AV Geeks 16mm Lunch 4-6-2026

Hello everybody. This is Skip Elshiemer. Welcome to the AV Geeks lunchtime streaming show. I had hoped to join you live today, but I have a doctor's appointment like right at the same time as my show. Um and this is important because I am still in pain due to my pinched nerve in my back and my neck. Um and yeah, I am kind of done with this. So, I really want to knock this out and continue living a happy life. And today's films are all about happiness and being happy. Many of them are tied into some sort of product endorsement, which is kind of how it all works. Uh so, today we're going to watch Let's see. Uh >> [clears throat] >> Most Important Person film, uh which used to be shown on Some people said on uh Captain Kangaroo. Uh it's Feeling Good, Feeling Happy. Then uh Little Packages of Happiness, which is a great film because it has assembly line footage and it's about candy. Uh then we're going to Our good friends at the Church of Latter-Day Saints are going to talk to us about Man's Search for Happiness. Then finally, we're going to end with uh a film called Happy Motoring Ahead. Um yeah, I'm frustrated that I can't join you uh because I get a boost when I do shows live with you. But uh maybe tomorrow. That's what I'm hoping. But uh again, I very much appreciate all your well wishes. Oh, and so, um just a quick note, I noticed uh I was looking at my stats on YouTube and April Fools' Day, I lost 60 subscribers. People were furious uh at my little um click-baity thumbnail uh experiment. Um joke. And uh so, there you go. Um Got to be careful. Um Was it worth it? I don't know. I thought it was funny. But uh anyways, uh everybody have a great rest of your day. Um if you're in pain, like seek out help. Um That's my public service announcement. Don't sit in the pain. Uh this has been going on for such a long time. It just kind of my baseline is really Yeah. Don't like it. Do not like it. And uh I want to be able to see you folks live again. So, that is the plan. That's why we're doing this. Everybody have a great rest of your day. Uh hit like, subscribe, etc. We will see you soon. Take care. >> [music] [music] [music] [music and singing] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [singing] [singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Holland, Michigan is 26,000 people and [music] 52,000 wooden shoes. >> [music] >> 3 million tulips. >> [music] [music] >> And over 500,000 tourists a year. Holland, Michigan is very colorful. Very Dutch. Very hard working. And very [music] friendly. And Holland, Michigan is where Beech-Nut makes millions [music] of sticks of Beech-Nut chewing gum and millions of Life Savers every day. >> [music] >> Who is Beech-Nut? >> [music] >> They're specialists in producing good things to eat. Like Beech-Nut baby [music] food and pies. They produce cough drops. Beech-Nut [music] makes good things to drink, too. Coffee. And tea. >> [music] >> Beech-Nut is a growing company that helps to make life more pleasant in so many ways. They have plants all over the country producing [music] quality products for people of all ages. This Holland, Michigan plant [music] is unique, of course, because here is where Beech-Nut produces its little packages of happiness. >> [music] [music] >> Here's the recipe for [music] happiness. Take about 150,000 [music] lb of sugar a day. >> [music] [music] >> Add specially prepared corn syrup and other basic sugar syrups that have been developed and carefully formulated by Beech-Nut scientists. >> [music] >> Finally, mix in some spice and other things nice. >> [music] >> Put all these ingredients into an ultra clean plant where the air is washed and the temperature and humidity are carefully controlled and you are ready to start making wholesome delicious sweets and treats for everyone in America. Treats like chewing gum. To start the process, basic gum ingredients plus corn syrup, pure sugar, and some flavoring are thoroughly blended. The dough-like mixture [music] goes into the gum forming machine where it is coated with a very fine powdered sugar and rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled some more until it emerges in pre-scored [music] sheets that are just the right thickness, the thickness of a stick of gum. >> [music] >> Samples are checked for uniform texture and purity by quality control [music] technicians who are trained to see that every product meets Beechnut's high quality standards. Here's where the tasty goodness is sealed in and it's really sealed. Would you believe that one machine cuts each of these strips of gum into 22 sticks? Foil backed with paper wraps each stick. The paper label is glued on. Then the machine laminates cellophane to the outside and foil to the inside of the paper wrapper, adds a red tape for easy opening, and wraps every five sticks in a tight little package that is heat sealed. Plus, the machine folds a carton around 20 packages, glues the carton, and sends it on its way to be stamped with the date and identity of the production unit. Another machine puts on a clear over wrap with a red tape for easy opening, then into a corrugated case. Would you believe that all that happens here in one continuous operation? Well, it does. Watch. