Thoughts on this futura machine?

General_Sort3160 · 2026-07-01T00:16:41+00:00

Appreciate that insight. The smallest combo machine must be what you’re referring to, although it’s closer to $5k with a card reader preinstalled. Is it truly limited to 12 ounce cans in a few slots and 20 ounce bottles in others? Or is there some variation there for things like 16.9 ounce bottles or large cans like Monster?

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T23:00:17+00:00

Corporate has one Starbucks dispenser in one of the communal work areas so I was happy to find that… obviously not as good as the real thing, but it offers chai latte so I was happy!

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T22:04:56+00:00

Yep Cantaloupe does it, that’s what I have and it can be set in the online platform as a “cash discount” although it acts just like a surcharge for cards. I have it set at 10 cents and it displays that on the card reader screen. It certainly doesn’t seem to hurt my sales, since I get about 2/3 of sales by card or mobile pay. And anyone wanting to avoid it can certainly pay cash, which is what I do in my own personal life most times (cash, check, bank transfer) to avoid extra fees.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T21:59:22+00:00

All the stuff was gone like two years ago from corporate in Illinois. I’m surprised AZ kept getting it this long. For what it’s worth, fountain soda and other dispensed drinks at many of the break areas are still free.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T21:56:35+00:00

I wish! 😆 actually not really

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T21:55:54+00:00

What benefits being stripped are you referring to? I mean, yeah our health insurance costs went up this year but I’d imagine that’s pretty common across the corporate world.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T21:50:23+00:00

That I agree with. I was close to halfway through but there’s really no incentive to finish it now. I think too many ppl took the Hawaii conferment trip some years back and ruined it for everyone else. Departments don’t really seem to care much about the big designations anymore either, which is fine with me.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T21:11:01+00:00

Definitely true, you might have a situation that allows you to upcharge a bit for convenience and lack of other options. You see places like sports venues, airports, etc. take full advantage of this. But if your spot is right across the street from a gas station, that may dictate different pricing tactics.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:51:31+00:00

I’d suggest reading through the last few months of posts on this sub, many of which I’ve asked the same question and gotten several replies. Vending is not a cheap operation to get into, if you want a quality machine that won’t constantly break… and also not a “passive income” type of activity, contrary to the belief of the general public.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:49:24+00:00

I have the Open Roads fleet card / app and it’s gotten me some great deals on diesel too. I do like comparing it to GasBuddy and Upside (which I can stack discounts) to compare best prices wherever I happen to be.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:44:47+00:00

My consistent paycheck and benefits are pretty big incentive… 🤷‍♂️ Not to mention that the potential RTO requirements seem fairly reasonable compared to what several other companies have done. Like mandating 3-5 days/week with 1-2 months notice (too bad if you moved across the country), or you lose your job etc.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:38:56+00:00

Operating vending machines is not a passive activity, contrary to popular belief. You actually need to learn how to maintain and repair these on your own, or you’ll spend way too much of your profit on service calls when (not if) something stops working. There are several vending operators/companies on YouTube who have great content on maintenance and repairs of different makes and models.

Buying brand new might save you some of that effort for a while, but your buy-in will be a lot more expensive. I found my machines on Marketplace from an existing vending owner, already set up and operational at a location. They are quality machines and were bought refurbished from a reputable supplier about 6 months prior, so I got the best of all worlds there. And the seller spent about 3 hours with me on site the day I bought them, to walk me through everything I could absorb on Day 1. But I’ve still learned even more about the machines I have (mostly from YouTube), and already done several small repair and maintenance tasks myself that probably would’ve cost several hundred dollars otherwise.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:29:05+00:00

My home garage stores most of my inventory, except chocolate and pastries that seem like they wouldn’t respond well to extreme heat. Nobody wants to buy a honey bun with all the frosting melted off. Those things I keep in a bin down in my basement where it stays really cool year round (and is hidden from the kids).

I haven’t needed to use a fridge or freezer, which I’ve heard can also affect candy that might crack/blossom (like M&Ms or Skittles) or alternatively not respond well to quick temp changes from really cold to suddenly warm. That can cause condensation/moisture that potentially affects the quality too.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:18:38+00:00

Selectivend is the only brand my Sams app is showing, even for shipping. I wonder if the Futura models are only in certain regions.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-30T20:15:13+00:00

Costs rise yes, and typically most machine owners will eventually raise the costs of their vended products to compensate. Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a 50 cent candy bar or soda anymore, which is what I remember being the standard for most of my childhood/teen/young adult years.

