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Codie Sanchez Experiments With the Vending Machine Business
Total investment was around $5,250–$6,000, including machines, product stock, and custom painting.
Codie purchased three machines for three different target audiences:
Healthy snacks at a gym
Standard snacks at a kids' martial arts studio
A toy/prize claw machine ("Plush Bus")
1. CrossFit Gym — Healthy Premium Products
Neutonic:
Buy for $33, sell for $50.
Quest Protein Chips:
Buy for $2.47, sell for $5.
Legendary Pop-Tarts:
Buy for $2.50, sell for $5.
Other items: Energy drinks, protein bars, and trail mix.
2. Jiu-Jitsu Center — Standard Snacks
Standard snacks for parents and kids.
Beef Jerky, Feastables, Pocky Sticks: $3
Teddy Graham Crackers: About $1–$1.50
3. Kids' Play Jungle — Plush Claw Machine
A claw arcade machine offering plush toys as prizes.
The Results: How Much Did Each Machine Make?
Healthy Premium Products at CrossFit Gym
Total sales: $626/month
Total profit: $187.86/month
Standard Snacks at Jiu-Jitsu Gym
Total sales: $174/month
Total profit: $52/month
Plush Claw Machine at Kids' Play Jungle
Total sales: $590/month
Total profit: $177/month
Combined Monthly Results
Across all three machines:
Total monthly sales: $1,390
Total monthly profit: $416.86
With an initial investment of approximately $5,250–$6,000, the experiment provides an interesting look at the economics of small vending machine businesses.
The Business Lesson
Location and target audience matter.
The healthy snack machine generated the most sales, while the claw machine performed surprisingly well.
The standard snack machine at the martial arts studio produced much lower sales.
The same type of business can produce very different results depending on where you place it and who your customers are.
Watch the Full Podcast
Listen to the full vending machine business experiment from Codie Sanchez.
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