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> You know, people have always enjoyed chewing something for relaxation and enjoyment. The American [music] Indians chewed spruce tree resins. Other people have chewed everything from leaves to paraffin wax. But in [music] the 1860s, chewing gum was introduced from Central America and since then, people can't seem to get enough of it. America chews a lot of gum. But then, Beechnut [music] makes a lot of gum. Peppermint. We've got other great flavors, too, like spearmint. Beechnut flavor experts [music] work with people all over the world in order to produce those unique satisfying flavor flavors [music] that America savors in every Beechnut product. >> [music] [music] [music] >> This, of course, isn't gum coming down the pipe here. It's that little candy with a hole in it. Lifesavers. Mint flavored Lifesavers begin [music] in this mixer where finely granulated sugar, pulverized almost to dust, is blended with corn syrup. The wet mixture goes into a granulator which extrudes spaghetti-like little shreds of sweet stickiness. This might be pretty good tasting as it is, [music] but a little difficult to handle. So, the mixture is dried to remove all the moisture, then it's cooled, ground into a powder, and [music] conveyed to a blender. Flavor is sprayed in like a gentle whiff of morning mist and at last the fresh minty confection is [music] ready to be formed into its world-famous shape. 10,000 tablets a minute. >> [music] >> Constantly checked by quality control, each mint destined [music] to be a tasty little treat for somebody somewhere. And whoever gets these mints will get all the flavor, too, >> [music] >> because they're protected by paper-backed foil, identified with a label, and finally, every carton receives a tight over wrap of wax paper. [music] A Lifesaver mint always tastes like a Lifesaver mint, unless, of course, it's some other flavor. Variety is the spice of Lifesavers >> [music] >> and many different flavors are produced as hard candies, which require an entirely different process from the mints. Stainless steel copper-lined kettles pre-cook the liquid sugar and basic syrups, which are then cooked some more in these kettles. Everything is done automatically [music] and double-checked by quality control to make sure that the right ingredients came in at the right time and at the right temperature. Moisture is removed under vacuum and aha, it's done. Over 100 lbs of candy now being gently mixed with distinctive [music] Beechnut flavor. The spinning [music] operation forms the candy into the famous Lifesaver shape. >> [music] >> The hot little rings of candy are cooled and ultimately, you get wild cherry Lifesavers. >> [music] >> Over 25,000 wild cherry Lifesavers are produced every minute, sorted for uniform size and then automatically carried to the wrapping machines. The Lifesavers are wrapped in wax paper, [music] paper-backed foil, labeled, and packed in the familiar 20-pack cartons, [music] which are also wrapped in more wax paper just to make sure you get all that great flavor. If you want to change from wild cherry Lifesavers, >> [music] >> try orange. Or go all out and have five flavors to choose from. Variety, that's certainly [music] what Lifesavers offer. >> [music] [music] [music] >> In all, there are more than 34 flavors of Lifesavers, including mango and coconut and some pretty exotic little numbers. >> [music] >> Plus, there's all the many wonderful flavors of Beechnut chewing gum, including everything from peppermint to fancy [music] fruit to a variety of striped gums. And of course, there's the one and only Lifesaver, >> [music] >> the candy of a thousand uses. Variety? Yes, sir. Purity, too. And great taste. [music] And it's all wrapped up in little packages of happiness made by Beechnut in Holland, Michigan and brought to you everywhere. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Sometimes in your search for happiness, you ponder the meaning of your life. You sift your memory for beginnings. You send your mind ahead for directions. But all you really know is now. And you are lost in the present. Who am I? How did I come to be? Time, where does it take me? Toward death? And then what? Where did I come from? To understand why you are here, you must first understand your beginnings. At birth, you did not suddenly flare into existence out of nowhere. You have always lived. In [music] pre-earth life, you were with your heavenly Father. There, as his spirit sons and daughters, you lived until you were ready to come to Earth. As the poet Wordsworth said, "Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting. The soul that rises with us, our life's star, hath had elsewhere its setting and cometh from afar. Not in entire forgetfulness and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home." Upon