Make a list of the vending machine locations. Do not just drive around waiting to find a site. Follow these steps.
- Census data for counties with sites employing 50 or more people.
- Rank industries by shift hours.
- Remove the sites that are restricted and blind vendor sites.
- Call the sites that are left.
However, if you have 5 to 50 machines that you want to find regular placements for, this is the way to do it. Perhaps you operate 10 snack machines but desire to set up more locations without having to travel all day.
Anything from offices and plants to hospitals, schools and gyms to apartments works. The more difficult question is which ones in your county warrant a phone call.
How Do You Find Vending Machine Locations?
We start very simply, with a count of vending locations. See how many sites in your county have 50 or more workers. After that, check their shifts and access rules. Drop sites that give blind vendors priority. Call the ones that remain. Lots of sites look good on a map but don’t solve in reality. These steps remove them. You provide a shortlist, and there is a rationale behind every name.
- Find sites with 50 or more workers in your county based on census counts.
- You have to sort industries by their share of evening and night workers.
- Mark the sites that need background checks or entry searches.
- Skip federal buildings and state buildings where blind vendors come first. Flag jails for access checks.
- The remainder can be added to a prospects list and then you can ring the directors.
- Organize the rest into a prospect list and call the decision-makers.
CallingAgency’s Vending Media campaign led to 5,900+ conversations, 214 placement meetings (about 3.6%) and 51 agreements in 9 months.
CallingAgency ran that campaign for Vending Media, a digital vending company. It screened for sites with 50+ daily visitors or staff. The meetings were new placements. They were not takeovers of existing accounts. Treat these rates as the results of one campaign.
How Many Employees Does a Vending Location Need?
Start with 50 employees when you build your vending location list. Census sorts businesses by size class. Five classes reach 50+, from 50-99 to 1,000+ employees. It can’t show sites with 30 or 40 employees. Those sites sit in the 20-49 group with many other sites.
| Census size class | Counts toward 50+? |
| 20–49 employees | No |
| 50–99 employees | Yes |
| 100–249 employees | Yes |
| 250–499 employees | Yes |
| 500–999 employees | Yes |
| 1,000+ employees | Yes |
Add up the five 50+ groups. This gives you the number of sites in your county that count. It is a clear first list. Next, check each site for shifts, access and whether it already has vending.
Employee count is not enough for every site. A clinic with 30 staff can see more people each day than an office with 60. Gyms and hotels also get steady visitors. For these sites, count visitors and staff together. CallingAgency’s Vending Media campaign used this screen. It looked for sites with 50+ daily visitors or staff.
How to Build a Vending Prospect List With Census Data
You can use County Business Patterns (CBP) to estimate the number of 50+ employee establishments in your target area. CBP is an annual Census database containing groups of establishments by county, industry code, and employee size class at no cost.
It covers most privately-owned organizations with paid employees, but not government sites or self-employed professionals.
Choose the type of machines you want to use as well as the county in which they will be established. Next, go to the CBP and find the number of establishments county-wide, in each 50+ size class.
- Open CBP through data.census.gov or the Census API.
- Choose your state, then the county where you want to target.
- Set your target industries.
- 50–99 Employee Class, 100–249 Employee Class, 250–499 Employee Class, 500–999 Employee Class, 1,000+ Employee Class.
- Record the total together with the data year of your research.
Avoid considering the CBP total as your calling list. This conveys how many qualifying establishments there are, but not the business names. Open Google Maps or a business directory, and find out the real places.
Next is to refine your prospect list with a new site, then check the location, industry, employee size and other filters to find suitable vending leads. Focus first on industries that are a good fit for vending.
Which Industries Run Evening and Night Shifts?
According to BLS data for 2024-2025, leisure and hospitality has the largest share of non-daytime workers at 40.0%. This is followed by transportation & utilities at 24.5%, wholesale & retail trade at 20.0% and manufacturing at 15.3%.
| Industry | Regular daytime | Non-daytime | Evening | Night |
| Leisure and hospitality | 60.0% | 40.0% | 20.3% | 6.5% |
| Transportation and utilities | 75.5% | 24.5% | 6.4% | 6.7% |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 80.0% | 20.0% | 8.1% | 4.4% |
| Manufacturing | 84.7% | 15.3% | 3.4% | 5.9% |
| Public administration | 85.8% | 14.2% | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Education and health services | 89.0% | 11.0% | 3.0% | 3.7% |
| Professional and business services | 92.5% | 7.5% | 3.7% | 0.7% |
| Financial activities | 96.5% | 3.5% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Construction | 96.9% | 3.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| All workers | 85.2% | 14.8% |
Non-daytime refers to evening, night, rotating shifts, split and irregular shifts. The figure of 40.0% applies only to leisure and hospitality for restaurants and entertainment, not all hotels.
