Coinman
(Continued from page 15)
common probl ms facing veryone in the industr
PLA Y METER: What are some of the problems fa ing
the operators around the country ?
COLLIN : Regarding u h thing a commission,
h aring the profits-- commis ion rate are changing for
the b tter. The more ucce ful operators are changing
conditions . That has nothing to do with how large or
ma ll the operator is , but how ucces ful he i with
what he ha .
PLAY METER: How lare the going about making the
changes in th commis ion ?
COLLIN : The are giving th location owner more
sen ice. Th ya re charging for orne servic s that other
op rator ar giving awa , like rotating quipment
mor oft nand u ing n wer and mor sophisticated
equipment from whi h th y can get a higher
com mi ion . orne operator are gelling more money
from juk boxe simpl b ca u
the y are having to put
the r co rd on them and change them onstantly . Some
are getting front mone . I was urpri ed to find that in
some stat
orne of the operator are getting up to 60
p r ce nt. In om
tates , th front mone range from
10 per mac hine to as mu h a 20 to 25 .
Thi is uch a p ople bu iness that we ometim s
10 eight of the reali t of thi bu ine
when we
u cu mb to the conomi c of the op ration . In this
bu iness , not only are the ma chines expen ive . but
good me chani c and good te hni cian ar expen i e
and if yo u don ' t have good te hnician , you will not be
able to go to the loca tion and do an e ffi ient job . orne
way . ou have to be sure ou ca n pay top wag s so that
yo u ca n assure th e location own r of efficient servic .
You pa more , ou get more .
B for I
som time 20 per ma chin depo it in front to cover the
licen ing which i up to
75 p r rna hine . We
sometime have the location owner pay half of the
li ce nse fee .
PLA Y METER: What ca n the operator do about
in cre a ed co t oth r tha n just pas them on to th
loca tion owner?
COLLI S: By changing the commis ion . That is about
the only way it ca n b done . He has to pass those costs
on or absorb them from hi own profit.
a m an of
e limin a ting co ts . we went to som of our op rator we
tru ted and ju t gave th em keys to th e ca h box.
PLA Y METER: That i trusting .
COLLINS: We alway like to have a ontract with the
loca tion 0 that when we go a week without collecting
the mone . we tak th ke ba ck and he won' t be
throwing u in the street.
PLAY METE R: Do ou ha a meter on this cas h box so
th a t yo u an tell how much has orne in ?
COLLIN: Of cour e , ev rything is co mpl tel co in -
co ntroll ed . The phonographs and game both ha e an
e l tro -mec hanica l meter . We m rel y place it in the
coin circ uit and it count th e number of coins . It i a
imple ma tter of multipli ation .
PLAY M ETER : What about tabl socc r and pool ?
COLLI
: W e put ix vo lt me ters on them . But mo t of
our pool tabl
are lectri drop . whi ch aIr ad com
with th meter . They have be n around ince long
before I went into the bu ine s .
PLAY METER: You would be surprised at the number
of people who operate rna hine who are not conc rned
with th e co unting of the coins . Of cour e . a lot of them
co ll ect th e ir own money , but man y don ' t,
(Continued on page 66)
. ,.-
"We should change nur own attitudes and try to change our
cu tomers' attitudes about the old standards oj doing business
and get into the new way. We have to u e innovation,s. new
ideas and new types oj equipment . ..
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