Start with how many people are in the building on each workday. A company headcount alone can’t tell you whether a vending machine will get enough use. For a Portland-area office, we’d also want to know when people take breaks, which employees pass the proposed spot, and what they can already buy nearby.
What should you count for a typical week?
Ask the office manager for a rough headcount by day. If several tenants share the building, count only the people who can reach the machine. A tenant on the other side of a locked stairwell doesn’t automatically add shoppers. Mark holidays, catered lunches and all-hands meetings so an unusual week doesn’t become your baseline.
Suppose an office has 90 employees on the roster. A sample week might bring 18 people in on Monday, 54 on Tuesday, 48 on Wednesday, 45 on Thursday and 15 on Friday. That’s 180 employee visits across five days, or 36 per day on average. These are illustrative numbers. They show a busy stretch in the middle of the week and two quiet days. They don’t predict 36 purchases a day.
What would someone leave their desk to buy?
Ask a question people can answer from memory: “The last time you wanted a snack or drink at work, where did you get it?” Someone who brings lunch might still leave for a cold drink at three. Someone who buys lunch downstairs may already have everything they want. Those answers help decide whether to discuss drinks, packaged snacks or a different option.
Would a smaller setup suit the office?
Tell the operator which days are busiest and ask what they could keep stocked through the busiest afternoon. If two departments share a floor, check whether both use the same break room. A single well-used spot can be more promising than two corners that each serve a handful of people.
Bring the weekday counts and a photo of the proposed spot to a free Smart Mart site assessment. If you’re also setting a budget, our guide explains who normally pays for workplace vending.