Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

-USE IT WISELY
F there is anyone phase of Arcade man-
I agement
wherein a writer can give ad-
vice, stick his neck out, and expect to have
it chopped off-that phase is Arcade ar-
rangements_ Every Arcade offers a new
and different problem for the location, size
and shape of premises, number of ma-
chines permissible and half a hundre~ other
factors play an important part_
Therefore this brief article shall be gen-
eral in nature and not preach "what to do"
but better ,still-"how to do it-"
In the days before the War a new Arcade
operator could get a nice floor plan from
the manufacturer or distributor who sup-
plied the equipment he might need_ In
some cases the manufacturer would pre-
pare suitable front suggestions in addition
to providing an acceptable floor plan for
the spot the Arcade was to occupy. Today
when Arcade men buy their equipment
here, there and everywhere, and trade
amongst themselves to get the desired
pieces, every man is on his own when it
comes to arrangement and floor plan and
only by a trial-and-error method can many
of th em determine the most profitable ar-
rangement for their particular store or
~rcade.
Open Front Desired
Generally speaking the open front type
of Arcade is the most desirable for it per-
mits a patron to wander into the Arcade
without becoming conscious of an entrance.
Attention getting devices at the front and
staggered from the front on in will serve
as the necessary invitation to bring the
customer into the very middle of your spot
and get him acquainted with the various
other coin-operated wonders awaiting his
attention.
Crowd Stoppers Profitable
Crowd stopping devices are as necessary
to a successful Arcade as the barker is to
the circus sideshow. These machines stop
foot traffic; gain the attention and interest
of the passerby; and help him stroll on in
to your palace of amusement. The various
types of crowd-stoppers used throughout
the country in the many years of Arcade
history would make an article in itself and
a very interesting one, too.
Recently a western Arcade man used a ,
dancing negro on top a phonograph to gain
attention and found it especially effective.
The negro doll unit was mounted atop th e
phonograph and the figure danced to the
records being played. In the Pacific N orth-
by L. D. Batchelder
west one of the most successful operators
of Arcades had his mechanic rig up a banjo
playing gorilla which brought the folks in
in droves. These, and many more, prove
that the street pieces, or those closest the
entrance, must be unusual, entertaining and
capable of inducing people to come into
the establishment. Some day in the not
distant future; an enterprising individual is
going to develop a number of such devices
and sign up Arcades to use these machines
on a rental basis for a limited period of
time. A regular circuit could be organized
that would return the originator a hand-
some profit. and also prove exceedingly
profitable for the Arcade operator, too. In
this way the Arcade operator would have a
new and different come-on attraction for
his front at regular intervals.
Smith on Arrangement
Questioned as to the most logical ar-
rangement of a standard Arcade, assuming
the store was of square proportions, Perc
C. Smith, Manager of, the Arcade Division
for Exhibit Supply Co. for a number of
years, said: "My experience has shown me
that each new Arcade is a problem in itself
as to how to .I~y out equi~ment, depending
upon the posItIon of the wmdows and doors
and whether the Arcade is open on the
front or on the side, etc. Usually the Ath-
letic machines are placed at the back and
the remainder of the machines along the
side walls. If there is room, then a row of
machines, back to back, placed down the
middle of the room. The manager has his
cashier's , desk in the center of the room
and it should be elevated a littl e so that
the cashier or manager can look around
over the heads of the customers to see that
everything is going along O. K."
The suggested floor plan at the top of
this page is one that Smith has been send-
ing out to show the possible arrangement
of machines in a store 20 feet by 35 feet.
The plan is for a store Penny Arcade and
shows a method of converting an ordinary
store front into an Arcade. Palms are used
in the windows instead of displays and
the rear of the display windows is removed
to permit street traffic to see into the in-
terior of the spot.
Keep Traffic Lanes Open
One point to keep in mind in interior
arrangement is that the machines likely to
earn the heaviest play should be scattered
throughout the Arcade to provide against
a traffic jam-up and blockade of any por-
tion of the establishment. The same holds
true on spotting machines at the front of
the Arcade as crowd-stoppers. A machine
that stops people and does not block the
entrance is what is desired and the Arcade
~anager will spot his crowd-stopper so that
this condition prevails.
Ample space should be allowed between
units and aisles should be wide so that
patrons can patronize the machines without
interfering with the liberties of others. It
is wiser to have fewer machines and ample
room to patronize them than to have an
overloaded Arcade and have customers in
each other's hair when playing them. Then
there should be plenty of light for nothing
is more uninviting than a poorly lighted
Arcade. With fluorescent li ghts providing
economical illumination it behooves the
wise Arcade operator to virtually flood his
spot with brilliant lighting.
Today, if your Arcade is located in a
high rent district and it almost must be to
be profitable, you should carefully plan the
layout of your operation, front your Arcade
with machines that render an invitation to
enter, and utilize profitably and efficiently
the interior space you have at your disposal.
Gisser Supplying Arcades
CLEVELAND-The Cleveland Coin Ma-
chine Exchange is making a specialty of
serving Arcades at the present time and
counts among its customers some of the
largest Arcade operators in the nation.
Cleveland Coin was organized in July,
1938 and has been forced to move to larger
quarters three different times as their busi-
ness increased. In the pre-war days ship-
ments were made to all parts of the country
and many foreign countries and their fami-
liar slogan: "The House That Has It Or
Can Get It" became famous in all parts
of the world.
"At the present time we are devoting most
of our efforts to Arcade Equipment," de-
clared H. H. Gisser, "and we have fur-
nished quite a number of them from A to
Z. Despite the scarcity of labor and
the war effort we are still able to fill the
requirements of Arcade Operators. In addi-
tion to the Arcade line we carry a huge
stock of cigarette machines, slots, games
and consoles and we keep men on the road
buying anything and everything that we
think the operators can use."
Cleveland Coin is headed by M. S.
Gisser who acts as General Sales Manager
and his brother, H. H. Gisser, who is floor
manager.
COIN
MACHINE
IIEVIEW
IS
FOil
MAIICH
1943