U-turn Blog

If your bulk candy machines are in hot and humid locations & you find that the candy is sticking together- try this helpful tip:

Spray a large plastic spoon with an unflavored, non-stick cooking spray then stir the candy around. This can prevent the pieces of candy from sticking together, but it is important not to use too much cooking spray, or the candy will seem greasy. Runts are one candy that holds up well to the summer’s heat & humidity. Runts is a hard fruity candy made by Nestle & sold under their famous Willy Wonka Candy Company brand name.

Eat up everyone! Chocolate may be good for you!

Researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed 7 studies that focused on the effect of chocolate consumption on health of 114,000 participants. Their results suggest there is a beneficial connection between chocolate consumption and cardiovascular disease. Those with the highest level of chocolate consumption had a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease & 29% reduction in stroke. So give in to your Chocolate Cravings & Enjoy! 


 

The NAMA One Show in Vegas was everything they said it would be!

Are you finding yourself carrying an armful of items when servicing your bulk candy vending machines? Equip yourself with one of our Folding UTurn Service Carts! It's a convenient way to carry everything you need into a location. They help keep your work area neat and organized while servicing your vending machines. They are handy and easy to roll in and out of locations. Plus with its sleek design- it gives you a professional appearance as well. These compact carts can easily fit in your vehicle's trunk or back seat when not in use and unfolds in mere seconds! These nifty carts are approximately 16” in Height x 18” in Width x 15” Deep. Made from a heavy-duty but light weight plastic, these carts also features a rust proof extendable aluminum handle and smooth-rolling rubber tires. Folds flat for easy storage. UTurn has these 'Must-Have' carts available for Purchase!

When servicing your Bulk Candy Vending Machines- sometimes it's necessary to replace Chute Covers [doors] or Coin Mechanisms. Here are some helpful tips in doing so.

Tools Needed:
Small Phillip’s Screw Driver [magnetic screw drivers works great!]

Steps

1. Remove Lid, Canisters, Cross Member & Coin Boxes.
2. Looking at the back of the Coin Mechanism [inside the machine] you will see 5 Screws 
a. Screws #1 thru #4 are in the black back plate on the Coin Mechanism
b. Screw #5 goes through the metal Chassis into the Coin Mechanism [smallest of the five]
c. Turn it counter clockwise until it comes completely out of the Coin Mechanism & Chassis.
*Screw #5 is the only screw that needs to be Removed*

NOTE: The new coin mechanisms have 6 screws; 4 through the back plate, 1 into the spider gear and 1 through the chassis.

3. Hold the chute door open [if applicable] lift the Coin Mechanism straight up [noting how the grooves on the side of the Coin Mechanism fit over the chassis. This will be important when you replace the Coin Mechanism & door]. This removes the door & the Coin Mechanism from the machine.
4. Looking at the back of the Coin Mechanism, you will see 2 Tabs extending down from the Coin Mechanism; one side has an area that is notched. This notch is where the springs on the chute doors go.
5. Looking at the front of the chute door [textured side] rotate the spring until the long straight arm of the spring is resting on the door.
6. Turn the chute door over & place it into the Tabs as noted in step 4.
7. With the door in the Tabs, swing the door to the front of the Coin Mechanism [up towards the handle] hold it in this position & slide the Coin Mechanism back into the Chassis of the machine. Once you have it in place, check to make sure the portion of the spring with the 90⁰ bend is hooked over the Chassis.
8. Square the back of the Coin Mechanism with the opening in the Chassis & reinstall the screw [#5] removed in step 2C. You will need to apply pressure to the front of the Coin Mechanism to allow the screw to thread into the Coin Mechanism.
9. Reinstall Coin Boxes, Cross Member, Canisters & Lid.
 

Face it- you're doomed! Today is Friday the 13th- the unluckiest day on the calendar- so try not to crash your car, fall down a flight of stairs, set yourself on fire or do anything else that might compromise your well-being. And for goodness sake, stay away from men in hockey masks!

Laundromats are great places for a bulk candy  machine. While people are sitting and waiting for their laundry to finish they could be enjoying a snack or two from your candy machine. Given that most washers and dryers in laundromats operate on coins- customers will always have quarters in their pockets. Most women and men will bring their kids along with them to the laundromat- your candy machine is a perfect way to keep kids busy and happy during their wait.

It's Time to Put UTURN Vending machines to Work for You!!

With so many snack choices out there, nothing beats the old stand by products!

Here in Idaho Falls, Idaho- March might have came in like a Lion- but it went out like a Lamb. A record high temperature of 73 Degrees was set in Idaho Falls, Idaho today. This breaks the old record of 71 Degrees set in 2004.

