How to Find Vending Machine Locations

#A good location does most of the work

Two identical machines with identical products can differ 5–10x in monthly revenue based purely on location. Before you spend time on pricing, product mix, or route efficiency, get disciplined about which placements you accept. A weak location doesn't just underperform. It ties up a machine and a recurring service trip that a better location would have made worthwhile.

#What makes a location worth pursuing

Not all foot traffic is equal. The distinction that matters most:

• Captive traffic: employees, residents, patients, students who are on site for hours with limited outside options. This is the strongest signal by far.
• Dwell traffic: people waiting: laundromats, service waiting rooms, transit hubs. Strong if the wait is long enough to get bored or hungry.
• Pass-through traffic: people moving through a lobby or hallway without stopping. Weakest category; high headcounts here rarely convert to sales the way captive traffic does.

The full evaluation checklist, including how to spot a location that looks good but isn't, is in how to evaluate a potential vending location.

#The best location types for a first machine

Offices (40–150 employees), gyms and fitness studios, auto repair and service shops, apartment complexes with a shared laundry or common area, and small warehouses or distribution centers all consistently work for a first machine. They combine captive traffic with straightforward access and low competition from other food options. Schools and hospitals can be strong too but often come with more bureaucracy and stricter product/health requirements before you can place a machine at all.

#How to find locations

Most locations don't come looking for a vending machine. You find them:

1. List realistic prospects near you. Offices, gyms, auto shops, and apartment buildings within a service radius you can realistically visit weekly.
2. Walk in or call, and ask for the right person. Office manager, facilities manager, or property manager, not the front desk, and rarely the owner directly at a larger business.
3. Make the offer concrete and low-friction. What machine, where it would go, who services it and how often, and that it typically costs them nothing.
4. Bring a one-page agreement. A location that says "sounds good" in the moment often goes cold if you leave to "send something over." Close it in the room when you can.
5. Follow up once, then move on. A location that goes quiet after one follow-up is telling you something; don't let dead leads eat your outreach time.

Cold outreach is the default method and it works. Most vending operators still build their first several locations this way rather than through paid leads.

"Knock on doors. Avoid the 'locator scams' that offer locations and equipment that seem too good to be true. Generally if locations are that good, the operator wouldn't be letting it go."

#How location commissions work

A commission is a share of gross sales paid to the location, and it ranges widely:

• Many small businesses ask for nothing: the machine is framed as a convenience for staff, not a revenue line for the business
• Larger accounts and managed properties commonly expect 10–20% of gross sales, sometimes with a guaranteed minimum
• Commissions are usually negotiable, especially for a location's first machine, where you can offer a lower rate in exchange for exclusivity or a longer initial term

Factor the commission into your price points and product cost before you agree to a number. A strong location at 20% commission can still beat a mediocre one at 0%, but only if you've actually run the math.

#What to put in a placement agreement

Keep it to one page: what machine goes where, who's responsible for servicing and restocking, how often service happens, the commission rate (if any) and how it's paid, who handles damage or vandalism, and how either party can end the arrangement. A simple written agreement, even an informal one both parties sign, prevents most of the disputes that come up later, and locations increasingly expect to see one before they'll commit.

#Are paid locating services worth it?

Locating services find and qualify leads for a fee, typically a flat rate per confirmed placement or a share of early revenue. They can be worth it once you're trying to place multiple machines faster than direct outreach allows, but quality varies enormously between services, and a bad one can hand you leads that never convert. Most operators start with direct outreach, which costs time rather than money, and consider a locating service only once that channel is genuinely the bottleneck.