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f ROM THE EDITOR Could vending be in your business plan? I f you are a music and games operator , perhaps you've entertained the thought of adding vending to your business plan . Game revenues are not as hefty as they once were , necessitating the urgency in supplementing your existing route with viable alternatives. If you are one of those operators who have given vending some thought, you know first-hand that it is not something you venture into easily. If you've stored the idea on a back burner, it was likely because you realized that vending-no matter what kind-is a whole new ballgame. From candy bars to condoms, vending has its own set of rules and unique considerations. Inventory would top the list of foreign ideas for music and game operators, who sell time , not products , to their customers. And food vending is another matter, too , because it involves products with a limited shelf life . Sounds complicated, doesn't it? This month we talked with Frank Gumma Jr. of American Vending Sales in Chicago, whose company was into vending sales long before it ventured into music and games. He points out many things that a music and game operator should think long and hard about before deciding to take that plunge into vending. Traditionally, cigarette vending was the one type of vending business that always went hand-inhand with games. While perhaps more of a courtesy to their customers , operators found cigarette vending quite profitable in its own right. Until lately, that is. You'd have to have been living in outer space not to know about the onslaught of crusaders campaigning diligently to get smoking banned. Failing to gain enough support to outlaw smoking altogether, these zealots attack vulnerable spots to chip away at smoking. Cigarette machines are a likely victim of their campaign. They charge that youngsters find cigarettes too readily obtainable through the machines. The public has rallied behind them because cigarette machine vendors are small potatoes compared to convenience stores, where cigarettes are just as easy for kids to get- and a whole lot cheaper! What self-respecting teenager is not going to go for the best bargain, even if it is for something he shouldn't have in the first place. The ACME show saw an invasion of the giant gumball machines , which of course are vending machines. Operators seemed to be attracted to the concept of attracting their own customers with a novelty idea. Taking the place of cigarette machines? Perhaps not, but it's certain that parents couldn't object to their kids buying gum instead of cigarettes. I wonder if the dental association will object? The possibilities in vending are vast. Coincidentally, I was reading a book that featured lots of old press releases issued during the '30s and '40s and one particularly caught my eye. It was a news clipping from 1938 about a "mystery machine." The release billed it as "legal as a peanut PLAY METER 10 MAY1993 vendor yet as fast as a slot in every territory." The factory had been sold out two months prior to its introduction. What did it vend? You'll hardly believe it, but you could get a super-quality, double-edge razor blade for a nickel! In addition, the customer got " an extra value ," depending on the color of the wrapper. While there 's no way anyone would want a razor blade vending machine anywhere near their locations today , it does prove that whatever people want, a vending machine is sure to come along to give it to them. Although not referring to vending, the most famous quote from Saturday Night Live's ow1n Roseanne Roseannadanna could certainly apply. She always said, " It just goes to show you, if it's not one thing, it's another!" Our features editor, Chris Caire, visited the National Automatic Merchandising Association CNAMAl show in California last month and has a story on what's available now and what we can expect to see in the future of vending. In the months ahead we will be keeping the industry abreast of the latest developments in vending and report the latest news for those who are or will be getting into vending. D Valerie Cognevich Editor