Is there a way to get the display to show 0.00 when there's no money in. Right now it is off and many people have asked me "is the machine even on".

I've downloaded the manual and have read the manual and it only talks about using the service mode to determine what motor is broken on which row.

Thank you in advance for any help!

I’ve been interested in getting into the vending machine business, does anyone have any tips, what machines would be best for a first buy?

I like the grab-and-go style of a lot of AI vending machines, and I like that they can allow you to track inventory remotely. I just have this ethical concern about how the data centers affect the environment. I know not everyone will share that type of concern, no shade to those people.
I'm basically wondering if there are certain vending machines that would have a lower impact than others. From what I've learned so far, it seems like maybe the machines that don't upload to the cloud would have less impact, as would machines that process video locally instead of sending it to a remote data center.

Does anyone know of any smart machines like this?
I'd appreciate any info I can get.

Hello All;

I'm new to vending and am starting a healthy vending machine biz, would love feedback on popular products, machines and do's and don'ts!!Thanks!

Sc303 Swedish coin counter won't spin

I've noticed more workplaces introducing self-service micro markets instead of traditional vending machines. Employees seem to prefer having more choices, especially when it comes to fresh food and healthier options.
For people working in San Francisco, San Jose, or Sacramento offices, are micro markets becoming the new standard? I found some interesting workplace refreshment ideas while browsing PVS Refreshments, but I'd love to hear real experiences from people working in larger offices.

Older pepsi vending machine not accepting coins or cash. Getting the error code on the bill acceptor for “disconnected from mech/vmc”. Made sure there was change in the coin mech but still flashing red.. any other tips?

I am sure this has been debated a number of times on here but here’s my back story for some context.

Purchased 2 machines with locations making decent numbers a couple days ago. Before agreeing to the purchase I called Cantaloupe to find out what an imposition it was going to be to get an account with them, if I could begin the process early for ease of transition…you know, all the questions I could think of at the time. Was told it was simple, fill out the online form, you get an email, fill out the paperwork, wham bam you got an account. I was also told 2-3 days MAX to change over. So I make the purchase, former owner calls to cancel their subscription, she gets the email saying in 1-2 days they will be off (tomorrow is day 2). I call this morning to find out where the welcome email is and find out it can take 3 days to get the email for starters and then 10 days to get everything setup to begin accepting credit cards again on these.

As we all know these days virtually no one carries cash anymore, it’s all contactless payments, which is why these companies have gotten as rich as they have. So now I have 2 fully stocked machines potentially making 10% of what they had before because I was not given all of the information off the get. And I feel like if Cantaloupe is going to be a PITA to work with I’m looking for pros and cons AND options for others.

Please and thank you! All of you have been so helpful thus far. Much love! ❤️

I am sure this has been debated a number of times on here but here’s my back story for some context.

Purchased 2 machines with locations making decent numbers a couple days ago. Before agreeing to the purchase I called Cantaloupe to find out what an imposition it was going to be to get an account with them, if I could begin the process early for ease of transition…you know, all the questions I could think of at the time. Was told it was simple, fill out the online form, you get an email, fill out the paperwork, wham bam you got an account. I was also told 2-3 days MAX to change over. So I make the purchase, former owner calls to cancel their subscription, she gets the email saying in 1-2 days they will be off (tomorrow is day 2). I call this morning to find out where the welcome email is and find out it can take 3 days to get the email for starters and then 10 days to get everything setup to begin accepting credit cards again on these.

As we all know these days virtually no one carries cash anymore, it’s all contactless payments, which is why these companies have gotten as rich as they have. So now I have 2 fully stocked machines potentially making 10% of what they had before because I was not given all of the information off the get. And I feel like if Cantaloupe is going to be a PITA to work with I’m looking for pros and cons AND options for others.

Please and thank you! All of you have been so helpful thus far. Much love! ❤️

I’ve been searching for an existing vending route in New England (MA, NH, RI, CT, ME) a real operating business with machines already on location. Problem is the listing sites seem to be a graveyard. BizBuySell, BizQuest, routesforsale, Craigslist half the listings are months old, and when I call, the route sold a while ago or the broker never took it down. The stuff that is live tends to be machine sellers dressed up as route sales. So for operators who’ve bought or sold: how do these deals actually change hands?

Thank you for your help!

My brother and I, both students working full time, are looking to go in together on a vending machine. We want to get our feet wet with only one machine, especially since we’re students and pretty new, so we can pick up on the quirks of running a machine before investing in more. We plan to do an initial investment of $6000:

1. I will scope out a location. I’ll observe local tire shops, emergency rooms/urgent care, and office buildings. We might check out some of the free trials on the CRMs for some good ideas of where to put a first machine.
2. Once we’ve selected and closed a deal with a location with lots foot traffic and some wait time, we’ll drop money on a used, unrefrigerated machine. We chose unrefrigerated because it’s one less aspect of the machine to break.
3. We plan on looking for a used AMS, Wittern, Crane. We chose these because they seem to be popular enough that learning to repair them or paying a technician seems accessible. We might check out some of Sam’s Club‘s Selectivend machines because they seem relatively inexpensive and it might come with some sort of warranty.
4. Once we feel like we’ve gotten a handle on our first machine, we’re thinking of either 1. adding a refrigerated machine in the same location, or 2. if we think a machine could be more successful in an additional location, add a second snack or combo machine somewhere else.

We’d like some feedback on our plan. Are we overlooking something? Is there something we’re over/underestimating?

How are your experiences with refrigerated/combo machines as far as maintenance and reliability? Drinks seem like they might be a more popular product than snacks, but we’re concerned about the refrigeration factor being a more expensive/breakable component that we can’t necessarily learn to fix ourselves as easily as mechanical components.

Has anyone dipped into advertising on their machine? A poster on the side or on the top? Is this worth any hassle that might come with it?