State seeks ‘outrageous’ vending fee hike

The ultimate small business model, the vending machine operator. The man or woman that hauls the machines around; some are big and some are small, they must decide where the machines might make money, they must negotiate a deal with the owner of the location, they clean the machines and restock them. Repair when necessary and replace when vandalized or lost in a fire.

My grandfather had a vending machine business on the side, I remember helping him clean the peanut and cashew residue and salt out of the works.  My small fingers (started assisting at about five years old) could stuff the coins into the paper bank wrappers better than he could. In the hall closet were big bags of nuts and colorful round balls of gum. (Guess how I got paid?) It was of the many small businesses that he operated to increase his income during the Depression and that he continued up to retirement. Did pretty well, he retired to Cape Cod with two mortgage free houses, a new Chevy and a fat bank account. Did I mention that he also took bets?

Today, forget it. The state wants it’s cut, but it also wants demands records, taxes, fees, licenses, etc. etc…

Then theres the towns, today they get into the act, you can’t put them here, you can’t put them there. (We think one mile from any school would be about right) Don’t paint them with bright colors, chain them to the walls in case when someone tries to break into them they don’t tip over and hurt the thief. HEY, what are you going to do about the trash from the wrappers?!!

Now on top of all that, the state is increasing the Vending Machine License Fee 600% on each machine.  Plus, the Congress of the United States (and the land of the free) is going to demand that vending machine owners find a way to present the nutritional values and calories of the Twinkees and bubble gum before the customer buys it. All of this comes out of the (slim) profit that the Vendor gets from his machines.

I know what Gramp would say,”Dummkopf’s, Piss on ’em.“