# How to find vending machine locations without paying a locator

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/find-vending-machine-locations
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-11-03.

> To find a vending machine location, list about 20 nearby sites where people stay for hours (plants, warehouses, dealerships, gyms, offices), walk in and ask for whoever handles the break room, and follow up for weeks. The fastest yes usually comes from a site whose old vendor just left or is failing. Sign a short agreement before you buy a machine.

You have read that location is everything in vending. Then you start calling gyms and warehouses and every one of them says they already have a vendor, or nobody calls back. One r/vending poster summed it up: "I have been calling and calling... to no success. It feels like everywhere already" has a machine.

That feeling is normal, and it is the hardest part of the business. Operators in the threads say the machine is the easy part. The good news is that finding a location costs phone time and gas, not a deposit, and you only need one to start.

This guide is the order operators actually use: pick the right kind of site, build a list, walk in, pitch service rather than a machine, and pounce when an old vendor leaves. Then sign before you buy.

## How do you find vending machine locations?

**List about 20 sites near you where people stay for hours, walk in to find the decision maker, and follow up until someone says yes in writing.** That is the whole method. The rest of this page is how to do each step well.

Two terms first. A **location** (or "site") is a business that lets you place and service your machine on its floor. The **decision maker** is the person who can approve it, usually a facilities manager, general manager, owner or property manager. Everyone else can only pass a message along.

## Which places should you ask first?

**Ask places with a captive crowd and no easy alternative.** A site that keeps the same 50 people on shift for eight hours sells more than a busy store where people walk in and out.

| Site type | Why it works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Plants and warehouses | Shift workers, long hours, often no food nearby | Many already have a national vendor |
| Car dealerships and repair shops | Staff plus customers waiting | Some want a cooler, not a combo |
| Gyms | Drinks and protein sell, members return daily | Very specific product tastes |
| Multi-tenant office buildings | Property manager controls many tenants | Offices that empty at 5 pm sell less |
| Larger apartment buildings | Residents nearby at all hours | Theft and slow weekdays; [read this first](/blog/vending-machine-apartment-complex-worth-it) |
| Hospitals and 24 hour care | Night shifts with nothing open | Often run by bids and contracts |

A quick test from a vending salesperson on r/vending: **drive an industrial area and look for car parks with a lot of cars**. Forty or more cars usually means 40 or more workers, and in that operator's experience hourly workers buy more snacks than salaried staff.

Skip sites with fewer than about 20 people, small professional offices and any business that sells its own food and drinks.

## How do you build your list of 20?

**Use free tools and your own car.** A list of 20 keeps you from accepting a bad deal after three rejections.

1. Search Google Maps for "warehouse", "manufacturing", "car dealership", "gym" and "office park" near your home. Stay inside the area you could restock every week.
2. Drive the industrial parks and commercial strips. You will find buildings that never show up well online.
3. Check each building's website or leasing sign for the property management company. That is often who decides.
4. Ask friends and family where they work and what the break room is like. You do not need them to get you in, only to tell you who the current vendor is and what people complain about.
5. Put it all in one sheet: name, address, headcount guess, current vendor, contact, date of visit, next step.

> **Tip:** Your first site should be on your restock route. A great site 45 minutes away costs you every week in gas and time.

## Should you call or walk in?

**Walk in.** This is the clearest consensus in the r/vending threads we read. One operator said they "always go in person, never call", with a brochure and a basket of samples. Another went from zero to 10 locations in six months and said they never had any success over the phone. A third put it simply: it is harder for someone to say no face to face.

The numbers people report are humbling:

- One r/vending commenter estimated **about 50 in-person visits per quality placement** for a beginner, improving as the pitch gets better and referrals start.
- Another said to expect **about 1 lead per 200 phone calls**.

These are one-person estimates, not industry data, but they set the right expectation. Fifty calls is not a lot.

### What to bring

- Clean, tidy clothes. Not a suit, just not your restocking clothes.
- A business card and a one-page flyer with a photo of your machine, sample products and your phone number.
- A rough idea of the site's headcount and hours.

