Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.
Issue link: http://automaticmerchandiser.epubxp.com/i/435776
P U B L I S H E R ' S N O T E B Y M O N I Q U E T E R R A Z A S AUTOMATIC MERCHANDISER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Scott Guardino Paramount Automated Food Service Pompano Beach, Fla. Randy Parks ProStar Services West Carrollton, Texas Paul Shlossberg DFW Consulting Goshen, N.Y. Brad Ellis Crane Merchandising Systems St. Louis, Mo. Tom Siciliano Integrity Recruiting & Consulting Inc. Huntley, Ill. Tom Britten Britten Management Services Zephyrhills, Fla. Brad Bachtelle Bachtelle & Associates Inc. Tustin, Calif. Glenn Butler CTO Services LLC Boston, Mass. Joe Hessling 365 Retail Markets Troy, MI Paul Schindelar Mondelez International East Hanover, N.J. Chuck Reed CPI Malvern, Pa. Anant Agrawal Cantaloupe Systems San Francisco, Calif. Who is tired of being evil? I propose a new story of personal freedom and responsibility begin my work day the same way every day. Once I fre up whatever mode of technology I happen to be working from, I look through my emails. Unfortunately, most of my morning emails are sales messages, and of course, it's not just one! Most marketing email subject lines don't compel me to do anything with it other than mark it as junk, but on one particular day, I saw the subject line "Fend off the evil vend- ing machine" and I couldn't help but open up the dang email just because it ticked me off. I wanted to see how this company was going to magically save me from the vending machine. This company, which I will not name, has cre- ated a "healthy" snack box that you can custom- ize from their menu, order online and get it delivered to your home or offce for only $6.99. Now, I'm not going to nit-pick at their business model, because when I want a snack, I want it now and not in 2-4 business days. This isn't what this column is about. You have to appreciate someone with an idea and an attempt to make a proft off of that idea. What gets my blood boiling though is that this company has done what so many before it have done and vilifed the vending machine and industry. I for one am sick of being the evil villain! I understand that every story is more compelling when there is a villain and a hero. How many of you were really cheering for Darth Vader to defeat Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion in the Star Wars saga? We just inherently want to root for the hero, the one who can "save the day," however, here's my issue, since when was the vending industry the evil one? Vending as the scapegoat Unfortunately, the vending industry has fallen victim to being the scapegoat. In this day and age, people have a need to point the fnger at someone else for their problems. This is the knee-jerk reaction, the easy way out and outside competitors are swinging in to rescue us from ourselves. The industry has come a long way making great advances in the products that are available in vending machines and micro mar- kets. Walk any of the trade shows and we are inundated with better-for-you choices to offer consumers. Those products are being tested in machines and markets, whether they be lower calorie, lower fat, gluten-free, freshly prepared or my personal favorite, low carb. I know many of you have been speaking with your accounts and prospective accounts about your offer- ings and have made adjustments to meet the demand. The vending industry is certainly not the villain, in fact, we joined the fght a long time ago. It's time for us to propose a new story. This story is called, "With personal freedom, comes personal responsibility." Consumers have always had the freedom to choose. However, the vending machine is not the villain or hero in this story. Instead, it plays a part in the story, and the real hero or villain is the consumer and in this story, we teach them to understand that they hold the key to how the story ends. Let's have a wonderful 2015! I THE consumer has to choose to play the hero or the villain. 8 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com December 2014