In 1884, Thomas Adams developed Adam’s Black Jack, which was a licorice-flavored chicle gum, made with resin from a sapodilla tree. Shortly thereafter, William Wrigley began working on the mass production of gum, and after developing Wrigley’s spearmint and juicy fruit gums, began to market them all over the United States.

In the same era as Wrigley, brothers Frank and Henry Fleer began their own experimentations with gum. Henry’s project was creating candy-coated gum and his invention, Chiclets, is still widely popular today, as are gumballs, which are candy coated in the same design. Frank was seeking a more elastic type of gum and despite his first horribly sticky and messy attempts, eventually ended up with what we know as bubble gum today. Oddly enough, it was his accountant, Walter Diemer, who is credited with finding the right combination of ingredients to make the gum be stretchy enough to blow a bubble without requiring turpentine to remove it from the skin, as Fleer’s first prototypes did! Diemer also made history because pink was the only color left on the shelf when he was mixing up the concoction, and today bubble gum is traditionally pink. A result of the Fleers’ work, Dubble Bubble Gumballs, is still made and beloved today.

What started as resin from a tree has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. There are hundreds of different flavors of gumballs, in all shapes and sizes. The gumball is still one of the most popular vending machine choices today and is a favorite of kids everywhere.

Gumballs are the most popular item for vending machines, because the profits are so realistic and easy to see. Most gumballs cost about 3-4 cents apiece if you offer gourmet flavored gumballs, and every single one sells for 25 cents. That’s a huge profit on each one. Bulk candy such as Peanut M&Ms, Plain M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Skittles or Mike & Ikes are also popular.

Locating is arguably the most important part about maximizing your profits. Many people who jump into the business buy package deals from unscrupulous companies and pay huge amounts for cheap machines and locating services that find poorly-performing locations. Most of these people get out of the business at a loss within a few months. Many locating services are scams or useless, so take care if you decide to have a locater service place machines for you. It can cost upwards of $75 per location, so it might be a good idea to place machines yourself when you first start out. All it requires is a short presentation to give to store managers/owners and a nice outfit. A lot of businesses may say no, in fact, the majority of them probably will, but doing the work yourself will save you money and may help you later. If you and the manager/owner develop a repertoire, you could find yourself with a valuable recommendation source of new locations, not to mention, your machine will be a lot safer in a store where the owner watches out for it.

A vending business can be an exhilarating adventure, but it will be most successful if you follow those guidelines and adjust as you go to what works best for you. Ultimately, if you are diligent, you will know the best techniques for securing the best spots and making the most of your profits.

For more information or choose the perfect vending machines for you, visit Candymachines.com or call us at 800-853-3941 or 760-734-1414.

If you discover a machine has done poorly in its first month (50 cents would be considered poor), don’t pull it just yet! Re-evaluate the placement within the location: is it where most customers would travel? Is it hidden or next to packaged candy? (many people would rather just buy a bag of candy and take it with them then dig out a quarter and have to hold candy in their hand. If this is the case and there’s no other place to put the machine, consider offering dixie cups on the top of the machine with a sign encouraging customers to take one to place their candy in). If placement seems fine, consider the candy choice. Are you offering a sugary candy in a gym or chocolate in a warm environment? You might want to switch out candy to a more universally popular selection and see if that works. If you aren’t offering gumballs, you should also consider offering them locations such as restaurants or warmer places, since they will last longer than chocolate.
After evaluating the cash flow of your machines, it’s time to do the rest of servicing your machine. The bottom line is not to attract attention to yourself. The smoother you can ease in and out of there, the more the owner of the location will appreciate and tolerate your machine there. When filling the machines, take your time so you don’t spill candy everywhere. Many a vending operator has been reprimanded or asked to pull a machine because they spilled candy and either didn’t pick it up or let it happen repeatedly. It is important to show the owner of the location that you respect their business and their customers by removing all signs that you were there. Pick up any candy on the floor and it never hurts to pick up any trash you see on the floor nearby while you’re at it, even if it didn’t come from your machine. ALWAYS USE GLOVES WHEN HANDLING CANDY, even if you don’t touch it directly. That’s just good sense. To build good relations, you can always give free leftover candy to the employees at the location. They’ll keep an eye on your machine for you if you’re nice to them!
You should also bring cleaning wipes to wipe down your machine and remove dust or dirt from it. You should service your machines AT LEAST once a month. Make sure your machines are never empty for long. Don’t let your machine become an eyesore in the location or you’ll be asked to pull it, or worse, the owner will do it themselves and throw it out. Your goal should be to never give the owner a reason to have to contact or talk with you about any problems with the machine. If they forget about the machine because it’s so well-maintained, you’ve succeeded. It will still pull in money and you can build strong relationships with business owners because of your dedication to running a professional business.

For more information on the best vending machines for you and more advice, visit Candymachines.com or call us at 800-853-3941 or 760-734-1414.

If you choose to do “charity vending,” you first need to find a charity you’d like to support. Simply call to places you’d be interested in helping out and ask if they have programs for vendors to donate money, and if they have stickers available to place on the machines. It’s always going to be easier to place a machine if it’s a local charity, so that’s something to consider. Also, don’t assume a charity will allow vendors to use their name on their machines. Some don’t, due to unscrupulous vendors in the past or liability issues. That’s why it’s important to call before you use their name on anything!

It’s also important to make it clear to the location owner that you are an independent (for-profit) business and that you just give a portion of your profits to x charity each month. Don’t be tempted to mislead them and say you’re part of the charity.

Some business owners will be curious to know how much you donate each month. A good percentage is 10-15%, which you can tell them, but let them know that varies each month depending on how all of your machines do.

No matter what, please don’t mislead either the charity or the location owner. It’s okay not to share everything, but if they ask, please be upfront and honest. There have been many dishonest people lying about their affiliation or donation amounts who ruin the experience for everyone else, so please don’t join them!

Learn more about bulk vending and find the perfect vending machines for you at Candymachines.com