CHICAGO — While Northeast sales were down slightly in April, operators in the South and Midwest saw April sales rise slightly, according to a recent AmericanCoinOp.com StatShot survey. (Western-region results are not available due to computer error.)In the Northeast, April sales (compared to 2009 sales) were down 1%. One Northeast operator said, “The recession is dragging on to a ‘staycession.’” Another said slow April sales were just a continuation of the first three months of the year.On a more positive note, one Northeast operator said, “My growth is due to business relationships and networking.” Another said business has grown due to a price hike.Things were a bit more upbeat for the South and Midwest when comparing April 2010 to April 2009. Southern operators saw sales increase 4.1%, while Midwest operators experienced a 3.5% boost in sales.More specifically, 50% of the Southern operators saw business increase. Twenty-five percent saw business decrease, and 25% experienced no increase or decrease. In the Midwest, 43% saw business increase, 28% saw sales decrease, and business stayed the same for 28% of Midwest operators.Several Southern operators commented about the steady nature of recent business. One operator may have summed it up best: “Things are looking better, but the horse is still a long way from the finish line.”Some Midwest operators echoed the same sentiment as their Southern compatriots. “This year looks much better than last year,” one upbeat operator commented. However, several Midwest operators used the term “stagnant” to describe recent business conditions.Operators were also asked about attendant wages. The average hourly attendant wage is similar in the South, Midwest and Northeast.Southern attendants are paid, on average, $8.28 per hour. The high-end wage is $10, and the low-end wage is $7.25. In the Midwest, attendants pull in $8.70 per hour, with the high-end wage being $10. Northeast attendants average $8.33 per hour, with the high-end wage being $9.35.AmericanCoinOp.com’s StatShot includes information on sales, wages, costs and other financial data based on anonymous survey information provided by industry owners and operators. Subscribers to American Coin-Op’s Wire e-mails are invited to participate in these unscientific surveys, which are conducted online via a partner website, on a regular basis. Readers are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define industry trends.Click here and follow the menu instructions to sign up for the free e-mail service.
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