Most food and drink items will have an expiration date on them. These are the dates you have to make sure to pay attention to when doing inventory of all your product to avoid selling expired vending machine food.
Keeping an eye on stales is a key component to maintaining your vending machine, and maintaining your customer satisfaction. You can gain a reputation with your repeat customers if you have products that are out of date for sale.
Shortest Coded Items
If you have a refrigerated cold food machine you know these items have the shortest code. Whether you’re selling sandwiches, or salads, these short coded meals need to be checked every single day, several times a day.
Keep Your Stales Under Control
Every time you open the door to your machine, check the dates for all your food and drink items. Once you turn this into a habit, you will be able to create an eagle eye for out of date items. If you have employees, you will have to train them to check the vending machine daily, several times a day for expired food to keep from selling it.
Handling Customer Complaints
Complaints can be a seen as an opportunity to make a bad situation good. Listen to your customer. Have they found repeated stale or expired food items that your vending machine has been selling? You may want to offer something to them that is of better value than a simple refund. Perhaps offer them a gift card to your store, or a free item along with their refund. For customers whose first time buying a stale item is now, definitely offer them a refund, and assure them you and your team will be more proactive in making sure all the items are completely fresh.
If you can help it, it is best to keep stale items out of your vending machine. Stay aware of what is in there, and once it becomes a habit, it will become way more easier.
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