Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Shrink cost this cycle
$12.75
Shrink units
15
Shrink as % of revenue
2.75%
Shrink as % of units loaded
5.00%
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How to use this
- 1Enter units loaded this cycle.
- 2Enter units sold (per machine vend count).
- 3Enter units remaining at next restock.
- 4Enter average cost per unit ($).
- 5Enter average sale price per unit ($).
- 6Read your shrink cost this cycle on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Shrink in vending is the gap between product you loaded and product you got paid for — lost to mechanical jams that dispense without payment, theft or vandalism, expired perishables pulled before sale, and simple counting errors during restocking. Operators who don't track shrink separately from cost of goods often can't tell whether a location's poor margin is a pricing problem or a shrink problem. This calculator takes units loaded, units sold, and the average per-unit cost and price to compute shrink units, shrink cost, and the dollar impact on your margin, so you can decide whether a location needs a different machine (bill/card only, no coin jams), a shorter restock interval for perishables, or isn't worth servicing at that shrink rate.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Units loaded this cycle: 300
- Units sold (per machine vend count): 265
- Units remaining at next restock: 20
- Average cost per unit: 0.85 $
- Average sale price per unit: 1.75 $
Results
- Shrink cost this cycle: $12.75
- Shrink units: 15
- Shrink as % of revenue: 2.75%
- Shrink as % of units loaded: 5.00%
What each field means
Inputs
- Units loaded this cycle
- The units loaded this cycle used in the calculation. Starts at 300 so you have a working example on load.
- Units sold (per machine vend count)
- The units sold (per machine vend count) used in the calculation. Starts at 265 so you have a working example on load.
- Units remaining at next restock
- The units remaining at next restock used in the calculation. Starts at 20 so you have a working example on load.
- Average cost per unit ($)
- The average cost per unit used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.85 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Average sale price per unit ($)
- The average sale price per unit used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1.75 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Shrink cost this cycle
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Shrink units
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Shrink as % of revenue
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Shrink as % of units loaded
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a normal shrink rate for vending?
1-3% of units loaded is typical and acceptable for a well-maintained machine in a low-crime location; anything above 5% warrants investigation into either mechanical jamming (a specific spiral or motor issue), a location with theft/vandalism problems, or an inventory-counting process error at restock.
How do cashless payment systems affect shrink?
Card and mobile-pay readers essentially eliminate coin-jam-related free dispenses and most forms of currency-based fraud, and many operators report a 1-2 percentage point shrink reduction after adding cashless readers, on top of the sales lift cashless typically provides.
How should I handle perishable shrink differently?
Track perishable shrink (spoiled sandwiches, expired dairy) as a separate category from mechanical/theft shrink, since the fix is different — shorter restock cycles or smaller batch sizes for perishables versus mechanical repair or relocation for theft-driven shrink.
What do I do with a location that has chronically high shrink?
First rule out a mechanical cause by testing the machine at another location. If shrink persists and is location-specific, either add camera coverage if the site allows it, switch to a bill/card-only unit, or exit the location if the shrink cost consistently erodes the margin below what the location contributes.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Vending Machine Shrink Loss Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vending-machine-shrink-loss
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vending-machine-shrink-loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vending Machine Shrink Loss Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Vending Machine Shrink Loss Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vending-machine-shrink-loss) (2026).