Selling Snacks at School

Do you live near school districts, and you want to earn extra cash by selling food on campus? Is there a demand for snacks among your peers?

If so, you may be sitting on a gold mine!

Selling snacks at school is an easy-to-set-up side gig that can give you a steady income.

An Overview of Selling Snacks at School: A Primer

Selling snacks in schools is a form of retail arbitrage. It involves buying in bulk and marking up the price for profit.

For parents, getting kids to sell snacks at school is a great way to teach them business skills. However, if you’re no longer a student, you can earn extra cash with a school vending machine gig.

Of course, you should figure out what items your classmates like. Try stocking up on energy drinks, chips, or candy bars. Hand-made snacks like chocolate chip cookies are great, and you can even build a brownie business.

Yet, because of federal meal programs and laws, it’s best to get selling permission from the school board. Don’t worry. Once you pass the hurdles, you can start earning daily!

How Much Can Selling Snacks at School Earn You?

How much you can earn by selling snacks in a school setting depends on how much product you can bring in.

Due to some bans in schools, you might only be able to bring a few bags of chips. The cost per unit and your school size also affect your profit. Even so, you can earn around $15 to $20 daily.

The US Sun says the best entrepreneurial students can earn $20,000 before they graduate through selling snacks. Plus, if you have a vending machine in a well-placed location in school, you can earn more.

According to the Legislative Auditor General in Utah, vending machines in schools in this state earn $3.25 to $3.75 million per year!

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Side Hustle Selling Snacks at School?

You don’t need much experience and capital to start a side hustle selling snacks at school. It’s possible to start with one box of candies for $20.

From here, you can slowly grow your business and offer more types of snacks. Save the profits to buy more stock.

The trick to reselling wholesale products in school is knowing the pricing! Once you know which snack or carbonated beverage sells well, decide on the budget you can afford.

For bigger businesses, it’s a must to submit business license requirements to school food authorities. This can cost $50 or more.

Where Can You Find Snacks to Sell at School?

For a high profit, you should look out for deals in wholesale stores. Here are a few places to find snacks to sell to fellow students.

Where to Independently Find Snacks for Reselling

The best wholesale stores for resellers are Costco, Target, and Walmart. You may also buy in bulk from dollar stores close to your area.

What’s great about these groceries is they also sell school supplies. Meaning, you can expand your line of products to non-food items as well.

If you don’t want to sell unhealthy snacks to kids, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Sprouts are better options.

For the best prices, make sure to compare the deals and promos from each place. This way, you can have a higher margin of profit!

Online Gig Economy Companies That Offer Snacks for Reselling

Aside from grocery stores, you may find more types of snacks online!

Amazon Fresh has a wide variety of candies and chips kids will love. It has same-day shipping, and you don’t have to go through the trouble of visiting a store.

Wholesale Central can connect you with food vendors selling bulk items. You can find unique products like freeze-dried ice cream and bison jerky.

Lastly, Alibaba is the best online store for international snack items. You may resell popular food from any country with this global supplier. For instance, ready-to-eat Korean and Chinese meals may sell well at a school lunch!

Why You Should Consider Selling Snacks at School As a Side Hustle

These are the advantages of selling food on campus.

• You Can Provide Healthier Alternatives: There’s great concern over nutrition in schools today. The good news is you can follow nutritional standards and give students access to healthy snacks!
• It’s an Easy Way to Earn Extra Money: You don’t need much capital to start retail arbitrage. All you need to do is buy cheap snacks from the grocery, and you’re set.
• It Develops Children’s Business Skills: Selling snacks is a low-risk way to teach kids the value of money. You can teach them how to do marketing from a young age by having them sell snacks to classmates.

Problems With Selling Snacks at School

Here are a few hurdles to selling snacks to children at school.

• There May Be A Ban on Snack Selling: There are bans on snack selling in some schools, and security guards may stop students from bringing snacks. Avoid starting an underground snack market.
• Food Safety Concerns: Those selling homemade products should make them in a sanitary environment. You don’t want to make your classmates sick!
• Items Can Get Bulky and Heavy: Snacks are bulky products, and you need a large bag to hold everything. If you’re planning on making beverage sales, get ready to carry a heavy bag all day.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the usual questions on selling food on campus.