Automatic Age

Issue: 1927 September

T
he
A
u t o m a t ic
A
IS
ge
^ ey habitually do business by unscrupulous methods. Naturally
Publication such as the Automatic Age is in position to be a
aring house for complaints of every kind. All we can do is to
Ure the trade that we do not knowingly run advertising for
Suable concerns. We have in quite a few instances refused to
ePt their advertising and have returned checks in payment for
in advance. We are doing our best to keep our pages clean.
,
A great deal could be written on this subject and we have
xiearrl
*

• *

tho -a ^rea^ many discussions along the line while mixing with
o se m the trade. We are glad to be able to report that condi-
our S a^0 *mPro™ £ - ^-s we 1°°^
through the few years of
existence, we can point out a number of cases of formerly
0ut^ b l e concerns who were operating and who have since gone
^ of business. The concerns who survive, do so on their merits.
as e.^rade eventually learns who are reliable and who are not, and
•q ^ rne goes on we will have a cleaner and more healthy industry.
baP .to this time the business has been done on a 95 per cent cash
sjs* We think business could be greatly stimulated if business
. d eventually be done on a 30 to 60 day credit basis, the same as
ther lines. We know right now of some operators who can get
anc* suPP^es 011 °Pen account and their credit is perfectly
ize
^ ^as ^een suggested that the trade is big enough to organ-
i 6 a board of trade or credit agency through which all credit infor-
lQn could be cleared and those operators who have established
k lePutation for prompt payment of their bills and square and
dealings could have the benefit of buying on open account
the ^ US *ncrease their working capital and buying power through
Use of ordinary term credit. The average business is con­
ed in such a way that merchants can buy goods on credit and
Ur u ^Urn ^ em over a"t a profit before he has to pay the bill. Nat­
’ Un^er such conditions he is in the market for more goods
e , business is stimulated as a result. Not many operators have
cr H kec* a line of credit, although we could name some whose
^ lt is perfectly good for anything they want with any of the
sta
ac^urers* The reason for that is that such operators have
the
smaM line of credit and have gradually earned
confidence of the manufacturer. That manufacturer tells his
Perience to another manufacturer; thus the operator has a line
ci edit open for other machines. Let us take a few instances for
^ Parison, What would the automobile industry be if it was all
lle on a cash basis? Automobile manufacturers and dealers
© International Arcade Museum
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
14
T he A
u t o m a t ic
A
ge
claim that there would not be 25 per cent of the cars sold. The
same obtains with the sale of pianos, radios and many other floui' ;
ishing lines. Of course, their situation is a little different; tha j
we admit. They are also protected through chattel mortgages* j
These cases are cited only to show the stimulus given an industry I
through the use of credit. If there is some way that we couj j
establish a rating agency whereby those deserving operators 111
good standing could establish a certain line of credit it would be a
big thing for the industry and at the same time the business coul |
be conducted as safely as every other line of business conducted
similar basis. Establishing of a credit agency would not only help j
the deserving operators but it would also bring to light the un' j
scrupulous ones who would soon be eliminated because everybody
in the industry would soon be wise to their methods. Through th®
same process, the manufacturing concerns could be equally aS
handily put on a higher plane.
To Have and To Hold:
The mere fact of the existence
peanut, weighing, perfume, chewing gum, razor blades, toile
articles, automatic. restaurants, and a host of other automata
vending machines, proves beyond a doubt that the public prefe1'
ence for clean, sanitary, efficient automatic service is firmly estab'
lished. Ours is a mechanical age and where service is rendered
more efficiently by an automatic mechanical device than by hunia11 i
hands, the public quickly gives their patronage and support. H o""
ever, they will not tolerate one-half the amount of inefficient se*1'
vice from a machine that they will take from individuals ard ai'e
quick to condemn. The vending machine is indeed a silent sale5'
man and must perform service and vend merchandise abo'?e
reproach. It has no opportunity to offer an alibi when a prepaid
order fails to reach destination and likewise cannot explain tfre
intricacies of climatic conditions, quality and price when the meJ"
chandise fails to meet approval. All vendors are brothers unde1
the skin and when one fails to perform efficiently or has be#1
neglected and not given a chance to show its worth, it casts reflet
tion on the rest of the clan and they all suffer.
Not unlike humans, vending machines have their faults a1^
are subject to occasional failures to deliver the goods. No matte1 (
how perfect and simple any machine may be, it must have attefl' j
tion, and unless it does get that attention and care, it will sure#
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http://www.arcade-museum.com/
j

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