Spirit Box or Vending Machine? Elisa Shoemaker & Clinton High School
Spirit Box or Vending Machine?
Elisa Shoemaker & Clinton High School
By: Aria Spears
When Elisa Shoemaker, DECA Advisor and Business & Marketing Educator for Clinton High School, shopped for a solution to replace the brick-and-mortar school store, the options were good–but not great. She considered purchasing a vending machine from a big box store, until the day she stumbled upon Spirit Box in the DECA Direct: “It was an answer to our prayers.”
“It was an answer to our prayers.”
Spirit Box is an all-in-one educational vending business students can operate with the help of faculty. The program is designed to provide a hands-on learning experience in a real business environment, while negating the challenges educators face in operating a traditional school store: staffing, determining hours of operation, handling money, and finding a location. The machine is available 24/7, occupies little space, and requires no staffing or hand-to-hand financial transactions. With these elements in place, teams can focus more on other aspects of the business, such as customer service, product development and overall business strategy.
The Decision That Was a No Brainer
Shoemaker calls the decision a “no-brainer,” due to the turnkey qualities of the Spirit Box. It is so much more than a vending machine—it is a comprehensive program. When she realized the Spirit Box team offers remote and in-person technical support and training, CTE Aligned Curriculum that also covers 21st Century Skills, flexibility of vending products and both cash and cashless payment options, she knew it was the right choice for her school.
The minute the team installed the machine, Shoemaker said Spirit Box moved the program from a hobby business to a small business. In 2021-2022 school year, Clinton High School generated more than $11,000 in revenue while continuing to grow with 3 weeks left in the school year and is projecting to exceed over $12,000. In addition, Clinton High School received Gold SBE Certification from their Spirit Box and will be presenting at 2022 ICDC in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cashless Sales and Online Reporting
Shoemaker noted that telemetry, or real-time data from the vending machine sales, consistently energizes the students, as they develop their inventory and marketing tactics. A primary point of interest among students is the difference between cash and cashless sales, as the program operates in a cash-based school district. The team even created a “crude ATM”, offering cash with school clips for a convenience fee.
Shoemaker says Spirit Box elevates the students to a real-world platform kids really want to join, as every student who touches it falls in love with it and wants to get involved. This buzz around the school is especially important in their community, as the Spirit Box created a new way for students to help address needs within their school. Shoemaker said, “When there’s a need in our small community, I typically think, is there a way Spirit Box can help to fix it?”
On-going Support and Guidance
Unlike typical vending machines, Spirit Box offers schools ongoing, personalized support, and Shoemaker said it is the completeness of the entire program that has made their business successful. The Spirit Box support team is available not only for technical vending machine maintenance, but also for brainstorming sessions with students, guidance in business ideas and development, and even travel onsite to educate students about various business topics at the request of faculty.
The Spirit Box team learns about each school’s current opportunities and challenges as they work directly with faculty and students in developing their vending business. In addition, every school also receives access to the CTE-approved curriculum, which the team is always working to improve and expand. This access to your school’s very own guidance and support team, as well as a robust, evolving curriculum sets Spirit Box apart from the rest.
“It isn’t just a vending machine–it’s the complete package that makes it awesome.”
Many places offer your everyday vending machine, but when it comes to Spirit Box, Shoemaker says, “It isn’t just a vending machine–it’s the complete package that makes it awesome.”
Ready to get started or want to learn more? Contact us at info@spiritboxnation.com.