The bulk candy you use will be the third most important option besides which vending machine you choose and which locations you get. Most new vendors never really think about the bulk candy they use and how it will affect their sales. I’m telling you right now that you can have a really good placement and not even know it if you use the wrong candy. Another thing to think about when choosing your candy is that this is your business and you make the final decision. I had a bulk vending machine at an investment firm in Murrieta Ca.
I asked the lady at the front desk what kind of sweets she wants in the machine. She gave me a couple of suggestions, so I put the candy she wanted in there. Every month that she came back, she wanted a different kind of candy there. So my kindness fired back at me and I wasted money trying to please her with the sweets she wanted. So my advice to you you can take suggestions but this is your business and you make the final decision.
What kind of bulk candy to use?
This can be a mystery, or it can stick to statistics. The best-selling bulk candies are peanut m&ms. Now wait before you leave this website and go to the store. If you’re not careful, m&ms can get really dirty. Imagine a hot summer day and your bulk vending machine is perched near a window, I don’t care if that office has the thermostat turned down to 60 degrees, if the sun shines on your vending machine those m&ms will melt and you’ll lose that spot Quick when the lady in the office gets chocolate on her hands and accidentally gets it on her blouse, trust me I know first hand. So if you’re going to use peanut m&ms, be careful where you put your vending machine.
My Favorite Bulk Candy Mike and Ikes
Man, I’ve had a lot of success with these colorful and tasty little bad boys. If you never had any of them, I compare them to jelly beans. I love these things and so do other people. Mike and Ikes do well in the winter and summer, but just like the m&ms, be careful in the summer. In the summer, if your bulk vending machine is somewhere hot, Mike and Ikes can team up and become one big ball. To prevent this from happening, you can lightly spray the Mike and Ikes with Pam or her favorite cooking spray, and you shouldn’t have a problem in the summer. I ignored this advice and when I went to a couple of my locations, I wondered why Mike and Ikes hadn’t moved at all, as they had been such a hit in the previous few months. Well after I opened my vending machine all my Mikes and Ikes were stuck together and also the owner was complaining that people were asking for their money back because they didn’t get any candy. So please don’t ignore this advice or you might regret it like me at first.
Bowling game
I use Skittles a lot in my bulk vending machines and stick with the original Skittles. Yeah, it seems like there are about a million different types of Skittles now, but I’m sticking with the original type. I’ve tried other types, but had more success with the original, so I’ve stuck with it over the years. I never really had a problem with this candy. It has a nice hard shell, so it does well in winter and summer.
chewing gums
Chewing gum is your best friend in your business. They are by far the most cost effective bulk candy you can buy, and they are indestructible. The only advice I can suggest about these gums is after a couple of months on your machine, check them by biting on a gum once in a while. Sometimes these gums get very hard and after that you will want to get rid of them. Another thing is that you don’t get cute with gum. As with skittles, these things come in a variety of flavors and colors. Don’t be cute buying Halloween colored gum because if you don’t sell it within a month no one will probably buy it come Christmas. Now I bought gum that looked like little baseballs and was very successful, but baseball season lasts six to seven months, so I had plenty of time to sell it. If you’re just starting out, stick with the basics until you’re making money and comfortable with your sales path.
bouncy balls
Like I almost forgot. These can be great, these bouncy balls never go out of style and never go bad or anything like that. Just be careful where you put them because small children can choke on them. When I use the bouncy balls, I put a label on my machine that it is 5 years old or older. Most people can put 3 years or more, but I don’t want any trouble, so I put 5 years or more. Bouncy balls can be great; I use them in a lot of pizzerias as there are probably other vending machines that have gum so I use the bouncy balls.
peanuts and pistachios
I have used peanuts and pistachios and they will work if you have the correct placement. I have a bulk vending machine at a nursing home down the hall and I can’t keep that bulk vending machine full. It is always emptying. I use vendesign vending machines and two of the cans contain pistachios and the other two cans contain regular peanuts. Those old folks love peanuts and pistachios. I don’t use bulk candy at this particular location.
Runts, Boston Baked Beans, and Other Bulk Sweets
I know there are some people who love runts, but I’ve never used them. I never really thought of Runts as a serious candy to wear. I know Runts are cheap, but whenever I see a bulk vending machine with Runts in it, it always looks abandoned or poorly maintained. Now don’t get me wrong, I know there is someone out there who is doing fine with dwarves, I just don’t use them. Boston Baked Beans I have never used either. I love them and buy them from time to time when I go to a gas station, but I haven’t tried them in my vending machines.
Someone please let me know how you’re doing with the runts or Boston Baked Beans so I can give a better account of these two sweets, or anything else you’re using that I haven’t mentioned on this page. Lastly, don’t buy cheap brand name bulk candy, this will only make you miserable when you walk up to your vending machine and realize you haven’t made any sales. Don’t be cheap!
