Automatic Age

T h
e
A
u t o m a t ic
(Continued from page 13)
°
Compact (the larger the package,
the larger the machine required to
sell it).
^—-Pr-ced at from 1 cent to 25 cents
(single coin operation results in
greater sales than multiple coin
selling; remember that vandalism
and slugs increase with unit
p rice).
Popular (volume is imperative
and is dependent upon broad,
steady and brisk demand).
^
Familiar (public confidence is
necessary to assure broad de­
mand).
^
Not too perishable (cost o f ser-
Vlce rises in direct ratio to perish­
ability) .
^
Excellent quality (this is the
corner stone o f success in auto­
matic retailing).
Comes now the question o f the
ri8ht machine.
It is wrong procedure to develop
machine first, then to secure the
ro uct and the organization. That
10ci breeds short-lived enter-
1Ses- A ^ales-machine must be suit-
°nly for the product which it
s, but also fo r the conditions un-
Whi'h it is operated,
t . .e r'£ht machine can only be de-
Seim+ne^ a^ e r the product has been
ec ed and the operating conditions
y,e been settled.
can u Gla^y stated, efficient machines
thi
G ^f°^ Uceci to sell almost any-
or liquid, hot or cold, any
not f a^e> ^e^ cate, fragile, or what
fee* l0m
cigarettes to hot cof-
and fiom oranges to short stories.
Peai-1/ * 16 SUr^ace' sales-mach:nes ap-
thei °
ra^ er simple devices, but
is d VGl^ freedom from complication
tionsCeivf-iV8' The com Plex‘ty of func-
ye^. W lc^ they must perform, while
qujj. emaining mechanically simple, is
astonishing.
Only real engi­
© International A rcade Museum
A
ge
17
neering genius, coupled with a thor­
ough knowledge o f the conditions to
be met in automatic retailing, can de­
velop
truly
practical
equipment.
Sales-machines must be kept simple
primarily because they are operated
by a thoughtless public, maintained
by average labor and serviced me­
chanically “ on location” rather than
under the ideal conditions o f a ma­
chine shop.
Labor is the great item o f expense
in automatic retailing.
The business simply cannot stand
the burden o f skilled labor fo r upkeep
and servicing, so that the machines
must o f necessity be simple enough
fo r average labor to maintain and ad­
just, wherever they may be located
throughout the entire country. Re­
pairs and adjustments on location in­
terrupt business and antagonize loca­
tion owners who do not like outside
mechanics working on their premises.
The ability to replace worn or defec­
tive parts without tedious fitting is o f
almost greater importance in sales-
machine -. Automatic retailing opera­
tors usually employ thousands o f
machines and their mechanical ser­
vicing becomes ruinous if every new
part has to be fitted laboriously by
hand.
A very serious shortcoming o f
some sales-machines, yet one which
is seldom given sufficient considera­
tion in preliminary studies, is that
they become easily clogged. Human
nature, it has been said, is a curious
thing. Be that as it may, it certainly
exhibits a curious twist in its craving
fo r sticking things into the coin-slots
o f sales-machines.
Given a sales-
machine and people passing by, and
within a few hours matches, leaves,
tin-foil, toothpicks, paper, buttons,
pins, paper clips, and lots o f other
cluttering objects will have passed
through its innocent and unprotected
coin opening. Now this is all very
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