Rank industries in your custom prospect list using these rates. This means 50 night workers may offer more vending working hours than 50 daytime workers. It allows you to rank sites prior to putting in work on the calls.
Which Vending Sites Have Access Restrictions?
Some county facilities may need security checks, such as jails, detention centers and some other locations. You can add them to your list, but mark them to check before going there. On your first call, ask about your clearance before you spend time on the pitch.
| Site type | Access check | List action |
| County jail or detention site | Background check, fingerprints or entry search | Flag and ask first |
| Jail commissary delivery | Driver security clearance may be required | Flag and confirm |
Williamson County’s vending bid from 2017 allowed for FBI fingerprinting, background checks and searches at jail entry. This was applicable to the contractors’ staff that enter county jail or detention places.
Skip Federal and State Buildings With Blind Vendor Priority
Before placing a federal or state building on your vending list, verify the blind vendor priority. Licensed blind vendors are given priority for federal property. In some state buildings, Washington and Rhode Island also give this priority.
| Site type | Vending rule | List action |
| Federal property, including post offices | Licensed blind vendors have priority | Skip |
| Washington public buildings | Licensed blind vendors have priority | Skip |
| Washington school board machines | Priority does not apply unless the local board agrees | Keep |
| Rhode Island state property | Licensed blind vendors have priority | Skip |
The federal law is the Randolph-Sheppard Act. On covered federal property, a portion of some or all of the commission accrues to the state blind vendor program from a commercial operator.
It has limited exemptions to the federal rule. This covers military exchanges, Veterans Canteen Service locations and small machines that do not compete with the blind vendor program.
There are other regulations that apply to other states. Always check state regulations before calling public buildings. Many public sites still offer buy vendors as well as rebid vending agreements on set cycles.
What Fields Belong on a Vending Location Prospect List?
The vending prospect list contains 10 different necessary fields. Those fields are business name, address, NAICS code, size class, shift flag, access flag, priority flag, decision-maker role, incumbent and renewal date. Here you will know, who to contact and when to call are indicated in these fields.
| Field | Source | Why it matters |
| Business name | Directory or map | Identifies the site |
| Address | Directory or map | Confirms the location and county |
| NAICS code | Directory | Matches the site to the BLS shift data |
| Size class | Employee estimate | Checks the 50+ employee floor |
| Shift flag | BLS data and first call | Shows selling hours |
| Access flag | Site type and public records | Shows if clearance may be needed |
| Priority flag | Federal and state rules | Shows whether to skip or keep |
| Decision-maker role | First call | Identifies who approves machines |
| Incumbent | First call | Shows if another vendor serves the site |
| Renewal date | First call or public contract | Shows when to call again |
You will get the basic site details from directories and maps. Examine the Census data for size class. Then confirm the shifts, access, the decision-makers, the current vendor, and the renewal date.
In the Vending Media campaign, CallingAgency targeted six roles. You had owners, office managers, facility managers, operations managers, property managers and venue directors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best place to put a vending machine?
The best site is which run over 50 staff and have an evening or night shift. Such sites extend the selling hours for your machine. For 2024-2025, BLS data demonstrate that 40.0% of leisure and hospitality employees are engaged in non-daytime work shifts. Transportation and utilities have 24.5%. All workers have a 14.8% share.
How many people does a location need for a vending machine?
A vending location should have 50+ employees. Census data helps you to list sites at this level and higher. Count daily visitors, such as for gyms, clinics and hotels. Even a site with fewer than 50 employees might qualify if foot traffic is high enough.
Should I buy a vending machine leads list?
A purchased list can reduce research time, but you have to validate the areas. Some lists only have name, phone, address & email. Before you make a payment, please check the employee size and industry code. See how the list flags shifts, access limits and vendors currently in use as well.
Can I put a vending machine in a government building?
Yes, but federal and state regulations can restrict commercial vending. Federal property gives licensed blind vendors priority, including those who operate out of post offices. A portion or entire cut of a business operator’s commission goes to the statewide program.
Who do I pitch at a vending location?
Identify who approves vending machines on site. This is usually a facility, office, operations or property manager. For small sites, get permission from the owner. In venues, ask the venue director. Always make sure you confirm the role on the first call, get it documented and put it on your list.
