The Exhibitor (May-Aug 1948)

ADMISSION PAID 4 ADULTS TAX $ TOTAL 4 4 I 1 •» m 3 / / * * •« o CHILDREN TAX 4 TOTAL 5" 4 1 2 **» o * f 1 5 6 The admission indicator at window level with incoming cars is flush mounted in the wall of the booth and illuminates the number of adults (in this case 3) and the number of children (in this case 2) for which admission is paid. not respond to walking or jumping on it or to any other motion. When collector closes his lane, he oper¬ ates the print lever once again and re¬ moves his key ^his takes a final print similar to the first print. It also darkens the admission and overhead indicators and the booth-open light. The collector counts his cash, and turns it in with a deposit slip. The manager or auditor at a convenient time goes to each register, and removes the printed section of the sheet which shows the tabulation of the day’s transaction. This sheet will show the time when the lane opened and closed, key number of collector on duty, total number of vehicles counted by treadle, total number of transactions registered b collector, total number of adults, and total number of children. These totals are ob¬ tained by subtraction of the initial and final counter readings. The company lists the following ad¬ vantages for its collection system: 1. The patron pays the collector directly and eliminates the use of car hops or runners. 2. There are no tickets to be handled with the possibility of collusion. 3. There are no stubs to be strewn about the grounds. 4. Ticket examination is eliminated. 5. The possibility of distributors and potential competitors learning the number of patrons by comparison of ticket stub numbers is ended. 6. The advantages of audible and visual indications to patrons of admissions registered at each transaction. 7. Overhead indication for the use o ’ supervisor, inspector or manager, en¬ abling him to check a car at any time, some distance before or after it passes the collector, and without collector's knowledge. 8. All pencil work in copying ticket numbers is eliminated. Instead, a clear and tamperproof method is employed to print the counter numbers in a locked compartment accessible only to a responsible person. Plot plan of a two-lane boxofflce equipped with a double set of indicators, key boxes and treadles. While the designers claim this type of collection system at toll highway facilities enables one collector to handle as many as 500 to 700 transactions per hour, which would be adequate for any drive-in theatre, the added lane may be used at peak periods and would be a standby against breakdowns. GREEN LIGHT) LANE OPEN jj (® © © < (white -adults) (<D ® © © < (AMBER -CHILDREN) (® ® © The double faced overhead indicator shows the entering patron, by its green light, which lane is open for business; but, most important, its white lights for adults and amber lights for children facilitates spot checking by any exec. 9. A brief dark period elapses on ths admission and overhead indicators be¬ tween transactions in order that the registration of each transaction may be checked. 10. Each adult transaction adds one unit to the transaction counter and the number of adult admissions to the adult counter. The total transactions recorded must therefore check with the treadle count. (It is assumed that children will never be admitted with¬ out adults) . 11. Passes are received, and recorded as adults. The cash differential between total admission price and government tax is easily computed. 12. Because the cashier is unaware of the number of transactions, he must de¬ posit all cash received. Any discrep¬ ancy will be evident to the manage¬ ment. Collector performance may readily be evaluated by a comparison of the number of errors in receipts with the general counting record. 13. Operation of the print lever will pro¬ duce statistical records of admissions at any time. Should statistics be de¬ sired every 15 minutes, the cashier will pull the print lever every 1 minutes. The system is based on the use of a mechanical register in which the keybox button mechanically adds the proper counts to the associated counter. The printer is a part of the keybox and the printed record must be removed from the register in each booth. In larger installations, it may be help¬ ful to have the remote electrical registers for all booths located in the central office. A remote electrical recorder is actuated electrically from the keybox in the booth. The experience of Taller and Cooper, Inc., with this type of collection method at toll highway facilities indicates that a collector may handle 500 to 700 transac¬ tions per hour in peak periods. By a care¬ fully planned booth system, collection at drive-in theatres can be achieved at close to this rate with only one man per lane, a considerable saving in labor cost over most present methods. PT-18 PHYSICAL THEATRE DEPARTMENT of THE EXHIBITOR June 2, 1948