Vending

Article on vending machines and the vending machine business. GAD Vending sells and fixes vending machines. Find out more where to place a vending machine. What mix of products to stock in the vending machine. Outdoor vending machines. How to service vending machines. And, how to use vending machines for touchless, cashless solutions.

Games, Games, Games! GAD Knows Games….

Games, Games, Games! GAD Knows Games…. 940 788 GAD Vending

GAD Knows Games

What do we mean by this? GAD has a long tradition of selling, serving and selling parts for all types of games.

Home Game Rooms

GAD has been selling to home customers for many years. We are able to sell our games for free play. Meaning home games come without coin acceptance equipment – which can be the single most expense component in a game.

GAD sells Golden Tee Home Edition, a variety of pinball games, Arachnid digital darts, and even vending machines for home game rooms.

All of our equipment sold by GAD is supported by our service department. If one of our customers can’t figure out how to update their software or have a parts issue, our service department is here to help. Call us to determine the level of service you need to get your game working.

Commercial Game Rooms

GAD sells wholesale to service vendors that call on commercial bars, restaurants and arcades. This service vendors are vital to these commercial operators to keep the equipment serviced.

GAD sells all types of games including shuffleboard, commercial pool tables, basketball and large games. GAD also has a variety of claw toy redemption games. In stock. And with a fully stocked parts department.

Find the full compliment of support equipment as well. GAD has vending equipment, ATM’s and coin changers. As your service vendor for more information.

5 Tips To Picking The Best Vending Management System

5 Tips To Picking The Best Vending Management System 370 370 GAD Vending

Succeeding with VMS

While most vending operators are well aware of the importance of a good vending management system (VMS), when it comes to continued investment in new technology, making the right choices can be tricky. With an ever-expanding field of providers and experts, operators face a lot of decisions. We break down the best way for operators to shop when they’re looking to add new features and functionality to their VMS.

1.    Pick an Open Platform Solution

When it comes to making a new investment, the last thing you’ll want to have to worry about is migrating data. Look for solutions that provide an open platform with multiple integration options data sharing between your VMS and other business systems.

2.   Pick a solution that is intuitive

New technology means time spent onboarding employees both new and seasoned. When it comes to investing in add-ons to their VMS, operators should focus on platforms that are intuitive and user-friendly to maximize employee use and minimize training needs.

 

3.    Pick a solution that allows employees to use their own devices

An investment in new technology seems expensive, especially when hardware is considered, but with a focus on mobile technology, these expenses can be negated. Operators should seek solutions that are mobile-friendly (across both Apple and Android operating systems) and ideally allow associates to access software tools right from their own mobile devices or tablets. Additionally, technologies that are compatible with cloud-based systems that allow for the dissolution of location-based servers.

4.    Prioritize real-time data

Data means actionable insights, but only if you have it when you need it. Prioritize live data that can be shared between drivers in the field and supervisors in the office to increase efficiency in every route visit.

5.    Pick a solution that allows phased upgrades

For operators with large workforces, the idea of having to update everyone’s devices can be daunting. Operators should look for platforms that allow for phased upgrades, enabling them to update as they replace old devices. This means you can follow an upgrade path that is modular and can be executed in phase.

The Takeaway

As you continue to update and invest in your Vending Management System, ask GAD Vending how you can implement smart, economical solutions that maximize efficiency in your operation.

What Does GAD Inventory?

What Does GAD Inventory? 1800 1200 GAD Vending

With supply chain shortages continuing, GAD’s long standing relationships with our manufacturers means we are still getting the newest equipment. GAD also has limited used equipment that has been refurbished and run through our service department.

Games, ATM’s and Digital Music

Due first quarter of 2022 are the following pinball titles:

Rush, Godzilla, Avengers, Guns ‘n Roses LE, Legends of Valhalla, Hot Wheels, Oktoberfest and Houdini.

In stock pinball includes Beatles Gold, Star Wars Home Pin, Star Wars Comic Art Pina and Jurassic Park Home Pin.

Golden Tee PGA – estimated beginning of January. Golden Tee Home is in stock.

In stock are Hyosung Halo II ATM and various digital music solutions.

Vending Machines

GAD Inventories Vending Machines. As with all our equipment, our inventory depends on how our manufacturers are doing with their supply chain. Please call with questions for the vending equipment you are looking for.

All of our equipment is available for home or commercial use. We sell and service homes, arcades, game rooms, bars, pool halls, hotels, hospitals, commercial offices and break rooms. GAD sell equipment and parts and can suggest vending route sales people to upkeep your equipment.

About Crane’s Merchant Media Vending Machines

About Crane’s Merchant Media Vending Machines 749 523 GAD Vending

So hard to make vending machines exciting – until you think about the low employee requirements to maintain, clean and stock a machine. With employee shortage rising to a crisis state, how about thinking to automate your snake and drink delivery?

