In the few short years since Play Meter has been published , the arcade
segment of this industry has come a long way . For one thing , the success
of the arcade business has shown exactly how much money an operator
can make with his amusement machines .
And with inflation, taxes , and all those other nightmares - mi'lny
arcade operators are amazed at how street operators can survive while
giving away half (and sometimes even more) of their income to location
owners .
Arcade operators have prevailed and flourished , I think , mainly
because they are not burdened with fifty / fifty commission arrangements .
That extra income has enabled them to beef up their businesses with the
finest equipment and set it in the most attractive atmosphere possible .
Perhaps there is a lesson in all this for the street operator, even if he has
no intentions of ever opening up an arcade . Of course, every operator
can't be in the arcade business . Arcade operations today require vast
amounts of capital and locations are indeed limited . The arcade business
has therefore become a specialty business with its own set of particular
problems and procedures . Nevertheless , the street operator should start
thinking like them .
For instance , imagine each one of your locations as a mini-arcade , a
theme park , even if the location has only one machine . With a little
imagination and a bit of improvising on your part , you can make the
atmosphere in that location more attractive and thus stimulate more
business for both you and the location owner .
What I'm saying is that you should tailor your equipment to suit each
and everv location possible . Let's try this example : I've never seen a
coin -op game in a M cDonald's restaurant . But suppose some
enterprising operator approached a local M cDonald's store with a
typical Clowns video game or a cocktail pinball game set inside an
enclosure that resembled the M cDonald's clown or one of the other
. McDonald cartoon characters . It would make the concept of a coin -op
game in their store vastly more appealing . What's more you could sell
concepts like th is to new locations without having to mention a fifty / fift y
split. The reason is you 're an innovator in this new territory ; you're off the
beaten path . What you have to do is present the idea to these types of
locations as a service to their customers , an inexpensive form of casual
entertainment during their visit. Tell them your specialized equipment will
enhance the atmosphere of the entire location and would serve to
stimulate more repeat business for them .
Y ou may just find that the piece of equipment vou have in there will
outlast that same piece in any arcade . That's what I call gettinq the most out
o f your equipment - getting everything that drops in the cash can for the
longest period of time possible .
It's certainly no secret. The arcade operators have done it successfully .
Th ere's no reason why street operators can't. It's like the wise man said
'Y ou can't do anything by doing nothing .' So get to it!
Ralph C . Lally II
Editor and Publish er
PLAY METER, April , 1979