driving the whole day ( Gasoline )

2. Loading and unloading ( Your Back )

3. Customer Complains

4. Customer kicking you out not realizing that it will cost you: Moving $120 per machine, Warehouse Rent $30 per month on machines collecting dust and No Regard to small employed business people

5. Waking Up everyday and sometimes customer inserts SLUGs or Foreign coins and Jamms your machine and NO Sales when you visit the location after 1 week after parking and paying $3 and time ticking on parking meter

6. Compressor will cost $800 just to repair and the sales of the location is just $50 per month and it will take $800 / $30 = 80/3 months to recover

7. You got few locations and if something happens to one location then you are done for the month and end up having short on paying bills.

8. Vendor operator needs to visit chiropractors to adjust spine, back and joints for maintenance.

9. Most vendor have problems when walking because of foot pain from overwork.

Tagged : How to fix vending machine keypad panel selection Part 2

4 Tips on how to make a vending machine more power efficient

by adminSeptember 17, 2019June 8, 2020Vending Machine Business / vending serviceLeave a Comment

4 Tips on how to make a vending machine more power efficient

Vending machines are a smart way to get your favorite drink or snack in a less amount of time. They usually are placed in crowded place, as well indoors as outdoors.

Those outdoors one are working well during the night too, if they are located near clubs. Everyone wants a snack after drinking some beers. Most of the stores are already closed, so this is the only way somebody could get something.

Now, some vending machines are even in the students’ complex. This way, students no longer go to the store if they need a drink or something sweet. Of course, it is not so healthy, but unfortunately, this is the world we live in.

Vending machines are always in charge. Their mission is to maintain the drinks cold so that you can feel a fresh taste. The purpose of keeping the food cold also, is for them to have a long life-span.

But a vending machines is plugged all day all night and it can use a lot of electricity. Is almost like a fridge, used in crowded places and not in a home. Of course, the energy use depends on if the vending machine is place outside or inside four walls. The outside heat can make the machine to try cool the items faster and so it uses more energy.

But, let’s say there are some ways to make the vending machine more ‘ green ‘. The society we live in now, is always thinking about saving the energy, flora and fauna and many other things. In matters of sun and weather protection, people invented creative ways to green the energy. Even for a vending machine.

#1 – How much does a vending machine use?

Vending machines are using 7-14 KwH per day, which means that owners are paying almost $350 per year to maintain those machines working. During the night, there’s almost no traffic in front of a vend machine, so it’s kind of useless.

Anyway, owners of vending machines are earning more than $2000 per month and the return on investment is positive. But we have to count the rent an owner has to pay for the vending machine to be placed in a crowded space. Which depends on the space, and it can increase in case the space will go out of business soon.

#2 – How do I know a vending machine is power efficient?

Every specialist or vending machine’s owner will tell you about the ‘ Energy Star- Rated Machines ‘. ‘ The Energy Star – Rated Machines ‘ is something like Forbes, a magazine which rates the best reliable cars. But this one rates the most power-saving vending machines and many other electric instruments. According to Energy Star, a qualified vending machine consumes around 40% less energy than a non-rated unit.

#2 – Which vending machine is perfect as a energy-saver?

Usually, those that are most known are from Pepsi and Cola. Even if they sell unhealthy drinks, they want to take part in the developing process of the world. Technically or not. Their global initiative is called Refrigerants Naturally, and are changing the old vending machines with new, energy-saver ones.

#3 – How am I making my own vending machine more power efficient?

Firstly, a vending machine is not only using the cooler for working, but lights too. The purpose of the lights inside of a machine is for let people see which button should they press when buying something at night. The bad part is, the light is opened during the day too. So it’s double consuming. If you want to limit the

energy use, the best choice is changing the lights. A normal vending machine is using around 180 watts, which means no more than $100 per year. But for a better consuming, T8 lamps and electronic ballasts are a great choice for a vending machine that is 24/7 lightened.

Secondly, there exist timers for lightning. Of course, the improvement of timers is raising along with the technology, and so you can use a timer for the vending machine to light whenever somebody is approaching the machine. It works with sensors, so it will know when somebody wants to buy something. In fact, when there’s not so much traffic, the light will turn off for good.

#4 – What are the benefits of improving the vending machine in this way?

Well, there are a lot of things to save up.

Firstly, it’s about money.

For the first year, you can save up between $100 and $250 per year. I know it’s not that much, but during many years could be a real investment. Also, if you are the owner of many vending machines, there is a really good percentage of savings. As an example, if you have 10 vending machines, you can save up to $2000 per year.

Secondly,

if you put a compressor control inside you vend machine, you can save up the electricity too. A compressor control keep the items cold and stops the cooler when it is used too much. It’s like you are plugging the machine in and off over and over again during the day.

It’s a good strategy if you have a vending machine placed outside, because during the winter time, the compressor control will turn off the electricity for a longer time. Because outside is cold, the machine will remain cold too.

If you mix up more strategies, your return on investment could be bigger year by year. Because now, vending machines are a real deal, you can consider saving some extra money from them.

If you and the vending machine’s operator have a contract for a year, but you want to change the way it’s working, here’s what to do.

You can talk with them about everything you heard about the power efficient vending machines and try to make a subcontract.

