Placement questions answered
Workplace Vending Placement FAQ
28 plain answers on eligibility, space and power, install timelines, restocking, pricing, compliance and removal.
The short answer
A workplace vending machine needs about 1m² of floor space, a dedicated 240V 10A outlet within 1.5m, trolley access on install day and roughly 15–20 people on site daily. Under a $0 COST placement the machine, delivery, stock, restocking, servicing and removal are all supplied at no charge — the site only pays the electricity the machine uses.
Eligibility and cost
Who qualifies for a $0 COST machine and what the site is committing to.
Is a free vending machine actually free for a workplace?
Yes. Under a $0 COST placement the operator owns the machine and funds it through product sales, so the site pays nothing for the machine, delivery, installation, stock, restocking, servicing, repairs or removal. There is no rental, lease, service charge or minimum spend for the business.
How many staff does a site need before a machine is placed?
As a working guide, about 15 to 20 people on site each day. Sites below that can still qualify if there is steady visitor traffic, multiple shifts, or the site is close to another placement on the same service run. Sites over roughly 80 people usually take two machines rather than one oversized cabinet.
Does a warehouse with shift work qualify differently to an office?
Shift work usually helps. A 24-hour warehouse spreads sales across three crews and often has no other food option after the canteen closes, which makes it a stronger placement than a 9-to-5 office of the same headcount.
Is there a lock-in contract or exit fee?
No. Placement agreements have no fixed term and no exit fee. If the machine is not right for the site it is removed at no cost, typically within a week or two of the request.
Who owns the machine and who insures it?
The operator owns the machine and carries insurance on the equipment and public liability for their service work. The site is not asked to insure the machine, but it does need to provide a reasonably secure location — a machine cannot go somewhere unsupervised and publicly accessible overnight.
Space, power and access
The physical requirements a location has to meet before install day.
How much floor space does a vending machine need?
A standard combo cabinet takes about 1 square metre: roughly 900mm to 1100mm wide, 800mm to 900mm deep once the door swing is allowed for, and 1830mm high. Leave at least 50mm clearance behind the machine for airflow and about 1 metre of clear standing space in front.
What power supply does a vending machine need?
A standard 240V 10A general power outlet within about 1.5 metres, ideally on its own circuit and not switched off after hours. Refrigerated machines must stay powered continuously. Do not run a machine through a power board or an extension lead as a permanent arrangement.
How much electricity does a machine use?
A modern LED-lit refrigerated machine typically draws between 5 and 9 kWh a day depending on ambient temperature, door openings and whether it has an energy-saving mode. Ambient snack-only machines use considerably less. That running cost sits with the site as the host, and it is the only ongoing cost of a $0 placement.
What access is needed on install day?
A clear trolley path from where the truck can park to the placement point: a level or ramped route, doorways at least 900mm wide, and a lift rated for around 400kg if the machine is going above ground level. Machines are moved on a specialist trolley by two people and the install itself usually takes under an hour.
Can a machine go outdoors or in an unheated warehouse?
Outdoors requires an outdoor-rated cabinet under cover, protected from direct rain and afternoon sun. Unheated warehouse space is generally fine — refrigerated machines simply work less hard in winter — but placements in wash-down areas, dust-heavy zones or near chemical storage are not suitable.
Where is the best place to put a machine in a workplace?
Somewhere people already stop: the lunch room, crib room, breakout area, near time clocks or beside the main staff entry. Line of sight matters more than floor area — machines placed down an unused corridor sell a fraction of the same machine placed where people queue at shift change.
Does the machine need network or Wi-Fi access?
No. Cashless readers use their own mobile data connection for payments and telemetry, so nothing is connected to the site's network and no IT approval is normally required. Sites inside heavy steel structures with poor mobile reception should mention it early so an aerial can be planned.
Installation and servicing
Timelines, restocking, faults and refunds after the machine lands.
How long does it take to get a machine installed?
Usually one to two weeks from the day the site is confirmed. That covers a quick site check of the location and power, machine allocation, the first planogram and a delivery booking that suits the site's access hours.
