Honesty Boxes

[Style]

Hi all,
Just looking for some feedback on these things. I have always seen them as a pain in the butt. I cant see how they can make money long term, in my view after month one everyone nicks from them and by month 3/4 you are kicked out. But am I right? They are increasingly appearing in pubs where I have towers affecting sales and although landlords tell me they keep top up the missing money they don't seem to be keen on getting rid of them because "its for charity".
Am I missing a trick.

Andy

[Coin Operated Group]

No, they are a pain the ****

Regards
matt

[FlintVending]

Brian at choice vending can give you an honest opinion as he operates both towers and Honesty boxes as supplied by Hurleys how I would imagine are one of the few honesty box suppliers who have some scruples !
I done have any experience with them, and have never seriously considered them as they are too open to theft in my opinion.

Nigel

[Rossi fan]

I have been doing these on a small scale for two months, alongside my towers. I haver found that to date, Hurleys figures on performance has been accurate. Average sales per month 12, with around 5- 8 % losses net. There is a small theft problem, but on the whole, you get more honest sites than not and often the site tops up the box if someone has nicked a bag.

I have lost quite a few sites since beginning. Site finders have got me good sites, but some have felt pressured into taking the box because its for charity. They have it for a week or two, then call you to take it away. I would say 10% of site finder found sites go like this.

I am only doing it because I have chronic back problems and struggle with towers etc, but am finding it no easier unfortunately. I believe it is worth giving it a go if you have a consolidated tower area and no other boxes in your area.

Cheers,

Paul

[Rossi fan]

Hi

Having now operated the boxes alongside towers for 4 months, I have been forced to change my position. Unfortunately, losses are getting high. Last month it was 24% and sales have dipped from the original average of around 12 per box per month to 5.7 per month. I am now removing boxes that have significant theft, or very poor sales and will keep the better sites until I gain a return on my investment.

Logistically, it is much harder to operate boxes than towers. Preparation is far longer and effort per pound earned is much higher. Better to increase Childline towers, which is what I should have done from the start.

Cheers,

Paul

[Shropvend]

I think brian from choice vending gave it up a few months ago as well with the same problem. Seeing a lot less of these in my area also in my area.
Lee.

[Style]

As I thought. First month everyone is honest and keen to buy sweets. Second month they start paying half price cos thats what they think the goods are worth. Third month they just nick it. Problem is there are so many people operating them and they put them next to our towers. Customers choose FREE sweets from honesty box before paying a pound every time.

[Rossi fan]

As I thought. First month everyone is honest and keen to buy sweets. Second month they start paying half price cos thats what they think the goods are worth. Third month they just nick it. Problem is there are so many people operating them and they put them next to our towers. Customers choose FREE sweets from honesty box before paying a pound every time.

Almost all of mine are not next to towers and not in pubs at all. I just think there a lots of petty thief's about. I also get the feeling that others who have done it have packed it in because of the theft and poor revenue. I was considering this in 2011 and contacted a few from the list Hurleys supplied with the product list. At that point, they were chuffed to bits, but the ones I have recently spoken to have jacked it in. Same old scenario I fear. I wish I had listened to the voice in my head telling me not to do it.

I have nothing really negative to say about the products- It could be a good little business for someone, but there are too many negatives at the site level and when operating alongside towers, its hard to justify them as a good prospect.

Paul

[FlintVending]

As I thought. First month everyone is honest and keen to buy sweets. Second month they start paying half price cos thats what they think the goods are worth. Third month they just nick it. Problem is there are so many people operating them and they put them next to our towers. Customers choose FREE sweets from honesty box before paying a pound every time.

Great post there Style and I agree with everything you say except that in my experience, they do not have to be placed right next to towers to damage tower sales!
Being within the same premises is often enough to hurt tower sales as people who thieve sweets will go to great lengths to get there sweets free rather than pay for them out of your tower.

I know of a guy who used to climb three flights of stairs to pilfer a charity box rather than pay the money to use the big venders on the ground floor reception lobby where he worked!

It is a sad indictment of todays society that some individuals with no moral compass are willing to steal from charity boxes, but that's the way it is!
That's why I am a great believer in the vending machines and feel that adding a box round onto a tower round is not the astute business move some may think it is!
Far better to spend you money on more vending machines vending different products for existing sites if you really want to capitalise on an existing territory.
That said, honesty boxes are a real winner for at least three groups of people!
1. The charity, who get there percentage every time as it is added into the wholesale cost of the sweets!
2. The people who wholesale the bags of sweets. They love theft as it increases there sales!
3. the low life who climbed three flights of stairs!

Cheers
Nigel

[Mark@YorVend]

Funny you guys should be talking of honesty boxes!!
I got moaned at by a guy who has one of my towers in his hotel the other day, he also has a couple of these boxes on his bar top and was saying I was screwing the charity by giving 10p per sale. He pointed out that the childrens hospice box says it gives ''67% of net profits'' to the charity. Unfortunately he was a stubborn cantankerous old ******* and wouldn't accept that as it's run by a limited company the sales are subject to vat, or that after costs and losses are taken into account the net profit is about 20p, so we are infact giving half our net profits to charity! He just didn't get it at all.
I settled on giving him 20% commission, and told him he can do what he likes with the money.