One of my closest friends owns the #2 vending machine company in Calgary and area. His operation is fairly large with multiple drivers running around collecting and changing merchandise, he has a few large bays as storage and buys his product direct from the Coke's, Pepsi's, Lay's Potatoes Chip's etc.
Financially you can do quite well but I have also inquired about the type of machines your friend is thinking about, he has always sided away from it. A lot of the good locations are currently taken but its the little things that people don't think about.
The issues with maintenance of the machines for breaking down, jamming etc
The need and experience for moving machines from different locations for reasons such as office moves, renovations to the business etc. If your going to be paying a company several hundred dollars every time you need a move, it can get expensive quickly.
Some of the premier locations that can make good money also want a cut of the action is well. This is one of the biggest things I never thought about when it came to this business. Paying commission for specific locations in order to get the business, sometimes its worth it and sometimes its not.
In any event, my friend is currently looking at selling off some of his specific routes as a downsize as he may be going into another business. If your interested, let me know and send me a PM for details.
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