T h e A u t o m a t ic A ge
d o ^ 10118 Persons to break the win-
in an effort to reach the con-
ts of the machine. A separate dis
its ^ CaSe s^ows the Pr°duct out of
. wrappings in its most attractive
t nT>> and the single item on display
. Pts no one to damage the machine
an attempt to steal it.
service systems require an
e entic record of the sales made by
be ^fchine. Thus, a counter should
available as an accessory which
j,
easily slipped into place when
tachIre^'
counter should he at_
be +
such a way that it cannot
6v tampered with, but will record
are*^ S&^e inf aUihly. These counters
are 5e(lUently used in machines which
tio
by the owner of the loca-
ao**1-'
c°unter is then a check
sal lnS^ t^le merchandise delivered for
es 6 ^ rou£h the machine and disclos-
any attempt to sell other merchan-
al-.6 ^rough the same machine. It
indicates the amount of money
lcW is taken in by the machine.
feE^ 0vekeepers and other retailers al-
aut y established in business, have in
W ^ t i c retailing a striking oppor-
°ut1 ^ By placing machines through-
pai, ? r neighborhoods they can ex-
abl
business along very profit-
theG ^nf s< But, over and above that,
forrl
n£ themselves a remarkaable
publicity which can be ob-
chi
-*n no other way. Each ma
e is not only a distinctive and
Ch ra^ive advertisement for the mer-
his
^ut ^ a*so se^s samPles o;f
lie Wmres
a keenly interested pub-
eat'
se profit-making, (not profie-
**>, advertisements are in the
b0 S, Popular places around the neigh-
the 0od* giving unique publicity to
Merchant’s business, and suggest-
Cc? a visit to the main store for a
Ucts
selection of desirable prod-
re+ ^ Cause ° f its flexibility, automatic
la^3
*s
interest alike to the
bei^e or small merchant. Other things
£ equal, the larger the enterprise
© International Arcade Museum
75
the greater will be the profits; but the
return on the investment from even
a modest business of thirty or forty
machines can be surprisingly attract
ive. For this reason the business can
be started in a small way, managed
during spare time, and developed as
opportunity permits. A man of af
fairs with a small amount of idle cap
ital may set up his own merchandis
ing business “ on the side,” put the
active management in the hands of a
friend, a son, someone he wants to
help out, or even someone hired dur
ing his spare time, and realize an
unusual return on his money. It may
be pointed out that automatic retail
ing is well suited to women or boys,
particularly when the business is spe
cialized as, for instance, in schools
and similar markets.
A versatile machine offers the auto
matic retailer tremendous advantages
over his oid-fashioned competitor. He
may vary his product to suit the sea
son, the location, the public whim;
he may offer merchandise heretofore
impractical in a machine; he may fit
the packing to the product as well
as to his pocketbook; and, finally, he
may specialize in his business—a long
step toward more certain and greater
success.
Selling Mchines at Less
Than Manufacturing
Costs
The Keyless Lock Company, India
napolis, Ind., advise they are closing
out a number of machines at prices
representing less than half of the
manufacturing costs. These are first-
class in construction and operation
but inasmuch as they are going out of
business they will sell the machines
for $10.00 or less, according to the
number bought. They have approxi
mately 500 on hand and would sell
them for $7.50 each, f.o.b. factory,
cash with order. These machines ac
tually cost them over $22.00 apiece
so they advise.
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