Mar 8, 2017 | Company News, General
Tips for Better Health Houston 2017! Houston… we have a problem; Houstonians love to eat. In fact, Houston offers some of the best restaurants in the USA. It is hard to pick the best bbq, seafood, tex-mex, etc. restaurant because they are all good. Furthermore, the portion sizes are large here as well. Therefore, all the good food is adding to our waist lines. Your not alone… many are packing on pounds year over year. Also, we are working harder than ever with longer hours thus making it important to enjoy a mid-afternoon snack.
What you can do to improve your health in Houston?
- Knowing what healthy product choices offered in your workplace vending machine can help.
- Many of the main stream manufactures, smaller ones too, are already improving calorie count, fat and sugar content per serving, and more.
- When considering buying from vending machines, take the time to look over the nutrition fact sheet located on the back of the package or online.
- Product companies now are adding the important nutrition facts on the front of the packages. That way you can read the facts before purchasing.
Product companies have started adding some or more whole grain into baked goods. For example, Cheez-Its now have the regular baked version and another made with whole grain. Whole grains are packed with nutrients, including protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium). A diet rich in whole grains has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer.
In summary
Sticking to lower fat, nutrition rich choices from vending machines can make a difference. Furthermore, water choices have increased tremendously over the last few years. Life Water (by Pepsi) is a purified water that is pH balanced with added electrolytes. The electrolytes are for added flavor, making it easier to make the switch from unhealthy soda to water with your snack.
Mar 2, 2017 | Company News, General, Uncategorized
Hometown Vending decided to upgrade operations by implementing a VMS vending route software system in early 2014. Using a vending management software system helps vending companies run day-to-day operations both in the office and at customer locations. Hometown Vending decided to take the leap and invest in a system that helps with scheduling, customer commissions, cash management, schedules and more. In our opinion, it would be really difficult to compete in 2017 without such a system to help keep things organized and running efficiently. We invested in Stream VMS and feel that the system is both easy and robust.
In the past, all customer commissions were dependent on drivers pulling the internal cash meters from each machine during service and then bringing back to the office so that we could manually enter into an Excel spreadsheet. This was incredibly tedious and time consuming… not to mention difficult to insure accuracy. Balancing the books and customer commissions took hours and hours each month. With Stream VMS software, all cash meters are automatically entered into the cloud during each service. Furthermore, all commissions are automatically calculated and our customers have their own login credentials so that they can view sales, current and past commission reports, etc. We feel that this creates a valuable level of trust with our customers.
Scheduling was another challenge for vending operators in the old days. Managers would have to layout schedules on paper and make sure drivers had a copy. Stops and machines would often get skipped due to communication errors, etc. Our vending management software automatically schedules and organizes routes. Our customers all seem really happy with the fact that we never overlook restocking their machines. Stream vending route software makes it really easy to schedule the really slow accounts that may require service once every two or three weeks. The system remembers the date of the last service and makes sure to show up in the drivers Stream iPhone app every two or three weeks, etc. No more overlooked slow stops!!
Stream vending route software also keeps track of all our cash management and tells us exactly how much we should expect back from the drivers each day by machine, location, etc. I am almost certain that most vending operators have experienced a driver stealing some cash at some point and this is precisely why we are really happy to have implemented a software system to run our business.
In conclusion, we couldn’t imagine running our business the old fashion way… spreadsheets, driver theft, inconsistent commission reports, etc. We made the jump in early 2014 and have been really satisfied with the results of using vending machine route software. We are the leading vending machine company in Montgomery County Texas and feel that having Stream VMS run our backend management has been crucial to our success.
Feb 4, 2017 | Company News, General
Hometown Vending now offering the next generation of cashless vending machine technology… eport Interactive. The ePort® Interactive offers our customers vending machines that are the most advanced cloud-based interactive and cashless capable machines available. It enables the delivery of nutritional information, remote (by text) refunds, loyalty programs, and robust, potential multimedia-marketing campaigns for select vending machines from Hometown Vending. The eport devices supports traditional credit and debit cards, as well as NFC (Mobile Wallet) payments including Apple Pay and Android Pay.
