Changing to tokens

[Lauriep]

I am looking for some good advice for my 5 bay self serve and 10 vac site. I have two very old and homemade coin changers for quarters. I want to upgrade to $1.00 tokens and quarter/token combo for vacs. I need two token changers; looking at American changer or Rowe for tokens but no cc card. I am also getting an in wall vending machine to replace laurel vendors that jam and require lots of TLC. This is big outlay and I want to do it right the first time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Also, do tokens get stuck in coin chutes as they are lighter than quarters?

 

[chaz]

Unless you are a high crime area, I'd personally stay away from tokens. That is unless you want to be in the business of selling tokens and not washes. I just don't like the idea of being forced to buy tokens. Have you thought about dispensing US dollar coins?

 

[Sequoia]

Within a year of purchasing my wash in 2005, I installed an American changer (dual hopper) dispensing $1 tokens. I had tokens custom made, with a Sequoia tree design to match my wash, Sequoia Car Wash. I am pleased with the decision and it has worked well. I later added another American changer on the back wall, along with an American credit-card-to-token machine. My experience with all of this has been positive.

I bought a Shurvend glass front vendor, also put on the back wall facing the vacuums. This is the best piece of equipment I have if you measure revenue versus hassle factor. I put vending products in, and take money out. I think I have had two maintenance issues with the Shurvend in nearly 10 years. I had to replace a coil (simple) and had to fix a sometimes-jamming coin acceptor mechanism. Other than that, no problems at all.

Some people dislike tokens and I respect that. But I try to push a $5 car wash, even though my start price is $3. I have gotten many positive comments from customers about the $1 tokens. A $5 bill change into quarters requires fiddling with 20 coins instead of 5, and introduces 20 times of possible coin jams instead of 5. A bonus is money collection. I have small coin vaults, so having 1 coin represent a dollar instead of 4 means I can be more flexible about money collection.

Personally, I admire and like the golden dollars when they are shiny and new. But I would never dispense them. I think those shiny dollar coins being dispensed, and the thought of how many might still be remaining in the machine would represent a potential crime issue I don't want to worry about. btw, the Shurvend does dispense dollar coins as change. If someone puts in a $10 bill and buys a $2 item, they get 8 gold dollars back.

Edit: I suggest having your tokens nickel-plated. A few more cents per coin, but they stay looking new virtually forever.

 

[pgrzes]

I would recommend only dollar value tokens, you will pay about the same price for them but at least you will be making $$ from walkoffs. I just got rid of .25 tokens as I was only breaking even with them. Plus sorting multiple tokens is a pain in the azz. I have 3 american changers. 2 that vend quarters and 1 for tokens. I give an extra token if they use a $5bill, 2 extra for $10bill and 4 extra for a $20 bill.

 

[Stuart]

I only have rowe 1400 changers (4). I like them very much with a couple exceptions.

The bill acceptors need to be cleaned !!constantly!!. You can go with the mars acceptor, however I am told that the bucket escrow usage is bypassed with the mars acceptor. I really like the escrow system. It really reduces the shortchanged customers. also the mars does not separate bills. This is a pain when there is 300 singles with 50plus large denominations mixed in. (there are bill acceptors to help with this too)

It is not set up to add a credit card assy to the unit, I take cc on the bays and a couple of vacs but would like to dispense coin for the air fresh and vending.

I dispense tokens and $c. $1=1 token
$5 = 2 tkn & 3$c a $10 = 4tkn & 6$c and $20 gets double the $10 My bank supplies me with $c that I need 2x a week to restock, not a big deal.

On tokens do not go bigger than the $c. If I did it again I would have gone with the token just smaller than the quarter, I went with the qtr size token .984. Get one brass "colored" (not full brass composition) so you and customers can differentiate coins easily. You will always have coins get stuck in the acceptors. I have used slug buster 2 & 3, sensortron, IDX ma800 and sometime or other a coin will not drop properly.

