Automatic Merchandiser - 39

HUNGRY FOR SOLUTIONS

the company about product turns,
product expiration dates, etc., they
were amazed. I also shared that there
are vending companies who do put
items on sale, rotate various items in
and out of their machines on a regular
basis, and run seasonal promotions on
Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving
and Fourth of July products, just to
mention a few.
I suggested that they contact their
current vendor and schedule a meeting to discuss how they could partner
together to make sure their employees
are being taken care of. If their vendors
do not offer those things, I told them
they should contact other vending
companies and change vendors.
A professional workplace refreshment program that offers features and
benefits for your location's employees
that your competitors do not offer
will set your vending company apart.
Everyone wins when vending companies direct their marketing, advertising
and sales programs toward assisting
HR departments that make the workplace environment better. For example,

Vendors should work with their clients' HR
departments to maximize their impact and
revenue.

Credit 91469309 | Cienpies Design / Illustrations | Dreamstime

we have given away free vend coupons,
$2 bills and scratch-off lottery tickets.
This has substantially increased our
sales and profits. Their employees are
happy when they win something for
free. Our typical cost per location to do
these types of promotions is about $8 $10 per month.
When I informed them that the
vending companies I have owned and
operated over the last 25 years always
attempted to involve locations' HR
departments in the decision-making
process when we made a presentation,
all three stated that was wise.
My experience reveals that it will
always benefit your vending company
if you make a concerted effort to get
the HR departments at your locations
involved to approve and endorse your
employee refreshment program as
part of their overall efforts to increase
employee morale and productivity.

All three of these HR-related individuals agreed when the subject of food
products - and not just snacks -
came up as a way to attract and retain
employees at their companies. Each
said that almost all vending companies
they have dealt with were less than
enthusiastic when they requested fresh
and/or frozen food products be available via the vending machines in their
break rooms or employee lounges.
If you've been hesitant to be aggressive when offering food products
to your locations, consider that HR
departments at an increasing number
of companies are finding that food is
a motivating factor in the recruitment
of good, loyal employees. In addition
to benefiting their corporate esprit
de corps, it's also a factor in retaining
employees and contributes to their
bottom line.
Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and numerous other companies
not only offer food to their employees,
but they give it to them for free. If these
corporate giants realize how important
having food in the workplace is for
their employees, there's a good chance
that some - or all - of your current
locations would like the option of having a workplace food program.
I know what some of you may be
thinking: Food is not as profitable as
cold drinks and snacks. I agree, it is
more labor intensive and susceptible
to spoilage, but if having a good food
program will help you to get profitable, high-dollar vending locations,
you should take a long, hard look at
offering it. I guarantee that one day, you
will lose good locations to a competitor who does offer a high-quality food
program. ■
About the author
Gary Joyner started in the
vending business in Orlando
in 1994. Since then he has
owned, operated and sold
three vending companies in
Florida. He can be reached
at gwj45@aol.com.

April 2020 * VendingMarketWatch.com

39
http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com
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