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An interview with Saul Kahon, General Manager,
Greater New York Vending Machine Operators'
Association, by Irving Sherman.
You can't tell it to Saul Kalson. He won't believe
"We will now turn our thoughts back to the coin
you. Saul is a very definite individual and his job as machine industry. What obtains here?
general manager of the Greater New York Vending
"In the coin machine trade we find the reverse of
Machine Operators' Association with headquarters what has transpired in automobile manufacturing.
in Brooklyn, New York, has made him pretty sore The coin machine manufacturer is now charging 400
about some things. Kalson doesn't like the way and 500 per cent more for machines than he did five
things are going for operators-all operators, he years agol And that is not all. Operators come to
assures you, regardless of whether they are mem- me and tell me that prices are going even higher,
bers of an organization or not. He is positive on this. and how in the world are these men going to con-
"Things have got to stop," opines our talker. "I
tinue in the business? Their very existence is being
think operators have been showing all the patience
threatened by a situation that is certainly anomalous
in the world, but there's an end to angelic disposi-
tions. Times come when we must go on the warpath and that to many of us who are in daily contact
with the operator, seems a deliberate passing of the
or else-"
buck] Furthermore, it is not the operator alone who
What is this "else" that Kalson has in mind?
is
suffering. There is a vicious circle in this, for as
The speaker is out to make no bones about it. You
see that he has been thoroughly primed and is now prices reach the sky, volume sales of machines fall
off, and where formerly we would have between five
ready to fire.
"Manufacturers of coin machines do not seem to and ten thousand of a good number sold, I, for one,
have learned the lesson of other industries," he have information from one of our largest distributors
begins. "The coin machine manufacturers could well in the East,. that the best machine on the market to-
take a leaf out of the automobile industry's book. As day has a total sale of only five huI¥ired units in all
a well-known figure has said, 'let us look at the the five boroughs of Greater New York]
record.'
"Think of itl Five hundred machines as compared
"We will suppose," continues Kalson, "that the with almost five thousandl Manufacturers are not
automobile manufacturers were to raise the price of hurting anybody else but themselves. Certainly
their machines fifteen and twenty per cent each year. factories can't keep going at the pace thus set.
In this supposition, can it be contended that the con- Something has got to be donel"
sumer would stand for the increase?" Kalson shook
What may this something be? Has our crusader
his head. "It couldn't be done. The consumers any ideas, any programs he may advocate?
wouldn't stand for it and the automobile manufac-
There is a definite movement afoot to get action.
turers know it. Yet coin machine
For news of this readers are re-
manufacturers seem to think dif-
ferred to pages where the joint
ferently . They seem to think that
meeting of New York's two Asso-
the traffic can bear the kitty.
ciations is recounted; yet Kalson,
Surely someone has to call their
in clarifying the operator's view
card sooner or laterl
was at pains to stress that any and
"Let us stick a little while longer
all moves to correct abuses and
to the automobile people. Fifteen
evils in the.Jrade cannot have for
to twenty years ago, the cheapest
their aim re:rnedy for a group only
car was sold ' for about one thou-
-any 9l9 u P'.
sand dollars. Did the manufactur-
"I wish.'; to make particularly
ers continue to think in terms of
clear," he asserted, "that if there
increased prices or did they con-
is anything that I or anybody else
tinue to think differently. Condi-
urges or recommends that suc-
tions and prices of automobiles to-
ceeds in 'helping the operator only
day ought to tell us at once in
at the expense of any group or
which direction automobile manu-
combines of groups, then what .is
facturers set their thoughts. All of
proposed is to be ignored and
us know that a car that sells for
does not cleserve the serious con-
seven hundred dollars today is not
sideration of anyone. Correction
only half the price of former years
must positively be for the benefit
but, more important, it pr~bably
, of. all in the trade, and because I
represents ten times as much
have this in mind, and I am sure
value. Now that's merchandising
most of the operators have too
for you. That's giving the consumer
dissatisfaction i!'l airprl.
'
,
a run for his moneyl
Association Manage,. Kahon
(Continued on page 15)
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II
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW