Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Supreme Court handed down affecting pin of smokes they purchase. Operator of
ball operation. Most operators in this state machines are charging 22 to 25 cents,
depending upon their machine coin set-up.
depend on the pin ball games in one form
The local operators' association which
or another for backbone to their businesses,
wa called The Eastern Washington Amuse-
and all are deeply concerned as to the final
ment Assn., has affiliated itself with the
outcome.
Washington State Amusement Assn. and
Business has held up very well consider-
ing the fact that figures on unemployment will hereafter work with it in all matters
affecting the State. A fund has been raised
show a 63 per cent increase over the same
to carry the present pin ball fight to the
weeks' report in 1948. Retail sales show
only a 3 per cent decline under last year's Supreme Court of the United States if
nece sary.
same period.
Operators of pin ball machines report
spotted collection returns, some say the
current quabble has lots to do with col-
Repor ted by ROY S. RAMSEY
lections while others believe that it take
Though final reports on 1949 bu iness
newer machines to keep up the play. The
fact i , condition are such that no one has won't be available for another month, first
felt like going all-out on the purchase of estimates from operators indicate that the
new equipment. One of the vital points year as a whole was slightly worse than
1948 but not to an alarming extent. Coin-
which will determine the future of the
men here sat through the usual pre-Chrjst-
business is just what the various counties
mas slump and waited hopefully for the
will allow to operate if and when a final
new year. Instead of just hoping, however,
decision is reached. This county (Spokane)
the local phono group, the Washington
bas run one-ball machines for years and
it could be expected to produce a good liv- Music Guild, launched a drive to obtain
new locations.
ing for tho e concerned if it should have
The first of some 10,000 circulars went
to come down the ladder one notch to
out to the area's restaurants, taverns, and
five-ball operation. However, a ruling favor-
other prospective phono locations describing
ing five-balls is not expected from the
the superior services performed by Guild
present city council.
Phonograph operators say that collections operators. The promotion pieces listed
are normal for this time of year and that member of the Guild and urged the pros-
pects to phone one of them immediately.
new recordings are responsible.
Amusement machines, of course, hang WMG also voted to present local police
boys' clubs with four phonos and to donate
in the balance and have only been used
record players to summer camps sponsored
as extra revenue with the hope that they
may fill the spots occupied by the present by the police department.
The phonomen are looking forward to
one-ball payoff machine.
Shuffleboard is in a more or less static greatly lessened TV competition in the
position, neither up nor down, but rather next four months. Football telecasts have
concluded and baseball won't start until
a position depending upon the promotion
by its operator. The juvenile field has April. Local basketball games are not being
telecast because the owner of the pro team
presented another angle and seems to have
asked more money than the station wanted
created orne stir in neighborhood spots.
to pay.
Candy and popcorn sales by machine
Jobless rolls are rising since cold weather
are up, due to the favorable season now on.
Beverage machines, both hot and cold, i shutting down many construction proj-
ects. Next to the federal government, the
are yet to be seen in this area, that is, bulk
construction industry has the highest pay-
vendors or the cup type.
Cigarette machine operators have had to roll in the nation's capital. Patronage in
Reported by W. L. FERRALL
pay the new tobacco tax of 10 per cent since arcades has been dropping off, and this
December 6th. Veterans will receive a bonus affects the general pin ball business since
Local operators of coin machines in this
about 5 per cent of the city's games are
from this revenue and will also pay it back
territory a e carrying on despite the
with two cents tacked on to each package located in arcades. Machines spotted in
seriousness of the decision the State
downtown independent drug stores are
doing well, but no operator has yet suc-
ceeded in cracking the chain druggists
Duri ng Twenty-Three Years
which do most of the business. The cold
weather has lowed down beverage vendors
of Leadership
Has Built
but hiked sales of candy and pop corn
vendors.
America's Most
finance the Washington
tate veterans'
bonus. Sales dropped off slightly with
vendors getting 24 cents a pack. According
to Dan Bracken, Sterling Automatic Co.,
this drop-off should disappear in a few
months.
Vending machine sales and collections
are on the upgrade in Seattle with only
the surface being scratched at present. For
some reason Seattle has been slow to accept
vendors, which leaves 1950 with a chance
to outdo previous years and still not reach
the saturation point in vending business.
Ice cream vendors did a good business
during November in industrial concerns
although below the normal summer collec-
tions.
Phonos showed some improvement, with
many installations heing made. This was
due, in part, to the new "Cocktail Lounge
Law," of Washington which has caused
a surge in building and renovation work.
With the help of this "Cocktail Income,"
businesses all over the state have been able
to improve their entertainment with music
installations of various kinds.
The so-called shortage in coffee has had
no effect so far on the local vending indus-
try, says A. J. Daudelin, of Kwik Kafe
Hot Coffee and Food Service, Inc. There is
a sufficient amount of coffee, according to
present indications. The 61h ounce cup is
still vending for only a nickel. Busine s is
good . . . not quite as good as last year,
but with an encouraging outlook for 1950,
if nothing changes regarding coffee supplies.
Coin changers have not been as successful
as they should be although there are quite
a few sales.
Stamp machines and scales did a normal
business in ovember.
Bulk vendors do a good inside business
in the winter months in Seattle.
Two of the new Lucky Music machines
were installed at the Sand Point Naval
Air Station by the Lucky Music Co. of
America, recently. Two more are scheduled
for Camp Pendleton, California.
Washington, D . C.
Spokane
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:J~e 1950
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