What do you use to carry sweets sweets and cloths onsite when restocking a tower?

[radical.richard]

Hi all

Just looking for some ideas, I have always used a large laptop bag with big pockets to carry the stock from the car to the machine, it worked quite well but wasnt perfect, the big main expandable pocket held a full tower worth of sweets and the side pockets are good for cleaning cloths and disinfectant spray etc as well as spare labels and a receipt book.

The bag is now worn out and having been in the back of my car abandoned for over a year due to COVID also has a sticky mess in the bottom where some stray sweets have decomposed, so its time for a new bag.

Just wondering if I get a similar one or if anybody has a better solution.

Cheers

Richard

[Central2vend]

A tubz vending cardboard box.
What a pointless post.

[radical.richard]

A tubz vending vending cardboard box.
What a pointless post.

Hmm thank's for that I think.

I'm assuming you don't take nine boxes from where you park, to the tower, so then must have a mixed box.

I tried that but as the box only supports 4 layers and the tower is nine per column you have to put the extra one for each line somewhere, and then that's when it gets messy in my experience. Also how do you stop the pots from sliding around into another products place, you can put in dividers but the box is then too small ?. Then you have the issue of the cleaning materials and spare labels to make certain the tower is looking its best when you leave it.

I do think the box option is a good one as long as you can get a box that supports 9 pots per product in each compartment, whilst leaving enough space to get my fat hands in there to get them out

[dorsetvending]

use a plastic tote box, use strong cardboard and parcel tape to create a 3 x 3 grid. Then leave a small rectangular section to one side for all the other bits. Jobs a good 'un!

[Quinch]

I use a plastic storage box and just group the sweets together by brand when loading it, if you use a fairly big one you can also fit Pringles in it or stack the extra trays on top

[radical.richard]

Thanks guys, all the comments have been most appreciated, and you have given me some ideas.

I have this evening made a solution for myself using old sweet boxes, I have a sports direct bag for life that is the perfect size to fit one and half boxes of sweets in. I have made triangular partitions for 3 pots per layer and 3 layers high which gives me 10 compartments which is perfect for me as I have a range of 10 products and then a larger one each end in which I can put my sprays and cloths, the spare labels and receipt book slip down the side, bish bosh job done.

Hopefully its a bit lighter than a plastic box, and easier to carry, the bonus is I can get several trays of Pringles in the top ideal for sites that have both towers.

Going out tomorrow to try it out,

Cheers

[DT Vending]

I tried this when i first started out and even had my neighbor make me dividers to go inside the BIG Ikea type bags. this was ok but i didnt use this concept for long.
I find it much easier to bring the machine out and fill up outside, I have a van with a boot style rear door that keeps us dry in the not so nice weather.

[Snackmore]

I too go into site and record what I need then return to the van which is racked out and has all boxes accessible. I load whAt I need into an empty sweet box and return and fill up. There are a couple of sites where its a pain as you have to walk quite a way but the vast majority no issues

[Quinch]

I too go into site and record what I need then return to the van which is racked out and has all boxes accessible. I load whAt I need into an empty sweet box and return and fill up. There are a couple of sites where its a pain as you have to walk quite a way but the vast majority no issues

I use a spreadsheet with the products down the side and dates across the top, that way you can look back and see how sales are doing on each product and swap them out with alternatives/double up etc if necessary. How do you have the van racked out Steve? I always have a bit of an issue accessing sweets, Pringles and toys as I don't have racking. I usually put the sweets and toys by the back door and the Pringles by the side door but if I'm visiting a lot of sites it can mean carrying a lot of stock and moving stuff around/reaching over quite a lot which is awkward.

[DT Vending]

Any one else use an App based management system to keep tabs on stock, sales, commission etc etc ?