Let me tell you about a placement that had me feeling real good… and then real confused… and then honestly, a little crushed.
Last October, I landed my first department store location. Up until that point, most of my machines were in smaller businesses, so this felt like a big step. More employees, more foot traffic, bigger opportunity.
I went all in on this location.
I bought two machines specifically for this store. Both were refurbished, but in great shape:
- A Royal Vendors 650 Cold Drinks Live Display drink machine
- An Automatic Products 123 4-wide snack machine
And because I wanted to do it right, I installed two brand new Nayax card readers on them so employees could pay cashless from day one.
I was excited. I’m talking “checking the sales app way too often” excited.
It Was an Instant Hit
From the jump, those machines were moving.
Employees were using them constantly. Every time I came in to restock, I could tell product was flying off the shelves. Between the drink machine and the snack machine, the location was pulling in around $250 to $300 per week consistently.
For me, that is a solid location. Especially for a first department store.
In my head I’m thinking,
“Man… this might be one of those long-term, dependable spots.”
I felt like I made a great decision.
Then the Numbers Fell Off a Cliff
Fast forward to earlier this month.
I start noticing something feels off.
When I’m doing my restocks, I’m not refilling nearly as much product. I check my numbers and realize the location is now doing about $100 a week on average for the last four weeks.
Now listen, I get it.
We had a few snow days where the store was closed. That will always affect sales.
But not like this.
This was a real drop, and it stayed low.
So I did what I always recommend doing instead of guessing.
I reached out to the store manager.
The Manager Said Everything Was Fine
I asked her straight up:
- Any complaints about the machines?
- Any issues with service?
- Anyone unhappy with product or prices?
She tells me,
“No, everything is good. No complaints at all.”
So then I mentioned what I was seeing on my end. I told her that when I come in on restock days, I’m barely needing to refill much anymore.
That’s when she said something that made it all make sense.
She told me that their seasonal crew had been let go.
And right there, it hit me.
The Mistake I Didn’t Realize I Made
I immediately thought back to my very first site visit.
I remember being there with my tape measure, checking doorways, making sure we could get the machines inside without issues. I asked all the normal questions.
At one point I asked her,
“How many employees do you usually have here?”
She told me around 60 employees, plus delivery drivers popping in and out.
And in my head I’m thinking,
Perfect. My personal rule is I want at least 50 full-time employees for full-size drink and snack machines.
What I did not ask was the most important follow-up question.
How many of those employees are full-time year-round… and how many are seasonal?
This was my first department store location, and honestly, I just did not think about it.
Now here I am, looking at machines that were doing great, and suddenly the customer base got cut way down.
The One Question I Now Ask Every Time
So here is the question I now ask before I place any machine:
“How many of your employees are full-time year-round versus seasonal or temporary?”
That one question can save you months of frustration.
Because here’s the thing.
A location can look amazing at first.
Sales can be strong for months.
Then staffing changes, and your numbers fall apart.
It does not mean the location is bad.
It just means the volume is no longer there to support the machines you placed.
And that is something you want to know upfront.
When You Realize You Might Need to Leave a Location
I’ll be honest, I was crushed.
Not because the manager did anything wrong. She was great.
Not because the machines failed. They worked perfectly.
But because I felt like I made a rookie mistake.
Now I’m at the point where I’m seriously considering moving the machines.
And here is something important for anyone reading this.
Do Not Pull Machines Without a Plan
It is always best to have another location ready to go before you remove machines from a spot.
Why?
Because machines sitting in storage are not making money.
And storage units are not free.
In my case, if I move these machines, they would be going to a storage unit, not my garage. That is an added monthly expense on top of already reduced revenue.
So now, instead of just reacting, I’m focused on securing the next location first so the machines can move directly from one business to another.
That way:
- No long-term storage
- No lost weeks of income
- No wasted time
What I Want New Vending Owners to Learn From This
If you are just getting started, please hear me on this.
Do not just ask:
- How many employees do you have?
Also ask:
- Are they full-time or seasonal?
- Do staffing levels change during the year?
Retail, department stores, and some warehouses can have big swings in employee count. That affects your sales more than almost anything else.
Manufacturing plants, medical facilities, and distribution centers usually have more stable staffing, which is why they are often better long-term vending locations.
This placement did not fail because vending does not work.
It slowed down because the environment changed.
That is part of the business.
Real Talk Before I Wrap This Up
Every operator has locations that don’t work out the way they expected.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying or brand new.
What matters is that you:
- Learn the lesson
- Adjust your process
- Apply it to the next placement
This experience made me a better operator. Period.
And now, every time I walk into a potential location, that one question is always part of the conversation.
Because sometimes, the difference between a great location and a struggling one is not the machines, not the products, not even the management.
It is simply how many people are actually there every day.
If this post helps you avoid making the same mistake I did, then it was worth sharing.
And if you are in that early stage right now, keep going.
You are going to learn some lessons the same way I did. In real time.
That is how you grow in this business.
