BarnyardEngineering
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rochester, NY
How many $5 bundles of wood would you have to sell to break even on a vending machine?
Patrick Klise
Member
This is a bit off-topic but firewood related. My wife and I were at the local Home Depot last week buying some wreaths and bows
and that sort of thing. In the nursery area where they have this sort of thing was a big pile of firewood in red plastic mesh bags
They looked like they weighed about 5 lbs and the pieces appeared to be pine of some sort. They had a tag on them and I was
curious as to where they were from. Looked at the tag...are you ready.....they were from Estonia! Estonia? How in the world can
you cut wood bag it...and ship it to Minnesota.
and that sort of thing. In the nursery area where they have this sort of thing was a big pile of firewood in red plastic mesh bags
They looked like they weighed about 5 lbs and the pieces appeared to be pine of some sort. They had a tag on them and I was
curious as to where they were from. Looked at the tag...are you ready.....they were from Estonia! Estonia? How in the world can
you cut wood bag it...and ship it to Minnesota.
I live in Northern Indiana, a guy down the road always had small bundles of wood along the road, with an honor can for the money. Lives about 1/2 mile from a campground, must have done ok as he did it for several years, (by the way is a retired preacher). Another guy (on highway) 3/4 miles from State Park still doing it has a big stack "out back". He has a rack system and an old mailbox fot the money. Have seen some vegetable stands using honor system when not at home.
Years ago when I was young, a bunch of us single folks would go camping at local lake campground, they sold firewood " an arm full " for $$ we would load a buddy up, I mean UP, then would split the load walking back to tent. OH those carefree days of summer!
Years ago when I was young, a bunch of us single folks would go camping at local lake campground, they sold firewood " an arm full " for $$ we would load a buddy up, I mean UP, then would split the load walking back to tent. OH those carefree days of summer!
Ted in NE-OH
Well-known Member
You need a sign that says "This site has video surveillance " You don't need the cameras just the sign.
37chief
Well-known Member
- Location
- California
By selling five pieces of wood for $6.00 Stan
flying belgian
Well-known Member
I have a roadside stand down at end of drive. Sell eggs, straw and corn shocks. Honor system. I don't check it often but every time I have it has been right on or once and a while it will be a couple bucks ahead.
They must not have had right change and did not want to short me. People are basically good.
They must not have had right change and did not want to short me. People are basically good.
Our machines are cashless and take most forms of credit and debit cards, contactless, apple pay, android pay etc.
Return on investment is dependent on how many campsites are in a particular park, distance to other available wood sales and your cost of wood, bundling, transpo, etc. In a midsize State park in Texas we have about a 13-15 month 100% ROI.
And $5 bundles have been $5 bundles for a long time...by being on a Park the convenience factor allows for increased pricing just as what happens at the ball game where you pay $8 for a beer that you can pick up in a grocery store for $1.
We sell in 1 and 2 cu ft bags....but you can't fit that much into the bag...so we sell as "small bag" and "big bag"..... so we sell a cord for about $1200
Wheres Waldo
Member
Almost all Campers are good, honest people. Sure, there are a few rip off 'artists' out there, but those type of people seem to be in every business/profession. That's why Home Depot type businesses charge so much. (I prefer Menard's over Home Depot or Lowes and feel bad for those that don't have a choice)
If depends on the percentage of your actual loss and your profit margin. From your description, it sounds like your profit margin is between 50 to 90 percent, so even a 10 percent theft loss is not major expense. I would be more concerned about someone stealing the cash deposit box with a full day's revenue than if someone walks away ten sacks of wood that cost you $5 total.
What are your alternatives: vending machines; hire several attendants to supervise all sales; fence the area, limit your sales hours and lock the gate when you are closed? Your profit margin is so high that you could easily loose more revenue and profit by trying to eliminate all theft than you actually loose to theft.
What are your alternatives: vending machines; hire several attendants to supervise all sales; fence the area, limit your sales hours and lock the gate when you are closed? Your profit margin is so high that you could easily loose more revenue and profit by trying to eliminate all theft than you actually loose to theft.
47fivewindow
Well-known Member
- Location
- Davidsonville Md.
To my knowledge all the stands in southern Maryland give 13 as a dozen. It covers a wormy one.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Honor System in this day and time? You're kidding right?
amazes me with the Lions mints how many/rampant the theft is. its pretty obvious they are not free AND they are for a good cause. We've had to pull some stands its so bad.
