Challenges & Solutions 

by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com

As I write this column, I’m thinking of the summer. The war with Iran is being held up in a shaky ceasefire. If that’s still the case when you read this, we have bigger problems, like the economy.

Our business is known for being a lower-cost way to be amused and entertained. While everything has gone up in price, our industry still provides fun at a relatively low cost. In comparison, if I go to a Yankee game with two kids, I’m looking at the cost to get there, tickets, food, merch and parking, racking up a price tag ranging from $1,000 to $1,400 for what boils down to just a couple of hours of “entertainment.” Our businesses do WAY better than that.

Your locations, whatever type – bowling center, FEC, retro arcade bar, neighborhood arcade, etc. – must deliver a strong perceived value on every visit. Did you have fun and feel like it was worth what you spent? Did you feel ripped off by the $7-per-play crane your child emptied his game card on? As consumers, we’ve all felt something similar in the many types of businesses where we spend our hard-earned money.

If the economy tightens up more and gas prices stay high, consumers will make adjustments. That will mean fewer dinners out, fewer Uber Eats deliveries, less auto travel, and more infrequent visits to your business. That all translates to less money you make. As a result, you’ll need fewer supplies, fewer employees and maybe even less space.

But don’t panic and stop advertising or promoting your business.

Do you know who your customers are and where they come from? What’s their demographic – middle class, blue collar, white collar, tourists, seasonal, etc.? How can you sell something to a group of people you don’t know? You attempt this by trying to be everything to everyone, which is not possible, though many companies try. Doing so results in a waste of time and money, fishing where there are no fish.

Wouldn’t it be better to target your ideal new and existing customers with laser-precision rather than scattering those resources broadly? Yes, it is better to know. With tools we have now, like social media and AI, you can easily target the people you want to reach. Perhaps a professional marketing company can help you create the images, messaging and plan that target the customer you want to attract. Everyone knows McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, but they continue to market their brand and products regularly because they want to keep it that way. They don’t want you to forget them.

You need to do the same. Call that longtime, loyal customer you haven’t seen in a while. Invite them in for a treat, maybe a free ice cream or something else that costs you little but has a good perceived value. They may also tell you why they haven’t been back to your place in such a long time. If you let them, your customers will educate you about your business.

Back to summer, if you’re a bowling center operator today, you know what to do. Don’t sell short “air conditioned” as a reason to come inside. Do more of what works, and less of what does not. Keep it simple. Walk into your business as if it is your first visit. Are the carpets worn? Does it need a paint job? Are the bathrooms clean? Is the food fresh and flavorful? Is your brand of fun value-priced? Ask yourself not only whether you’d come back again, but whether you’d stay for this visit or run out like your hair’s on fire?

Not much in business is easy, but if done right, it can be fun and profitable.

Jack Guarnieri started servicing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the amusement game business since then. He was an operator in NYC, then began a distributorship in 1999, PinballSales.com, selling coin-op to the consumer market. In January of 2011, he founded Jersey Jack Pinball (named after his RePlay Magazine pen name), which builds award-winning, full-featured, coin-op pinball machines. Email Jack at [email protected].