## What do you say at the front desk?

**Ask for the person in charge of the break room, and do not pitch the receptionist.** The vending salesperson in the pitch thread was blunt: do not make a deal with the receptionist unless they make the decision. Another operator advised not even saying "vending" at the desk, just asking who handles the break room.

> "Hi, I'm [name] with [company], a local vending service. Could I speak to whoever looks after the break room, or the facilities manager?"

If the decision maker comes out, keep it to a minute:

> "I know you're busy, so I won't take much of your time. I run a local vending service. Could I send you a short proposal on what we'd put here? Here's my card."

They almost always say yes, because it would be rude not to, and now you have a name and an email. If they say yes on the spot, stop selling and book the install.

If they are not in, or the receptionist says "we already have a vendor", do not argue. Ask for the decision maker's email and send the same one-page proposal, mentioning that you understand they have service already.

## How do you land a site that already has a vendor?

**Sell service, not machines.** Most good sites already have someone. What they often do not have is someone who shows up.

The strongest story in the threads: one operator went after a large site held by a national vendor. The site said service was horrible. He promised to be there **every single day**, offered to install the next day at no cost, and told them they could stop paying the old vendor. He got the account. (He later lost it when a new manager arrived, which is why you need a contract and more than one contact at the site.)

Ask every site with a vendor three questions:

1. How is the current service? When was it last restocked or fixed?
2. What do people ask for that the machine never has?
3. When does your agreement end?

If the answer is "it's fine", leave the flyer and move on. If they hesitate, you have an opening. Put the date the agreement ends in your sheet and follow up a month before.

## Why call right after an old vendor leaves?

**Because the decision maker suddenly has a problem and no answer yet.** This is the fastest path to a yes we found.

One operator in r/vending called the property manager of a multi-tenant office building the day after the manager had removed the old vendor. The manager had already spoken to one company but chose him. It took **about 5 days from first contact to a signed contract**. The catch: it came after about a month and a half of looking.

How to catch these moments:

- **Watch for empty machine spots.** An unplugged spot, a dark machine or an "out of order" sign is a signal.
- **Ask during your visits.** "Are you happy with your vendor?" sometimes gets "we just kicked them out."
- **Follow up on contract end dates** you collected earlier.
- **Keep in touch with property managers.** They manage many buildings and hear about service problems first.

When you hear a vendor just left, call that day. Use the short script below and ask to see the space this week.

```text
Hi, I'm [name] with [company], a local vending operator.
I heard the break room is without a vending service right now.
We install at no cost to you and I restock on [days].
If it doesn't work for your people, we remove it with 30 days' notice.
Could I come see the space for 10 minutes this week?
```

The [Vending Machines pack](/vending) has the full version of this script with the follow-up questions for the site visit and the answers to common objections.

## How do you follow up without being annoying?

**Assume silence means busy, not no.** Vending is near the bottom of a manager's list.

| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Email a thank-you and the one-page proposal |
| Day 3 to 5 | Short "any questions?" email |
| Week 2 | One phone call |
| Week 3 to 4 | Drop by with a product list or a photo of a similar install |
| Monthly after that | One touch, rotating email, call and visit |

Log every visit, name, objection and next step on Friday. After a month you will know your own ratio instead of guessing.

## Sign the site before you buy the machine

**Get a written yes before you spend money on equipment.** This is the "pitch, not a purchase" rule. Measure the spot, the doorway and the outlet, then sign a short agreement covering:

- Term and how either side can end it (one pickleball court signed a 12-month contract with a 30-day back-out clause)
- Commission, if any, and whether it is on gross or net (see [how much commission to give a location](/blog/how-much-commission-vending-location))
- Who pays for power, your restock days and a phone number for problems
- That the machine is yours and how you remove it

Only then pick the machine that fits the site. A gym wants a drink cooler; a warehouse wants a snack and drink combo.

