Folz Vending was the largest
bulk vending
Bulk vending is the sale of unsorted confections, nuts, gumballs, toys and novelties (in capsules) selected at random and dispensed generally through non-electrically operated vending machines. Bulk vending is a separate segment of the vending ...
company in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
History
20th century
The company was founded in New York by brothers Harold J. Folz and
Roger C. Folz in 1949. Roger Folz, a 1946 graduate of Woodmere High School in New York described himself as college dropout who became an “errand boy” at
Merrill Lynch before experimenting with vending machines to make money on the side. He obtained his first machine in August 1949 which dispensed pistachios in a bar in
Long Island, NY
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
. He soon expanded into gumballs and had his first big success placing the machines in
W. T. Grant
W. T. Grant or Grants was a United States-based chain of mass-merchandise stores founded by William Thomas Grant that operated from 1906 until 1976. The stores were generally of the variety store format located in downtowns.
History
In 1906 the ...
discount stores. That first national contract led to more machines with more diverse contents. Folz was the first major vendor to offer toys in addition to gumballs. New toy ideas were tested locally in Long Island, NY.
In the 1990s the machines vended toys branded with
Pokémon, the National Football League, the
Spice Girls, and
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
.
21st century
The company had machines installed in
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
,
Safeway Inc.
Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...
,
Toys "R" Us
Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...
, and
KMart
Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States.
The company was inc ...
stores. Each machine generated approximately $35 a month in quarters. The company operated 150,000 machines and had sales in excess of $55 million in 2002.
Roger Folz sold the company to American Coin Merchandising, Inc. in 2003. American Coin Merchandising was sold to
Coinstar
Coinstar, LLC (formerly Outerwall, Inc.) is an American company operating coin-cashing machines. On September 27, 2016, Apollo Global Management, LLC acquired Outerwall, Inc. for $52.00 per share in cash. After the acquisition, former components ...
in 2004 for $235 million. Coinstar closed Folz Vending in 2007.
Roger Folz died in New York at the age of 86 on April 29, 2014.
References
{{reflist
External links
Folz History
Retail companies established in 1949
Companies based in Nassau County, New York
Vending machines