entering mortal life, >> [music] >> the memory of your life before birth was blotted out that you might live by faith and further prepare for the everlastingness of life. This mortal body, in which your spirit now dwells, is subject to pain, to difficulties, to death. For it is through opposition that you grow in strength of character. [music] You must know pain to appreciate well-being, difficulties to develop courage, death to understand eternal life. You, then, whoever you are, are related not only to every person upon this Earth who lives, who has [music] lived, who will yet live, but to God, the Father of us all, and to his Son, our Savior. [clears throat] With your acceptance of the responsibility of Earth life, you were given a wondrous mortal body [music] in the likeness of God. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. >> [crying] [music] [music] >> As sons and daughters of God, is it any wonder that you are an eternal part of his plan and purpose? And coming from such a noble heritage, that you have possibilities far beyond your greatest dreams. Be assured that your personal search [music] for happiness has real purpose. Be assured that your life [music] is worth living. Life offers you two precious gifts. One is time. The other, freedom of choice. The freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. >> [music] >> You may invest it in greed. >> [music] >> You may purchase with it vanity. You may spend your time in pursuit of material things. >> [music] >> Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are no bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction. >> [music] [music] >> Every day, every hour, every minute of your span of mortal years must be accounted for. And it is in this life that you walk by faith and prove yourself able to choose good over evil, >> [music] >> right over wrong, enduring happiness over mere amusement. And your [music] eternal reward will be according to your choosing. >> [music] >> A prophet of God has said, >> [music] >> "Men are that they might have joy." A joy that includes a fullness of life, a life dedicated to service, to love and harmony in the home, and the fruits of honest [music] toil, an acceptance of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of its requirements and commandments. Only in these will [music] you find true happiness, the happiness which doesn't fade with the lights and the music and the crowds. >> [music] [music] >> God has placed you on Earth without memory of your pre-mortal past. But he hasn't left [music] you without hope or without faith in life after death. This he has promised you. "I am the resurrection and the life. [music] He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." One of the best attested facts of sacred history is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus [music] Christ. Three days following his crucifixion, the disciples were gathered together, as recorded in scripture. >> [music] [music] >> Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, came Jesus [music] and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you." >> [music] >> And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. >> [music] >> Just as you lived before mortal birth, just as you now live in this life, so through the love and sacrifice of your Savior do you continue to live after death. >> [music] >> Like every member of the human race, you were born and you must die. Your birth is a matter of record. You take it for granted. [music] But death, that uncertain door that leads ahead, has been for man an awesome mystery. >> [music] >> Life's greatest test comes with the death of a loved one. And without faith in the immortality of the soul, >> [music] >> the separation of death looms forever comfortless. After death, though your mortal body lies in the Earth, you, your spirit self, being eternal, continue to live. Your memory of this life will remain with you. And the knowledge of your life before birth will be restored. Like coming out of a darkened room into the light, through death, you will emerge into a place of reawakening and find loved ones waiting to welcome you. >> [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> So, here you are on Earth with no memory [music] of what went before and only faith to whisper what comes after. Be assured that you are here not by accident or chance [music] but as part of a glorious everlasting plan. By a still small voice within you and through revelation to his appointed [music] prophets God, our eternal father, guides the affairs of his children today as in the past. In 1830, God reestablished his church and restored the fullness of his gospel once more among men through a modern prophet Joseph Smith. By revelation, our savior made known again the plan of salvation and exaltation. [music] Salvation comes as a gift to every man through Jesus the Christ. But exaltation, [music] which is the highest of eternal opportunities you must earn. It is not enough just to believe in Jesus Christ. You must work and learn, search and pray [music] repent and improve know his laws and live them. This is the way to peace and happiness and the fullness of everlasting life. It is your heavenly father's way. We invite you to explore it, to test it to pray and search and seriously consider. Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good. Only if you are unafraid of truth can you find it. But it leads to limitless opportunities >> [music] >> with your loved ones with you always and forever. Therein lies your happiness, a happiness deeper than passing [music] pleasure a happiness beyond the understanding of man a happiness not of the moment but of eternity. This is every man's search. This is the purpose of life. This is the key to happiness. For the God and father of us all has said this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. >> [music] >> Ah, it's summertime again and the open road is calling. Calling vacation-minded motorists to the seashore and the lake to the mountain parks and playgrounds. All over the nation, more people than ever before are eager to enjoy new sights visit new scenes from moss-covered bayous in the deep warm south to the rugged rock-bound coast of Maine. This year, the travel experts tell us, Americans on vacation will spend $5 billion and they'll soon be and they'll soon be spending $10 billion a year. Most of that money will be spent along the nation's highways and a big slice of those billions of dollars will jingle into the cash registers of thousands of SO dealers. How much of that money goes into your pocket depends not only on you yourself but on all your fellow SO dealers. Here, for example, is John Smith and his family. Typical American motorists enjoying a long-deferred vacation on the road. The Smiths have come all the way from California. They've never been in the East before. They want to see all they can and they're going to do it right. They've planned their whole trip carefully ahead. They'll see Niagara Falls, the mountains and lakes of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, the coast of Maine New York City Pennsylvania, the nation's capital the world-famed Blue Ridge Parkway and Smoky Mountains the Carolinas and west again through Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. In short, the Smiths are going to travel almost 5,000 miles through territory where SO dealers are ready and eager to serve them. That 5,000 miles is going to cost some money. Smith takes good care of his car gets regular 1,000-mile oil changes, chassis lubrication and other services. Somewhere along the line, he's figuring on a new set of tires. So, during the summer, SO dealers along Smith's route should collect a minimum of $165 from this one motorist for the bare essentials of driving even if he buys no accessories or mechanical services of any kind. But how do we know that Smith is going to spend that money with SO dealers? He's never even seen an SO dealer station before today. Well, we can almost bet on it. And here's why. In Smith's pocket is a credit card which he has used all the way from California. In SO marketer's territory, it's good at SO dealer station. But that's not the only reason. Last night, just after Smith entered SO marketer's territory he picked up a local paper in his hotel and read a real selling advertisement about SO products and SO dealers. This morning, he saw a big SO poster beside the highway. And right now, he and his family are listening to the SO reporter program on their car radio. This year is going to be different. Once again, you can look forward to a mighty pleasant summer. But take no chances on spoiling your summer by neglecting your car. Make a service date with your SO dealer now for his expert checkup and oil change. Make sure that you'll enjoy the days of happy motoring ahead. And now, within a few minutes all this advertising, all this carefully designed program to bring business to SO dealers is going to prove its effectiveness. Because John Smith is almost out of gasoline. And naturally, he's looking for the first sign that will identify an SO dealer. Ah, there it is. And now for a sample of that swell SO dealer service. This snappy-looking station belongs to dealer Joe McGoo. Joe is right on his toes this morning ready to give his customers a real bang-up SO dealer order service. As Smith pulls into the driveway, Joe hurries out so as to be ready at the pump island as soon as the car comes to a stop. He knows that getting to the island fast is the very best way in the world to please a new customer and get his order of service off to a good start. Stepping briskly up to the car, Joe greets the customer with a big smile and immediately starts to clean the windshield on the driver's side. As he finishes cleaning the windshield, Joe flashes that big smile of his again and pops that all-important question about filling the tank with SO extra. Listen. How many? Joe's snappy service is irresistible. His cheery attitude is contagious. 