It is a known fact that most gas stations don't live off of selling gas.
They stay in business because customers walk in and purchase few overpriced items.
This means that these gas stations are missing out on sales opportunity to those customers only pumping gas and drive off.
When you go to gas stations, you notice that there are no sales opportunity other than the machine asking if you want a car wash.
Why hasn't anyone put a vending machine or any coin driven business around these pumps?
sorry for an extremely large image of a gas station lol.
but is it only because it is against law to place any electric machines next to a pump station due fire hazard?
I've seen some Walmart and HEB's gas stations with Kiosk at pump stations selling cold drinks.
So I do not think electronics are the restricting factor here.
Well what else could they sell other than food and trinkets?
>>1096070
i could see them leasing out the space in between the trash can and the pillar to people/companies who want to put their own box there. though, it may cause complications with being literally right next to a fucking gas pump.
>>1096070
http://www.nacsonline.com/magazine/pastissues/2012/october2012/pages/feature5.aspx
>>1096084
Cold starbucks coffee or a crane games with spare changes that's been rolling around in your car
>>1096087
Walmart Gas stations have Kiosks thats between gas pumps. i Guess there might be a distance restriction to pumps, but it doesn't look that far
1) Gas stations get busy and you don't want to be waiting behind a dickhead fiddling with the vending machine
2) Gas fumes are carcinogenic. You'll likely want to limit the amount of food being sold around the gas pumps
3) People who try to use a vending machine (or anything else) while pumping gas risks a gas spill
4) As a gas station owner, wouldn't you rather the customer come inside and mosey around all your overpriced shit?
5) You can't use a cellphone at the pump because of fire risk. Running power and operating a vending machine next to the pumps could be a fire risk.
>>1096093
1. Gas stations are usually more chill then inside the store. if there is a line for a machine, you can just walk in as you've always done.
2. you don't have to do a business around food. you could have a crane machine where the car owners can waste money on. Many drivers like to keep their small doll prize hanging in their car.
3.most people pump gas until it stops by itself anyway. some people even walk into the store while it's pumping.
4.gas stations are loosing more than half of the customers from coming in to the store. why not bring the sales to those that doesn't come in?
5.some gas stations have Kiosks with refrigerators. I believe it is safe to place an electronic device certain distance away from each pump. like in my second picture.
1) You can't just leave your car lined up if the pumps are busy. You'd have to park and lose your spot.
2) I don't think that's an investment that would pay off, and I've never seen one of those machines outside, exposed to the rain.
3) Most people don't. Not where I live anyways. If you don't have your hand on the pump, the attendant will shut it off. Spill/Fire hazard obviously.
4) You have a source for this information? Also what about repeat customers. I would expect most gas stations get the same customers week to week, and sometimes they just buy gas, but they'll come in sometimes.
5) Not sure. Might vary from state to state for food safe rules
>>1096111
1.in Texas, most people just park at the station to walk in. I guess we just don't have waits for a pump like in your state.
2. gas stations near a highway always sell souvenirs representing their own state (all made in china). profit margins are high on those items. electricity bills are so cheap especially in Texas. maintenance fee would be covered if you could have net profit of $5 a day.
3. Also in Texas, we just pump until it stops. people wash their windshields, go in to buy drinks/food whilst gas pump.
4. http://www.nacsonline.com/magazine/pastissues/2012/october2012/pages/feature5.aspx this and easy search on google. just think how often you've been into the gas station store vs how many times you've just pumped and left.
5.Walmarts and HEBs in Texas all have Kiosks in the middle to sell car or food related items. just like in my pictures.
>>1096111
BTW, which state are you in?
I've never heard of attendant shutting off a pump because you aren't holding the nuzzle.
in some other countries where they don't do self fueling, turning off a car engine is very abnormal during the fueling.
cell phone use restriction is a meth as well. just like how some people believed that phone signals could pop a corn.
>>1096136
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/cell-phone-gas-station-minimyth/
*Myth
>>1096090
Here in Aus we have gas stations with cafes, diners, fast food, entire convenience stores, supermarkets, pizza places, drive thrus, etc. They do ok but nowhere near what standalone food/drink businesses do
>>1096070
Whats the chance of a vending machine causing an electrical fire? I know that the bowsers have some electrical components to them, but they seem like they are more resistant and insulted than a vending machine, and use a lower voltage.
There's also the question of just how much people will be willing to use a vending machine just because they drove up next to one. If you need petrol and "need" a bottle of soda, you'll walk into the store and complete both transactions at once. If you don't want a drink will you seeing a vending machine change your mind? Maybe for some people, but will they be enough to cover the costs, and wouldn't putting advertisements around the bowser (that most petrol stations do anyway) just be smarter? Honestly it seems like vending machines around the pump will only make money during the times when the station is not staffed, but the amount of traffic entering those stations is very little, so will that be enough? Probably not, I don't think.
>>1096163
It doesn't help we're snobs when it comes to food
inb4 shrimp on Barbie isn't exotic cuisine
>>1096217
My friend is the biggest fucking snob, he thinks he's into 'fine dining' because he likes organic coffee and eats burgers and asian food from expensive places.
Fucking Melbourne
bumping to see morning biz's opinion on this. Vending machine and crane machines are less then $1000 at alibaba. If net profit of $10 per machine is avg, it is very worth the investment
Cumbys makes 60% of revenue from gas sales , ?
>>1096842
>MA/RI detected
>>1096070
I co-own a gas station. It was my first investment. We make 85% of our money from cigarettes, lottery tickets and booze. Can't sell those in vending machines.
>>1096842
Calling it cumbys is a southern ne thing? Im from ri and call it this but i thought everyone did
>>1096070
You average 86 cents a day on a vending machine. Lets double that because its "high traffic" , now the gas stations wants a cut lets call that 20% and the guy refilling them and collecting money wants 10% , so you get a buck twenty a day.
Oh wait . Everything you could sell in a vendong machine is something they would sell inside.
So really you should be asking why the entire gas station isnt automated
Gas stations are about locations. Think about McDonalds.
They don't give a shit about burgers, the founder himself said they care about RealEstate.
What gas station, in a specific location in the world, would truly benefit from vending machines. Would it a be a specific vending machine that doesn't hold the same products as inside the gas station?
Spending money on a vending machine holding products, whereas the customer can just take a few more steps to go inside and be exposed to MORE products seems like a waste of money.
The only moneymaker in this is if you came up with a specific niche product that currently isn't being sold at gas stations + the benefit of it being sold outside instead of inside, in front of the customer as he opens his driver door.
Okay so instead of electronic ones you have those old fashioned candy and toy dispensers
or an old fashioned cigarette dispenser selling overpriced air fresheners and moist towels and wipes that kind of shit.
>>1096077
Texas bro! fist bump
