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People are constantly snacking, and the use of popcorn machines to create a part time stream of revenue is still a great money making business. It is almost pure profit, as the supplies, and overhead are almost non existent. There are some major cities that it is fairly easy to set up a daily full time business, they have to be totally pedestrian friendly, and have a large population for any profitability to come to fruition. Buying a new commercial popcorn machine is going to run a person minimally about five to six hundred dollars. This is the 8 ounce size popper, and works best for street vendors.

There is also a huge used popcorn machine market, and usually these can be purchased for around two hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars. The only drawback will be that there is no warranty, and if it breakdown right after you purchase the unit, it will be all out of pocket expense to repair. A vending cart will also run about two to four hundred bucks, and you might have to have it customized with paint or vinyl signage. Commercial popcorn makers will never go out of fashion as a viable business model as people will always want to either quell their salty and crunch snack craving or quiet their sweet tooth in one way or another.

Popcorn Machines

photo credit: Steve Snodgrass

When it comes to the vending machine business, the Japanese have us beat hands down. Vending operators in Japan must be laughing all the way to the bank, or maybe just laughing all the time due to the strange and wonderful things that they vend. Although the US is an innovator on a lot of fronts, Japan has us beat hands down on the vending front. For some reason, the Japanese seem willing to buy almost anything from a vending machine.

Some of the strange offering from Japan include machines selling umbrellas, fresh eggs, fresh produce, electronics, porn, live fish bait, fish hooks, fishing line, toilet paper, hot pizza, shoes, mobile phone recharging, batteries, ties, hot ramen, fresh flowers, large bags of uncooked rice and fortunes. These are some of the “normal” offerings.

Occasionally vending machines can still be found selling used school girl underwear at about $80 a piece, even though these machines were made illegal in 1993.  These machines are made out of converted cigarette machines and may be one of the strangest offering around. Unless of course they’re compared to the Japanese vending machines selling live Rhinoceros Beetles or kerosene.

The Vending Machine Business

The Japanese even have more strange and wonderful crane vending machines. How do you feel about a new live lobster crane? Got it!

Maybe you’d like some hot French fries or prawns? Got it!

OK, not all of these machines will fly in the US. Personally I’m not sure I’d ever want to buy fried food out of a vending machine, but the Japanese seem to have no aversion to it. Vending machines can be found almost everywhere. Just goes to show that almost anything can be vending. We’re beginning to see some advances here in the US, currently small electronics like iPods are being sold out of vending machines and one luxury hotel chain has put in vending machines selling board shorts and swim suits to their guests. Maybe US vending will never reach the levels of Japan, but there’s still plenty of room for growth.