Like other businesses, vending machine companies are reeling from rising wholesale and fuel prices. As a result, they're charging their customers at factories, hotels and office buildings more for candy, pop and snacks. Some vendors have raised prices as much as 15 cents per item;others say their price hikes are on the way.
“Vendors are faced with the same challenges as most Americans are, with the rising gas prices and food prices,” said Jackie Clark, a spokeswoman for the National Automatic Merchandising Association, an industry trade group. “They're being hit with a double whammy.”
That whammy comes amid an industry facing flat sales. With one of its core customer bases shrinking — the manufacturing work force — sales have been stagnant, hovering around $23.21 billion annually, the trade group said.
Budget-minded consumers are spending less, too, because of higher gas and food prices.
