Buying Vending Stock by the Case: Check the Individual Pack
A case price can look attractive until the individual packs arrive. The contents may differ in size, quantity or presentation from the product already tested in your vending machine. Compare the item the customer will receive, not just the outer carton.
Confirm what one case contains
Record the supplier code, product flavour, individual pack weight or volume, packs per case and case price. Ask the supplier to clarify any ambiguous description before placing the order.
A case containing twelve packs and a case containing twenty-four packs cannot be compared by the headline case price alone. Divide the case cost by the number of saleable individual units for a basic comparison, keeping delivery and other agreed costs visible.
Inspect the retail unit
Look at the actual individual wrapper, including ingredients, allergen information, date marking and storage instructions. Do not assume information on an outer multipack appears on each inner item.
Use the FSAI labelling guidance and supplier confirmation when checking suitability for individual sale. Do not remove products from a multipack and offer them separately without resolving the applicable information requirements.
Retest a changed pack
A familiar brand name does not guarantee the same dimensions or wrapper stiffness. Check the received product against the approved sample, particularly after packaging changes or a switch of wholesaler.
Ask the operator to follow the supplier’s product-fit test before filling several selections. Keep an example wrapper or a reference photograph in the stock record so the next order is matched to the correct version.
Record discrepancies at receipt
Count the delivered units, check the order reference and record damaged or unexpected packs before mixing them with existing stock. Keep batch information linked to the delivery and subsequent refill records.
A concise receiving sheet can show expected product, received product, quantity and action taken. Quarantine disputed stock through the business’s normal process until suitability is established. This avoids a small ordering misunderstanding becoming a machine-fit problem or an inaccurate customer description across several sites.
For help applying these checks to your site, contact our team. You can also read our product-fit testing guide.
When planning who will handle these tasks, review the responsibilities within a fully managed vending service.