Economic Stimulus Plan

Over the past few years of supplying vending machines to businesses all over the country, I’ve talked with lots of business owners about why they want a vending machine. There are several reasons, but one thing that is common to all of them is that they say a coffee machine boosts the productivity of their staff.

The owners and managers always tell me how delighted they are with the positive effects of installing a coffee machine. As well as their employees being pleased they can get a cup of coffee at any time of day, it seems the reviving effects of the drink (possibly a result of the caffeine?) lead to improved productivity over the course of the day.

The main reason they give, then, for getting a machine in the first place, is that it is good for business, as well as keeping the staff happy. Everyone is convinced that having a vending machine helps them with their bottom line.

Having established the business benefits, I go through with them some basic stuff that’s necessary to ensure they get the right machine for their premises. This is essentially based on how often the machine will be used.

First, I find out how many people are going to be using the machine. I estimate an average of 3 times per day that each person could want a cup of coffee, so the sum here is to multiply the number of people using the machine by 3.

One recent example is from a meeting with an engineering firm. They had 25 people on site who would be using the machine each day. So my estimate for daily usage was 25 x 3 = 75 uses of the machine each day for this firm.

Not all coffee vending machines will be suitable for this level of activity, so at this point I knew I’d have a smaller list of possible machines to recommend to them. I also now had a pretty good indication of the level of service the firm would need, and approximately the number of refills we should supply them with on a regular basis.

As well as leasing a coffee vending machine, with a service and maintenance agreement, it is possible to buy the machine yourself. In my experience, most firms prefer to go for the leasing option. Either way, though, they’re all pleased with the outcome, as having a coffee machine on site has proven beneficial for both their staff and their business.

Russell Jackson is an expert in vending machines, having supplied many thousands over the past few years, and has a specialist knowledge of many different coffee vending machines.

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• Vending Machines Bill You Via Your Veins [Japan] (gizmodo.com)