How hosts get paid
With a full-service placement, the operator owns the machine and buys the products. The host provides floor space and an outlet. In return, the host usually gets a commission: a percentage of sales, paid monthly. Arrangements vary a lot. Some operators pay nothing at smaller sites, some only pay above a sales minimum, and some require long contracts.
At Smart Vending Partners, the host gets 10% of every sale, paid monthly with a statement, with no minimum and a 90-day no-commitment trial.
The simple math
Your monthly earnings = monthly sales x your percentage. So:
- $500 in sales a month at 10% = $50 a month ($600 a year)
- $1,000 in sales a month at 10% = $100 a month ($1,200 a year)
- $2,000 in sales a month at 10% = $200 a month ($2,400 a year)
Those aren't life-changing numbers on their own, and that's fine. The point of a free placement is that it costs nothing, takes none of your time, and gives your residents, members, employees or visitors a real amenity. The income is a bonus on top.
What drives sales
- Daily traffic. The number of people who pass the cooler each day matters most. As a rule of thumb, look for 100 or more visitors a day, or 50 or more employees or residents.
- Dwell time. People who wait or stay (parents at lessons, patients, gym members, shift workers on break) buy far more than people walking through.
- Hours. A 24/7 apartment clubhouse or warehouse breakroom has more selling hours than a business open nine to five.
- Nearby options. If the closest store is a drive away, the cooler wins.
- The right menu. Protein and electrolytes at a gym, coffee drinks at an office, kid-friendly snacks at a swim school. The cooler reports what sells, so the menu improves over time.
Estimate your location
Use our earnings estimator for a rough number based on your type of location and daily traffic. For an honest estimate, we'll visit for free, look at your traffic and space, and tell you plainly whether a cooler makes sense. If it doesn't, we'll say so.