7 Ways on How to Make Your Vending Machine Quieter

by adminSeptember 16, 2019June 8, 2020Vending Machine / Vending Machine Business / vending service1 Comment

7 Ways on How to Make Your Vending Machine Quieter

WHAT IS A VENDING MACHINE?

A vending machine is actually an automatic machine which dispenses or release small food items and other articles such as chips, cans, candies, chocolates, milk, charger, cigarettes, cigars and other upon inserting a token or a coin. A vending machine is mostly found at hospitals, public places, malls, colleges, schools, even at petrol pumps and at the train stations and airports.

A vending machine is very advantageous for the ones who get hunger pangs on their way home, or at school or waiting for someone at the hospital. Moreover, vending machine is very easy to use. However, you need to have money in the form of coins to dispense the food articles that you want.

One big disadvantage of the vending machines is that vending machines are noisy when dispensing and releasing food and other articles. Manufacturers are striving hard to make the vending machines quiet.

Here are some questions on how to make a vending machine quieter:

HOW TO MAKE A VENDING MACHINE QUIETER

Vending machine use speed reducers which dispense the food articles for the by stander. However, the irritating noises are result of the function of the speed reducers in the vending machine. To reduce the vending machine’s noise, it is better to keep maximum decibel level during the dispensing operation.

Manufacturers should keep the range between 40 to 50 decibels. Moreover, the manufacturers should also put the vending machine to function according to the calculated weighted frequency range.

HOW CAN I REDUCE NOISE FROM MY MACHINE?

There are many ways in which you can reduce noise from your vending machine.

These ways include installing noise compressors to compress the noise coming from the vending machines. The other option is to invest in fan bearings.

Fan bearings reduce the friction, hence reduces the noise coming from the vending machine upon dispensing the food articles.

Some of the older type snack vending machine have these fan bearings located at the back of the vending machine and in time this will cause so much unwanted noise.

I simply unplug the molex connector to the fan of the snack machine causing the noise and it solved the problem. See the pictures below on how to locate the fan on your snack machine.

When the snack machine is opened you will see the fan which is normally located on the right most top portion of the snack vending machine as depicted on the picture above. You just have to simply disconnect the power cable on the left or right side which is attached on the fan to solve the noise problem.

WHAT MATERIALS CAN BLOCK SOUND?

You need to replace your fan motors in the vending machines in order to reduce the noise coming from them. One way is to replace the components and the other way is to install noise reducers. Noise reducers include fan bearings next to the fan motors, noise compressors or even a new compressor to suppress the noise coming from the vending machine.

WHAT MATERIALS ABSORB THE SOUND OF THE VENDING MACHINE?

The materials which absorb the sound of the vending machines are sound insulators.

They are basically batts that are made from rock wool, mineral wool and fiber glass that are fit into the machine and in between the studs of the walls.

Another material is the floor underlayement. It is the material that soundproofs the floor to reduce the transmission of noise from the vending machines.

CAN I CHANGE ANY PART IN THE VENDING MACHINE TO REDUCE NOISE?

Sometimes, the vending machine also makes noise because of the old compressor. You can put in or replace the new compressor. The new compressor can reduce the noise from the speed reducers. This can reduce the noise from the vending machine while the machine dispensing the food articles.

AT WHICH FREQUENCY VENDING MACHINE WILL MAKE LESS NOISE?

Speed reducers work according to their normal duty cycles. The level meters of sound determine the frequency which range between A to Z. The audible frequency ranges from 500 Hertz to 6 kilo hertz.

CAN THERMAL TREATMENT MAKE VENDING MACHINE QUIETER?

Apart from the noise barriers and the sound proofing materials, the thermal treatment of the vending machines can also make the vending machines quieter but this treatment does not absorb all of the noise.

SHOULD I GET VENDING MACHINE REPAIRED TO REDUCE ITS NOISE?

Sometimes, the vending machine also makes noise because of the damaged compressor. Getting it repaired can also help to reduce its noise.

I used to have a noisy Coke Soda Pop machine and it was creating some noise in the lunchroom and the management decided to have it taken away on two of my locations as I have recalled.

It is imperative to have noisy vending machines fixed.

CONCLUSION

Manufacturers are finding latest ways and viral technologies to reduce the noise from the vending machines. However, there are still some ways through which the noise can be reduced to some extent.

My Doppelganger In One Of My Vending Locations

by adminJune 28, 2019June 28, 2019Uncategorized / Vending Locations / Vending Machine BusinessLeave a Comment

I have noticed that everyone is itching to get out of holiday here in Vancouver, BC.

It is towards the long holiday workweek and sales had a slight drop.

It seems that whenever I go to some locations I hear people saying and trying to plan visits to Europe when I’m in the west side of town and mostly travels to the United States border for the much-needed R&R. While here in Richmond and Vancouver a lot of Asians was heading back to Hong Kong, Philippines, China, and Japan for a few weeks.

I as a self-employed person for the longest time is constantly avoiding the peak traffic on summer holidays, so I plan it towards the latter part which is close to fall season.

For vending machine operators, summer season is not the time to spend holidays since there are more pop sales and surely you do not want to lose out on sales.

