STAR*T~CH Journal
June 1986 (2]
Cranes and Rotary Merchandisers
by Frank ''Ihe Crank' Seninsky
Alpha-Qnega Amusements & Sales
E.dison, NJ
I travel around the country giving
seminars on "How to Make Money Operating
Garnes", one of the hottest topics is
Cranes and Rotaries. I have been operating
this kind of equipnent for 18 years on the
New Jersey Shore and have had experience
working with most of the many Irodels now
on the market.
As
woo
MAKES THE BEST muIPMENT?
'Ihe best crane on the market today is the
BIG CHOICE by Electro Automaten (also
known as the 'Betson Crane'). This
original Belgium crane has been in
existance for 40 years, being continuously
roodified and improved. Many have attempted
to 'copy' the claw rrechanism, but as yet
have been unsuccessful. 'Ihe BIG CHOICE
requires little maintenance. I have over
50 in Of:eration, some being located in
amuserrent parks more than 1500 miles away
and service hasn't been a problem.
-
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'Ihe BIG CEDICE corres in triple, double, or
single roodels and also a 6-player version.
Features include two-way adjustable claw
(size and tension), easy loading access by
sliding glass doors, and a trouble free
mechanism (very i.np>rtant).
'Ihe best rotary merchandiser is Crornpton's
FANl'ASY ISLAND, with UAI' s TREASURE ISLAND
a close second. Both rotaries are 4
players.
Im 'IO IDAD A CRANE . ..
Loading a crane is indeed an art. In
England, there is a special name for a
person woo specializes in crane loading;
he would be known as a 'crane dressor'.
M:>st operators just put plush items in
their cranes, but I like to add jewelry,
watches, calculators and other items that
you think your customers would want. The
key to successful profits not only
includes what you put in, but on how nuch
is given out. I try to set nw cranes to
award 25% to 30%. This is done by keeping
an average price per itan of around 80
cents. I put in some easy-to-win 25 cent
items along with other items -ranging even
up to cassette tapes worth $10.00! As long
as the average price is around 80 cents,
you should be OK. A completely equitable
cornnission arrangerrent is actually 25% for
prizes, and a 50/50 split of the balance
(37 1/2% each). Most tirres you will be
experimenting with different items and the
players will win more, so giving your
location 30% to 33% of the gross would
also be OK.
WHERE 'IO GET THE BEST MERCHANDISE ...
For a wide selection of general
rrerchandise at excellent prices with fast
delivery, I recormend these two comp:tnies:
Nancy Sales, 267 Medford St., Boston, M1I.
(800) 343-9098 Al Lipkin, Al Meltzer, Bob
Gold; and
Dan Brechner & Company, 200 5th Ave., New
York, NY (516) 437-8400 Milton Brechner,
Clifford Brechner.
'Ihese f:eOple know \obat you need.
My favorite jewelry supplier set his
entire comp:tny up just to specialize in
crane and rotary items:
HMS Monacco Ltd, 135 West 20th St. , New
York, NY (212) 691-9000 Ira Erstling.
HMS iterrs come in cases of all shaf:es and
sizes, each specially set to your needs.
He will explain the price range and case
size for best rotary loading.
For more information on merchandise
equipnent, sales, service, and supply
sources, you can reach rre or Marty at
Alpha-Qnega Amuserrents & Sales, 6 Sutton
Pl., E.dison, NJ 08817 201/287-4990.
STARi
Crank" as a regular contributor. Frank has