"New JEquipment Priced Too High"
Chorus Operators In Natjonal Poll
~ovie
(Th~ facts and information pruented herewith are th~ ruult of a sur'Yry conducted by THE
REVIEW and do not ref/ect the editorial opinion of this publication. The Industry, in general, is
cognizant of th~ 1 problem~ confronting manufacturers and the .premium they are paying, in many
casu, . for needed parts to complete a particular production ' run. In presenting this information
it is our intention to merely set forth a cross s~ction of opinion which may be beneficial in
planning lor th~ future. ).
Operator after operator has expressed
the view that new equipment costs too
much. In order to determine what per·
centage of the nation's coinmen subscribe
to this belief, and to arrive at a set of
figures which buyers regard as reasonable,
THE REvIEW mailed a questionnaire to
operators of all types of machines in all
sections of the country. Weeks of careful
check and compilation resulted ill tbe
trade survey report which follows.
The reply to the question-"Do you
believe present prices on equipment are
too high?"-was overwhelmillgly in the
affirmative. Only 12 said "No." These oper-
ators are in Madison, Wise.; Harrisburg,
Pa.; Mt. Carmel, Pa.; Chickasha, Okla. ;
Kansas City, Mo.; Dallas, Tex.; Louisville,
Ky.; West Warwick, R. I.; Wenatchee,
Wash.; Stillwater, ~inn.; Meadville, Pa.;
Shoals, Ind. (operates over 800 phonos).
The "Yes" men answered in all degrees
of emphasis. Two made theirs "Hell, yes!"
There was a sprinkling of "positivelys,"
"absolutelys," and "definitelys." One wrote,
"Sore, plenty high;" others, "very much
so," and still others, "way too high."
Gravitating to the other end of the quiz
line, we find a scattering of "slightlys,"
"somewhats," and "8 little." A vender
answered, "I don't know," and then added,
"I think an eight-column cigarette machine
should sell for 150.00."
A Midwestern operator, after noting,
"Yes," said he thought prices should
average a bit higher than from 1935-40 but
not as high as current figures.
The coinman in Louisville who answered,
"No," placed question marks after
"cigarette vendors" and "candy vendors,"
intimating that perhaps those products
should be priced lower.
One questionee, though answering in the
negative, indicated that cigarette vendors
should sell for $125 and candy vendors
for 190.
Another "No" advocated prices of $200
and 115 respectively for marble games and
nut vendors.
Following are average prices for each
kind of equipment; also the high and low
figures submitted:
Phonographs--I515
.
(High, $750; low, $350.)
Phonograph records-32 cents
(75 cen ts, .20)
GIFTS-CANDY
IMMEDIATE DELIVERIE8-25"/o Deposit
~e~~~I~: Np~n~.' 'Wri~!U~f :et!::: .• tig~z .. :::::·::::·$2N~
18 Inch Plush Bear. (High (luallty) ...•............... 2.49
13 Inch Cuddle Dolls .......................................•....... 1.20
Combination Cigarette Cas. & Lighter ................ 1.75
:tt 85
15 I-lb .• I 2-lb. FancY Fruit Cake.
1/2-lb. 57"/0 Fruit & Nuts-Cello
Wrapped & I Mirror Vanity & 1-lb •............ $12.35
:tt 80 Mirror Vanity & 1·lb. Choc .................... 2.35
:tt 9 Maple Chest, Mir. In Lid & I-lb. Choc. 2.49
:tt 10 Cedar Chest, Mlr. In Lid & I-lb. Choc. 2.59
:tt 86 15 I-lb. Fancy Fruit Cake. . ................... $ 9.00
:tt 87 45 I-Ih. Fancy Fruit Cakes ...................... 25.65
:tt 84 Mirror Vanity & 1·lb. Fruit Cake ........ 2.19
# 83 Maple Chest, Mir. Lid & 1.lb. F. Cake 2.34
:tt 82 Cedar Chest, Mlr. Lid & I-lb. F. Cake 2.44
Leather Good., etc. Write for Catalog.
Pin games-$182.50
($500, $75)
Consoles-$338
($600, $175)
510ts-$170
($300, $75)
machines--$450
($650, $300)
Bowling-type games-$200
($300, $125)
Scales-I78
($125, $50)
Cigarette vendors-$I09
($1!;5, $50)
Candy machines-$8S.50
($150, $40)
Nut vendors-$ll
($19, $5)
"Our prices on equipment may appear
low," says a Texas phono man, "but based
on present earning power, they are high.
Our present average on phonograph 'col-
lections is tell dollars weekly. During the
pre-war days, when a new machine cost
$275-395, our average was roughly six to
seven dollars a week. The new equipment
has not shown sufficient increase in play
!:~!f C~~Ao~~~GTI~:f
__
COIN MACHINES
FAST AND THOROUGHLY
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
13
FOR
DECEMBER
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.
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DELUXE SALES 00.
GRAY-MILLS CORPORATION
BLUE EARTH, MINN .
1966 Rldce Avenue. Evanston, Illinois
Gray· Mills Corporation, Evanston, IUlnals
Please send catalog on Agitor Parts
Cleaning Systems.
Name' ____________________ ___
Positiop'--__________________ _
COmpany __________________ _
Adme •• ' ____________________ _
_____________________
City
Staute'--____ _ J