A well stocked vending machine in a great location makes economic sense. And, with the new automated management tools, it’s easier than ever to see what products are selling. Get low stock alerts. Add smart phone ordering and payment options. And monitor for out-of-change or jams. And, helps eliminate the quick theft problem.

Consider a vending machine at your store check out counter for quick soda sales while people are in line. Put a vending machine at the front entrance to check customers coming and going. Put a vending machine in the break room, lunch area or employee rest area.

Crane’s Merchant Media vending machines are in stock at GAD Vending in Omaha, Kansas City and Des Moines. We stock the machines, configuration racks, money handlers, and repair parts.

New Year’s Resolution: Keeping your vending machines cleaner

New Year’s Resolution: Keeping your vending machines cleaner 1040 661 GAD Vending

 

How to Clean Your Crane Vending Machine: Daily Cleaning and Disinfecting

As a distributor of Crane Merchandising Vending machines, we’ve learned how to clean, repair and maintain vending machines. Our route sales customers rely on GAD Vending for parts, reconfiguration and retrofitting cashless solutions.

Turn Your Food Service Around – with Automation

Turn Your Food Service Around – with Automation 1098 588 GAD Vending

Increase fresh food delivery to customers, decrease employee interaction time to zero –  and drive new revenue with Crane Shopper Vending Machines

The Crane Shopper offers users up to 225 items to choose from. Up to a 9″ platter. All fresh, cold and ready to eat!

How can this work for you? 

Imagine. Fill your Crane Shopper in the morning with fresh selections. Let customers browse at their leisure and use their credit card to purchase. No employees needed to serve and accept payment!

The Crane Shopper allows you to monitor the cabinet temperature remotely to remain in health and safety guidelines for fresh food, and monitor inventory on especially busy days.

Merchandise food offerings over a Five Zone partitioned drum system to allow maximum merchandise and easy customer selection. Exclusive “Prefer Max” function automatically returns the drum to the view with the most product for sale.

The Crane Shopper is:

  • Designed to accommodate over 225 unique sales items.
  • Meets new ADA requirements.
  • Integrates with touchless payment systems.
  • Designed for 24 hour refreshment service.
  • Ideal for workplace, hospital or other places open 24 hours for unattended, fresh food service.

The Crane Shopper has select options for sales promotions. Discount certain items with time-of-day functions. Scrolling message display communications promotions/special events to customers.

Contact GAD Vending for more information about the Crane Shopper Vending solution.

 

So Many Great Games on Order. So Many In Stock Now!

So Many Great Games on Order. So Many In Stock Now! 1536 2048 GAD Vending

The supply chain is a definite issue but at GAD we have so many games, pinball, ATM’s and vending machines on order that we do have equipment steadily coming in. (Just not on every title that we have demand for.)

Godzilla order is in, and being delivered now.

If there is something you need in 2021 for your commercial site or home, it’s time to give us a call and get your order in.

GAD Has Games, Pinball and Vending Machines in stock!

Due this year: 

Godzilla, Mandalorian Pro & Premium, Avengers Premium, Jurassic Park, Beatles Gold, Deadpool Premium, TMNT Pro and Premium, Star Wars Pin, Stranger Things Pro – and so many more great pinball titles!

Golden Tee PGA. Jet Pong. Claw Machines. Digital Music. And, of course, a lot of different vending machines.

 

3 Ways Vending Is Providing Safer Retail – The Social Distancing Hero

3 Ways Vending Is Providing Safer Retail – The Social Distancing Hero 372 254 GAD Vending

From our partners at CPI Crane’s Cashless Solutions Division: You might be surprised to learn that the history of the vending machine goes back to first-century Roman Egypt, where Hero of Alexandria engineered a machine that accepted a coin and dispensed holy water. In modern times we’ve seen vending machines offer everything from postcards and stamps to candy, gum and cigarettes. Their popularity as beverage dispensers came with refrigeration and heating elements – and today we see an astounding array of products sold from vending machines. Making your way to the gate at an international airport you might pick up an iPad, a SIM card for your phone, a down jacket, a warm hamburger, and an aspirin – plus a cold bottle of water to help you swallow it!

Responding to the social distancing imperative presents multiple challenges for retail environments. We’ve seen limits on the number of people allowed into supermarkets, one-way aisles, distance markers at the checkout, food bars emptied, cafés and breakrooms closed, and Plexiglass shields erected around store personnel. These and other efforts by retailers to keep customers and staff safe and limit exposure are appreciated by all. But ideally, customers could shop for their essential items without interacting with a cashier or even going into a store. And retailers can make the ideal, real, with vending machines.

How can operators use their machines—the ultimate unattended retail model—to serve to the needs of social distancing? Read below to see how 3 retailers have already adapted.

