Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

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Things That Make Shuffleboard Pay
By Ray R. Powers
There are many things to be said about
the value of shuffieboard to locations. Vari-
ous establishmen ts have found them profita-
ble, and especially now that operators can
install coin operation with attractive score-
boards.
If shuffieboard is kept profitable to loca-
tions, we can expect this form of amuse-
ment to remain popular for many, many
years. If the boards continue to be profita-
ble to locations, we can also rest assured
that they will yield a profit for the operator
who places and services them.
We are all interested in perpetuating the
profits that can be derived from shuffie-
board-profits for the location, the operator,
the di tributor, the manufacturer. In trying
to find and to improve ideas that make
shuffieboard profitable, we need to remem-
ber some of the things that made shuffie-
board click in the first place. What have
locations learned about shuffieboard?
In the last year or so, they have learned
that coin operation makes shuffieboard im-
personal, and that is what locations have
wanted for a long time. They have known
about such forms of amusement for a long
time and many of them have thought
enough about the game to buy boards for
free use in thou ands of places.
But shuffieboard· has always demanded
more or less personal attention from the
location owner or attendants. In the be-
ginning, it was emphasized that shuffieboard
would draw customers, and at the same
time provide something to hold their in ter-
est. That is still one of the big reasons for
having the boards in many establishments.
But this always meant more time and more
personal attention by the attendants in
collecting for games played by customers.
In every location there are good cus-
tomers, and not even the owner may want
to interrupt such a customer to collect a
fee for playing a game. In so many, many
instances it seems best to forget the fee
and not collect it. There are also leaks in
charging for shuffieboard and every location
proprietor knows about that.
For the location, one of the be t things
that has happened is the scoreboard and
coin operation, which also brings in the
opera tor to provide more efficient service.
Coin operation has made shuffieboard im-
personal and that is what locations have
welcomed with open arms. A coin box and
a good scoreboard can completely relieve
the bartender from having to give any
personal attention to players. He can wait
on customers at the bar, and players can go
ahead with their competitive and social
playing as they like.
The e tablishment has goods to sell and
that is the primary reason for its existence.
Shuffieboard may help trade all right, but
if it demands too much personal attention
from the proprietor or h is help, then it may
interfere with selling the merchandise that
forms the very foundation of the business.
Many a tavern owner has thought a lot
about this angle when he thought of buying
a shuffieboard table.
A coin box will do all the collecting and
it will also keep track of the co ins played.
Location owners can be assured they are
getting their share of the money that
players have paid for the privilege of play-
ing, and there is no other way in which he
can be so sure. Many location that have
charged a fee for playing shuffieboard in
past years, have not realized much in
reven ue-probably because all the money
50
did not find its way to th e owner of the
place.
All this may seem commonplace to the
operator, but the fact that coin operation
makes shumeboard entirely impersonal is
~ettinl!: down to brass tack
in helping
loc atio ns use boards to the bes t advantage.
Every loca tion of uitable size and type
can offer shuffieboard, with coin control and
scoreboard, strictly as an amusement and at
a regular pri ce to all custom ers. Customers
can play and co mpete as th ey desire among
th emselves, and still th e loca tion attendants
are not called away from th eir regular tasks
to give personal attention to anyone. Players
will find their scores registered on an
attra ctive board that adds mu ch to the zest
of the game. All customers fare alike since
the coin-opera ted scoreboard shows no
favoritism.
If there is any monopolizing of the board,
it is done by paying customers and not by
those who make too much use of a free
game. Any special promotions or plans to
make the game more attractive caters also
to paying customers and adds to the profits
that may be realized.
If th e original purpose of in talling
shuffieboard in locations was to draw trade,
this feature can be emphasized still more
with coin co ntrol and scoreboards. TIle
coin box itself is a sure register of how
people are attracted by th e board, so that
it can be fairly well estimated as to what
the board is doing in getting customers on
its own merits. We who have been in the
shuffieboard business know what the game
can do in added revenue. The boards pay
profits even if there was nothing else in the
place to sell. Shuffieboard is a money-maker
in its own right and in its own name.
Bu t every location proprietor knows
exactly what it means to sales when people
come into a place to play shuffieboard. It
exposes more people to buying anything
and everythIng that is offered for sale in
the establishment. Shuffieboard helps to
draw customers. That was one of the first
reasons for ever pu tting the boards in
public places, and the new advances made
in the boards help to make the customer
appeal all the greater.