Didi mention to you that my work van was broken into before the Xmas season last year?

All my vending keys were stolen that time and there was a bunch of keys that have tags on locations.

The locations were in the vicinity of Surrey. Of course, during the early part of the year in January, it took me about 2 months to completely change all the locks on all the machines that is servicing.

It was physically draining and I can confidently say that I’m very good at breaking in on any kind of vending machine now especially after breaking more than a hundred locks!

I was in Surrey about a couple of weeks ago and visited the large factory in a secured building. It was on a regular weekday that I serviced the location.

The reception was surprised to see me and mentioned that the repair guy was here a few minutes ago to fix the vending machine and mentioned that you are on summer holiday.

I suddenly was astounded and told the reception that please do not let anyone in again because the thieves are trying to use the bunch of keys to try to open the vending machines.

The staff freaked out and they mentioned that who got the nerve to pretend to be you and try to service and vending machines. I really do not know the psychology of how the mind of thieves works.

The thieves even had a car running around Surrey and even bypassed the reception and tried to open both vending machines located in the lunch room full of people!

The picture taken above was taken when I’m servicing the location after lunch break just right after the thieves left the place full of people!

Of course, nothing was taken from the machines since I have changed all the locks on all locations.

Imagine what would happen if I have a duplicate and did not change the locks the vending machines? The thieves would have continued to go to the stolen key tags locations.

Money seems to be very tight here in Vancouver, BC since the thieves will go all the way to visit this location which is full of people and try their luck in opening the vending machine and steal a few bucks. This location is not a strong one and the maximum collection will just be around $60 in coins on my monthly visits. The machine is very old and non-MDB capable and the coin mechanism holds around $40 maximum.

I swing by in Vancouver on one of my locations and I remembered that I upgraded a new coin mechanism to accept the new loonies. The man in charge called me to fix the problem immediately since a lot of tenants are losing money.

Lessoned learned that you need to make sure that after installation of a new coin mechanism be sure to test it before leaving the location.

The picture above shows the new coin mechanism that was not installed properly because it did not give the correct change and I found out one of the quarter columns was jammed which was an easy fix.

So far all my locations are performing accordingly it was that I get some calls again on some jamming problems which I have to have it resolved or else it would result in another location ticking time bomb.

During summer traditionally there are lots of places that are doing their renovations.

I have a downtown location which I was servicing it for the longest time, I think it is close to around 5 years already and the manager called me and said that they are renovating the lunch room and will not be needing the machines back anymore.

This location believes it or not was just around $50 per month and I have a bag full of expired chips after servicing. I just feel bad that I will be spending 2 moves which are about $120 each machine to a warehouse and another $120 X 2 for moving to a new location if I find one in this small city.

To me Vancouver, BC is a very small city because I have mentioned so many times that i originally grew up in Makati City the financial district of the Philippines which has a population is 1.78 million including metro manila.

It is a city that never sleeps and it is full of action! Makati City Link

He was mentioning that if I had a contract agreement which them. I said that there was no contract since I got it from a retired vendor a long time ago when he moved back Okanagan.

In this vending machine business, locations come and go

I also mentioned that whenever there is a slight setback in my small business, seems that a greater blessing is on the way. After I got the bad news on the downtown story.

I had one location which was located in Coquitlam in a 100 man strong location which are into vending machines.

They have previous vending machines which are getting old and wanted a new addition and luckily I had an extra healthy max combo machine.

I was also in the process of obtaining another location here in Downtown with around 150 strong tenants establishment which will be realized in the coming weeks.

Happy Canada Day!

Vending In Summer Season

by adminJune 9, 2019June 9, 2019Uncategorized / Vending / Vending Business / Vending Machine BusinessLeave a Comment

When It comes to vending business during summer you have to make sure that everything is on top of things.

I was recently busy with some relatives coming over and have to entertain here in Vancouver, BC

There is always danger lurking when in locations even when there are high traffic office people walking around.

While I was unloading some pop at the back of the Van, I left the mid door open because I have to consolidate everything into the bin for delivery.

Suddenly there was a man standing and staring at the middle part of my van. I just offered him a snack and a pop. He said that he will not rob me of my stuff without me telling accusing him of anything. He was muttering to himself “I think I should have stayed home”. After I few seconds I saw him standing in another truck staring at the people talking and was looking that they are unloading.

It would be nice that you always to be gloves when doing the vending business.

Mine was running out and I opened another box of gloves which was white and one person commented Michael Jackson.

You know that when in summer there are some local residents and some tourists are trying the luck of their local currency will work on the vending machines.

If there is a coin jam, chances are that there will surely be a coin that has a wider diameter or a thicker composition would surely jam the coin mechanism.

Frequent inspection and visits to your busy locations and some unnecessary calls will disrupt your regular vending machine schedule.

There are some culprits that cause my time and loss of sales when the vending machine is jammed and not working.

Truly Vancouver, BC is diverse with the coins that I was able to collect above.

I went to a location in the east side part of town where the previous snack vending machine was vandalized and I swapped it to a POP Machine and I was not surprised when the pop machine is out of order again. Someone was trying to put some slugs into the machine and trying to see if it will work out?

It was nice sometimes if vendors could just get away for another micro-vacation.

