Editorial

When we were young, summer meant fun. For most of us, anything outside of the classroom meant fun. Life changes mightily as you age and enroll in the school of hard knocks. Take this summer, which can be defined as anything but fun as the nation once again slogs through inflation, a pandemic that’s being treated as if it’s over when it isn’t, lingering supply chain headaches and all while a major war in Europe is going on and we pretend it won’t affect us when, in one way or another, it will.

Industry long-timers will fondly remember the simpler days when the collections were entered on a piece of paper by pen in hand…or when sacks of quarters were dropped on a desk at the bank and the teller would smile and say “nice to see you again, Mr. So-and-So.” Of course, it’s lots easier to tick a couple of characters on the computer keyboard but meditating on memories can also be fun.

Memories are peculiar because they tend to concentrate on the good times while shoving the harder times to the back shelf in the brain. But, there were hard times back then just like now. Machines probably broke down a whole lot more than before electronics took over. Phonograph records warped if you left them on the sunny side of the truck seat too long. But, yes, prices were (ahem) lower back then and so was gasoline.

The truth is that we have to face –– and to make friends and accommodations with –– the times we live and work in…times when old ideas are no longer valid and new ones need to be adopted. Cashless play, for example, keeps making its inroads as does a cashless nation itself. There’s always something new under the industry’s hood.

Example: My local Denny’s restaurant has a crane by the front door that offered the win guarantee for $17.00 on a Wednesday night in June, but when I returned the following week to get a photo, it had been raised to $20.00! Inflation fighting!