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A TYPICAL DECISION MAKER
A typical client perspective was offered by Randy Gaston, general manager of Learned Lumber, a lumber supply store in Hermosa Beach, Calif. with 28 employees. The store has a snack and soda machine for its employees. Gaston said he switched vending providers about a year ago when he was approached by an operator who offered more modern equipment. The soda is 60 cents for cans and $1.00 for bottles.
Learned Lumber does not pay any commission, and as long as there are no complaints about the service from his employees, Gaston said he is happy with the service. “I know that they (employees) have requested things, and he (the operator) changes them. It’s not anything I have to maintain,” he said. “As long as the employees are not complaining to me about it, I’m happy.”
Gaston said employees can also buy lunch from a mobile catering truck. He said the prices in the vending machines are lower than what the mobile caterer charges for similar products.
Dominion Plaza Apartments in Arlington, Va. has snack and soda machines for residents and employees. Management is most concerned about having fresh product, full machines and “reasonable” prices, according to Lawana Zink, property manager. When asked about commission, she said there is a 10 to 15 percent commission, depending on product type, but this is not a key concern.
Sonic Automotive Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., operates auto dealerships in 15 states. Jeff Wilhoite, director of purchasing, said it’s easy for location managers to take vending for granted until they have a problem. “It’s a very emotional and personal item; you don’t know how much value it has until you’ve had an experience where it starts to affect something in a negative manner,” he said.
At Sonic Automotive stores, cold beverage and snack machines serve patrons in the waiting areas and employees in the employee areas. Wilhoite said it’s important to have good quality refreshments available to both groups of people — at reasonable prices.
“It’s not a matter of if they (the individual stores) will have a problem or not; it’s how they resolve it,” Wilhoite said.