This time was I was in the extreme southern part of the united states in Arizona. The weather there was similar to the Philippines but it was very dry and hot. Actually, the best part is that there was no traffic and very clean. No one seems to be on the streets in the part of the neighborhood and their air con has to be very efficient with all establishments and houses centralized air con.

We are considered lucky here in Vancouver, BC to have natural air conditioner even if it is summertime.

I guess there are more heroes in action in the US since there are allotted parking for the wounded beside the disabled car parking in some business establishment in Arizona.

This is not related to vending but I just wanted to say that I’m still working when I was down in the south since I was trying to some help with acquaintances in some related issues concerning the proper placement of things in a way to produce the best energy and healing – feng shui.

Feng Shui can cure health-related illness and can create harmony and bring desired health, wealth and happiness.

It is a hobby of mine that I took some courses related to Chinese metaphysics in Singapore and Malaysia when I was still in the Philippines and I have actually helped hundreds of people in consultations.

My business in the Philippines was related to computers, office supplies, ink and toner refilling services, and Feng Shui was my hobby which I was very attracted and had some passion until the present.

Right here in Vancouver, BC I’m just concentrated in doing the Vending Machine Business.

As a tourist in Arizona, I always visit the central museums which always amused me. I guess that goes for everyone when visiting unfamiliar grounds.

When I was back in Vancouver, BC there was a location in a community center and one of the machines are out of order. I noticed that was 2002 Half Dollar Jammed inside the coin mechanism.

Is this a sign that I needed to consider down south in the United States? 🙂 🙂

Pop machines are always empty down there.

It is actually a very good idea when doing business in the south since everything is cheaper compared to Vancouver, BC. Insurance, townhouse, gasoline I guess everyone knows that.

If you come to think about it, the vending machine business is actually a very portable and mobile business. You can sell it to anyone without much support and training. This is one of the businesses that you can actually hand it over and the next person can run the business generating revenues.

This small business is relatively easy to operate and sell. The biggest hurdle is that you naturally have to be in Red Bull Mode or Monster Mode when doing the vending machine business.

I could never imagine handling so many machines mostly without hiring extra help. I heard many horror stories relating to stealing and problems when someone else is running your business since it is an almost cash business ( some credits card transactions ).

My point is that during summer when your sales are up there are more problems but most of them are minor.

According to my many summer seasons running the vending business here in Vancouver are the following:

Empty Pop Machines
Coin Mechanism Jams

It would be a good time to clean pop machine compressors and always check the coin mech whenever you are doing your rounds during summer.

Vending Machine Out Of Service Again?

by adminMay 13, 2019November 26, 2019Uncategorized / Vending / Vending Business / Vending Machine / Vending Machine BusinessLeave a Comment

I’m very sure that there are some of your locations that are having the same dilemma as me.

I have a location located on the east side of Vancouver and I placed a very nice glass front vending machine with the state-of-the-art bells and whistles.

Normally the vending machine works really simple. Insert a coin and then the product drops on the delivery bin.

I was very patient with this location and giving them good commissions. Sometimes my commissions are not justified because the maintenance on this machine is more than what I’m supposed to earn.

Every week there is a problem like delivery bin out of alignment or cans stuck at the bottom which is caused by the customers.

I have a similar glass front vending machine that is producing extremely well in a very busy warehouse in Richmond where most of the users understand how to use a vending machine.

This location is doing extremely well when I secured this location three years ago with regular vending machines. But the regular soda pop machines are coming to age and have a constant problem.

When I upgraded to the glass from vending machine everything was good. But this location constantly has problems like bottles stuck at the bottom, the delivery bin was pulled thereby spending unnecessary expenses. The cost of fixing it is at least $285 with the delivery bin and labor.

How many pop cans can you sell just to recover this expense?

My solution was to sell this good nice glass front vending machine and downgrade for regular soda pop vending machines which are simple and easy to use.

But I’ll give this location another chance and observe.

Sometimes the solution will be just to replace the glass front vending machine to two regular soda pop vending machines which are simple to use nothing fancy like the picture below and produces sales that are expected week after week.

If it was you running an extremely good location but the problem is the customers, not the machine, what will you do?

Problem is it takes a lot of energy and effort the switch machines and moving charges alone makes a big hole in your wallet. $120 move out and another $120 move in, the cost of one machine.

It was the first time in my life that someone inserted a loonie inside a bill validator. So this pop machine was out of order for a week and no sales. I guess everyone is different. Some likes to play a prank and most of them are normal users.

I got out of the area and just having thoughts about why people like to play pranks on vending machines all the time. I sometimes wish they could run the business for a day.

The parking meters in downtown are always rigged by thieves.

They install a miniature magnet and fish out all the coins at the end of the day. I actually saw it myself on late afternoons. But of course I frequent the locations and dared not to take a photo or else vandalism will the result for me on my next visit.

When will the gasoline prices get stable here in Vancouver, BC? It is a question always asked by the people living here. Everything is sky high. Insurance, Gasoline, Food and everything is way higher. It is the weather here? I just do not get it.

I wish I can also increase the prices of my vending machines.

Some peoples are inconsiderate. It is a good thing that I naturally calm minded person. If you are in a hurry to get all the vending locations done and someone is blocking your way then what to do?

