q. ARCADE MAINTENANCE IN WARTIME
Free Hayrides from end of ,car lines, usa
donated Phonographs witH free service:
and an unprecedented servir;e department
speIIs mon~y lor this enterprising operator
of Seven Arcades.
by Tames Prosser
take a demDn statistician tD list
I T the WDuld
number .of prDblems which faces the
Arcade DperatDr WhD has made up his mind
tD cDnduct his business at a reasDnable
prDfit and at the same time help with the
war effDrt tD the fullest extent. That it is
entirely pDssible tD sDlve these prDblems in
the face .of shDrtages, restrictiDns and the
necessity .of changing methDds .of .operating
an Arcade has been cDnclusively shDwn by
Carl Trippe, president .of the Ideal NDvelty
CD., .of St. LDuis, and DperatDr .of seven
Arcades in the area.
drives, Civilian Defense wDrk, and many
.other wartime activities. It has meant an
intelligent approach tD the problems pDsed
by variDUS shDrtages whether it be man-
pDwer, equipment Dr vital materials. It has
meant the "burying .of the hatchet" in re-
gards tD petty rivalries and has resulted in
a mDre cDDperative attitude all arDund.
Departmentalized Units
Typical .of Ideal's Arcades is the .one in
Chain .of RDcks Park. It is in DperatiDn
frDm May until OctDber each year. The
equipment is departmentalized and has been '
arrived at after careful study and much
calculati.on as t.o its effectiveness. The
Athletic Department has fDur main types
.of equipment; which c.onsists .of Grippers,
Punching Bags, Weight Lifters and
Strength Testers. These are .one centers.
T he .one cent pinball department is never
allDwed t.o dr.op belDw fifteen machines.
In this department alsD are as many new Dr
recently rebuilt pintables as are available.
These are nickel .operated. There is a FDr-
tune Telling department made up .of LDve
Meters, HDroscDpes, and the like. There are
.one cent machines but there are alsD in this
department .o ther card vendDrs that are
equipped fDr tWD cent play. The Ray Gun
department cDnsists .of sixteen units that are
regulated fDr .one cent play and six units
that are fixed fDr five cent play. One ten
cent play PanDram is prDminently displayed
and CDmes in f.or heavy play. One phDnD-
graph is equipped f.or .one cent play and
this has a switch that can be regulated f.or
free play' by the flD.orman. There are alsD
numerDUS games such as HDckey, Baseball,
SDccer and Baskeball, that are fixed fDr
.one cent and tw.o cent play.
Coin Needed is Importan t
"A m.ost impDrtan t thing t.o c.onsider when
placing a particular piece .of equipment in
the arcade is whether it shDuld be regula-
ted f.or .one cent, tWD cent, Dr five cent
play," says Carl Trippe. "I have f.ound
that unless th e equi pment is recDnditiDned
at regular times ' the .ordinary five cent
units will have tD be cut tD .one cent. That
is why .our service and repair department
has been built up tD the size that it is," he
added.
Mechanic Shortage Problem
A big prDblem is the shDrtage .of me-
chanics but here is hDw Trippe is meeting
it. He has what he calls a rDving crew .of
mechanics WhD dD nDt stay at any .one
certain SPDt lDnger than is necessary. F.or-
merly the mechanic acted as cDllectDr, mes-
senger, and a s.ort .of an all around man but
this has been stDpped. The mechanic dDes
nDthing else but service equipment at .one
Arcade and then mDves .on tD anDther.
ABOVE: Inv it ing front of the Ideal Penny
A rcade at Chain of Rocks Park. St. Louis,
Mo. N eon lights illuminate the front and the
sign atop the building. RIGHT: Inte rior of
the same Arcade. Windows are wisel y used
t o convey feeling of being outsid e wh ile pa-
tron is insid e t he A rcade.
S.olving these prDblems meant dDing
things that were unthDught Df 'during peace-
times. It entails the use .of hayrides fr.om
the end .of the streetcar line tD .one .of
Ideal's Arcades; it has resulted in Ideal
placing an autDmatic phDnDgraph in each
.of the U.S.O. Centers in the area gratis with
servicing taken care .of by Ideal with nD
charge; it has meant the establishment .of
a service and repair shDp at the cDmpany's
main .office which is five times bigger than
it was during peacetime; it has meant
l.ong hDurs and the expenditure .of much
eff.ort in helping with bDnd drives, scrap
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
7
fOR
MARCH
J943