I can see a little kid maybe taking one not knowing and mom and dad are oblivious.
one aamish that sells camp fire wood off a hay wagon out front has a super heave steel (homemade) money box bolted to the wagon. I presume he's had the $ box diaappear (probably aamish youth stealing it for drug $... no i'm NOT kidding)
I can see a little kid maybe taking one not knowing and mom and dad are oblivious.
one aamish that sells camp fire wood off a hay wagon out front has a super heave steel (homemade) money box bolted to the wagon. I presume he's had the $ box diaappear (probably aamish youth stealing it for drug $... no i'm NOT kidding)
Jegs
Member
- Location
- Wyanett Township, MN
X2
tomstractorsandtoys
Well-known Member
I have even heard of where they drop matches in a money box that they can not open. It is sad how a few people ruin things for everyone else. Tom
I sell straw and 25 # bags of shelled along with a couple of small racks of wood year round at my place. I have been doing it for
well over 25 years on the honor system. I get ripped for a buck or two usually when they don't have the right change, of course its
always in their favor as opposed to over paying. I only keep 4 or 5 bags of corn and about 10 bales of straw out there at a time so
I know exactly whats missing. If I do get ripped off its not the end of the world but it does tick you off. I'm usually around
allot during the day and don't have regular hours when I'm gone along with a 300 foot drive and nothing is hidden from trees or
landscaping. People have learned that I may pop up when they may think no ones home as I always make things out front look the same
whether I'm home or not. Always keep my garage doors closed and all vehicles inside so the regular people don't know if a vehicle
is gone indicating I'm not home. My barn and outbuildings are out back and they can't see them until they are up the drive in which
I may walk out of the barn to greet them. I think those things help allot in my case.
well over 25 years on the honor system. I get ripped for a buck or two usually when they don't have the right change, of course its
always in their favor as opposed to over paying. I only keep 4 or 5 bags of corn and about 10 bales of straw out there at a time so
I know exactly whats missing. If I do get ripped off its not the end of the world but it does tick you off. I'm usually around
allot during the day and don't have regular hours when I'm gone along with a 300 foot drive and nothing is hidden from trees or
landscaping. People have learned that I may pop up when they may think no ones home as I always make things out front look the same
whether I'm home or not. Always keep my garage doors closed and all vehicles inside so the regular people don't know if a vehicle
is gone indicating I'm not home. My barn and outbuildings are out back and they can't see them until they are up the drive in which
I may walk out of the barn to greet them. I think those things help allot in my case.
Bruce from Can.
Well-known Member
- Location
- Woodville, Ontario, Canada
When we visited Sandy Ridge farm in southern
Iowa last summer, they had a good way of dealing
with theft from their honour system retail outlet.
They sell frozen meat and cheese from a on farm
store, completely on the honour system. Every
customer has their picture taken by a surveillance
camera when they get merchandise. Now I don?t
recall how their system works exactly, date /time of
photo, and some sort of monitor on cash deposit
box. So if you get items and don?t pay, they post
your picture within their store for all the neighbors to
see. And simply say this person didn?t pay for the
product that they picked up, and we would like to
speak with them, if you know the person in the
photo, please notify them. No one wants to have
public shame brought on them by their neighbors.
They loose very little
Iowa last summer, they had a good way of dealing
with theft from their honour system retail outlet.
They sell frozen meat and cheese from a on farm
store, completely on the honour system. Every
customer has their picture taken by a surveillance
camera when they get merchandise. Now I don?t
recall how their system works exactly, date /time of
photo, and some sort of monitor on cash deposit
box. So if you get items and don?t pay, they post
your picture within their store for all the neighbors to
see. And simply say this person didn?t pay for the
product that they picked up, and we would like to
speak with them, if you know the person in the
photo, please notify them. No one wants to have
public shame brought on them by their neighbors.
They loose very little
rockyridgefarm
Well-known Member
TF,
What "day and age" was theft not a problem?
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Didn't used to be as bad people might not have been more honest but people in a community knew each other's business a lot more and weren't nearly as mobile.Didn't have Crack heads from
20 miles away cruising around looking for stuff to steal.
20 miles away cruising around looking for stuff to steal.
