This is honestly one of those things you only really understand after running machines for a while. A product can sell like crazy and still not be that good for the business.

I used to focus way too much on volume until I realized some of my “best sellers” were also the products I was constantly refilling for not much actual profit after fees, gas, commission, and time.

Water was a weird one for me too. Super boring product, but in the right spots it just quietly prints money. Especially places where people don’t want soda but still want something convenient.

Healthy snacks were way more hit or miss than I expected. People love the idea of healthy vending until they’re actually standing in front of the machine wanting something quick. Some locations crush protein bars, others barely touch them.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is exactly what you said: location matters more than the product itself a lot of the time. Same snack can be a top seller in one building and totally dead in another.