Voltage-controlled steel claw strength ＂catching dolls＂ behind the excitement is ＂cats are tired＂
"I like this chinchilla so much that I caught it here at least 30 times and finally caught it … …” A scream in Queen&Dolls Store of Xidan Warwick attracted the attention of all players … …
Like Warwick, now, in shopping malls, cinemas, and even in the streets and alleys, the "catching dolls" that have been hidden in the snow for more than ten years are back in the rivers and lakes.
"Catch the doll" is on fire. Is it behind the profit-seeking hype of the merchants or the pastime of the citizens to fill the debris time? To this end, the reporter walked into a number of "catch dolls" stores with questions.
Sixty or seventy doll machines at the scene were all crowded.
Walk into the 4th floor of Youanmen Wangfujing Department Store. In the middle of a dining area, six or seven doll machines placed in the aisle have become the biggest hot spot here, and there are a bunch of people around each machine.
"A little to the left, a little lower … …” Push, grab! The players are absorbed, while the spectators are holding their fists and holding their hands.
"Look, this machine has to lean a little to the side to catch it." On the edge, a mother was carrying a bunch of newly caught dolls in one hand, holding the child in the other, and giving directions on the "trick" of catching dolls.
Queen&Dolls of Xidan Warwick can be regarded as a famous doll catching shop in Beijing. The store is more lively. Sixty or seventy doll machines are probably taken. In the store, the player’s exclamation is also continuous.
"I aim, wow!" At the last moment of the 30-second countdown, a caught chinchilla fell into the exit. Yang Qiu jumped up happily. "I love this chinchilla. I caught it here for thirty times!" " Hugging the newly caught totoro, Yang Qiu changed another doll machine and started a new round of "fighting" next to his companion. At this time, the bag she was carrying was full of pink panthers, relaxed bears and other dolls, a total of seven.
After several days’ visits, the reporter found that there were more than ten "doll machines" in Xidan, Chongwenmen, Xinzhongguan and Dahongmen, and more than half of them were hot, only a few small shops were "cold" and the venue was empty. During the reporter’s half-hour wandering, I saw only spectators, but no one consumed them.
"The dolls in this shop are not good-looking, so don’t catch them here." In front of a doll-catching shop in a shopping mall in Zhongguancun, two little girls took a look at the doll and left.
The front desk staff of Queen&Dolls told reporters that there are a lot of people in shops with large scale, good location and good dolls. Like this store, it is the peak passenger flow from Friday night to the whole weekend. It is a common situation that more than 2000 people go to the store to recharge their cards in one afternoon. The reporter also found that in an hour and a half, the people who came to the front desk to recharge their money never stopped, and sometimes they had to wait in line for a while.
Yang Qiu, an old player, told reporters, "This store is quite famous. Many dolls are new and hot, such as flamingo and Peggy the pig. In addition, the variety of dolls here has changed rapidly, and a batch of new dolls will be available in seven or eight days. Some of them can’t be seen outside, but they can’t be bought. So, we sisters have been playing together for a year. Sometimes it’s very enjoyable to play for hours or even all day. "
Yang Qiu quietly told reporters that it would be too valuable to catch one at a time, but my totoro caught it thirty times, and it would cost more than 100 yuan. From the price point of view, it is a loss, but I like it and I am happy!
The reporter learned that this store needs to buy a card at the front desk to charge points, each point is one yuan, and it takes up to five points to catch a doll, and the recharge is not lower than that in 20 yuan. For example, a chinchilla caught by Yang Qiu is to catch 5 points at a time, and catching it more than 30 times means that it costs at least 150 yuan to catch it.
Heart disease, more than 100 yuan, new favorite, instant garbage.
Captured "dolls" have become new pets in people’s homes, but their quality has become their "heart disease" from time to time.
The reporter found a rule. In the doll machine that few people care about, the dolls’ "faces" are mostly uneven, and there are few models. Most of them have many threads and asymmetrical bodies, and some of them have moved their five senses in the wrong place.
"The quality of dolls is uneven. If you play well for a few years, the poor ones will soon be scattered as soon as they are taken out. This ‘ Garbage ’ I have to find a place to throw it away. " Chang Jie, an old customer who has played for more than ten years, said.
Chang Jie still remembers that not long ago, when she took her 3-year-old daughter to stroll around a shopping mall near Xiaoxitian, she took her children to play with dolls in order to make her happy.
In fact, the quality of the dolls in those machines is quite average. If I were myself, I would definitely not play here, but I can’t stand the children’s love. "What Ms. Chang didn’t expect was that her daughter was more competitive with a machine. If she couldn’t catch it, she wouldn’t move her nest. As a result, it took more than 100 yuan to catch one.
Spend more than 100 yuan, but my daughter picked up the doll a little and her head fell off. At this, my daughter almost cried with a wide mouth. I cajoled her and made a wish to take her to a good shop to play, which was enough. Finally, even the little guy said that he would never come again.
It is an open "cat tired" to control the grabbing rate behind it.
