By Ken Joyner
It all began as a beautiful winter morning in Tampa, Florida. The temperature was in the low seventies and a gentle zephyr was blowing from the Gulf of Mexico. The car windows were rolled down to enjoy the fresh air, knowing full well in a couple of months the hot, humid summer temperatures would not be conducive to having the windows down.
I was stopped at a red light waiting patiently to turn into the office complex where my office was located when I began to hear something very loud getting closer in, a cargo van pulled up beside me that looked like it had not been washed in years. Disgustingly filthy are the only words to describe the outside appearance of this vehicle, as if it had been in a war zone. Besides its outward appearance, heavy metal music was blaring from within, so loud the van’s windows shook. Its occupants, if not hard of hearing before they got in the van are now close to being deaf.
As I tried not to, recalling the words Mom always said, “it is not nice to stare,” the small magnetic sign on the side of the van came into view. It was the name of the vending company servicing the office complex I worked in, “Professional Vending Services.” This made me look more closely. Inside the van were two dirty, grimy looking characters. One had a baseball cap on backwards and the second man had a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Unprofessionalism lost them business
At that point this thought came to me: “How could the vending company have such a motley crew representing their company with a van looking as disgusting as it did?” Is it any wonder that many people don’t have a high opinion of some vending companies? What do the customers of this so-called professional vending company think when these two people stroll in to restock the machines looking the way they do? The idea of these two handling the food products I could be purchasing made me lose my appetite and the desire to ever purchase again from the vending machines at my office.
Vending companies that fit into this category often leave so many fingerprints on the glass fronts of their snack and cold beverage machines that you sometimes have trouble identifying what the products are inside. These are the same people that supposedly have 10 selections of cold beverages in their machines to find out that only eight selections are in working condition.
I walked in the break room after these two had supposedly filled the five vending machines in the break room. One was a glass front machine that had twenty-one sold-out selections and the drink machine had an out-of-service sign taped to the front. A snack machine that was at least fifteen years old, a cold food machine with over half the selections empty and lastly, a coffee machine that looked as though it sailed on the Titanic. Is it no wonder that our team members are so disgusted with the vending company?
What professional service gets you
At Advantage Refreshments, all locations get brand new, state-of-the-art, 2023 model vending machines with the latest technology to best serve the employees at your business. No more dealing with disgruntled team members saying, “the vending machines ripped me off again, took my money and did not vend the product I paid for.” Our machines come with a guaranteed product delivery system meaning that if a team member puts money in one of our machines, they will get either the product they wanted, another choice of equal value or their money back, guaranteed! Each machine is equipped with a credit card reader and our machines will also accept currency up to a $20 bill and give change back. During the first thirty days after installing new vending machines, we give away cash prizes, Lotto tickets, free vend coupons and each employee will receive a Visa Gift Card to use for purchasing items from the vending machines, all at no cost to your company. Does your current vending company treat your employees like this? The answer is a resounding NO!
Being a professional in vending doesn’t cost that much more, and in the long run, the return on invest will far exceed the price paid for not being professional. Let Advantage Refreshments ensure your associates have the drinks, snacks, meals, and ice cream that they rightfully deserve. Being an active member of SHRM for over 25 years with the SHRM-SCP certification gives me the insight into the daily challenges you face. Advantage Refreshments will elevate vending to a much higher level, such that your employees perceive it as a true benefit of working at your organization. What are you waiting for?
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