Christmas Gift by Example

I recently gifted all five of my nieces and nephews a full sized Bubblegum Machine, filled with candy, ready to earn quarters right away.

Why? Simply to put that idea in their minds about the benefits of passive income. They're all of the age now where more than half have graduated college and are out there 'working' for a living. I wish someone had taught me this lesson earlier in life, as the (steadily increasing) returns are always a nice surprise!

They can leave it in their dorm room, on their desk, or in their common living room, and innocently collect all of their friends, roommates, and coworkers extra quarters for the rest of their life! I hope this gift inspires them to seek other alternative sources of income for themselves and their future family(s), and not simply trade working hours for a salary for a living. It's a simple lesson to learn that takes a lifetime to practice, and years to develop fully, and I hope to create that spark now!

A Bit O' Backstory...

I'd been scrounging Craigslist for vending opportunities, as I recall fondly the extra cash it generated for me with private placements of 12 oz can machines back around 2015. With the future looking so... bleak and orange, I'm hustling for new opportunities, and seeking to spread my wisdom to my dear relatives. To support my argument, the Wall Street Journal article published an article on March 9, 2024 titled 'Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines' which has a detailed exploration of this side hustle, and the linked 17 page 7.2mb PDF bypasses the WSJ paywall, albeit in a poorly formatted print due to the photo layouts.

The Nitty Gritty of Vending

Nonetheless, while trolling Craigslist, I came across a bunch of these A&A Global PM Elite All-Metal Gumball Machines (pictured left in red) with spare parts and extras and jumped at the opportunity. As always, I host backup scans out of spite of the original manufacturer who won't; Here's the Spec Sheet for the A&A Global PM Elite All-Metal Gumball Machine, a detailed Exploded View of the Coin Mechanism, and the Manual of maintenance tips for a similar product with the same coin mech. The keys aren't commonly available, but they're Chicago CG1 Key Blanks that can be bought online and cut locally using your original key. You can also replace the entire lock mechanism with a similar screw-type with the same diameter and tooth type.

Troubleshooting

Break It Down...

Like many of these machines, the key simply unlocks the top lock to freely spin, and unscrew it completely (left loose, right tight) from a threaded rod that runs from top to bottom. Once the lock is free, you can pull off the metal lid to access the candy chamber and refill as needed. If you want to access the money chamber, grabbing the sides of the globe, lift straight up and the globe and silver lid will come off with it - candy intact (no spills). The threaded rod will stay put. You can lift off the black vending assembly and leave the silver bottom, where all of your quarters will be awaiting.

...Put It Back Together

There is a front to each section (bottom, black middle, top/globe), so don't twist them 90° off when putting them back. Ensure the candy escape hole is lined up on the bottom, and when seating the dome back on the base, just jiggle the coin twist handle when re-seating it to ensure the gear lines up with the toothed dispenser part.

Trade Candy?

If you need to change out the toothed dispenser at the bottom of the globe assembly to switch candy types, there's two (very long) Phillips screws at the top of the globe underneath the locked lid that hold the globe down to the base. Unscrew them to disassemble the top (Dump any candy out first!) and you can change out the dispenser and spring covers with replacement ones. I have spares, so ask me first, guys!

Coin Mech won't rotate? Did you (or the shippers) possibly turn the entire machine upside down and allow the coin mechanism faceplate lock fall out of normal location and prevent the coin mechanism inside gear from spinning, even with a coin in it? Disassemble, and reset the lock mechanism - an L shaped bar that rotates on the back of the coin mechanism - it's up and unlocked and stopping the gear from turning. Pushing the coin mechanism flat against the case, Wiggle the L bar back down, so the coin mechanism is fully set in the frame, and the L slides in between a notch on the side, locking the coin mechanism from being pulled out of the front.

Thanks It Up

Thanks to Tom's Pet Outlet for selling old stuff with Craigslist (such cute puppies, here!), as well as my old friend Shrink PDF who fulfilled their namesake and shaved over 90% of the weight of those free PDF downloads! Their close friend (but not related) PDF Joiner helped concatenate my 12 page scans into a single document. Thanks guys!