Play Meter

Almost every street operator I've ever talked shop with has complained
that his business is seasonal. In the fall and winter months , collections
peak . During the summer months , income drops noticeably . Graphing
such a typical year would show a sales curve line with two high points and
one rather severe low point , or valley .
To increase your income , you have to level out those valleys and strive
for a sales curve that , over the years , steadily slopes upward . With that
thought in mind , here is a suggestion that may help you get over the
summer doldrums and get you started on filling in that valley in your sales
curve .
Understanding why a particular problem exists is essential in discovering
a workable solution . In the case of the operator's "summer slump ," there
are a number of reasons for a decline in income .
A major contributing factor to diminishing summer income is the closing
of schools . Locations in and around college campuses and high schools
suffer from this annual student exodus .
Vacations too take their toll on summer earnings . The vast majority of
people take their vacations in summer, and a lot of people who regularly
play your machines are away from home and , subsequently, away from
your games .
Improved weather also serves to depress summer income . After being
couped up all winter long , people are just itching to get outdoors and enjoy
the warm temperatures .
Summarily , then , we find that the players are simply at different places
doing different things these three months of the year.
Certainly , you can 't open the schools to get the players back , nor can
you influence people to cancel vacations or forego outdoor activities . So ,
unable to bring people to your games , you must consider bringing your
games to the people . While the solution involves the relocation of
equipment, the results should prove worth the effort .
First , get out of your office! Take a drive around town , and find where
the people are gathering . You are sure to find parks , swimming clubs , and
other centers of recreation appropriate for the placement of your
machines . The players have to be somewhere and it doesn 't really take
much to find out where .
Once you've discovered their whereabouts , you're halfway home . All
you have to do then is negotiate with the location owner and set the
equipment. (You may wish to buy new equipment to furnish the new
locations, but , as suggested earlier , try using machines from the locations
that do poorly during the summer.)
There's no evident way of recovering people who leave your town for
their long-awaited vacations, and wishing them a bon uoyage is only good
public relations , but perhaps you can take advantage of the vacation spirit
yourself. Your chamber of commerce and tourist information commission
can offer helpful information on summer conventions and tourist draws in
your own area .
Summer locations are readily available and the owners are waiting to
discover ways of amplifying the variety of entertainments they have to
offer. It 's only up to you to use your creative energies to start building a
successful summer business .
----
Ralph C. Lally II
Editor a nd Publis her
4
PLAY METER . May. 1979