Innovative Technology
The simple, clean touchscreen device is a vibrant, full color touch screen allowing the display of national or custom marketing and promotional campaigns. Basically, it combines cashless payment with nutrition info into one device. Furthermore, if an employee or staff member loses money… we can text back a code that will allow them to make another purchase on us.
Broad Applications
The simple design of the device and superior security features of both the device and the ePort Interactive platform make it the coolest and best-in-class solution for our vending customers in Conroe, Houston, Magnolia, or the Woodlands looking for a payment solution offering a high tech consumer engagement and content delivery options.
Features
On-screen nutritional Facts, colorfully displayed, detailed product information is available prior to purchase, informing the consumer about their selection.
On-screen advertising with interactive user interface: Brilliant touchscreens attract more customers and influence consumer purchasing patterns. The Interactive touch screen offers positive consumer patterns and encourages interaction of your staff with the vending machines.
On-screen assistance: Save time and money by quickly returning lost money with unique credit codes that can be sent to customers via SMS text messages. Also, we can manage subsidized ‘free vend’ location occasions without ever needing to visit a machine.
The eport Interactive system is a high-speed wireless connection and state-of-the-art cashless option that offers Hometown Vending customers the best possible experience. Contact Hometown Vending today and we can help you decide if an eport device is an option for your location.
Aug 27, 2013 | Company News, General
Hometown Vending Services is a family owned and operated north Houston vending company serving north Houston and Montgomery County from our shop at 1221 Honea Egypt Road in Magnolia. We serve the north side of Houston only. We place and service vending machines, micro markets, and Smart A.I. Coolers for workplaces in Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, Willis, and New Caney. Call 281-305-8363 or request a free site visit.
Vending machines for north Houston workplaces
We have been in business since 2005, and we run our own routes north of the city. Our snack and drink machines carry the brand-name products people expect, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper beverages, plus healthy choices for wellness-minded teams. Credit, debit, and mobile pay readers keep a short break from turning into a hunt for cash.
Micro markets and Smart A.I. Coolers in north Houston
For offices, clinics, plants, and 24/7 sites that want more than a spiral machine, a Smart A.I. Cooler works like a compact micro market: swipe or tap a card, open the door, take the snacks, drinks, or fresh food you want, and you are charged only for what you take. It fits busy breakrooms, multi-shift crews, and sites that need food and cold drinks around the clock. Many locations pair a cooler with a traditional machine.
New machines are always free to you
New machines are always free to you. Installation, stocking, and service cost your business nothing. We earn our money on the snacks and drinks sold, not on the equipment. We also never sell an account: once we service your location, you will see us and only us.
Areas we serve in north Houston
We are based in Magnolia and run regular routes across north Houston and Montgomery County:
Why north Houston businesses choose a local operator
- We service Montgomery County government buildings, schools, and workplaces across the county.
- Our route staff are uniformed and background checked.
- Once a problem is reported, we generally respond within one to four hours.
- Every account is restocked at least once a week, and more often when needed.
FAQs
Do you serve all of Houston?
No. We serve the north side of Houston only, along with Montgomery County: Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, Willis, and New Caney. If you are outside those areas, call and we will tell you honestly whether we can cover you.
Does my business pay for the machines or installation?
No. New machines are always free to you. Installation, stocking, and service cost your business nothing; we earn our money on the products sold.
What is the difference between a vending machine and a micro market?
A vending machine dispenses one item at a time. A micro market or Smart A.I. Cooler lets people open the door, choose snacks, drinks, or fresh food, and pay by card for only what they take.
How fast can you install?
Once you give us the go-ahead, we can be ready within 14 days, and setup takes about four hours.
Call 281-305-8363 or use our contact form to schedule a walkthrough.
