Suppose a warehouse manager checks the vending machine after lunch. The shelves look full. Six hours later, the evening crew arrives to find three rows of chips and an empty row where the cold water should be. Both crews use the same machine, but they get a different selection. A useful product list starts with what each shift can actually buy.
Ask each shift the same three questions
When is your break? What do you usually bring from home? What do you leave the building to buy? Ask someone who works each shift. A daytime supervisor may know exactly when the lunch truck comes but have no idea what stays open at nine at night.
Listen for a specific unmet need. “We bring lunch but want something cold to drink” calls for a different first shelf than “we can get drinks here, but there’s nowhere to get a snack after seven.” Ask about preferred package sizes and prices, too. A request for trail mix tells you more once you know whether the person wants a small snack or something to split across two breaks.
Start with a small mix you can learn from
Make room for a few everyday choices and one item each crew asked to try. Water, an unsweetened drink, a salty snack or something more filling are starting points for the conversation. Agree on what the machine can hold and what the operator can replenish. If people ask for fresh food, discuss refrigeration, product dates and the service schedule before promising it.
Check the shelf when the second shift arrives
A weekly sales total won’t tell you whether something was available at the start of an evening break. Note what was loaded, when the row emptied if you know, and what was left at the next visit. If the water is gone before the evening shift more than once, try giving it a second row or changing the refill time. Change one thing, then check the same break again.
Give both crews one way to ask for a product and tell them when you’ll review requests. For a manager, that can be as simple as a note at the machine asking, “What did you come here for that was missing?” For information about who stocks the machine and handles requests at a Smart Mart placement, see how our managed vending service works.