I always see people in downtown trying to fight their way out in situations. But I do not want my small business to be short-lived by arguing, so I guess you notice that your way blocked then just simply quickly drive the opposite way, of course in the commercial lanes too.

There are so many thieves here in Vancouver, BC generally in the lower mainland. I just do not get it why peoples are not alert and aware of what is happening around being vigilant all the time especially when you are outside.

Alas, I was on the way to get home from vending and just have to get one more place done. But soon when I arrived, there was a note on the vending machine that it is Out Of Order.

I suspect that it is just some coin jams that’s all.

So I found out there is a coin that resulted in the other coins that got stuck along with it.

You know that in the Philippines the default religion is Roman Catholic even if you are not religious.

Even if you are not a devout Catholic or just tag along with the rest it’s better to do what the Romans do when you are in Rome saying scenario.

You see the people in the Philippines are homogeneous, I think you get my point.

I vividly remember that thou shalt not use the name of the lord in vain as some hardcore religious person will put it that way.

I thought I need to take a quick micro-vacation.

When I was still living in the Philippines, Jollibee beats the heck out of McDonald. Why is this bee beating all the hamburger joints in the Philippines? McDonald, A&W, Burger King, Cali Burger, etc.

I guess a little visit to this Jollibee branch in Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington is good enough for me to enjoy a micro-vacation for the moment.

A vending machine service operator cannot depart when summer arrives.

The sales of pop and beverages cannot be ignored.

Sometimes I wish I was in California or the southern part of the US since the weather there is always hot and a lot more patrons drink loads of soda pop as compared here in the Northern West Coast.

Shooting Incident On My Vending Location

by adminApril 6, 2019April 6, 2019Uncategorized / Vending / Vending Business / Vending Locations / Vending Machine Business / Vending Machines2 Comments

As usual, I was doing my routinely checks on the locations last week. I have a location which I just visit once a month since it is an office building where there are not many customers using the machines.

I was casually entering the location but the doors are locked and there is a security guard in front and was asking questions about my business. The security let me in and I was out in 15 minutes.

Security told me that there was a shooting incident among employees or something.

Sometimes you will be wondering if you need to retain an extremely weak and slow location? Common sense will tell us that if the location is out-of-the-way then better get rid of it and sale it as a discount, but be sure to tell the prospective buyer that the location is slow performing.

You can sell the machines and advertise it as a free location in that way if the buyer is finding location for it then it will act as a free storage and for the meantime generating some revenue.

There was a show in PNE GemShow which I have attended on that Sunday and I bought a singing bowl. The singing bowl comes in different size and shapes and it resonates a certain frequency on a certain size of the bowl.

The singing bowl I got was from Nepal where most of the populace likes to meditate to create a stronger union of the mind and body using ancient sound frequencies. The singing bowl I chose was for aligning and healing the lower chakras. I guess 15 minutes a day will be good to start the day.

I proceeded to a public location which I just visit bi weekly ( every other week ) and I have three ( 3 ) machine in that place and I was wondering how come there was one ( 1 ) machine that there are no sales?

You sometimes know the Healthy Max machines coin return button gets stuck and does bounce back which is a common occurrence with these machines, other than that I have no complaints for the sturdy healthy maxes.

I panicked on that moment and thinking why I do not bring tools with me whenever I go downtown?

This must be essential and compulsory to bring:

Tools

Screwdriver Kit
Change
Extra Coin Mechanism
Extra Bill Validator
Extra Lock
Drill, Drill Bits and Self Tapping Metal Screws
Duct Tape

At least the ones mentioned above is the absolute minimum maintenance tools to bring.

I stop bringing these tools after the vandalism incident on my work van. I’m always in panic mode whenever I’m in downtown and generally the vicinity of Vancouver.

I get paranoid if there are a lot of products inside my work van when parked in Vancouver.

Statistically it is where most of the vandalism that takes place even in broad daylight.

I suddenly had a quick fix to the problem so that the coin return button will not stuck again.

Here is the picture that describes by itself.

Solution

You just have to insert a roll of cardboard from your chips box and insert it between the coin mechanism and the lever. See the picture below.

I headed to one of the Goliath location.

And I was surprised why the gigantic snack vending machine was almost empty only within a week’s time? The guy inside told me that they have night shift’s now due to high volume shipments.

It is a good thing also that this location did not call me on stuck Noodles since they took care of themselves. Using a clothes’ hanger on stuck noodles on the delivery bin is acceptable for me.

The people there are quite friendly and honest. Most of them are my fellow country men and never complained about work even thou it is very laborious, long, heavy and a sweaty daily job.

I guess doing this kind of work keeps your body healthy in a way. Just have to know the range of motion when loading, unloading and moving. If you do not know the proper range of body movement then you will surely get back injuries and a lot nerve problems with your hands and feet.

There was a location in North Vancouver that called me several times and complaining loud noise coming out from the vending machine.

I already inherently know that there are just three ( 3 ) probable problems on noisy vending machine:

Compressor

Fan Motor

Ventilation Motor

In most cases according to my experience it is the ventilation motor that is usually giving out a loud noise on a combo or snack vending machine. I also know that the machine is about 10 years old and the probability would be the vent motor.

