Classic Mode

Automatic Age

Issue: 1926 May

1 0
T h e A u t o m a t ic A ge
souri and Illinois by selling the ma­
chine direct to purchasers and not
disposing o f any sto^k, Purchasers
were promised a profit o f 2 cents on
each sandwich or cut o f pie sold.
Many small storekeepers in St. Louis
invested in them and now have the
apparatus on hand.
Investigators fo r the Better Busi­
ness Bureau learned that, while the
sales company was selling large num­
bers o f the machines and making
handsome profits, the service company
was operated very inefficiently and
on a heavily losing basis, as the gross
cost o f supplies w as much in excess
o f the selling price.
Despite the fact that the service
com pany was losing
money daily,
“ high pow ered" salesmen, who had
secured positions with the sales com­
pany as branch managers, continued
their selling campaign with alleged
representations that the machines
were working on a paying basis and
showing prospective purchasers false
photostatic copies o f large checks
said to have been sent to other own­
ers as m onthly earnings o f the ma­
chines in some localities.
Misrepresentation Charged
Purchasers were told the machines
would make at least fifteen sales a
day with a yearly income o f not less
than $90, but very fe w o f the appar­
atus were this successful, and, be­
sides, not receiving any earning, al­
m ost 250 purchasers did not even re­
ceive their machines, it has been esti­
mated.
The home office o f the companies
were at Los Angeles, Calif. A fter
selling all o f the machines they couid
in St. Louis, some o f the defendants
are alleged to have opened an inten­
sive selling campaign in Detroit,
Only a few hundred machines were
sold there, reports say.
Only twenty-seven per cent o f the
11,786 regular army officers are
graduates o f W est Point,
© International Arcade Museum
Nuts Are Profitable
A good side line fo r operators is
the salted nut business which are
sold from revolving stands placed on
show cases. The operator can service
them while on his regular route.
The M orrow M fg. Co., who sells
them, as advertised in this issue says:
Through a series o f tests, we
found this type o f counter-rack to be
the best sales producer, but we soon
learned that their cost was prohibi­
tive. The average similar counter
rack o f this type costs anywhere be­
tween $1,00 and $1.25 each. This
would mean an investment o f from
$100 to $125 fo r 100 ordinary counter
racks. This makes them too costly
to place out promiscuously on deal­
ers’ counters.
The development o f the “ Lightnin’
Salesman” is typical o f the kind o f
service we are rendering those who
want to go into the wholesale and re ­
tail nut business.
Instead o f giving up the idea o f
using this type o f display rack when
we learned o f their prohibitive cost,
we immediately began experimenting
in reducing their manufacturing cost.
W here metal wasn’t essential we sub­
stituted equally strong material that
cost less.
The result is an attractive revolv­
ing counter display rack which we
furnish only to owners o f "N u t De­
light Toasters” at 33% cents each in
lots o f one hundred. This is but %
to lA o f the cost o f similar racks.
A New Sin
A church member in a Chicago
suburb has been haled before the
church council and a charge pre­
ferred against him because he had a
mint vendor in his store.
Indians upon reservations do not
have to pay income taxes although
some o f them have good incomes from
business ventures.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
T h e A u t o m a t i c A ge
Approves Our
Stand Against Stock
Promoters
"W e heartily command your stand
against the stock or lease promoters
in the vending line. A n y party who
has criticized your action is welcome
to read this letter, just a few lines,
telling our experience. A party, rep­
resenting himself as head o f a M IL ­
LION Dollar Concern (? ) from out
o f town, came in to see us about a
year ago and after spending thres
days in one o f the finest hotels in this
city and talking- to us in our office
during the business hours, he gave
Us an order fo r a very large quantity
p IE & C AK E M A C H IN ES.
This was about the time, when the
City o f Philadelphia had started to
build the new bridge across the Dela­
ware river and the proposed site has
taken in our two buildings, the office
building a t 204 No. 5th and the fa c­
tory building at 210 No. 5th street.
The m oney fo r the property was tieti
UP with the Bridge Commission and
We could not find a suitable building
t° hold both, office and factory, so
the workshop was moved over to
Camden, where one o f the stockhold­
ers owns some property. W e were
upset on account o f the moving
^nd the office was moved to the build-
where we are now located, at 715
^reen street. This party used high
Power arguments and it seemed that
® wanted the machines 24 hours
®*ter he gave us the order. Our fac-
ory superintendent was all upset,
*'G gas engine did not work, electric
Power we did not have as yet in the
sjWall fa ctory and the belts and ma­
chinery were not connected yet. Still,
man, M U ST have at least a
^ n p le machine. In about three
® ks a sample machine was made
When we shipped it to him, he
ound such faults that were really
iculous; to mention. A t any rate
im p lie d with his request and
© International Arcade Museum
11
have made another sample and by the
time we have spent more time and
money and neglected our own work,
w e found, that the firm is out o f
business. N ow we lost about §1,­
500.00 in real cash besides the hurry
and worry, and when we start to think
how that party talked M IL L IO N S o f
Machines, we come to the conclusion
that we want the small operator to
deal with every time, instead o f these
big Telephone Number Customers.
I f we can find a manufacturer who
has made anything out o f these pro­
moters we would like to hear from
them. W e also see your write-up
about an orange machine. Such a
machine has been invented by a party
in Appleton, N. Y., who has written
to us fo r prices and delivery, etc.,
and no doubt, when the machine will
be ready fo r the market your valuable
magazine will carry the ads. This
Appleton party originally invented
the machine fo r apples, but as we
all know the same machine will sell
oranges as well. Such a machine will
do good not only in stores but also in
factories, certain corner locations,
parks, bath-houses, etc., etc.
In conclusion we wish to say tha*
the sooner all the questionable vend­
ing machines promoters will be
chased out the better it will be fo r
the hundreds or thousands o f vending
machine operators all over the coun­
try, fo r every time a law suit or a
court decision is handed down in ret-
erence to stock promoters it throws
a dark light on all the vending ma­
chines, fo r the average person, the
average stockholder, or rather stock
buyer, does not know the difference
between a pie or a peanut vendng ma­
chine, fo r the newspapers do not go
into detail— they ju st say vending
machines— and sometimes— ju st slot
machines.
W ishing you continued success, etc.
The Silent Sales Vending Co.,
H A R R Y G. R E U S T E L , Pres.
715 Green St.,
Philadelphia, Pa.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/

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