Consider selling a salty snack as one of your selections. Not everyone likes sweets. If you are looking for a clean and healthy source of protein for your customers; you may wish to consider the little miraculous food item known as the Nut!

If you are having a tough time in this economy with making a profit with your vending route because of the price of candy going up and the cost of fuel on the rise-it might be time to consider switching to $.50¢ coin mechanisms. Having a 4-select or 8-select gives you an option to choose how much you want to charge for each selection of candy or nuts you offer. We have both  $.25 and $.50 coin mechanisms available for purchase.

Show Your Children How to Own and Operate Their Own Business!

Make sure every time you service your machine to run a few coins through each selection to taste the candy yourself. If the candy tastes somewhat or completely stale then you may have to consider replacing the canister with fresh candy. Don’t wait for the stale candy to sellout; doing so can be more costly due to losing repeat customers. Keep in mind the candy at the top will be fresher than those candies at the bottom of the canister. If you absolutely must sell some of the stale candy before swapping it, then maybe mix new candy with the old, better that a vend isn’t completely stale compared to somewhat stale.  Just remember, would you be happy as a customer if you got stale candy?

You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them.

It seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to make ends meet.......Uturn Vending can help.

If you are a stay at home mom or dad or anyone who wants to start a small home-based lucrative business then a candy bulk vending business might be the right kind of home-based business for you.  A lot of successful vending machine operators have started from home.  

‘Time Freedom’ is one of the top reasons why a lot of people are attracted to vending.  A stay at home mom can earn extra income for the family with still having the freedom to keep up with the routine of raising a family.  

Wouldn't You Like to Own an ALL CASH BUSINESS?

Unemployment is sweeping across the country these days and inflation is causing families to have to make difficult choices. It can be frightening to ask yourself “What would I do?” if left without a job. Many people don’t have a financial safety-net in place to fall back on when a financial crisis occurs. Most people require at least a month or more to find work if they lost their job. Starting a Vending Business is a great way to fight back against the economy.  A Vending Business is an excellent beginner business. Vending can help you generate side income- especially still working a regular job.  Every store, restaurant, hotel or medical building is an opportunity to help you build your financial safety-net.

Today was a beautiful day for Training! I hope our Trainee guests enjoyed today’s weather here in Idaho Falls, Idaho. With the sun shining all day, we had a clear day with a temperature of 37⁰.  This was exceptionally warm for February Idaho weather.  It was such a pleasure to meet all our Trainees.  I hope they all enjoy the rest of their stay in our lovely city!  

You should be Compensated For YOUR Hard Work!

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." --Mario Andretti

With Valentine’s Day coming up, bring new life to your bulk candy vending machine by replacing your slowest selling head with some Valentine’s Day candy. This can be effective at locations where couples are more likely to be; such as restaurants, night clubs or movie theaters. What a nice novelty to hand their date.

Bulk Candy Vending Machines aren't just for tasty treats! Try selling our Super Balls in your Bulk Candy Vending Machine! Our rubber Super Balls won’t go stale like candy or gumballs. Any Bulk Candy Vending Machine that will vend a 1” gumball will vend a rubber ball.  Bouncy balls are great for locations where children visit regularly. Restaurants, clinic waiting rooms or state government areas may be excellent locations because parents frequently must bring their children to these places. If you are toying with the idea of trying bouncy balls- Give us a call and try our Super Balls!

Looking for a quick way to add your cash from your vending machines? A quick way to count quarters is to throw them on to a digital scale. Each quarter weights 0.2 ounces. Ten Dollars worth of quarters is Eight Ounces. So every Eight Ounces is a roll of quarters [$10]. So you can quickly throw all the quarters from your bulk candy machine on to the scale then divide by 2 and you will have determined how many quarters you have. Once you determined how many quarters you have, multiply by .25 and it will calculate how many dollars you have made.

Spring is coming early this year.  There is not a better Time to Start Your Own Business!

Our candy bulk vending machines have a candy tumbler setting that allows you to choose how much candy will emit for a quarter. This setting is important because it is closely tied to your profit margin. If you set it too high, you will decrease your profits. If you set it too low, your customers will feel cheated.  I hope you find our Recommended Candy Tumbler Vend Settings Guide helpful.

U-Turn has been in the Bulk Vending Industry for over 20 Years- and over the years we have found a number of different tips for bulk vending operators. We want to help you make the most of your candy bulk vending route.  Here are just a few tips to  help you on your Road to Success!

The past years have been wonderful to have a Uturn Vending Business and I'm looking forward to expanding in the New Year!