Goneranchin
Member
Not sure if there is a fool proof way to cure it but pretty sure it could be drastically curbed. I have 4 kids 3 girls 1 boy. 40 to 14. From the time they were
old enough to talk I have bombarded them with examples and words like Honor, Valor, Integrity honor your parents don?t let your moral compass run
askew. Be honest and upright in all you do. To date my three older ones are all good hard working adults. There isn?t a entitled bone in there body?s. We
have a couple of generations of people adults and children that think the other guy owes them something. Sad but true we all know people like that just
listen to them talk. I am certainly far from perfect just very blessed. I think if people would invest more in there kids Honor could be restored. Not that
that would cure all but what remains would probably be a lot more recognizable and a lot less likely to live long enough in a good honest neighborhood.
old enough to talk I have bombarded them with examples and words like Honor, Valor, Integrity honor your parents don?t let your moral compass run
askew. Be honest and upright in all you do. To date my three older ones are all good hard working adults. There isn?t a entitled bone in there body?s. We
have a couple of generations of people adults and children that think the other guy owes them something. Sad but true we all know people like that just
listen to them talk. I am certainly far from perfect just very blessed. I think if people would invest more in there kids Honor could be restored. Not that
that would cure all but what remains would probably be a lot more recognizable and a lot less likely to live long enough in a good honest neighborhood.
Dick L
Well-known Member
I sold pumpkins on the honor system for a few years knowing that everyone would not pay. I never counted the pumpkins on the trailer when I loaded it but was always satisfied with the proceeds at the end of the season. Kids would bust a few on the road each year. I always had plenty to disc down in the spring in any case. Always got over 100.00 per acre which was not bad for the time.
TF- Thieving been goin' on a long time. lol
"Man Trap Caught Chicken Thieves
A Virginia farmer was awarded a patent in 1932 for his Chicken Thief Man Trap. In his description, inventor John T. Helbert wrote: "A jaw trap which may be used to capture chicken thieves, being so constructed that the more the victim struggles the closer together the jaws move."
Today the antique trap's value is about $1,500, according to Tom Parr, president of the North America Trap Collectors Association, who has his personal collection of traps on display at the association's museum in Galloway, Ohio. The Chicken Thief Man Trap is one of about 4,000 traps - from mousetraps to bear traps.
The man trap is 17 by 15 in. and the jaws are offset by 2 in., and includes something animal traps don't need.
"A true man trap usually has a lock mechanism built into the jaws to prevent escape," Parr says. "Once something is in it, it locks. It needs a special key or device to unlock it."
The trap was usually set near a hen house and covered with dirt or straw. When someone stepped on the trigger assembly, the springs closed the offset jaws, designed not to overly injure a leg. A heavy chain that secured the trap to a fence post or stake held the thief until the landowner returned.
Apparently, however, Helbert's trap never really caught on. Only about a dozen were ever made.
Parr feels fortunate to have one of them; a friend purchased the trap for him at a Virginia antique store. Parr's museum has two other man traps. One that is 7 ft. long and 70 lbs., appears to be homemade out of old farm parts. Another is from Europe, where traps to catch men were made as early as 1770, when English aristocrats set them on their property to keep hungry peasants from stealing their wild game and fruit. Unlike traps for wild animals, the traps didn't close tight enough to break a leg, but those who were caught likely faced a worse punishment.
Parr invites anyone interested in seeing the Chicken Thief Man Trap and thousands of other traps to come to the museum. Call ahead to set up a time."
Poke Here
"Man Trap Caught Chicken Thieves
A Virginia farmer was awarded a patent in 1932 for his Chicken Thief Man Trap. In his description, inventor John T. Helbert wrote: "A jaw trap which may be used to capture chicken thieves, being so constructed that the more the victim struggles the closer together the jaws move."
Today the antique trap's value is about $1,500, according to Tom Parr, president of the North America Trap Collectors Association, who has his personal collection of traps on display at the association's museum in Galloway, Ohio. The Chicken Thief Man Trap is one of about 4,000 traps - from mousetraps to bear traps.
The man trap is 17 by 15 in. and the jaws are offset by 2 in., and includes something animal traps don't need.
"A true man trap usually has a lock mechanism built into the jaws to prevent escape," Parr says. "Once something is in it, it locks. It needs a special key or device to unlock it."
The trap was usually set near a hen house and covered with dirt or straw. When someone stepped on the trigger assembly, the springs closed the offset jaws, designed not to overly injure a leg. A heavy chain that secured the trap to a fence post or stake held the thief until the landowner returned.