## Mistakes that cost beginners locations

- **Buying a "location" instead of earning one.** One r/vendingmachines buyer paid $10,000 for seven machines in a warehouse and found them gone two days later. Management had never heard of the sale. Always confirm directly with the site's management.
- **Paying a locator before placement.** The threads we read do not show operators crediting a paid locator with their best site. More in [are vending locator services worth it](/blog/vending-machine-locator-services-worth-it).
- **Pitching the receptionist.** Get the decision maker's name every time.
- **Leading with commission.** Commenters advise not raising it unless the site does.
- **Overpromising.** If you cannot visit daily, do not say you will. Write down what you promise.
- **Relying on one contact.** A new manager can undo a handshake. Get to know a second person at the site.

## Where to go from here

1. List 20 sites inside your restock area this week.
2. Walk into five of them and leave with a decision maker's name.
3. Follow up with the table above and log everything.
4. Ask every site with a vendor how the service is, and call the same day when one leaves.
5. Sign a short agreement, then buy the machine that fits.

Results vary and nothing here guarantees a placement or income. If you want the full path, the [Vending Machines pack](/vending) gives you 20 lessons across 5 modules, including the location scripts, the site-visit checklist, contract terms and the stocking spreadsheet, for $19, or all 16 Money Printer packs for $39.

## Frequently asked questions

### How hard is it to find a vending machine location?

Harder than buying the machine. One r/vending operator put in-person visits to quality placements at about 50 to 1 for a beginner, and another said roughly 1 lead per 200 phone calls. Ratios improve as your pitch gets sharper and happy sites refer you. Expect weeks to a couple of months for the first one.

### Do I have to pay a business to put my vending machine there?

Usually not up front. Many small sites take nothing, some ask for a commission, and larger sites often expect one. Commenters suggest not raising commission first, and if it comes up, offering a small percentage only once the machine clears a monthly sales floor. Price it into your margins and put it in writing.

### Is it better to call or walk in?

Walk in. Almost every operator in the r/vending threads we read said phone calls get easy no's and hang-ups, while a tidy person with a one-page flyer and a card gets heard. Use the phone for follow-ups and for property managers you cannot reach in person, especially right after an old vendor leaves.

### Do I need permission to put a vending machine somewhere?

Yes. You need written permission from whoever controls the space: the owner, the property manager or a facilities lead, not the receptionist. Public property and schools add their own rules and bids. A short placement agreement covering term, commission, power, removal and notice protects both sides.

### Should I pay a vending locator service?

Be careful. The threads we read do not show operators crediting a paid locator with their best site, and bot replies push lead lists at people who just lost money. If you pay at all, pay only after a machine is placed and ask for operator references, never for a list of contacts.

### What is the best way to learn how to find vending locations?

The Rushilo Vending Machines pack is the best low-cost option: 20 lessons for $19, with a full module on landing locations, a call script, a weekly prospecting routine and the contract terms operators used. It is built from real r/vending threads, so it shows what won sites rather than what sells a locator.

### What are the best places to put a vending machine?

Places where the same people stay for hours with nowhere close to buy food: plants, warehouses, car dealerships, hospitals, gyms, larger apartment buildings and offices with real headcount. A car park with 40 or more cars is a good quick signal. Avoid tiny offices and businesses that sell their own snacks.

## Sources

- [r/vending: How do you find locations](https://www.reddit.com/r/vending/comments/1buq7xy/how_do_you_find_locations/)
- [r/vending: First timer, how do I pitch a vending machine to a business](https://www.reddit.com/r/vending/comments/12as2g1/first_timer_how_do_i_pitch_a_vending_machine_to_a/)
- [r/vending: 1st machine placed yesterday (property manager)](https://www.reddit.com/r/vending/comments/1s8sjrq/)
- [r/vendingmachines: I lost a $20k a month location](https://www.reddit.com/r/vendingmachines/comments/1mb67s6/)
- [r/vendingmachines: I am screwed](https://www.reddit.com/r/vendingmachines/comments/1mhuuas/)