OK guys,
Tear this apart. I welcome all questions and criticisms.
Attached are a couple of pictures of one of five of our first production model of Firewood Vending Machines. In addition to these 5, we have 4 of our prototypes out at Texas State parks in north Texas. I owe the state parks another 20 machines in our area who want them and we are making them as fast as we can.
This is a modular system that can have as many 8 compartment modules as required....we have found that given available space, that a 6 module system is about as large at it should go and if there is more demand, we just place another machine at another location within the park. Our contracts with Texas Parks and Wildlife require us to give 10% of gross sales (before tax) to the parks every month. We make, set, and maintain the machines, and provide product for all the machines.
The production models have outdoor rated touch screens and a 3G cell phone based telemetry system that goes directly to the bank for credit card/ debit card verification and sales...it takes all forms of credit and debit along with apple pay, android pay, contactless, etc.....NO CASH (and in over a year we have had no vandalism).
It is very simple...make a selection....swipe your card and a door opens up...they take the product and shut the door...that compartment will not vend again until we refill.
In addition to firewood (1 cuft or 2 cuft bag, although you can't fit 2 cuft of wood in a 2cuft bag) we sell cases of water, charcoal, wood chips for smoking, small covered grills, and anything else that campers are interested in and do not want to leave the camp ground to purchase.
We have real time sales data through the credit card processing company so we know when we need to go and restock.
So we are selling firewood for about $1200 a cord. In April (spring break month) we sold over $4,000 in firewood in four machines at three small state parks.
Let me know what you think....after 25 years in the Army I have pretty tough skin
Tear this apart. I welcome all questions and criticisms.
Attached are a couple of pictures of one of five of our first production model of Firewood Vending Machines. In addition to these 5, we have 4 of our prototypes out at Texas State parks in north Texas. I owe the state parks another 20 machines in our area who want them and we are making them as fast as we can.
This is a modular system that can have as many 8 compartment modules as required....we have found that given available space, that a 6 module system is about as large at it should go and if there is more demand, we just place another machine at another location within the park. Our contracts with Texas Parks and Wildlife require us to give 10% of gross sales (before tax) to the parks every month. We make, set, and maintain the machines, and provide product for all the machines.
The production models have outdoor rated touch screens and a 3G cell phone based telemetry system that goes directly to the bank for credit card/ debit card verification and sales...it takes all forms of credit and debit along with apple pay, android pay, contactless, etc.....NO CASH (and in over a year we have had no vandalism).
It is very simple...make a selection....swipe your card and a door opens up...they take the product and shut the door...that compartment will not vend again until we refill.
In addition to firewood (1 cuft or 2 cuft bag, although you can't fit 2 cuft of wood in a 2cuft bag) we sell cases of water, charcoal, wood chips for smoking, small covered grills, and anything else that campers are interested in and do not want to leave the camp ground to purchase.
We have real time sales data through the credit card processing company so we know when we need to go and restock.
So we are selling firewood for about $1200 a cord. In April (spring break month) we sold over $4,000 in firewood in four machines at three small state parks.
Let me know what you think....after 25 years in the Army I have pretty tough skin
