The Exhibitor (1966)

Devoted exclusively to refreshment operations at indoor and drive-in theatres, sales of confec¬ tion, popcorn, beverages, food and other profit producing items, food preparation and vending equipment, concession management and design. November 16, 1966 TIME FOR A NEW LOOK: Proper Use Of Vending Equipment Means Extra Refreshment Sales in with theatre decor and offer a wide variety of items. Be selective in the items you vend in your machine. Know your audience. If it’s adult, offer items that appeal to adults. Children’s tastes are different, so offer them what they want. Although drive-in theatre concessions will basically remain a personally served operation, there are areas where automatic vending may be profitably employed. Cigarettes, gum, mints, candy, even packaged take-home foods may be successfully merchandised through vending machines placed in the proper, convenient location. Indoor theatres with balcony or downstairs lounges can utilize these areas for additional revenue from a well placed vending machine. Vending through machines, like other suc¬ cessful merchandising, depends on attracting them, showing them, telling them . . . and then selling them. A survey released by Vend Magazine in¬ dicates that the total sales of products dispensed through vending machines in the past five years, 1961 through 1965, rose from $2,739,000,000 to $3,801,000,000, an increase of almost 39 per cent. Undoubtedly, vending grosses will continue to grow, and sales will probably top $4,000,000,000 this year. The spectacular growth of automatic mer¬ chandising is testimony of the public’s increas¬ ing reliance on automatic vending for service of goods. Although theatre sales of refreshments have improved in the past five years, the growth has not been nearly as spectacular as that of vend¬ ing in general. Perhaps a new look at our theatre automatic vending operation, whether as an adjunct to a personally operated con¬ cession stand or as a complete automatic mer¬ chandising set-up, is in order. The location of a vending machine has much to do with its success. It should be situated in a high traffic area that offers ample room for customers to wait prior to making a purchase, without discouraging prospective customers with the appearance of a crowd. Vending machines have built-in selling ap¬ peal. Color as a sales stimulus has been re¬ searched by vending manufacturers, and has been built into their equipment. Don’t sell the machines or yourself short by relegating them to a gloomy, uninviting corner. Don’t neglect the use of standard brands in making the machine a success. Refreshment manufacturers, as you know, pay considerably to acquire public recognition and acceptance for their products. Take free advantage of rheir selling efforts. The vending industry is successfully mer¬ chandising related item sales with adjacent vending equipment. Perhaps your theatre can do likewise. The manufacturers have designed equipment to fit “vending areas” that blend VENDO'S SOFT DRINK VENDOR VENDO’S ICE CREAM VENDOR NATIONAL VENDOR S CROWN 72 PE-10 PHYSICAL THEATRE • EXTRA PROFITS DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR November 16, 1966