What type of vending machines are you currently using, and how long have you had them?
Bell: We are currently using the Dilling-Harris Max-Vend system, some with the bill changer built in and some without. Our vending income has quadrupled since putting them in over two years ago.
Anish: I’m using a single-column drop vendor. Most of them are J. E. Adams and I’ve had them for 15 years.
Gray: Most of them came from J. E. Adams, and we’ve had them since the opening of the carwashes, which varies from 1983 to 1987.
How often are you experimenting with your product mix, and are there some products you just won’t vend?
Bell: What we have sells well. We’d like to have more selection and capacity. We have blue shams, Armor-All original pads, wet towels, multi-purpose pads, tire foam, auto glass cleaner, original shine and spray, window wipes, and fragrance trees.
Anish: I have one vendor where I’ve swapped out different products to see what sells. I do that about every six months. I’ve tried extra things like the window defogger Rain-X, Armor-All sponge packs, SOS pads, Rain Vision and Never Fog.
If I had glass-type vending, I would probably try other products, but since the products aren’t visible and the decals are limited, I probably wouldn’t vend key chains and hide-a-key boxes.
Gray: We sell towels, Armor All, and fragrance. I don’t think there’s anything we wouldn’t vend, though our experimentation has been limited.
How big a problem have vandalism and theft been, and have manufacturers done a good job responding to the issue?
Bell: We have very little vandalism on the Maxi-Vend. Some people got into them and took money, but they didn’t damage the machine.
Theft is a different issue. The operator is the first line of defense. It depends on how the operator selects a location, designs the building, lights the facility, and makes sure it’s visible, so thieves don’t find an easy environment to work in.
We’ve lost four auto cashiers in front of the automatic bays. People ram them, loosen them, put a rope around them and try to drag them out. Now, we build a steel crate over them to sit in and we bury it in the ground about three feet. Since doing that, we haven’t lost any machines.
We’ve had problems with validators, and I think everybody’s had problems with people trying to string coin machines. Hamilton has tried to stay on top of that. They’re a very good vendor.
There’s nothing the manufacturer can do about that. It’s up to the operator to build safeguard measures that would make sense.
Anish: Vandalism has been high at the locations where the vending machines are not as visible. Vending machines have taken the worst hit because they look very lightweight and simple to get into.
Locks have been broken off, but we’ve done some extra security to prevent that from happening. We’ve added lock bars across the front of the vending machines. We’ve moved vending machines to more lighted areas.
It’s more difficult for the criminal, but it’s not as convenient for the customer. We have to put them in a central location instead of dispersing them around the carwash. I think it’s up to the owner, not the manufacturer, to offer a more secure environment for the customer.
Gray: Vandalism and theft have been very rare. We’ve put security systems in all of our carwashes. All of the coin boxes and vacuums have a security system on them. We also have the wash attended close to 14 hours a day. The other key is to make sure all of the equipment works, which cuts down on the vandalism.
Do you typically feel safe collecting quarters, and what precautions do you take?
Bell: All of our locations are parallel to a public street, and very well lit in back and front. We collect coins on different days at different times, not at night. We also try to get the money to the bank the same day.
We’ve converted to the dollar coin. We still offer quarters, but we’re getting ready to discontinue that. That helps with the amount of coinage you have to lift around. We’re trying to convert to paper as much as we can.
Anish: I feel safe collecting quarters during daytime hours, but I take precautions. I change my route when I pick up the quarters. This may seem odd, but some decals have reflection on them, and I use that as a mirror to see who’s behind me.
Gray: We vary the time we collect, and we always do it when there are other people on the lot. We obviously don’t collect at any time alone, and we feel safe doing it.
Are you using or would you consider tokens? Are they worth the time and expense? Why or why not?
Bell: We wouldn’t use tokens at this time. It’s not an expense factor, but an acceptance factor. We had a difficult enough time getting people used to the dollar coin. I think tokens would be disastrous for us in this market.
Anish: I’m not using them because it’s a big inconvenience for the customer. I don’t go to a Coke machine, put a dollar in and get tokens back. If they have quarters in their pocket, they can use them here. But if they don’t and they’re going to get tokens, they may choose someone else.
Say you buy $5,000 worth of tokens at the beginning of the year to disperse among your bill changers. At the end of the year, when you’ve collected your tokens, you may only have $3,000 collected and $2,000 still out there.
Gray: We use tokens to discount sales and encourage use, but we would not go to 100 percent tokens because we feel the customer does want to get a hold of a little cash when they make change.
What about credit card acceptors for vending machines? Do you find the technology affordable, and is it practical in a vending application?
Bell: We don’t have any credit card vendors, but we’d love to go in that direction. I think it’s advisable to have credit card use in the bays and anywhere you can have it. It’s an investment, and you have to promote what you’re doing to get a return on it. What we’ve spent thus far with the credit card applications has been very beneficial to us.
Anish: I don’t see it being practical. Instead of the low-ticket items ranging from 50 cents to a dollar, you could put more expensive items in the machines, but is your turn-around going to be as much on those? I don’t think people want to use a credit card for a $1 item, and I don’t think the expense of having that put in would justify the cost.
Gray: One of our locations is using that technology for the automatics. We’re waiting to evaluate that.
In terms of vending machine technology, what would you like to see manufacturers do better?
Bell: We need a bigger, more durable machine. If they could add another row of vending products, that would be a good thing for us. If the faceplates were made of a heavier gauge of stainless steel, it would be better.
Anish: I think they should make a stronger, more beefed-up looking machine to increase the security factor. Also, a lot of the newer-style, push-button machines give more selection, and it gives the customer more visibility of what they’re getting. I plan on changing to some of those in the near future.
Gray: I think the multi-vend is probably going to be the way to go, where you have a lot of different products in the same vending machine. We’d like to see a secure, reliable machine. Then, it’s a matter of constructing the carwash to have a place to put it. You have to come up with a good place to put it, whether it be the vacuum canopy, closer to the office, or somewhere else. |