I reached the location since it is across the bridge in Downtown Vancouver and had a quick fix just by unplugging the vent motor power cable.

Solution

You do not need a ventilation motor to have a functioning vending machine, you can do away without it.

If you buy the vent motor it will cost you hundreds of dollars on parts, labor and especially the time factor in moving the machine to disassemble the re assemble and bringing the motor back and forth your local vending machine supplier.

Simple fix to remove noisy ventilation motor is by unplugging the molex type power cable. See the picture below.

See the picture above that I simply unplugged the ventilation fan motor?

I went to a huge terminal facility that is off limits to the common folks.

There are lots of security in this government facility and the guy told me that when I left the location 2 weeks ago, the Debit Credit Card reader does not work.

I shrugged it off and said : “Of course it works”. I have to be careful on my tone of voice which sometimes my composure is off because of rushing to one location to another. Sometimes you can be bothered from so many locations especially towards to weekend.

I said inside my head sorry for the statement and I do not mean it and was hoping the person would be not that sensitive and should have said: “OK, sir I will check it out and let you know” instead.

Nowadays the populace seems to be extra sensitive in all aspects of things relating to anything. So I have to remember to keep my composure at all times.

May the people in the locations I go understand the life of a vending machine business operator.

You sometimes know the previous location someone was trying to harass you for freebies and prior to that an inspector almost ticketed you at a loading bay for more than 20 minutes and the location before that you are paranoid when you are parked at a location with people staring at your work van and snooping the minute you walk away from the work van.

There are a lot of things that happens in one ( 1 ) day every day for me when I’m out doing the vending machine business. Probably deep breathing exercises should do the trick!

Okay back the location that the guy told me the debit credit reader is not working. I tried my credit and debit card and indeed that it did not work!

I was thinking maybe the there is some hardware and software conflict issues going inside the machine. This will be the isolated problem solving method that will come into play.

I removed the Payrange attached inside the vending machine and re connected the debit credit reader and tested out and everything is perfectly working.

The Payrange is not compatible to Nayax.

By the way Payrange is a device that uses your phone to buy from a vending machine.

I took it out because some people do not like to install apps on their phone and load money to the app by disclosing the credit card details and opt for a TAP and GO easy device instead.

I highly recommend the Nayax debit credit card reader even thou it costs $400 compared to the Payrange’s $85 since it is easy to use and as I have mentioned TAP and GO! Can even use APPLE pay, Android, Apple watch and phone.

I even had remote emailed from the credit debit reader monitoring software that everything is doing great and sales have more producing for the debit credit Nayax device.

Till Next time.

New Location New Hope

by adminMarch 23, 2019March 24, 2019Uncategorized / Vending / Vending Business / Vending Locations / Vending Locator / Vending Machine Business13 Comments

I mentioned to you that I’m going to have another wild week. Which I did. This location was along the way on my other downtown route. I happened to pass by and good tidings was established on first impressions.

When you have a new location there are a lot of involvement in time.

The enemy is the time factor involved.

Putting products into the new machine, changing the prices on programming and asking products that you need to put inside the machine.
Having to coordinate when the mover will drop the machine and you have to go to new place to fill up the machine which disrupts your programmed schedule.

When I acquire on my own location there is always no problem and until now all locations are very stable.

I noticed that when I actually buy locations from a vendor or a seller, sometimes it may become a ticking time bomb. Managers on the location that I got from a previous vendor sometimes do not understand that I have spent a fortune in obtaining a location.

This is how it works here in Vancouver, BC.

I will give you a clear example. Let’s say Mr Vendor A wanted to sell his location and make an ad at Craigslist. Every day there are lots of gullible small self-employed vending machine operators who wanted to expand and saved up for a location searching at Craigslist.

Most of the time Mr Vendor A will inflate the sales for example, sales is doing $600 per month and actually in reality it is only $400. So the prospective buyer will end up paying more for the location. Because the selling price of a location is sales per month X monthly sales PLUS additional cost of the machine is new or fairly updated.

I actually learned to do vending machine business the hard way.

I got ripped off on numerous occasions. I run it for a couple of years and disgruntled managers who is used to the other previous vendor doesn’t like the way the new vendor runs the business and kicks you out.

This were the early years or sometimes when things get sour with the relationship withe the manager or if for some strange reason the people just does not like you anymore. This was the case on location that was sold to me by the previous vendors.

Maybe I do not have the same resonant wavelength frequency with the location that im serving after the took over?

This is a shallow hallow type of reasoning I would say.

I came from a 3rd Third World country and my savings which I painstakingly secured thru my hard work as an entrepreneur and just ripped out here in my new-found home in Canada.

If I lose a location then I lose a big bunch of money which is:

Initial over inflated investment from the previous vendor
Locator’s fee
Moving Fee
Storage Fee

Sometimes It is a vicious cycle. Good earnings for 7 months and then suddenly loosing 2 or 3 locations and the savings will be used for obtaining new locations and money gone! This is the reality in doing business here in Vancouver, BC.

You always have to keep up and always have a healthy relationship with the top honchos.

But it seems that lady luck is on my side for the moment.

Indeed last week was busy for me and I decided to stop expanding and stop looking for new locations for the time being.