5 gallon. While Joe is filling the tank with SO extra, he wipes off the rear window, an added touch of service which every driver always appreciates. Afterwards, of course, he finishes cleaning the windshield on the right side of the car. Then he asks the driver, still with that big old McGoo smile to release the hood catch so that he can check the water and oil. How's the oil? Okay, I guess. How much? $1 even. Nice selling, McGoo. Joe really knows how to get the most out of a new prospect. Hmm, seems to be a little family consultation going on. Wonder what it could be about. Oh, of course, the restroom. Just pull up ahead there, says Joe, and help yourself. Joe knows that motorists especially tourists away from home frequently use service station restrooms because there is no other convenient place to go. He knows that offering clean restrooms helps his business. That's why he always keeps his restrooms spotless and sanitary and well equipped with every convenience for the traveler. Daddy there aren't any more towels here. Just a second, son. I'll get you some paper. Okay. Uh-oh. Bobby are you sure there aren't any paper towels out there? Not even one? No, Daddy. Never mind. I'll wipe it on my pants. Oh, Mommy, how can I wash my hands of any soap? Well, I'd rather you didn't wash your hands at all in that filthy basin. We'll ask Daddy to stop someplace else. Okay. Joe is always glad to have people stop in the restrooms for a few minutes. It gives them a chance to check their tires and battery. Maybe dust out the floor of the car. Any one of a dozen little extra services that will please customers and bring them back again. It often leads to sales of accessories or other services. What am I saying? Or rather, what is Mr. Smith say? Happy motoring, nut. So, there goes another happy motor. And with him go at least 164 good United States American dollars out of the pockets of Joe Magoo's fellow dealers from Maine to Louisiana. That nice-looking pile of dough that John Smith had already earmarked to spend at the SO dealer sign has shrunk away. Dried up in a few brief minutes to one. Count it. One single buck. Today, no dealer can afford to lose a single customer. And no business can survive without getting new customers. Whether your own station is big or little, old-fashioned or strictly modern, you can't get profit out of it unless you get motorists into it. Everything else being equal, the most attractive-looking station will pull in the most cars. So, appearance is vitally important to your business. The motorist who considers driving in often makes a split-second decision based on the general appearance of the station. Whether those split-second decisions are in your favor may, to a large extent, decide your success or failure. Be sure to check the appearance of your station from all directions. Does the driver coming down the side street get an attractive view like this? Or does the view suggest that you might be planning to operate a junkyard on the side? Your driveway is the entrance to your business. The more attractive you make it for customers to get in, the better your chance of increasing business. Clean, wide driveways in good repair are an invitation to enter that few motorists will refuse. But almost any driver will think twice before going over this kind of an approach to reach your pumps. By the time he thinks twice, he is probably on his way to another station. A condition like this calls for an immediate repair job. Gravel or cinder driveways should be raked frequently to remove refuse and keep the surface smooth and inviting to the motorist. Inevitably, oil spots will occur on driveway. Such spots are unsightly, and accidents can easily occur from slipping or skidding on oil or grease. Remove them promptly with one of the cleaning compounds made for the purpose. Do not use gasoline. The use of any inflammable liquid is a dangerous fire hazard. On gravel driveways, spilled oil or grease should be raked into the surface or scraped up and removed. All curbs should be whitewashed after every rainy period and as often as is needed in between times. The materials are cheap and easy to use, but do the job carefully. Don't spatter brickwork or other places adjacent to the curbs. A careful whitewashing job adds pep and sparkle to the appearance of the whole station. In most stations, the fences or walls around the yard occupy a prominent part of the picture. Fences in good repair, freshly painted or at least clean, brighten up the view. Pickets seldom become damaged, but when they do, the installation of new ones is a simple job which you can do yourself or have done by a local carpenter. A snappy white background sets off the bright colors of your product sign. Pulls the eye to the selling messages they carry. Product signs should be wiped off daily or as often as needed. To make them easier to clean, go over them occasionally with New Trend. The hard wax finish will protect the surface, make them brighter, and more easily readable from a distance. Keep your identification looking its best. If the pole and signs