When I was working at the crummy little hardware store in the next town, we didn't have a wire counter. We had markings on the floor every ten feet, and someone would stand on an end. They re-did the floors, and I ended up making one using the wheel and counter from one of those rolling measuring things (I forget what it's technically called, but it's a wheel on a stick, about 1' in diameter, you walk with it and it will measure the distance). I used another rubber wheel as a pinch roller, and some sheet metal on the sides where the wire went in. It was cheap, effective, and made mty life easier.
