Automatic Age

November, 1938
GOODBODY’S COLUMN
(Continued from page 44)
Now, some manufacturer has
a salesman going around to the
operators endeavoring to sell
each of them ten machines on a
time basis. They are to pay for
one machine when the ten ar­
rive and then pay for one ma­
chine per week. I don’t know
whether or not any of the oper­
ators are falling for this line of
bunk, but if they are, then just
two things will happen — the
manufacturer will go out of
business, and the operator will
not be able to pay for the ma­
chines. There are not ten spots
which call for the same machine.
In ten weeks’ time, the average
location wants a different table.
How is the operator going to be
able to pay for his machines if
he cannot run them long enough
for him to get his money out of
the tables. It’s going to be one
great big headache for all con­
cerned, and it will not work out.
The manufacturer may not
realize it, but you cannot do
without the local jobber. First of
all, the local jobber can take in
your old equipment and dispose
of it for you. Second, he carries
a full line of parts, springs, con­
tact points, clocks, and every­
thing you need in a hurry. If
you had to send to the manu­
facturer for these parts, it would
take a week at least before you
received them. Your machine
would be out of order all this
time. Now, you simply call your
local jobber. If he is an up-to-
date man, he will have the part
you need already waiting for
you without an hour’s delay. It’s
all right to have a salesman on
the road for good fellowship’s
sake; but when you have men
traveling for you in whom you
cannot believe, then it’s just too
bad for the manufacturer. He
may go on for a few years, but
the end will be sure to come.
To those old timers who can
think back a few years remem­
ber that some distributors had a
AUTOMATIC AGE
91
dozen branches. They advertised
from coast to coast. They appar­
ently did a great volume of busi­
ness. They cornered the market
for a few years; but where are
they today? Recently, I asked an
old timer, “What happened to
so-and-so?” He said, “Oh, he is
driving a bakery wagon.” An­
other is running a small grocery
store; and others are out of the
picture entirely.
© International Arcade Museum
Then there was the concern
which advertised from coast to
coast that it could sell you all
the machines you wanted on
credit. They too did a nice busi­
ness for some time; but where
are they today? Broke! Abso­
lutely broke! Still others are try­
ing to copy some of these meth­
ods. Believe it or not, the people
who try to give away free mer­
chandise can give away a lot.
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with
H A M IL T O N
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S C A L E
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Enlarged
View of
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