Vending machines get sold as the dream passive income, but that's mostly marketing. They're *low-energy* income at best you're still sourcing snacks at Costco or Sam's, restocking on a route, tracking what sells, swapping out expired product, and collecting cash. None of that runs itself. If you want anything close to absentee, you need scale: enough machines to justify hiring a route driver, or a locator who keeps your placements healthy. Below that threshold, you're the employee. And the operational tail is real. Machines break — bill validators jam, coils misfire, coolers die. Locations go bad when foot traffic shifts or a host business closes. Bad placements get raided, tipped, or tagged. You're picking spots not just for sales but for safety and accountability, which means vetting hosts and sometimes pulling machines that aren't working out. It can absolutely be a good business. Just don't confuse "doesn't require a desk" with "doesn't require work." Passive it isn't until you've
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