Editorial

Candy Vending Business Offers Sweet Success

Do you remember when you were a child and you’d put a penny in a gumball machine and turn the crank? You’d excitedly wait for that “clink” and open the metal door to see what color gumball would roll out. People are still plunking money into machines, only now they are using quarters. Did you ever wonder who collects all of those quarters? Keep reading and it could
be you!

U-Turn Vending is a Business Opportunity that can put high quality candy dispensing machines into your hands. All you have to do is find locations, fill the machines and collect the money. It’s that easy.

Randy Francis, general manager of U-Turn Vending, says the number one reason for the growth of the company is that the vending business really is a money maker. “We not only make the machines here,” he says from their offices in Idaho Falls, Idaho, “we also offer training to people who buy our machines. If a person is motivated, we can teach them to make their business successful.

“Another reason for our growth,” Francis continues, “is that we have an impeccable reputation in the industry. We’ve been in business for 17 years and bend over backwards to satisfy our customers.”

The U-Turn Vending Machine

The U-Turn vending machine features from four up to 12 different products – candy, gum, nuts and even toys in capsules. The machines are made of steel and finished with a baked-on powder coating. A locking feature provides both freshness to the product and security.

The U-Turn machines are eye-catching and built for years of service. They feature a design that allows a variety of candy choices to be visible at the same time and a turntable so customers can spin the machine to make selections. As vending candy purchases are impulse-stimulated, the look of the machine and the variety of choices offered will boost sales.

Francis says this theory of more selection equals more purchases is tested frequently. “Whenever a competitor comes out with a new machine, we buy it for testing purposes. Then we fill it and set it next to one of our machines at a location. A research team will stake out the machines and give the first 100 people walking by a quarter, asking them to try out whichever of the machines they desire.

“We’ve found that 85% o those people will put the quarter in a U-Turn machine,” explains Francis, “so we know that our machine’s design is continuing to draw customers. In fact, we have machines named ‘The Terminator’ and ‘The Eliminator’ just for that reason – when we place our machines next to other machines, we eliminate the competition.”

The machines can be easily adjusted to the type of product, to the amount of product dispensed and even to the cost of the product, which gives owners the flexibility to make the most profit from each machine.

Why is candy vending a good business?

The loose candy (bulk) used in vending machines has a very healthy markup. If a single vend of candy costs you .06 and you take in a quarter, your profit is .19. Multiply that by 20 vends daily and then by a modest number of machines, say 20, and you are taking in $76 a day while you work a standard job, or go on vacation, or stay home with your children. The more machines you own, the more money you make.

Vending is a business that can be started part-time. Then you can increase your involvement at whatever speed you desire. Francis says that it is the goal of many of their customers to be able to quit their full-time jobs. This is an obtainable goal because a vendor who has placed around 200 machines can make a very good full-time income.

The amount of time needed to service U-turn machines is minimal. You can remove the quarters, then clean and refill the machines quickly due to the machine’s design. It only takes about eight hours to service 20-25 machines and this can even be done evenings and weekends.

For the very motivated individual, there is no limit on what you can accomplish with the help of U-Turn. You buy your candy products at a discount warehouse and pay no fees or royalties to U-Turn. Whether you buy 20 machines or 2000, you can place them in whatever cities or states you desire.

Location – Location – Location

And, speaking of location, you may be wondering where to locate these machines. You can locate U-Turn candy machines in hotels, car dealers, malls, golf courses, fitness centers and businesses. There are two ways to find locations. If you attend U-Turn training, they will teach you to find locations for yourself. Or, if you desire, they will put you in touch with a professional locator who can help you for a fee.

Francis says that 90% o U-Turn machines are placed in locations for free, and that is mainly due to their association with charities such as Child Quest and Child Find. “Many business owners,” says Francis, “will allow you to put vending machines in their businesses when you explain that these machines earn money for charity. One thing we do,” says Francis, “is place pictures of missing children on our machines, pictures which have been provided by these organizations. We also collect money to give to these charities. Our machines have a donation slot on top so it is easy to separate the donations from the sales.”

Vending machines, says Francis, earn hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities every year and both vending machine owners and business owners like the feeling of helping others.

Is this business for you?

“The saying goes that if you build a better mousetrap, people will beat a path to your door,” says Francis. “U-Turn is successful because we built a better machine. We’ve had 13 year of consecutive growth due to the uniqueness of our machine and to our hard work,” he adds. “I believe that anyone who is motivated to succeed and works hard to succeed will succeed in vending and we will provide the tools to make it happen.”

U-Turn has over 200,000 vending machines in the US and has gone international with a presence in 13 other countries. Whether your goal is to work full-time or part time, U-Turn has a package for you.

A U-Turn Vending Business