Vending Machine Business PlanHow do you estimate replenishment labor and travel?
Budget the entire round from loading to the last service task. Machine-side refill time alone leaves out driving, access, cash handling and cleaning. Price paid work separately from the value of unpaid owner time.
Our 28-day example has two machines, four complete rounds, 15 minutes loading per round, 40 minutes driving, 12 minutes refilling each machine and three minutes cleaning/service at each machine. Each round travels 20 miles. The chosen labor cost is $20 per paid hour and the chosen vehicle cash operating cost is $0.50 per mile.
| Activity | Per round | 4-round period |
|---|---|---|
| Loading | 15 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Driving | 40 minutes | 160 minutes |
| Refilling 2 machines | 24 minutes | 96 minutes |
| Cleaning / service 2 machines | 6 minutes | 24 minutes |
| Total paid time | 85 minutes | 340 minutes / 5.667 hours |
| Paid labor | $28.33 | $113.33 |
| Vehicle operation | 20 miles / $10.00 | 80 miles / $40.00 |
| Total route cost | $38.33 | $153.33 |
Check a supplier quote on comparable terms
If a service provider quotes $160 for all four rounds including vehicle costs, compare it with this example’s $153.33 complete route cost. The $6.67 difference is small, so check what is actually included: machine cleaning, inventory loading, purchase runs, emergency visits, key collection and reporting. A quote for machine-side service only is not comparable.
The per-mile input is a cash operating assumption for this decision, not an IRS tax deduction rate. Vehicle depreciation, loan payments and insurance may need separate treatment. Avoid putting a cost in both the per-mile assumption and fixed overhead.
Separate paid labor from unpaid owner work
If the owner performs the 5.667 route hours unpaid, set paid route hourly cost to zero and enter those hours in the owner allowance. At $20/hour, the allowance is $113.33. Operating profit before that allowance rises by the unpaid payroll amount; the economic remainder does not improve just because the owner supplies free time. Do not include the same hours in paid route labor and owner allowance.
A separately paid owner salary belongs in paid labor or overhead. A distribution is a use of cash after the operating result; it is not the cost of the stock or route. This calculator does not compute distributable cash.
Use a time log with actual start/end, miles, access delay, refill and service minutes at each stop. Include inventory purchasing or warehouse work in loading time or a separate paid cost, consistently. The profit calculator uses the complete round to limit feasible visits. If only five route hours are available here, only three 85-minute rounds fit, which can create stockouts.
Download the route and slot inventory example. It provides a starting table; it does not optimize driving order.