Apparently, however, Helbert's trap never really caught on. Only about a dozen were ever made.
Parr feels fortunate to have one of them; a friend purchased the trap for him at a Virginia antique store. Parr's museum has two other man traps. One that is 7 ft. long and 70 lbs., appears to be homemade out of old farm parts. Another is from Europe, where traps to catch men were made as early as 1770, when English aristocrats set them on their property to keep hungry peasants from stealing their wild game and fruit. Unlike traps for wild animals, the traps didn't close tight enough to break a leg, but those who were caught likely faced a worse punishment.
Parr invites anyone interested in seeing the Chicken Thief Man Trap and thousands of other traps to come to the museum. Call ahead to set up a time."
Poke Here
flying belgian
Well-known Member
About the time I say this I suppose they will steal the whole stand but I sell eggs and straw in a stand at end of drive. Been doing this for 15 years. It is only about 80 ft. from
my house. Dog barks when someone pulls in and like someone else said, I may come out of house to greet them or not. Sometimes I may step out of shop when they pull in, most times I
will not. You just never know. I have had no problem so far. I don't always check but the times I do it is always right on. Have seen times when someone leaves an iou. signs
name. Few days later there will be to much money in box so they must have stopped back. I may be looking through rose colored glasses but people are basically good.
my house. Dog barks when someone pulls in and like someone else said, I may come out of house to greet them or not. Sometimes I may step out of shop when they pull in, most times I
will not. You just never know. I have had no problem so far. I don't always check but the times I do it is always right on. Have seen times when someone leaves an iou. signs
name. Few days later there will be to much money in box so they must have stopped back. I may be looking through rose colored glasses but people are basically good.
Rollie NE PA
Well-known Member
It works for me. In the last 30 years I have only been ripped or short changed 1 time. During the summer I sell veggies and in the fall corn stalks and pumpkins. During the late fall and winter I sell 50lb bags of shelled corn and 10lb bags of ear corn.
Steve@Advance
Well-known Member
About all you can do is stop the honor system and man the stand.
Or discontinue the service.
Or do what the retailers do, raise the prices to cover the losses.
Or discontinue the service.
Or do what the retailers do, raise the prices to cover the losses.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Things like that and it used to be OK to shoot thieves caught stealing kept a lot of folks 'honest'.
Andy Martin
Well-known Member
I think the color of your glasses has a lot to do with how your life goes. If you get bent out over every slight you're always angry.
Those who claim everyone is dishonest are including themselves by default.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
True,but I don't care what is in their 'Hearts' as long as they are afraid of the consequences enough not to do the deed.That's the way laws and punishments for all crimes
work right?
work right?
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
A farmer friend of mine grows a lot of corn he sacks the corn up has it on a wagon and people could come in and get the corn and drop the money in a box.His number of bags going out was never what he was getting paid and these were people that were his 'friends' and he knew real well to be there getting corn in the first place.He set up a video camera had a paper to fill out with how many bags customers picked up to put in with the money.That solved the problem as he could see plainly on the tape who got what.The thieves weren't honest they were made to
be 'honest'.
be 'honest'.
Just like losses to weeds, wildlife, disease, accidents, weather and spoilage, some losses to pilfering, vandalism by kids, etc. will occasionally happen camera or no camera. That's just a fact of life in any business. Steps can be taken to reduce them, and but they can never be completely eliminated without spending far more than the actual losses.
Married2Allis
Well-known Member
I used to live next to a guy who got tired of people stealing his firewood. Theft stopped immediately after he 'fixed up' a few pieces with black powder filled into holes he had drilled then capped with wooden pegs. lol
Andy Martin
Well-known Member
Yeah I had tractor gas missing out of 5 gallon cans. Regularly. Even though it was locked up.
So one morning at 5:00 as I was leaving for work I put three gallons of water in an almost empty can.
Theft stopped. Twenty years later we were talking about making other people mad and my stepdaughter mentioned one day that I had really made her mad. She was paying a guy to come pick her up for school with my gas and he was really mad his car stopped and they had to call a tow truck.
Hs ha ha ha ha
So one morning at 5:00 as I was leaving for work I put three gallons of water in an almost empty can.
Theft stopped. Twenty years later we were talking about making other people mad and my stepdaughter mentioned one day that I had really made her mad. She was paying a guy to come pick her up for school with my gas and he was really mad his car stopped and they had to call a tow truck.
Hs ha ha ha ha
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