 | Who Is The Decision-Maker?
Issue: Vol. 53, No. 5, May 2013
Over the years, there has been a good deal of discussion about the relationship between "vending" and "retailing." Most operators always have thought of themselves as retailers; but they also have been warned (with increasing urgency, over the past 10 or 15 years) that they must start thinking like retailers, not technicians... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Role Models
Issue: Vol. 53, No. 3, March 2013
The vending industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience and flexibility throughout its history, attributable almost entirely to its ability to engage the attention of remarkable individuals. Recent news items about two of them illustrate this point: the retirement of James Clark and the death of David Satel... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Interesting Times
Issue: Vol. 53, No. 2, February 2013
Once the vending machine had evolved beyond the simple "sales stimulator" model, it began to be seen as an extension of -- even a replacement for -- conventional retail outlets. On either side of World War II, retailers experimented with vending as an alternative to human clerks... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Healthier Vending
Issue: Vol. 53, No. 1, January 2013
Most operators agree that it's bad business to attempt to gain a competitive edge by discrediting other vendors. They sell by emphasizing their strengths, not the supposed deficiencies of rivals. To that end, there is no warrant for calling a vending machine or service "healthy"... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Making A Difference: How OCS And Vending Played A Key Role In U.S. Coffee Consumption Rebound
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 12, December 2012
The rebound in U.S. coffee consumption can be attributed to the emergence of the specialty coffee business in the early 1990s. One of the catalysts of the specialty coffee revolution was launched by the coffee service industry. Remember the Coffee Development Group? by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Old Times There Are Not Forgotten
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 11, November 2012
The opening decade of the new millennium was not kind to trade shows, which seem to have attained their greatest popularity between the mid-1980s and '90s. We continue to believe that these periodic gatherings play a unique role in broadcasting new ideas, sharing information and showcasing the latest products and services... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| A Wider Horizon For Vended Foodservice
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 10, October 2012
Current technology trends should call new attention to the value of food as a vendible category. Above all, there are the new micromarkets -- which are, in fact, a new kind of vending machine... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Losing Customers Without Knowing It
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 9, September 2012
Advances in display and payment technology, aided by faster and cheaper wireless networks, seem to be fostering another wave of interest in vending as a highly visible and engaging retail medium. This interest has been intensifying recently, not only for the sale of single-serve refreshment items but also of nontraditional products... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Vended Food Continues To Open Doors
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 8, August 2012
The advent of micromarkets opens a new chapter in the continuing adventures of the vending industry in foodservice. At the least, this retailing innovation casts new light on some questions that have been raised about food vending since the dawn of full-line vending... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Setting The Course
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 6, June 2012
The integration of new engineering concepts into vending operations and machine designs progresses through short bursts of innovation followed by longer periods of assimilation. On the trailing edge of one of these bursts, operators form an idea of the benefits the innovation can bring them. The usual question at this point is, "exactly how do I get started?" by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| More Of A Good Thing
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 5, May 2012
The National Automatic Merchandising Association's 1972 trade show provided 20.5 hours (1,230 minutes) to view the 155 exhibits, or 7.9 minutes per display. Four decades later, this year’s OneShow drew 245 exhibitors and allowed 14.5 hours (870 minutes) to view them, or 3.55 minutes per exhibit... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| The Old Order Changeth, To Our Benefit
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 4, April 2012
The annual National Automatic Merchandising Association convention has been the principal forum for the ongoing industry conversation for six decades, and participants at this year's OneShow in Las Vegas have a great deal to talk about... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Trained Technicians Aid Profitability
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 3, March 2012
We think Jim Clark deserves the industry's thanks for his long, devoted and successful efforts to train young technicians -- and for his insightful comments at some memorable industry events... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Asking The Right Question
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 2, February 2012
Our earliest experiences with the vending industry included several interviews with executives of leading machine manufacturers, back in the late 1960s. One of them raised a question that we have pondered ever since: "What is the '10th vending product?" by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| There's Dynamite On The Tracks!
Issue: Vol. 52, No. 1, January 2012
The United States enjoys a system of representative government that seems, nowadays, to command little respect. Critics might keep in mind that our system, almost uniquely, does give the electorate -- us -- a recurrent opportunity to tell the people who make the laws what sort of laws we want. Problems arise when... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Unfinished Business
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 12, December 2011
The arrival of a new year is a good time to reflect on what we have done, and also what we have yet to do. Over the past four decades, the vending and coffee service industries certainly have made great progress from the early "seat-of-the-pants flying" management approach to sophisticated analyses of contributors to cost and profit. But there still is work to be done... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| A Turn For The Better
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 11, November 2011
The best way to understand and learn is to do it in person, and in company. Let's call it Virtual Unreality... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Nonverbal Communication
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 10, October 2011
Back when full-line vending was still a new, a charge often leveled at it was that vending operators tended to be excellent technicians devoted to customer service, but they did not promote like retailers... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Pass The Word
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 9, September 2011
In vending, both the operator and the location have a real interest in satisfying customers and resolving problems. Too often, though, the people actually on the front line have not gotten the memo... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Let's Make Some Noise
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 8, August 2011
The vending industry has never had a more exciting story to tell, and enthusiastic operators committed to quality are the best people to tell it... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Interactivity Starts With Wish To Interact
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 6, June 2011
Unlike a refrigerator or a letterbox, a vending machine invites the user to do something, and the machine does something satisfying in return. This is as true of the simplest mechanical vender as it is of a touchscreen-equipped robotic retailer... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Something Old, Something New
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 5, May 2011
The National Automatic Merchandising Association's 2011 convention and exhibition offered very welcome relief from the gloom and doom of the past three or four years. Of course, there were a few negatives too... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Practical Applications: NAMA's Operator Perspectives
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 4, April 2011
The OneShow's novel Operator Perspectives consisted of half-hour sessions led by experienced operators. The attention-getting "37 Million Service Calls" by Bill Buckholz repays study... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| The Limits To Measurement
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 3, March 2011
Longtime participants in industry educational events will have noticed that certain slogans or catchphrases (often miscalled "mantras") find favor at different times. Few are new; most summarize an important truth. For some reason, some of them rise to the top of the collective mind, remain there awhile, and then subside... by Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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| Problems And Opportunities
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 2, February 2011
Some people always will find a reason to be dissatisfied. The best we can hope to do is to make sure that it's a silly one... Tim Sanford
Author: Tim Sanford
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