a high · olume dIS ount store, wouldn ' t a omparable
location In an enclo d mall , which would have a much
higher volume, ertainl support 30 ma hine . That ' s
what ga e me the co urage to t o u t m
id a ,
PLA Y M ET E R : How old w re ou wh n ou fir t did
thi ?
MILLMA : bou t 29 or 30 ,
PLAY M TER: What problem did yo u en ounter
elling this idea ?
MILLMA:
h n I w nt to the mall , th y all turned
me down , and I tried a lot of them . E er ingle on of
them .
PLAY M ETER : hat marked th turning pint ? What
did
u sa to thi mall wner that ou didn ' t sa to the
oth r ?
MILLMA
othing . Finall y, I rea hed on mall that
wa ha ing troubl I asing spa e and the were willing
to tak · the chanc , Th n I just went completel
overboard in what I did to fix it up and ever thing .
so n a I ign d m fir t leas , th oth r taned falling
into pla ce . nd I en d th comp tition coming, 0 I
grabbed e r I a e I ould .
PLAY METER : How man citi
do ou op rat In
now ?
MILLMAN: Oh , lose to 60 -70 diff r nt itie .
PLAY M ET E R: What was th rea tion to th first one
ou op n ed in
hi ago from the mall
wn r ?
MILLMA : Th
all 10 d it.
PLAY METE R: Even th on s that yo u went to in th
e
b ginning and aid, .. h , no . It '
razy ?"
MILLMA : Th
all 10 ed it , the rea on being
b cau
w ran a reall tight hip . We fix d it up
b autifull . W carpeted it. W
nforced no moking
and no f od insid , whi h
r bod
aid w
ouldn ' t
do , but w did it. nd th kids know th
can go in and
ha e a go d tim whil , knowing it ' s no · non en e or
th ' II be b arred from e
r oming in
gain ,
PLAY M E T E R : What 's th a erag iz of one of our
ar ade ?
MILLMA : Th
range in siz from 1,000 -7,000
quar f et.
PLA Y M ETER : H w do ou pa ,o n th -quar footage
basi ?
MILLMAN : It all d e p nd on what kind of d al we
make , either a quare footage ba
r a footag and
per ntage ba is ,
m time it ju t a p r ntag
ba i .
PLAY M ETE R: Would it b
afe to a that each
arran m nt ou ha
b tl r than a 50 -50 plit ?
MILLMA : W II. no ,
that
good malls but the picture isn ' t compl t i r o
PLAY M E T E R: What ca n ou do about tho e?
MILLM A : Well , ther
ur p ration
for th mo t pan i
ery
tore are
marginall profitable , W
an wh re w ' re
10 ing mon . The ani reaso n I' m bringing this out to
au is I w uldn't want ev r op rat r who read au t
think , " W e ll , we 're going to make a lot of mane if we
just ign this Ie e," In other word , au ha e to
x r i e a ut ion .
PLAY M ET E R: It 's a vcr
tou h y bu ine ss.
14
M ILLMA : au ne er know until au op n our
doors.
P LA Y M T E R : v h a t arc some of th e prime thing au
10 k for in sizing up a prospective mall?
M ILLMA:
e ll. if a u go into a larg c nter in a
major ci t y th a t has thre major d partm nt stores and
ge t a good 10 a tion -- in o th r words , on the m ain
mall -- 'ou ' re a lmos t assure d of a g ad bargain ,
as. uming , a
o ur , th a t the y don ' t c h a rge
au
ridi ulo u s rent.
f course , if a sma ll gu without a tra k r cord
approac h es a mall , he is like l to be quat d double the
rent we ' re paying and his
hance!> of makin g
mane\' a rc a lmo t imp sible . au know , th people
\\'h a'w n the m a ll will tr I to get ever dollar the can .
'" e do 1101 rolall' equipmenl from localion 10 localion. III
olher word, if a 1I('1t' game ('ome oul , we'll order, ay , -5 of
Ihrlll alld grllhl'lII a qui('k a WI' ('all ... WI' II ually relll Iht'm . If
Ilh illl. (/ g(//1/,. i rl'a/ly IrOllg and we mighl h ,l'p il 111'0 ear,
Ih/' Il 1'/1 bu y il . .. ..
P LA Y M T E R : Il ow mu c h hould a gu exp ct to pa
in th wa ' of rent on a quar footag ba
lOp -not h m a ll. In o ther w rd . how d e a gu
he ' s being ripped off or not ?
MILLM
e ll , the r nt s var b the cit , b the
size of the mall , b h w good it i . Th ere are a lot of
variables , But I'd sa th rent we pa rang
t-oquare foot a ll th e wa ' up to 12 a square foot.
earlier o nes we sig ned , the one we got everal yea r
ago , arc a lot le!os than the ones we h a e now b ca u e of
innation .
PLA Y M ET E R : Ilow do au handle the ervi ing of
'our machine ? b our att ndant a skill\d mechanic or
do yo u h ave t have an ut side me h a ni re p a ir a
machine if it breaks down ?
MILLM A : 0 , th e attendant isn ' t a mec h a ni . W do