Shuffieboard can be plugged by advertis-
ing, and a thing that yields readily to
advertising is something that will build
business. Many tavern owners in recent
years took on television because it could be
advertised in window signs. Now, locations
have learned that shuffieboard can also be
advertised in the same way. In fact, loca-
tions quite often have big signs to plug
both television and huffi eboard.
In the advertising profession, any means
of advertising that will pay its own cost is
considered to be a bonanza. In shuffieboard.
a location has something to advertise and
it also will help to pay for the advertising,
and more. Or, better still, if location owners
would spend their share of shuffieboard
revenue on a good advertising and promo-
tion program for the establishment, the
whole business would grow accordingly.
Yes, shuffieboard will draw customers and
r evenue from the boards, with coin control,
can be used for a real promotion program
RAY R. POWERS . author 01 th is ar ticle. is a
vete ran of twe lve y e a rs' e xperie nc e in the
Indus try. has built a thriving distri buting busi-
ness in shuffle boards in Los Ange les and re-
c e ntly expanded by opening an o ffice in
Sacramento . He g e ts much cre dit for introduc-
ing rebounds and als o e lectric s coring units
in the shullleboard fie ld .
to boost the entire trade of the establish-
ment. Shuffieboard is a business booster.
Shuffieboard as an amu sement game also
calls for tournaments. Locations and opera-
tors must recognize the big opportunity in
ca tering to players by conducting tourna-
ments. Such co ntests are a must for the
shuffieboard industry and every operator
who places boards should inform himself
on th e details of planning and staging
tournaments. Th ey are the play producers
and th e thing that gives permanence to
shuffieboa rd as an amusement. So much has
been written about tournaments that it is
not necessa ry to go into details here.
A tournament for shuffieboard players
provides the occasion an d the subject for
real advertising plugs. A location can tell
a real story about a com ing tournament and
go after customers on th e basis of such
attraction s. It gives the location something
to talk about and at th e sa me time the
boards will be producing revenu e.
Tournamen ts appeal to players because
huffiebo81'd has real skill fea tures, and
every player likes to show off any develop-
ment of skill in a game. There is al 0 a
wide degree of sociability as a drawing
card in shufneboard and tournam ents give
full play to this feature. To get full value
on th e investment in shuffieboard , tourna-
ments must be a part of the regular pro-
gram. No better way can be found to per-
petuate the future of shuffieboard.
The future expansion of shuffieboard is
greatly aided by coreboards and co in con-
trol, and also by the conducting of tourna-
ment play. One of the most interesting
facts about present expansion is the "open-
ing of new territory." When a board goes
into one location in a town, then all loca-
tions want shuffieboard. Operators must
keep this in mind because that is the way
shuffieboard spreads.
Shuffieboard is good for location, for
tournaments, and now a new idea of shuffie-
board parlors is appearing. There will be a
lot of vacant store rooms in most ci ti es
and operators should keep alert to the
opportunities in opening shuffieboard par-
lors. Shuffieboard is going ahead to bigger
fields than ever.
Buys 15 New Shuffleboards
ST. LOUIS-Arthur Pauley, of A & P
Distributing Co. reports the new 1-2-3, new
type punch board, is going over well . . .
Hans Hoffman, of St. Louis Shuffieboard
C9.... has been under the weather for the
past week, having been ordered to bed by
his doctor.
Jack Jansen, .Effingham operator, pur-
chased 15 new shuffieboards for installa-
tion . . . Lou Morris has just returned
from a four-weeks vacation in Florida, and
is trying to get back in the swing of things
after taking it easy for so long a period.
Bud Walters, of Perryville, Mo., had
quite a mishap, when the truck in which
he was hauling shuffieboards from St. Louis
to his home caught fire. The cause of the
fire is not as yet determined, but it resulted
in $3800 worth of damage for the op-
erator.
Williams' game, Dallas, is showing ex-
cellent results . . . V. P. Distributing Co.
reports that its National Shuffieboard line
sales results are so good that it cannot
keep enough on hand to meet demand.
Jimmy Noel from Alton, Al Stevenson
from Steelville, Bud Walters from Perry-
ville, Joe Brown from Cuba, were visitors
in St. Louis.
COIN MACHINE REVIEW