Give Students a Business They Can Actually Run

Sep 24, 2026

Your students can read about product selection, supply and demand, and pricing strategy all semester, but nothing beats seeing those concepts play out in real life. The best business courses let students take action.

A Spirit Box School Store Vending Machine is more than a convenience. It's a live case study your students walk past every day.

"Choosing Products to Stock a Vending Machine" is a ready-to-teach, 60–90 minute lesson that walks students through the same decisions business owners make: what to sell, where to put it, and how to price it.

Download our free lesson plan to see the kind of hands-on thinking a school store vending program makes possible.

Questions?

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Discussion Questions

  • 1
    What factors should students consider when deciding which products to stock in a school vending machine?
  • 2
    How can sales data and customer demand help determine which products should be reordered, replaced or removed?
  • 3
    How can the product mix in a vending machine influence customer interest and overall sales?
  • 4
    If one product consistently sells out while another rarely sells, what changes would you recommend to the product assortment and why?

Classroom Connection

Career Cluster:

Marketing

Instructional Area(s):

Product/Service Management

Performance Indicators:

Explain the nature and scope of the product/service management function
Identify product opportunities
Describe the nature of product bundling
Explain the concept of product mix
Describe the role of customer voice in branding