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a lack of selfish interest that places this
Company with these other pioneers. And
that some of these pioneers have prospered
is only their just due, for in just the same
proportions has the industry, and everyone
in it, also prospered.
Small operators who wish to add to their
success should take advantage of this in
formation, and adapt to their own busi
nesses the principles which they feel can
be profitably applied. In this age of com
petition no one can afford to use obsolete
methods. There must be no question marks
in the business of today, and of tomorrow.
The novelty of yesterday must be ex
changed for sound merchandising plans.
To convenience must be added service.
Each operator must constantly study his
own business and see to it that it is quality
all the way through. The automatic mer
chandising industry must keep abreast of
the times, and it can do so only as the
individuals who make up the industry meet
the exacting requirements of present day
business.
The operator or manufacturer, whether
large or small, who does these things will
survive and prosper—while the others will
take their rightful places among the “ has-
beens,” and the industry as a whole will
be the better for it.
May we repeat, the success of the auto
matic merchandising industry must be built
on sound business principles—and the
greatest of these is quality.
The Shine-A-Matic
Sometime ago the Saturday Evening
Post carried quite a lengthy article under
the heading of “ FORTUNE IN PEN
NIES.” We would add “ AND NICKELS
TOO.”
Few people realize the vast amount of
money that is dropped into coin machines
each day! One chain of weighing machines
started by a salesman, who quit his job to
go into business for himself, resulted in
him retiring in a few years with a million
dollars. There are tons of pennies taken
out of the machines in the subway station
at Times Square, New York City, each
day. This represents thousands in cash.
Think what that would mean to you if
you owned these machines!
Now, let us consider another coin ma
© International Arcade Museum
A
ge
May, 1931
chine that supplies a necessity and actually
performs a real service and saves time and
money for the user and pays a big profit
to the owner.
SHINE-A-MATIC— THE AUTOMATIC
SHOE SHINING MACHINE. Did you
ever stop to consider the number of shoe
polishing stands that are in operation and
the thousands of people that use them
each day? Think of the profits taken in
each twenty-four hours.
The average
“ shine” costs 10c and in most instances a
tip of 5c.
Suppose you could step up to a machine
in any public place, put your foot on a
“ rest” and in a few seconds apply the
polish. Then drop a nickel in a slot and
have revolving brushes shine your shoes
in less than two minutes for 5c and no
tips or delay!
You will see these machines in all public
places in the near future and they will
be owned by people who want to own their
own business. These people will visit their
machines once a week and take out of the
coin boxes more money than they ever
earned in salary. No bosses! No fear of
being laid off on account of slack times or
because they are getting old! All they have
to do is to collect cash. No charge accounts
and no waste.
They will own the silent salesman that
asks no pay, does not want any food, steals
nothing, wants no time off, works twenty-
four hours a day, and always delivers
the cash when the owner wants it. This
is a lifetime job that no one can take away
from you. Age makes no difference.
Due to the thousands of these machines
we are going to place we cannot control
the vast organization that is necessary to
properly operate them. We need an army
of “ operators” who will have supervision of
collecting the coins from the machines. It
takes very little time for one person to
cover 10 or 20 machines in a given area,
but means a vast army when you consider
the entire United States and Canada.
Realizing this, it is necessary to take in
partners or operators and split the pi-ofits.
The machine pays for itself. You own
it. You collect the money and have a
steady income. In order to become an oper
ator you will have to show a clean record
and have a good credit rating and be a
responsible resident in your community be
cause we are going to help finance you.
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