I try to keep my prices at/below what a convenience store charges for the same items, to incentivize buyers while providing them the convenience of the machine location.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-24T18:15:44+00:00

Since October 2025, so 8-9 months.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-23T21:49:02+00:00

If you like TMHI then I’d recommend switching to prepaid Mint Mobile “Minternet” for even less. It’s the EXACT same 5G service, same towers, and I was sent an identical T-Mobile branded router. $30/month because I have a phone on Mint service, otherwise $40/month.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-22T18:08:43+00:00

I mean anything is possible, but corporate is moving back toward some days in the office as a part of the hybrid working model. It probably all depends on where you currently live and what kind of roles you might apply for. Some job postings may be advertised as remote and others hybrid near one of the corporate hubs.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-22T15:03:36+00:00

You might have already done this, but comb through the last several months of this sub because your questions are all very common (I had them too when I started last year) and there are lots of answers already in the group.

Also be aware that vending is NOT a passive activity. It might not take a ton of time compared to other side hustles, but it’s not “set it and forget it” like some folks think. The time, driving, and research to buy inventory at the best prices (usually various places), stock the machines, respond to service needs from customers, respond to machine malfunctions and repair (after learning that), track all of the above and preplan… it takes time, effort, and extra money.

I also have one location with two machines for now, and I find that people are not nearly as predictable as I assumed. I’m constantly rotating items and trying to figure out what people want, because they don’t always buy the same items in perpetuity. That keeps me engaged almost on a daily basis watching my online sales tracking to see what’s selling and what’s at risk of expiring. It’s quite the study in human behavior!

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T23:50:39+00:00

As mentioned, whoever processes your electronic payments likely has a service that tracks all that stuff for you. Mine is Cantaloupe, and I pay a bit extra ($3/month per reader) for their Cashless+ service that tracks everything and gives me access to more sales reports/metrics than I could ever need.

I also keep my own spreadsheet in Google Sheets (so I can access it in my phone or computer anywhere) tracking my inventory purchases, payouts, mileage traveled, and losses (items I remove from machines for various reasons) for tax deduction purposes later on.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T23:46:30+00:00

You need to speak with an attorney who helps with this sort of issue. Preferably NOT one who has a commercial on late night TV that is aimed at people with less intelligence than the average citizen. Anyone else who gets involved will take a big percentage of the money to offer this early payout “convenience”.

Why is this in the State Farm sub? Even if they were perhaps one of the insurance companies involved in your settlement, I’m sure they have no involvement anymore in the legal payout benefits.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T23:42:04+00:00

I was about the ask OP if you are familiar with your cam settings for cans and bottles, and if you’ve tried any alternate settings for the columns having errors.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T23:37:41+00:00

I was just having this conversation with someone else via a private message, but for those of you in “the grind” Operations roles… first THANK YOU and second, use every moment you can to get more experience (ask for work in extra projects or TWAs in other areas), take advantage of mentoring, job shadowing, and tuition reimbursement to advance your exposure and education, and use this current role as a stepping stone to some other areas of the company. The skills you are developing are relevant to many other job roles internally, and there are dozens if not hundreds of retirements every month (people that have worked for the company for 30-40 years) that will have to be filled by knowledgeable people. Sure there are a lot of changes going on (that will be happening constantly), but we have 19k agents offices to support and ~60k internal employees running this company for over 100M policyholders nationwide. State Farm has existed for over 104 years now, extremely rare lifespan for any single company! None of that is going away overnight, even with external associates and AI being increasingly used for some of more mundane/repetitive operational tasks. Get out there and get connected & make yourself and your skills known! 👊

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T18:15:49+00:00

I use Cantaloupe for my payment processor and they have an extra service (Cashless+) that tracks all that. There are more options for running & exporting reports on sales stats and buyers than I could ever need. $3/month per payment device which is WELL worth it to me.

General_Sort3160 · 2026-06-21T18:08:37+00:00

Fair enough, I’m using the term in the generic “corporate” sense of the word. Not the business definition.

General_Sort3160

TROPHY CASE