Automatic Age

T h e A u t o m a t ic A ge
13
INVESTING $5,000 IN THE VENDING
M ACH INE BUSINESS
If you had $5,000 cash to go in the coin machine business, how
would you start? What machines would you buy?
The A u t o m a t i c A g e is in receipt of a letter from a man in New
Jersey who writes us to this effect: He has $5,000 and is planning to
go into the coin machine business. He asks our advice on the best
machines to buy.
The A u t o m a t i c A g e is going to put it up to its readers. W e want
the wise and experienced men in the industry to tell how they would
go about it— what machines they would buy and the best means and
methods to get started with this capital. Would you buy all one kind
and stick to one line, or would you diversify with different machines?
We will give $25.00 for the best letter, $10.00 for the second best,
and $5.00 for the third best. We hope to hear from several hundred
operators. Here is a chance to tell what you would do if you were
starting over again with a reasonable amount of capital.
Send your letter in as soon as you have time to write it. Never
mind a literary flourish. We will correct your manuscript and work
it over in a readable style. Contest closes 3une 1, 1930.
I would vend five-cent articles only. On
various holidays such as N ew Years,
Christmas, M other’s D ay, etc., I would see
that m y machines carried some holiday
greetings a week or so ahead. This shows
the public that said machines are not only
machines— but a part o f them — and it also
shows the public that the firm running
them is alive and up to date.
In m y office I would secure a pleasant
girl or young man to answer the phone,
and it would have to be, “ Good morning I
This is the Modern Merchandising Com ­
p a n y /’ Or i f in the afternoon or evening,
"G o o d even in g!” etc. Service, from open­
ing o f m y business to closing hour, would
be m y a im ; and a fter closing hour o f busi­
ness, would see that each location owner
had m y home address and phone, in case
o f trouble. It would be m y aim to do busi­
ness with a firm who m anufacture a m a­
chine that is responsible, and a firm that
has broad and liberal ideas.
On an investm ent o f $5,000, if handled
in a business-like manner, the vending ma­
chine business will on above investment
show wonderful income. It has a wonder­
ful future and is the coming age, and one
now getting into it will make no mistake—
fo r returns are greater than any other
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business for amount o f investment, I have
been in the amusement business, the dry
goods business, m en’s wear business, and
find less grief and shorter hours in the
vending machine business than any o f the
above lines.
I was— I am now in— said
business fo r over six months and am only
sorry the “ bug” did not strike me sooner!
Look to the Resorts
A new stunt comes to our attention upon
the receipt o f a subscription from a muse­
um at Niagara Falls.
The management o f this museum in­
stalled one or two amusement machines for
trial purposes, and now reports such suc­
cess that plans are already made fo r in­
stalling quite a number o f amusement m a­
chines. It strikes us that at museums and
pavilions at various resorts, which cater to
a class o f people with plenty o f m oney to
spend, it would be well to put in a number
o f amusement machines. Particularly, the
picture and fortune telling varieties ought
to go well. This class o f machines has now
been brought to such a stage o f perfection
that machines attractive in appearance and
design can be obtained that are fit fo r the
m ost elite clientele.
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