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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

History

20th century

The company was founded in New York by brothers Harold J. Folz and

Roger C. Folz Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

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 Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment banki ...

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 t ...

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 (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

, the National Football League, the

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, 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, de ...

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 loca ...

, 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 inco ...

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

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External links

Folz History
Retail companies established in 1949 Companies based in Nassau County, New York Vending machines