Catching dolls has a long history and has been silent in Beijing for more than ten years. In the past year or two, it suddenly became popular again. What is the "cat tired" and what is hidden behind its popularity? With so many stores popping up suddenly, how big is the "profit" … …
"Don’t think that catching dolls is simple, it is a game that children can play. Actually, I really want to catch one. It’s not that easy. Let’s say a fact that everyone knows, the grabbing rate and the strength of the steel claw of the doll machine can be adjusted. See which machine is too easy to catch, and the merchant will ‘ Manipulate ’ Hook you, this ‘ Tricky ’ Even the merchants themselves admit it. " Chang Jie said.
The reporter learned that there are two main business models of doll machine, one is business model and the other is selling model. In the business mode, the merchant sets the grab probability of the doll machine. If the grab rate is set to 30, it means that one of the 30 consecutive grabs can be caught. The strength of the steel claw can be controlled by adjusting the voltage, and there are generally two settings: strong grip and weak grip. If it is a weak grip, it takes almost 50 times to get one, and the lowest one is 200 times. The grasping process is divided into two stages: grabbing the doll and transporting the doll. These two stages of grasping force can be set in sections. If the strong grasping force is set to two seconds, the doll will be turned into a weak grasping force after two seconds, so that the doll will fall in mid-air, which will easily cause customers’ desire to play the game again by continuously throwing coins.
The selling mode is that the merchants price the dolls. When the consumers spend the priced amount on the same machine and haven’t caught the dolls, they can directly get the dolls, which is equivalent to "buying" the dolls. For example, if the doll is priced as a 80 yuan in the machine, it will cost two yuan to catch it once, and the consumer will put in the coin for 30 times in a row, and the time interval between each coin insertion will not exceed 60 seconds, then the consumer will definitely get the doll.
So, what is the cost and profit of catching dolls?
According to the merchant, if you join the company, the joining fee will be 10,000 yuan, the area of the joining shop will need at least 30 square meters, and the amount of machines will need to be more than 10. Generally, different models of large, medium and small are put together, and the average price of each machine is 6000 yuan. Medium-sized models are more common, and the number of dolls placed in one machine is roughly 45. Dolls vary in price according to their quality, size and type, averaging about one 7 yuan. Not counting the venue rent and labor costs, judging from the 30-square-meter franchise store, the initial investment is about 100,000 yuan. Under normal circumstances, the return period is 6 to 8 months.
The reporter also calculated an account. If you need 3 yuan to catch a doll once, you can catch it 20 times, that is, 60 yuan catches a doll. According to the merchants, the cost of a doll in 7 yuan, in terms of gross profit, is about seven times. Although it does not include the venue rent and operation and maintenance costs of the merchants, it can almost be regarded as "profiteering".
Experts catch dolls as a new hot spot of consumption
Why did catching dolls reappear after years of cold silence and be sought after in these two years? The reporter interviewed Lai Yang, vice president of Beijing Business Economics Association, seeking the answer.
Lai Yang said that the rise of catching dolls is related to the changes in consumer demand. Since the necessities of life can basically be realized through the Internet at present, people go shopping more for fun. Catching dolls is a very suitable object to play, which is a supplement to the gap in fragmented time consumption. Secondly, consumers reflect the trend of community, and many people like to share their dolls in the "circle of friends" in order to gain recognition and a sense of accomplishment among their peers. The improvement of citizens’ spending power makes everyone more willing to put extra energy and pocket money into leisure and entertainment. Catching dolls is a relatively small expense, and everyone has enough spending power to participate in this game.
In addition, the low operating threshold, low operation and maintenance cost and high consumer acceptance of catching dolls have made a large amount of capital flood into the industry. In the process of catching dolls being sought after, businesses are also catering to consumers’ preferences, and combining the hot animation elements to create dolls, which enhances the attractiveness of dolls.
Is catching dolls a profiteering industry? Laiyang believes that this is indeed an industry with relatively high gross profit margin, but it should also be considered in terms of channel cost, labor cost and rent. For example, in the market, industries similar to catching dolls have also appeared, and there are indeed cases where the cost of some consumer goods is only 100 yuan, but the price can reach 7800 or even thousands.
Finally, Lai Yang suggested that new things are emerging one after another, such as mini KTV, orange juice press, massage chairs and so on. In the future, if new projects meet the characteristics of this kind of products, they may also become the next outlet and new consumption hotspots.
News background was a popular game a hundred years ago.
The history of doll catching machine can be traced back to the early 20th century. During the Great Depression, this machine that won daily necessities such as pipes, lighters, purses and even cash at a small price was popular in the United States. In the early years, the game halls were mainly electronic games such as fighting, shooting, racing, chess and cards and sports competitions. The doll machine with simple operation naturally made up for the market demand of women. In the 1990s, some Taiwan, China manufacturers who learned the design and production technology of doll machines from Japan slowly moved their production workshops to Panyu, and then the doll machines entered the China market. Our reporter Li Yiwen and photo J270.