are clean, they suggest good care, the kind of care a motorist wants for his own car. Credit card and sterile seat signs should be shined up regularly. Seasonal or special campaign signs should be taken down when their appearance is such as to hurt rather than help your sales. And your regular product signs should be replaced by new ones long before they reach a condition like this. You can't blame careful drivers who steer away from sites like these and go hunting for more inviting stations. This is a swell way to advertise careless operation and indifferent service. Perspective customers will appreciate the tip-off. If you have lawn or landscaping, give it frequent attention. Grass strips should be kept free from litter by daily policing. Nothing advertises poor operation quicker than neglected landscaping. Shrubs, flower beds, and decorative planting must be watered and cared for regularly. The station office itself occupies a central part of the picture both as the motorist approaches and after he drives in. Except for infrequent painting, many dealers give their buildings little or no attention. But a neglected building is salesmanship in reverse, a warning to prospective buyers. A treatment with soap and water or a mild paint cleaning compound will often make dirty woodwork look like new again. A little fresh paint will cover up stains or surface damage that cleaning won't remove. Awnings that are faded, torn, or damaged should be repaired or renewed promptly. Bad-looking awnings may detract seriously from an otherwise good-looking building. The station that shows care and attention, clean walls and windows, clean curbs and walks, polished metalwork, not only invites the motorist in, but encourages him to take his time and make himself at home. Making a motorist feel like that is the first requisite of good salesmanship. And that brings us from the motorist to one of the most significant spots of all, the most important from a business point of view, the pump island where your real selling job is done. Here's the spot where customers get a good close-up view of you and your station. They're right at the point of sale where the impression created may either win or lose business. Here's a real business-getting pump island. Everything is spick-and-span. Curbs are freshly whitewashed, pumps are polished up till they shine. Water buckets are full and properly placed. Check your island carefully. Your own eyes will tell you what should be done to improve it. For instance, this curb could be whitewashed with a few minutes' work, vastly improving the appearance of the whole island. The empty drum for used oil cans should be freshly painted. Waxing your pumps pays dividends. It improves their appearance, protects the finish, and makes them easier to keep clean with a simple wipe-off every day. Lack of care not only accelerates deterioration of mechanical equipment, but robs you of its display value. Remember that your pumps are not merely dispensers of your products, they advertise these products as well and form an important part of your station identification. Where price signs must be displayed on pumps, rusted or damaged signs make a bad impression. New ones are inexpensive to buy from any service station supply house and with proper care will last a long time. Battered and unpainted water buckets suggest sloppy service. Why give your customers such an impression when a bit of paint and a few minutes' work make all the difference in the world? Give careful thought to the display value of everything the motorist can see. A can rack in this condition is bad merchandising. Clean packaged goods, but attractively displayed, improve sales in any business. And when a customer drives in, don't forget the view he or she gets of you. From the moment you step up to the car, your own appearance will help to win or lose business, to keep motorists away after a single visit or make them Do you think this kind of a getup appeals to the man or woman who drives a good car, has a nice home, trades with modern stores, and judges other men and women largely on their personal appearance? Of course not. You would rather do business with a man like this. And so do the vast majority of motorists, who also prefer to do business with a well-dressed, clean, and efficient-looking SO dealer. While you're waiting on a customer, he or she has a chance to do a little window shopping. Empty, ill-kept windows are a sure sign of negligent merchandising. They offer nothing, sell nothing, suggest nothing except poor salesmanship and slovenly management. Clean, well-ordered displays, on the other hand, put an SO dealer in line with the other live merchants in his town. Windows like these pave the way for the sale of accessories and services in the extra profit department, the part of the business that means the difference between successful operation and just getting by. Displays should be changed at least once a month, every 2 weeks if possible. Professional window display services are available and are used by SO