Automatic Age

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MAY - JUNE, 1943
VOLUME 19, NUMBER 2
AUTOMATIC AGE, $1.00 per year. Published bi-monthly by Automatic Age, Inc., 4021 N. Melvlna Ave., Chicago. Entered as
second class matter February 20. 1943, at the Post Office at Chicago, 111., under the Act of March 3, 1897. Printed in U.S.A.
Getting Adequate Merchandise Is
Operator's Foremost Problem.
Since the rationing of sugar,
an important item in the manu­
facture of candy, ball and stick
gum, the problem of getting
adequate merchandise for re­
filling of vending machines has
become tighter and tighter. As
the normal stocks of this mer­
chandise became depleted, and
manufacturers no longer could
make for stock as the current
day to day demand absorbed
their entire production, fortun­
ate indeed have been the vend­
ing machine operators who had
purchased their merchandise
consistently from the s a m e
manufacturers. These steady
c u s t o m e r s of pre-rationing
days are reaping the benefit of
having established themselves
as steady customers. They have
first call on the available mer­
chandise which the manufact­
urers have for sale now.
This situation is unavoidable,
and certainly is not to the lik­
ing of the manufacturers. The
only recourse for the operators
is to be on the alert for lots of
new merchandise which can be
vended suitably in their ma­
chines, and it should not be
overlooked that the use of in­
ferior merchandise is to be a­
voided.
Operators are trimming their
sails — concentrating their
routes on the most desirable
and best selling locations, those
which are located most conven­
iently for servicing with a mini­
mum of time. Expansion of
routes should be very carefully
considered. Make sure that you
can get the merchandise need­
ed to keep the extra machines
supplied with s a l a b l e mer­
chandise.
This problem cannot be solv­
ed by a uniform set of rules.
Each individual operator must
search and analyze for his own
solution. Along this line, it is
significant to read the follow­
ing letters; one from an opera­
tor who is expanding and ap­
parently does not have t o o
troublesome a problem of get­
ting merchandise or has not
given it sufficient consideration,
the other of an operator who
has an extensive route but who
is “merchandise poor”.
The first operator writes: “I
have entered into the vending
machine business and have con­
tracted for a large quantity of
machines. I would like to sub­
scribe to your magazine.” We
hope that this operator has pre­
viously arranged for his sour­
© International Arcade Museum
ces of supply for the merchand­
ise he will need to keep his
machines in profitable opera­
tion. Empty machines produce
losses faster than full machines
make profits.
The other operator writes
about his problem as follows:
“Do you know where I can buy
bulk merchandise for vending
machines? It seems that pea­
nuts are out of the question
here. I need ball gum. I have
written several manufacturers
and they all say that they are
not able to supply their present
trade. It seems there ought to
be still, some company left that
could supply some. Also small
hard candies. Anything almost
would be suitable. Do y o u
know of any company that
could supply anything at all?
Another thing, I could sell
roasted soy beans, if I knew
where to get them. I see them
in the ten cent stores at 20^
a pound, and have bought some
in t e n pound lots, but they
haven’t enough to supply me.
I need about 800 or 800 pounds
of merchandise a month.”
Now, this operator has a real
problem, but one which can
only be solved by taking in the
least profitable and hard-to-
get-to located machines. Con­
centrate the available mer­
chandise on the m a c h i n e s
which sell fastest and are most
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