Coin Machine Journal

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i
October, 1932
THE
W hether help, after it has
reached a certain stage of sophisti­
cation in the business, becomes
grasping and reaches out of its own
is a matter that involves loyalty.
Can’t Buy Loyalty
Loyalty is an emotional quality
controlled only by emotion. If the
operator is of such emotional na­
ture himself as to create a feeling
of confidence and dependency in his
help he may be able to hold his
organization together for a long
period and increase his earnings
accordingly. It is a sad condition
that taxes the ability of the einploy-
ing operator, I have found, com­
manding him to be on the alert at
all times that he may make wise
and just decisions regarding the
placing of responsibility and dis­
pensing remuneration or rewards
for service to help. Dealing, as one
is, with human beings where the
sense of responsibility is tested to
its breaking point, the operator
must exercise unusual acumen in
his dealing with his help.
Personally, I have never at­
tempted to buy loyalty from my
help by means of monetary reward.
I never give Christmas presents or
make loans or involve myself in a
financial way. The most ungrateful
employe one can have is one who
feels that the only obligation you
have to him is of a financial nature.
The best way to keep help happy is
to treat them kindly and sympa­
thetically. The payment of good
wages and a bonus plan that en­
ables them to earn more than 'they
would otherwise has been my way
out. I have had three men identi­
fied with me for a period of 18
years.
Bonus Plan Successful
The bonus plan if properly han­
dled increases collections.
I have heard many operators
complain that collectors will invari­
ably steal on a route. It is true that
there exists a greater temptation in
this business than in many others
and the very nature of the business
makes it almost impossible to catch
a man. However, by allowing a tol­
erance of five per cent in locations
COIN
MACHINE
JOURNAL
it is possible to gauge the honesty
of any collector. An operator who
has been in business long enough to
build a route large enough to re­
quire help ought to know within
five per cent what locations will pro­
duce on an average, allowing for
seasonal variations in earnings, says
this operator.
Curb Thefts Through Records
A peanut machine, gum vendor
or scale will, over a period of five
years, show a general average in
receipts that is almost beyond dis­
pute. Close attention to records will
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enable the operator to know within
a few cents what his various loca­
tions will do. Any deviation from
this figure will call for some inves­
tigation.
How to Spot Stealage
Once convinced that help is not
playing fair, there is no remedy but
to get rid of the guilty parties.
When machines begin to show a
marked variation from the general
average I make collections myself
on the quiet ; and having checked
up the machine add a few pennies
or nickels to the collection. The
regular collector is then despatched
on a hurry up service call and his
reports observed to see whether full
collection is reported. The results
from a few calls of this nature will
determine whether or not the help
is honest.
Overworking Slugs
Some of my operator friends
have stories galore of how help was
able to boost their earnings two or
three dollars a day by substituting
slugs. They relate how collectors
Enhanced Scans © .T he International Arcade Museum.
15
have been known to substitute two
or three slugs on each collection,
which w'ere, of course, redeemed or
discarded. A collector serving 50
machines a day would boost his own
wages a dollar a day by substituting
two slugs for each maehine. Prac­
tices of this sort are downright dis­
honest and regardless of how a
collector may try to salve his con­
science he is as guilty of stealing
as the clerk who takes a few cents
from the cash register. He is not
as easily caught up with, to be sure,
but his end is as inevitable as if he
were guilty of a bigger and more
glaring crime.
How to Stop Holdouts
Stolen machines have been an­
other means of service men steal­
ing their way into the business. The
fact that there is always a percent­
age of stolen machines makes it pos­
sible for help to take advantage of
the operator. Collectors have been
known to systematically remove
machines from locations and store
them, reporting machines as stolen.
After a few months or even years
these collectors, were able to start
in business for themselves by dig­
ging up the old equipment and
moving it to some safe territory for
operation. Some instances have
been known where holdouts have
been bold enough to operate these
machines in the same territory
while collecting the regular route.
To overcome this practice many
operators have secretly attached
serial numbers to their machines in
addition to the factory serials. By
means of this secret code they are
often able to determine whether or
not certain machines are in fact the
legitimate property of the operator.
How to Cure Holdouts
One operator I know used to have
a sure cure for thieving service men.
Operating a large route, this oper­
ator had several men operating in
different sections. One collector
wound up the season by reporting
seven machines stolen. These losses
were charged off and no concern
exhibited. Traveling through the
territory it chanced that the oper­
ator recognized a maehine as of a
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