I can't believe it is coming up on one year since I began working here at U-Turn. TIme Flies when you're having fun! I feel very lucky to come to work to where there are friendly faces to welcome me every morning. We have a wonderful atmosphere with great Management and the Business Consultants are all respectful and very approachable. We all get along like family. I consider myself extremely fortunate that every day I get to do what I love the most, which is helping people (clients as well as co-workers). Along with that, I have the opportunity to talk to people from all over the world. Each month I get to meet some of those people when they come out to attend our Vending Business Training and welcome them to Idaho. I take pride in my job and the company I work for. The people we have working here are the best of the best! I am looking forward to what this next year will bring!

So many people have thought about owning their own business or becoming an Entrepreneur, but they never find motivation to get started. This year when you start thinking of your New Year's Resolutions- let 2012 be your year to start a Vending Business!

Happy New Year from the UTurn Family!

To your Family from our UTurn Family... We would like to wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Variety is the spice of life. Provide your customers a multitude of options and you are sure to draw the quarters out of their pockets. Choose from our 4-Select, 8-Select or 12-Select Bulk Candy Vending Machines. Mix one or two gum and candy products and you will have something to offer everyone!

When you have a vending business you are really in the business of food. In some states the same laws that oversee concessions stands apply to the vending machines including how clean and sanitary the machine and storage of the candy. That's why it is very important to keep your vending machine clean and sanitary. It's also important to consider that when you put chemicals such as cleaners on your bulk candy machine they are food safe chemicals and they do not have toxins that can't touch the candy. "Simple Green" is a cleaner that isn't full of harsh toxins like in most store bought cleaners so it makes it safe using it on your candy canisters. It's great for doing cleaning out in the field.

If You have been considering starting your UTURN Vending business or Expanding it, Now is the Time!

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Quarters really do add up! With the economy in a down turn and the price of everything going up, everyone is feeling the money pinch. Even people who still have a steady job are looking around for more income.

Now is the time to start your new UTURN vending business!

From our UTurn Family to your Family- "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Often times people will lose the key to their candy vending machine or the lock gets broken, in which the lock has to be replaced. Here are some helpful tips on how to replace your lock.
 

Vending… An Excellent Business for Families Big or Small

Vending is an excellent business to involve the whole family in.

A little Vending Machine Humor.

Since we build the machines right here- we keep thousands of parts in stock and can ship what you need when you need it!

Terry in Colorado became a UTURN Vending business owner today!

Getting ready for Training tomorrow!

The U-Turn Newsletter is a great source of information for vending route owners.

Another fun tid bit about what goes into the making of U-Turn Vending Machine

Check out out international site and start a successful business overseas.

There is sunshine on the horizon.

Unemployment rates don't effect us....

The choice is yours....

Don't let anything get in your way of success!

It's true that owning a vending route takes a lot less time than owning most businesses

This is your year!

U-Turn just released it's fourth quarter Newsletter- check it out for some great information!

Who knew a little change could add up to so much?

You can see U-Turn vending machines across the world.

Billy Ocean's metaphor for vending.

You don't have to be a genius to be successful

The U-Turn Traing is a spring board to success.

The Longer I Live...

A few fun facts about candy consumption

Take your piece of the pie

Come and visit our company headquarters anytime!

In life variety is a must!

Here is a letter from another satisfied customer....

The U-Turn website has been completely redone to make getting the information you need faster and easier!

Rob took a chance on a company that had a design for a spinning vending machine and we are forever grateful he did.

“Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company.

You would be hard pressed to find someone who has not been effected by the current economic conditions.  With gas and food prices rising and realestate and labor opportunities falling nearly everyone is feeling the financial pinch.

Ever wonder why you don’t find any information about our competitors vending machines on our website or in any of the information we give our customers?

 What I want to get across is that by doing my job well, wealth is just a natural result for me and my customers. I really don’t think there are a lot of people out there that can say that about their own jobs.

In 2006 in the United States the annual revenue generated from home based business was 100 billion dollars.  And that number is expected to increase dramatically over the next few years. 
 

People everywhere are tightening their budgets. No problem. Because the cost of a single vend is so low, consumers will allow a small expense in order to satisfy that urge for a snack.

Our sales staff own and operate their own vending routes.  That makes them qualified mentors, not just someone pushing a product to turn a buck.

How does U-Turn stand out amongst nearly all bulk candy vending companies? It’s simple. Our machines are made right here is the U.S.

Why Now is the Perfect Time to Start Your Vending Business

Nancy Limburg has joined the U-Turn team. 

Many companies can say they have been in business  for 20 years.  But the list of vending companies that can say it is a very short one.