How often is a machine restocked?
Restocking starts at roughly weekly and is then set by real sales data — busy warehouses can move to twice weekly, quieter offices to fortnightly. Telemetry flags fast-selling lines between visits so popular products are topped up rather than running dry.
What happens if the machine breaks down?
The local owner-operator who services the area handles faults directly, generally attending within one business day for a machine that is down and same day for a refrigeration fault with stock at risk. There is no maintenance contract and no call-out charge for the site.
What happens if someone loses money in the machine?
Cashless transactions that fail are refunded to the card automatically or on request, and staff can report a failed vend through the contact details displayed on the machine. Refunds are handled by the operator, not by the site's office manager.
Who cleans the machine?
The operator cleans the machine externally and internally at service visits, including the glass, the delivery bin and the coin and card hardware. Sites usually just wipe the front on a normal cleaning round.
Products, pricing and payments
What goes in the machine, who sets the prices and how staff pay.
Can a workplace choose what is stocked?
Yes. The planogram is agreed before install and reviewed after the first few restocks. Sites commonly ask for a healthier weighting, more cold drinks, sugar-free lines, halal-friendly options, allergy-aware products, electrolyte drinks for summer or local Victorian brands.
Can we run a healthy-only or low-sugar machine?
Yes, and many Victorian workplaces do. A healthier planogram typically means water and no-sugar drinks weighted ahead of full-sugar soft drink, nut and seed bars, popcorn and baked snacks, and smaller confectionery portions rather than none at all.
Who sets the prices?
The operator sets retail pricing, because product sales are what fund a free placement. Prices are benchmarked against local convenience retail rather than café pricing, and sites are told the price list before install so there are no surprises.
Can the business subsidise or pay for staff purchases?
Yes. Some sites part-subsidise selected lines, run free coffee alongside a paid snack machine, or fund the whole machine for staff. That is arranged as a separate commercial arrangement with the operator and does not change the $0 placement itself.
How do staff pay?
Most placements are fully cashless: tap-and-go with cards, phones and watches. Cash acceptance can be fitted where a site wants it, though cashless-only removes cash from the premises, speeds up queues at shift change and eliminates float handling for the site.
Can a machine dispense PPE or consumables instead of food?
Yes. PPE and consumables machines dispense gloves, earplugs, safety glasses, hi-vis and first aid items, and can be linked to employee cards so issue is logged per person and available 24/7 without opening a stores cage. These are often placed alongside a snack machine on the same site.
Commercial, compliance and removal
The paperwork, the obligations and how a placement ends.
Does the site get commission on sales?
Under a $0 COST placement the sales revenue is what pays for the machine, stock and service, so commission is not part of the standard arrangement. Very high-volume sites can discuss a commission or subsidised-pricing structure instead of a free placement.
What paperwork is involved?
A short placement agreement covering the location, the power supply, access for servicing, and the fact that the machine remains the operator's property. There is no credit check, no direct debit and no term commitment for the site.
Are the machines compliant for Australian workplaces?
Machines are supplied with Australian-compliant 240V electrical fittings and test-and-tag where a site's WHS system requires it, and refrigerated units use compliant refrigerants. Operators carry public liability insurance and can supply a certificate of currency and SWMS on request.
How is a machine removed if we no longer want it?
Give the operator notice and the machine is collected at no cost, generally within one to two weeks. Stock, the machine and the cashless hardware all belong to the operator, so nothing is left behind and there is no make-good charge.
Can we have machines across multiple sites?
Yes. Multi-site groups across Melbourne and regional Victoria are handled as one account with one point of contact, with each site's machine mix and planogram set to that site's headcount and shift pattern.
Ready for a $0 COST vending machine hire at your site?
Tell us your location, staff numbers and what your team wants stocked in a $0 COST hire vending machine of your choice, with your product choices to keep everyone happy. We'll confirm the right machine and book installation — at no cost to your business. That's how $0 COST hire works: machine sales pay for the placement and the vending service.