dealers in many localities. If you prefer to dress your own windows, a few simple tools and accessories will make the job easy. Crepe paper, corrugated board in various colors, a few stands, boxes, or shelves are all you need to make decorative backgrounds. Many dealers keep their windows up-to-date by purchasing the monthly SO window display material, especially designed to make the job easier and more effective. These plus products and a A time and ingenuity will give you selling windows that suggest a prosperous, well-stocked place. The kind where people like to buy. What the motorist sees from his car also includes your lubrication bay. A view like this will sell him on the fact that your equipment and service is tops. While a view like this will send him somewhere else for lubrication, another extra profit service. If a closer view reveals a dirty, greasy floor, an oily lift, dirty rags, the customer can easily imagine his tires covered with rubber-eating oil, his steering wheel smeared, and upholstery spotted. You can tell a motorist you have special tools to handle every part of his car, but can you blame him if he wonders where you keep them hidden? No, he's very likely to decide he hasn't time to leave the car this week. Just ring up no sale. But if your lube department looks good, your prospect will readily believe that you can do a bang-up job. He sees clean floor and lift, clean rags and fender covers as evidence, stock shelves in apple pie order, bulk oil dispensers clean and clearly labeled, tools clean and in place. Floors, lifts, and pits free from grease and dirt not only make a good impression on your customers, but eliminate serious hazards as well. Many a bad accident has resulted from slipping on a greasy floor or falling on the stairs or floor of a dirty pit. Everything and everything in its place isn't just a catchy saying. It's a formula which should be strictly followed. A mess of tools like this means wasted time on almost every job. Everything in its place is the first rule in any well-run lubrication department. When time is money, keeping your working equipment in good order means less work and lower cost per job, and a better job for your customer. Special tools properly displayed make your lubrication department look efficient and businesslike. An attractive display of tire tools increases the customer's opinion of your ability to handle his tires. Everything you have to perform special extra profit services should be kept scrupulously clean and well displayed. Evidence of good equipment for any job will cut your selling effort in half. The same applies to your office and salesroom, the place where the motorist frequently does business with you when he steps out of his car. How many times in your travels have you stepped into service stations whose business office looks like this or even worse? An office that looks businesslike not only gives your customers more confidence in dealing with you, but makes it far easier for you to handle your follow-up system and all the other paperwork that you have to do. Show your customers what you have to sell, and show it attractively. Good merchandising methods give your customers a better opinion of your station. The restrooms may not seem important to you, but impartial surveys among motorists definitely prove that they are important to your customers and your business. And the fact that you offer a clean restroom is frequently the reason for a driver to choose your station instead of some other. Entrances to restrooms should be clearly marked. It may be very embarrassing, particularly to women, to have to ask where the restroom is. A woman driver looking for a well-kept and sanitary restroom would certainly pass up a station displaying a sign like this. A customer, from force of necessity, may go into a restroom that he knows, even from the outside, will not be clean, but he's not likely to come back. No one can estimate how many customers have been lost to careless dealers through the discomfort and disgust caused by foul-smelling, neglected toilet bowls. Imagine the feelings of a man confronted by unsightly refuse like this on a restroom floor. A dirty restroom is compared by motorists not only to the cleanliness of their own homes, but to the well-kept restrooms of other SO dealers. If you come out on the short end of such comparisons, it's bad business. The easy way to keep your restrooms in order is to get each room thoroughly, spotlessly clean to start with, and then keep it that way. Start with the walls. Most painted walls can be washed with soap and water or a mild cleaning compound, and clean walls make all the difference between a room that looks run-down and one that's well cared for. Floors should be scrubbed and mopped clean. This is an easy job when done every day, but a tough job if you let it go for longer periods. Linoleum floors should be waxed to keep them bright and protect the finish. Every piece of porcelain and metalwork should get a real bang-up job of cleaning. The bowl and all