It was a huge drain on my capital resources with (3) new locations. Two locations were obtained by me and the other One was from the best locator in town.

Mind you when you are buying locations from a locator it is not cheap. It ranges from $400 to $1200 from a locator here in Vancouver, BC.

Many managers on various locations do not know that there is monetary involved when the vendor is changing hands to another vendor. I hope the location will have smooth sailing for the new owner.

Some vendors go as far as to apply for a second mortgage on property to secure a loan in order to obtain good locations. We vendors pray that nothing harmful befall us on new locations.

Actually it is time for me to join the 0.0 ZERO.ZERO Club for the time being, I have to step down from the Jones es for the time being.

Keep myself low level and when spring and summer kicks in then I will have enough ammunition to store and save.

When I was in Richmond, I just don’t get it why peoples are always falling in line for the longest time in Japanese Themed restaurants whether it is owned by real McCoy Japanese or Fake Japanese people running the show.

I really wanted to try my hands someday when there is no line up.

When I’m in Philippines there are no people lining up in restaurants since there are so many!

When I was still in Vancouver Downtown my trusty dolly’s metal suddenly peeled and all the pop dropped to the street.

Did I mentioned numerous times that when a small uneventful situation happens to me I marvelously get a help real quick and things go again on its course.

The good thing that along the way to Burnaby there was a welding shop that I paid for $40 to have a spot weld and dolly works like new again. This is the guy to go to for emergency weld while you wait.

Another unforeseen event that happened along the way towards Richmond.

My van’s engine light came on while I was driving and I passed by Mr Action Jackson and he diagnosed it for under 5 minutes and engine light reset even thou he is extremely busy and did not charge me a single cent.

Normally I still have no time even on a Saturday. This particular day was special that came along for a long time. I spent time securing all the spare keys I have and organize my duplicate vending keys in case some strange uneventful situation happens, you never know.

Wild Week On Vending Machine Business

by adminMarch 13, 2019March 13, 2019Uncategorized / Vending Business / Vending Locations / Vending Locator / Vending Machine / Vending Machine Business10 Comments

Last week was a wild week for the vending machine business.

I have to double up my energy levels and quickly setup products for the new locations that I secured.

This seems to be a promising location since there are always people waiting and I think I have connected to the manager the first time that I have met.

There was another location that I needed so much time to set up another new location which was in downtown.

There was also no problems when I was with the manager.

The problem is that this particular new location voltage outlet is connected with two ( 2 ) refrigerators and one ( 1 ) walk in cooler.

The combo vending machine when started and once the compressor kicks in the breaker just shuts down by itself. Good thing the supplier had it fixed and a very efficient manner and sending out his technician in a professional manner.

I’m very happy with my vending machine local suppliers here in the lower mainland aside from hunting down cheap prices in Craigslist when looking for a used vending machine.

Sometimes when you buy a used vending machine at Craigslist for a few hundred dollars cheaper from your local supplier then if the compressor or some internal parts choke then you will have trouble in the long run.

Buying a used vending machine from a reputable local supplier may be a good and wise decision.

I have a slight problem when going to work that week. My work van suddenly will not start and that week was a very busy schedule and need to go to a lot of places. I have to spend another $1205 plus towing charges to have the work van repaired.

The fuel filter pump is busted and car mechanic said that vans which are around 110,000+kms mileage usually needed to have the fuel filter pump replaced especially if using it for extreme loading and unloading heavy load conditions.

Believe it or not my work van was fixed on the same day by Action Jackson.

Vending Machine Work Van Being Towed

Sometimes when my phone rings during my working hours, I already get paranoid. There are only several factors that have caused the phone calls.

Problem with machine
Angry customer loosing money on vending machine
Angry manager wanting some changes

So far everything is fine. I have not encountered angry managers wanting changes for the meantime. As long you keep all your customers happy then there will be no problems.

According to my statistics on doing my vending machine business, sometimes on rare occasions that I lose a location every year. So again I’m always cruising around and hunting down prospects for a new vending machine location.

I happened to drop by another location and casually talked to a manager in the east side part of town with about hundreds of employees walking in and out of the building. I was sometimes assuming that this will be a long shot. But at the back of my mind was saying that I used to have 12 brick and mortars shops way back in the Philippines and was very successful in the arena of sales.

I was not a born salesman and finished in Industrial management engineering minor in mechanical actually but wanted to be a software programmer. I have to force some changes and have to learn how to approach and make a pitch. What is there to lose? By gaining another location will be good for me for the meantime as long as all the locations are within the area of my service route.

I actually got another location which is indeed very promising and it will be another wild week for me on setting up and developing rapport with the new manager on a new location.

I suggest that all vending machine vendors out there to practice social skills and making a pitch to prospective locations. Or if you wanted a location then talk to your trusted locator to approach location to make a proper outreach.

Business generally is slower and all self-employed guys out there is hoping for the spring and summer months to set in where the vending business kicks off especially on the beverages.

Whenever I obtain a new location there is a drain on capital resources since you have to come out another vending machine, moving costs, initial setup products costs etc.

I guess this is the way it goes.

Acquiring assets can be a constant drain but a brighter outlook in the long term.

