Play Meter

FROM THE EDITOR They don't see it any other way w Valerie Cognevich Editor PLAY METER hat do some newcomers in the coinop industry and high school students have in common? They make plans without having all of the facts. Nearly all of us here at Play Meter and quite a few of our readers have high school-aged children. This year three of our daughters graduated from high school; two more daughters will graduate next year. There's still more kids making their way through a variety of grades. Needless to say, with so many youngsters in our group, we are never surprised by much. Nearly every day one of us walks through the door with that just-had-afight -wi th-the-kids look on our face. There's sibling rivalry, boy is there sibling rivalry! Refusal to do chores, staying out too late, questionable teenage decisions, the desire to quit school, etc. I'm sure you get the point. The most frustrating thing is that once kids become teenagers, they seem to believe that they are experts on life. "I don't see why I have to finish high school!" a teen cries out. "It's such a waste of time! " Of course, it seems that way to him because he is looking only at the short-term plan. Just think, he reasons, if I quit school I can hang around all day, get a job at Burger King, and have all the spending money I'll need. Ah, that's the life. Yes, perhaps hanging out, having pocket money, and not having to study seems like heaven. This plan, naturally, includes living at home. Mom will still buy groceries, vacu8 um the room, cook, wash, provide transportation, and buy clothes. The long-term plan does not seem to compute. If they were realistic about how much they'd need for rent, clothes, utilities, insurance, dentist and doctor visits, groceries, and car repairs, not to mention dating and having fun , that short-term plan would seem ludicrous. But parents know how unrealistic their plans can b e. Explaining that the few years of school are such a small percentage of the rest of their lives that they would be crazy to consider dropping out is an exercise in futility. How to support a family on a minimum wage job is way out of their comprehension. Spending four years in high school and four years in college is not much of an investment for the future , yet when you suggest this they look at you like you are being ridiculous. "What's the hurry?" is a question they can 't believe we'd even ask. We are seeing a similar situation with people wanting to get into the coin machine business. They have a tremendous short-term plan that can't go wrong. A great idea can fuel a lot of short-term proj ects. But this industry has survived and thrived on long-term plans. While family entertainment centers pop up all over, those who h ave been around are silently preparing for the shakeout. Only those who have investe d the time and effort to plan ahead will make it; the others-well, it was nice knowing you. A distributor distressed about the industry going through anot her shakeout, but knowing it 's inevitable, summed it up like this: "It seems like some of these people are living in a fantasy world." It sounds like something we'd say about our teenagers, doesn't it? AUGUST 1994