fixtures and accessories must look and be as sanitary and safe as it's possible to make them. The washbasin is frequently used and must be frequently scoured to keep it spotless. See that soap dispensers are clean, that they are filled, and that they work well. Be sure all other supplies are checked frequently and replaced promptly when used up. A very important item often overlooked is adequate lighting. Dusty and fly-specked fixtures and lamps must be frequently cleaned. Don't try to save pennies by using too small a lamp. Larger lamps make rooms look cleaner and brighter. Here's a room lighted with a 25-W lamp. Notice the difference when it's lighted with a 60-W lamp. Many dealers add accessories to their restrooms which give customers added comfort and convenience. For instance, paper cups for drinking water are heartily appreciated by thirsty motorists. Cleanliness is not a matter of expensive equipment or installation. A small, inexpensive restroom can be kept just as clean as a fancy modern one. Once you're satisfied that your restrooms are in as perfect shape as you can get them, don't let it go at that. Check them regularly, at least every 2 hours. Many dealers make it a policy to check restrooms after each time that they are used just to make sure that everything is in order. This is a wise precaution. There's always the guy who uses four or five towels instead of one, and has a poor batting average when it comes to hitting the wastebasket. There's the smoker who always uses your freshly mopped floor as an ashtray or a spittoon. You felt sorry for the guy who had to change a tire down the road until you discovered that he left most of the road on your washbasin. Then there are the decorative souvenirs left by Mr. and Mrs. Germ Chaser who think a lot about protecting themselves, but never seem to worry about the next fellow. Dealers often find worse things than these, too, but they are better imagined than illustrated on the motion picture screen. Careful dealers have found that the cleaner they keep their restrooms, the more cooperation they get from the motoring public. A friendly sign like this is a good reminder to your customer. The service station business is entering a new period of keen, aggressive competition, and SO marketers' advertising is going all out to bring more and more motorists to SO dealer stations. Radio is reaching a new high in telling motorists about SO product and SO dealers. Last year, the SO Reporter broadcast more than 50,000 selling messages. Outdoor advertising will be increased. Posters like these have won many advertising awards for ideas and designs, and their business-getting power has been proved on every highway. Striking new posters are coming up, designs selected and pretested for proved effectiveness. New locations are being added at carefully chosen spots so that these big posters and painted bulletins will bring your message to the motorist on the road when the performance of his car is foremost in his mind. Last year, SO ads appeared in almost 800 daily and weekly newspapers. This wide and effective coverage will continue. Ads like these reach your own buying public through your own local papers. They urge motorists to visit SO dealers for seasonal checkups and all their other needs. They tell your prospects that your sign is a sign of happy motoring. For your own selected prospects and customers, there's a direct mail program covering every season and every motoring need. Thousands of dealers have already signed up for this colorful, personalized, direct way of reaching the best prospects in their neighborhood. Bring their own sales messages to their own selected list of motorists. And in 1946, there will be 10 million new SO road maps. These maps help the SO dealer create customer goodwill and bring to the motorist's eyes more advertising for SO dealer service. SO Road News is back again, too, another goodwill builder for your customer. And SO Touring Service offices have increased staff to handle the rush of motorists requesting vacation maps and information. It all adds up to one thing, more and more motorists headed for SO dealer stations. But if those new prospects get the old Joe Magoo treatment as their first introduction to SO dealer service, all the advertising in the world can't make them like it. All that Joe Magoo or any other dealer has to do to cash in on SO marketers' advertising and sales promotion is to give his customers the kind of treatment and service they expect to receive when they stop at the SO sign. A cheerful greeting when they come in, a prompt, complete order of service covering everything the car needs for safe and efficient driving. Helpful suggestions on touring for those away from home. Clean, sanitary restrooms for their comfort and convenience. And a few words to show that their patronage is genuinely welcome and appreciated. Nice selling, Magoo. Now you're really on the beam. For you and your fellow dealers, it's good business. For your customers, it's happy motoring ahead. >> [music] [music]