Vending Machine Was Smashed

by adminFebruary 24, 2019February 24, 2019Uncategorized / Vending / Vending Business / Vending Locations / Vending Locator / Vending Machine / Vending Machine Business29 Comments

I have a combo vending machine in the vicinity of E Hastings inside a secured apartment complex.

I used to have several during that a time when my cortisol hormone levels are always at its peak! I always sleep in on Sundays because I’m not in a rush for work and it’s the only time that I really get into the mood for taking everything easy.

I got a call at around 10 am something with a muffled voice which I hardly comprehend. I called again thinking that someone might have lost a Loonie or Townie which I will gladly reimburse on my next mission.

“Your machine was broken into and the Police is here checking the video tape surveillance”. I’m already accustomed to this kind of incident. I talked to the Police and he recommended that to press charges against the person who committed the crime. I talked to the manager and he told me that the machine glass was all shattered and is emptied of contents.

I called help immediately to secure the combo vending machine on this location , the broken glass will be replaced by an unbreakable poly carbonate and it should be fine.

When you have a break in normally these things most be taken into consideration:

1. Opportunity Loss on the days the machine is out of service

2. Polycarbonate replacement

3. Time for technician to fix it

4. File charges and get police file number

I used to have break-ins before during the year 2017 which is prevalent and more frequent with a lot of location in the E Hastings vicinity. I made money in that area during 2016 to 2018 even thou those unfortunate things that have happened to me.

At present, I still maintain two locations in this vicinity from the previous five in the time of 2016 to 2018. Some buildings were condemned by the City of Vancouver.

With the onset of moving out of those locations I eventually developed a little sense of my sales protocol which I practiced way in the Philippines when I was doing business. I eventually secured some locations by myself in that area.

I called my technician and he told that he was also a victim of vending machine break in in the area of Surrey. I guess some parts of Surrey can be comparable to E Hastings in my own thoughts. Sometimes when I am cruising down the roads in Surrey there are more security measures such as high fences and steel grill bars in all the retail establishments.

I was also maintaining a pop machine in the vicinity of North Vancouver at a storage facility which I bought the location from a locator about 2 to 3 years ago. I normally do not complain even if sales are low, I just wanted to deploy some of my machines at storage.

If I keep machines at storage, I pay around $30 per month. So it would be better to move it on a location instead. But sometimes the location is just producing say: $10 a month and diet soda are exploding because it expires and no one is buying them.

The storage facility in North Vancouver called and told me to move out the machine. Inside my head I was thinking what is wrong with me? I always give freebies when I’m on that location and still get this treatment to move out my machine immediately. The reason was “We had it with you, pop machine with exploding pop and eating money”.

In my thoughts and gut feel, is that some vending locator was trying to snatch my location and offering the North Vancouver facility a hefty commission. I feel sorry for the new owner who will be serving this facility.

Honestly the sales is just around $10 to $15 every month in this North Vancouver storage facility.

I was making everyone happy even how small the account is. Maybe it is an unforeseen force that swayed the location to call me to have the machine removed to a better location which I was contemplating in one of my school locations in Coquitlam which is performing exceedingly well. The school in Coquitlam has an older machine that leaked and it time to replace it with a newer Pop Machine with a Debit Credit Reader which can translate into higher sales.

I guess not everyone can be satisfied.

Did I mention to you that whenever there was an unfortunate incident it always leads to something better for me in general?

While I was servicing both machines in a public facility in New Westminster. Someone approached me and mentioned:”You can stop paying $80 every three months from now on, since we find that we do not need the funds for the moment”.

This is the first time that happened to me living here in Vancouver, BC. Here is the location that is very understanding to the plight of small self-employed business person.

I was astoundingly happy to get such a very fortunate incident that happened to me on that same day.

It was also that day when someone called me out of the blue.

It was a location that I was soliciting last year which was located in the vicinity of E Vancouver that have rejected my proposal for a placement of a combo vending machine.

If I myself approached a location for a placement of vending machine then I inherently knew that it will be promising and high performing.

The conversation was very quick and swift. I offered a computer printout of sales report every month and he agreed and will have the machine moved immediately in the last week of February which I will be very busy.

For some reason I got another call from my trusty locator.

She found another school location in the vicinity in Downtown which is perfect for me to consolidate with my existing route. This locator is the creme de la creme and I wish she will always have a great relationship with me as a client.

Indeed it is a mutual beneficial relationship since I have been performing my duty as a vending machine vendor and is always a good customer of her.

Sometimes I tell these incidents to my mother who is happy in the Philippines. She told me what the heck Im I doing here in Vancouver, BC??? and getting stuck there for so long with cold weather and life seemingly robotic???

I replied:”I’m trying to succeed here in Vancouver, BC. Trying to do some online stuff and mostly still in the offline manual laborious work that I have to endure for the time being.”

I’m getting envious now with my sisters enjoying the sun there in Boracay, Philippines.

Not to worry I’m still here in Vancouver, BC doing vending machine business!

There are times that I need to recharge myself after a long day work. I have myself portable Gunbanyuko which is in a great health rejuvenating device! You can also get one for yourself if you are serious about your health like I do. Optimum maintenance of health and youthfulness is a must when you are driving, loading, unloading every day.