The Meat Guy Who Was Ahead of the Social Distance Curve

 

The owner of Applestone Meats was ready for social distancing years before the pandemic brought the concept into the mainstream. Wanting to serve customers without a retail counter-service location, Joshua Applestone remembered the coin-operated machines once used in cafeteria-style restaurants in New York and Pennsylvania. Applestone searched for and found Crane Merchandising’s refrigerated delivery system, The Shopper, which allowed his customers to pull meat packages directly from their container. And to be ready for card acceptance, he added the 4-in-1 Plus cashless reader.

Applestone customers liked the convenient delivery method well enough before, but after the pandemic? “We thought society might take a while to warm up to the machines,” says Applestone, “but for the situation we’re all in [now], they’re the perfect solution.”

From Healthy Snacks to PPE Provider

 

Healzzy2GO, a Netherlands-based vending company, believes that snacking should be accessible, fun, and most importantly, healthy. With the challenges of staying safe in a global pandemic, “healthy options” takes on new meaning. Healzzy2GO decided to make personal protective equipment (PPE) as accessible to their customers as healthy snacks. They worked with Crane Merchandising Systems to adapt their vending machines to dispense facemasks, hand sanitizer, gloves, and other personal equipment. Custom graphics and media were placed on the machines to educate consumers about the product offering.

The first Healzzy2GO PPE machine debuted in May, providing shoppers at the Alexandrium Shopping Center in Rotterdam and Hoog Catharijne in Utrecht the protection they need to shop safely.

The Healthy Machine Serving Frontline Workers

 

Farmer’s Fridge, a New York-based vending startup, gained popularity by providing vend patrons with healthy options like salads in plastic jars and fresh wraps, instead of the usual candy and soda. When offices closed due to COVID-19, many Farmer’s fridge locations saw a precipitous drop in usage. But, as they say, when a door closes a window opens, and in this case, it was true. Farmer’s Fridge saw a surge in usage in hospital settings – where cafeterias were shut down to limit spread of the virus. To meet the demand, Farmer’s Fridge added over 18 machines to locations that included Northwestern Memorial Hospital, New York Presbyterian and the Javits Center field hospital. Farmer’s Fridge also supported the efforts of front-line workers by adding more than 60 mini fridges that served complimentary meals in hospital break rooms.

Vending machines are typically a last resort for healthcare workers, but due to their value proposition of removing the roadblocks to eating wholesome, delicious food, Farmer’s Fridge is now serving fresh meals to over 30,000 workers per week at hospitals across the U.S. One surgeon at UChicago tweeted: “Thank you @FarmersFridge for keeping the trauma/ICU team fed during #COVID19.”

Vending Moving Forward

 

How does an industry so firmly rooted in serving sweet treats and soft drinks recreate its persona as the hero of a pandemic? “The Convenience Services Industry is uniquely equipped to assist the nation in this time of crisis,” writes Carla Balakgie, president and CEO of the National Automatic Merchandising Association, in a letter to the White House and U.S. Congress. Balakgie cited the unique distribution system of unattended retail as “the greatest source of ‘contactless’ nourishment” for healthcare workers. In other words, the machine invented by a man called Hero can now live up to that name.

Are you ready to adapt your machine to serve the needs for health and safety in these times of crisis? Ask a member of our GAD Vending team how you can make seamless and safe payment a part of your post pandemic vending strategy.

How To Add a Machine to Maximize High Traffic Areas

How To Add a Machine to Maximize High Traffic Areas 368 255 GAD Vending

Own a commercial facility? Bar? Restaurant? Mall? Retail Store? Arcade? High foot traffic area? Apartment complex? Office?

Looking to gain more automated cash flow without adding staff? Need something socially distancing that can be easily cleaned?

If you own or manage a space with lots of people passing through that you want to capture interest and revenue, read on……

It is expensive to get people to show up at your facility. You work at advertising, marketing, customer service, cleanliness, social distancing regulations, best product mix and everything else to get and retain customers. (Customer can be defined as – customer, tenant, employees, shoppers, staff, client – whoever it is that you want to engage.) So anything you can do to further engage – and profit from – your foot traffic is critical.

Add strategic machines to solve problems and create ROI!

ATM

A free standing ATM in a high traffic area can = profit!

  • You can charge a transaction fee.
  • You can reduce credit card fees by encouraging customers to pay in cash.
  • You can reduce employee time by allowing customers to self service for cash.
  • You can add additional revenue to other games, pinball or machines with cash access.

What should you consider? ATM’s generally cash flow in one or more of the following conditions:

  • 150 people through the doors daily,
  • when you are encouraging cash tips to staff,
  • you are looking to provide a service to your customer,
  • when it’s cheaper to have an unattended operation or unattended during off hours,
  • and/or when there are cash based services nearby.

