Hi COTH! I have bought a vending machine for a busy horse park. It usually gets just a couple of food trucks on show days. I plan to sell drinks in aluminum cans and I will recycle them. I will also sell snacks. What are your favorite things to get you through a busy horse show day that can be purchased from a vending machine? Thanks so much!!
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If it doesnât interfere with your recycling plan, add bottled protein shakes to your drink list.
Things like Clif bars, Kind bars, trail mix, peanut butter crackers would all be good for this.
A thought, if you have not already purchased the vending machine. One of the ones that accepts cash or credit cards might be a smart buy. A lot of people do not carry cash.
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Hi Renn!
It will take credit cards. It is a very savvy machine. Thank you for those suggestions! I had thought those types of snacks would be good. I will look into the protein shake idea!
I am looking for cold coffees that taste really good too.
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Second CLIFF bars --I keep a box in my truck and one in my trailer --life savers when one must eat and ride. But word of warning --if you keep them in your pockets as I do --donât tell people that or they will hit you up for the âextraâ one you are carrying!
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If you can also manage to stock some over-the-counter medication like Advil or Tylenol that would be amazing as well!
Agree with the protein shakes, electrolytes, trail mix bars or cliff bars and other healthy long energy snack type items.
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Yes! My biggest problem with vending machines is that there is never anything but chocolate bars and maybe potato chips. Never anything good to eat when you are genuinely hungry. Consider also adding beef jerky or pepperoni sticks.
You will find out trial and error what sells.
I could also see buying a 200 ml of milk for homemade tea or coffee in the tack room.
I personally eat the Love Good Fats keto friendly protein bars rather than the higher carb bars.
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I agree with protein bars, Clif bars, trail mix, nuts, jerky, cold soda and gatorade type drinks, perhaps some nice sandwiches or wraps, chocolate milk (the best post work out recovery drink), NSAIDs and Tylenol.
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Pretzels, Kind bars (Clif bars are so, so high in sugar!), Belvita type âbreakfast barsâ, high protein snacks-- jerky?, nuts-- almonds? Honestly, some salty, fatty things will be a big hit, too. Sometimes itâs that kind of day!
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La Colombe does canned coffee.
I second the idea of Advil or Tylenol. If itâll fit in the vending machine, along that line would be travel size bottles of sunscreen and AfterSun. I bet youâd do a brisk trade in that stuff come summer no matter how you priced it.
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A lot of barns will bring their own junk food; I think if you can lean on âperformanceâ food like protein/energy/meal replacement bars and trail mix/nut mixes, youâre setting yourself up for success. The horse show crowd is more than happy to spend money on âluxuryâ snacks.
The Rxbars right now have been my go-to as I try to cut sugar down and keep protein high on horse show days.
Can you get spindrift or La Croix sparkling water? Recycling friendly and a nice alternative to soda. I love vitamin water for electrolytes if thatâs easy to come by.
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A slight tangent from the OPâs question, but I was fascinated by this vending machine I saw at a horse show a couple of months ago.
All the odds and ends that you might need at the ring, and then some. Gloves, sticks, vetrap, duct tape, earplugs, hairnets, etc., etc. I was impressed! Lol.
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Tampons and pads if youâre going the Tylenol route
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I found this interesting. How will you get the purchasers to recycle the cans?
You know if you want to win bonus points with people and increase likelihood to purchase multiple items, Iâd have tampons/pads be free or at a very very low cost where other items make up the profit margins (like sunscreen or protein bars).
The pink tax on something the majority of women need drives me up a wall.
We have a company local to me thatâs been trying to go to battle over this and have those basic womenâs items be free in public places: https://shop.goauntflow.com/collections/all-products
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The most typical way is to have recycling bins spread around a venue to capture all the cans and bottles. IME people are quite compliant if the bins are convenient.
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So the OP is providing the vending machines, providing the recycle bins, then collecting the material at the end of the show? I wasnât sure what âI will recycle themâ meant.
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Iâd add Pepto or something similar, maybe in tablet form, if you offer OTC meds. Maybe band-aids (for riding boot blisters! LOL).
Love the horse-related supplies vending machine pictured above!
White cheddar pop-corn. Chocolate chip cookies. Iced tea. Lemonade. Cheese and crackers. Tuna and crackers. Hard-boiled eggs, chicken salad sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches.
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yes this is amazing!
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While Iâm not above a cold Coca Cola, Iâd love an option for sparkling water, too.
@MHM that vending machine is awesome! Wonder who came up with that concept and if itâs proving profitable?
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I totally agree with grown-up snacks like protein bars, Sun Chips, peanut butter crackers, nuts, granola bars, and, even for sweet things, cookies rather than candy, since itâs a less of a blood sugar spike.
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