CLAW/CRANE GAMES

Claw (Crane) games with non-ticket redemption (no tickets to mess with) is an ideal addition to a family based establishment. These are the cabinet games with stuffed animals with a movable claw that picks up a toy and delivers to the player.

  • Ideal for a restaurant waiting area where families gather.
  • Include in an apartment clubhouse that caters to families.
  • Add to an arcade, game room or family lounge area.
  • Stand alone machine in a pizza restaurant.

To maximize profit – keep you claw game maintained and well stocked. Keep your machine clean – not only by the restocking vendor but employees should clean between every patron. Post a hand sanitizer or wipes nearby.

GAD Vending sells and maintains claw machines in MO, KS, NE and IA. GAD Vending does not stock claw games but we can suggest companies that do.

DIGIAL MUSIC/JUKEBOX

No great party experience is complete without great music!

The new digital music jukeboxes have amazing capabilities that add to your user immersive experience – and can reduce expenses.

Digital music can be a new profit center:

  • Allow users to be the DJ and pay for their favorite tracks (and associated music videos) to play.
  • Run specials through your music software.
    • Promote specials
    • Tease holiday events
    • Pop Up specials
  • Sell advertising.
  • Appeals to all generations. The online music catalogs, along with associated video, is extensive.

Digital music software can reduce costs:

  • Bundles your trivia games into your software cost.
  • Replaces canned background music and can be programmed to change song selections thru the various day parts.
  • Supports karaoke.
  • Tracks your music play.
    • Music licensing companies assume you are playing music 100% of the time to 100% of your occupancy. Digital music tracks the exact songs played and creates a digital report so you pay on what you play.
  • Pre-programs available to eliminate DJ’s.

Digital music adds energy to unexpected places:

  • Add a digital jukebox to the front door of your retail store. Instead of elevator music, this adds the option to change music styles as you choose – or as your customers choose on their phone.
  • Add a digital jukebox in an employee lounge area. GAD Vending can program a free play option.
  • Add a digital jukebox to a restaurant/bar that changes from Baby Boomers to Millennial over the course of the evening.

Music to your ears? GAD Vending knows digital music and speaker installation.

VENDING MACHINES

Vending machines allow the owner to provide refreshment options without adding employees.

Try a mixed product vending machine – one machine offering drinks and snacks. A healthy option vending machine. Coffee vending machine. Or a simple bottle water vending machine. Whatever your customers are most looking for. This can free up employees to wait on customers with more complex needs.

Add vending machines in a high traffic area like by restrooms, lounge areas or break rooms. Anywhere customers or employees look to rest for a moment.

Add customer confidence! Use touchless payment – and even touchless ordering – using a smartphone app. This allows customers the cleanest, least touch options.

GAD Vending sells and repairs vending machines. Our warehouses have vending machines in stock with parts to configure a machine that best fits your needs. We have sales and service personnel in Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines.

GOLDEN TEE PGA TOUR

Just like with a claw game for kids – Golden Tee PGA Tour is an ideal stand alone game machine.

Golden Tee PGA Tour is available in both commercial and home use versions. And, Golden Tee has a long established software upgrade schedule.

Add a single Golden Tee PGA Tour game to an entry way, low use/high visibility area.  Golden Tee PGA Tour is essential to an arcade, game room, pinball area. Add Golden Tee PGA Tour tournaments with their worldwide software support.

MONEY CHANGERS

Money changers are for customers that need to change bill-to-bill, bill-to-coin, pay stations and bill/coin counters. Add next to an ATM to give your customers self service capabilities.

Concerned about money changer and ATM security? Ask GAD Vending for security suggestions (we don’t publish security suggestions!)

If you have an unattended business like a car wash, coin operated laundry, or arcade, you need GAD Vending. GAD Vending inventories new money handling machines in our warehouses in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City. Our service techs also have parts to fix money changers.

GAD VENDING

At GAD Vending, we sell and service a variety of vending, games, ATM and other machines. We stock new and used machines at our warehouses in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas City. And, we service machines. Call us at (402) 553-2812 to find out what we can do for you!

Automate Your Coffee Delivery for International Coffee Day

Automate Your Coffee Delivery for International Coffee Day 855 687 GAD Vending

Consistently delicious coffee doesn’t happen by accident. It takes experience to farm quality beans that bring the origin, the land and unique flavor profile to the cup.

Quality is not just one particular thing, but a whole chain of events that takes place to get coffee from the farm into your cup.

Crane Vending has more than 90 years’ experience designing premium coffee machines that deliver the taste profile you would expect from the best coffee shops around the world.

We have the best-in-class brewers and grinders to ensure superb drink quality and a patented mixing system that whips the drink to create Crane’s signature coffee. These are the reasons customers around the globe choose our premium coffee machines.