Hope this helps

 

[Randy]

Tokens are a big move and an expensive move. You’re going to have to visit every car wash, arcade and everywhere else that dispenses tokens and make sure that the token that you’re going to use isn’t being used in you’re your area. You’re going to have to replace your vacuum coin acceptors with a muliti-coin coin acceptor and in your bays if you haven’t done so all ready. I’d recommend that you go with a 1.073 token, contact Dottie at Van Brook http://www.vanbrooktokens.com/ you want to stay away from tokens that are generic, like the 70/30 and the 85/15 alloy tokens. What’s wrong with your bill changers that you think you have to replace them? What kind of guts do they have in them? The best changer you can get is a Hamilton DRS with Mars validators or a Standard Dual MC500RL-DA with Mars validators, whatever changer you go with make sure that they will work with your token. With the Hamilton or the Standard changers it’s easy to add on a USA Technologies G-9 credit card reader to the front of the bill changer.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I don't have tokens but like the idea. Reduces wear and tear on changer and coin mechs, theft from changer, ease of promotions, ability to vend large amounts at a discount for fleet use, etc. and another avenue of profitability.
I would rather have the Turbo Vacs that gives the customer the ability to chose 2 motor vac for $1 or 3 motor vac for $1.25/1.50.
I would only have 1 CS/Scent/Vac machine. My 1 Turbo Vac brings in just as much as any 1 of my 6 CS/Vac combo's with no problems.
I agree with Duane about calling Jim at Shurvend. I would ask him if he has any deals or refurbished vendors.
I would also get a 5 selection Electric Littler Tree vendor.
Ask to change one of the scents to Black Ice. KR has a deal that gives you a starter selection with the purchase of a vendor that brings back at least $1,000 which brings your cost down substantially.

 

[Jason Studer]

I switched to a high security 1.073 dollar token 18 months ago. I pay .28 cents per token, and have had close to 6000 walk off. over $4000 profit for nothing.

I still except quarters and gold dollars in wash, vacs, and vending. Multitron acceptors in all, no issues at all.

I do give bonus tokens for $10 and $20 bills. Just to be nice to that person that only has a $10 or $20. I only give away on average 25 tokens a month.

Less wear and tear on equipment, zero theft, no laundry washers getting quarters to wash, customers seem to spend more, and no counterfits in 18 months.

 

[chaz]

Ah, so you are in the token business, not the CW business.

Curious though, how do tokens provide less wear and tear etc as compared to US dollar coins, that can be used nationwide for purchases.

 

[Jason Studer]

Compared to dispensing quarter, there is a lot of wear and tear if you dispense quarters or quarter value tokens.

My car wash is not in the greatest area, and had issues over and over until I went with tokens only, and now nothing for a 1 1/2 years.

Yes if I can make a dollar on a token while protecting my business from losers, then YES I'm in the token and car wash business. I also own a auto repair business with a spare bay that doesn't get used, I have now rent that bay out, so I guess I'm in the rental business too.

 

[washnvac]

So Chaz--- then you are in the laundry business, the soda machine business, the candy vending machine business, or whatever business people stop by your machines to get quarters or dollars out--and never use the wash. And I bet there are plenty.

Thumbs up to guys that use tokens. I have been using $1 high security tokens since 1997. I have a 100 mile protected radius for my type of token. And 10,000 walk off a year for five washes. That pays for all my changer maintenance. I call that smart business.

 

[Ghetto Wash]

I only have rowe 1400 changers (4). I like them very much with a couple exceptions.

The bill acceptors need to be cleaned !!constantly!!. You can go with the mars acceptor, however I am told that the bucket escrow usage is bypassed with the mars acceptor. I really like the escrow system. It really reduces the shortchanged customers.

I believe you are correct on some Mars conversions for the Rowe, but the Mars conversion made by Rowe for Rowe changers keeps the escrow buckets.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I switched to a high security 1.073 dollar token 18 months ago. I pay .28 cents per token, and have had close to 6000 walk off. over $4000 profit for nothing.

I still except quarters and gold dollars in wash, vacs, and vending. Multitron acceptors in all, no issues at all.

I do give bonus tokens for $10 and $20 bills. Just to be nice to that person that only has a $10 or $20. I only give away on average 25 tokens a month.

Less wear and tear on equipment, zero theft, no laundry washers getting quarters to wash, customers seem to spend more, and no counterfits in 18 months.

Hell I've had years that I didn't make 4 grand in the self service in the whole year, lol.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Curious though, how do tokens provide less wear and tear etc as compared to US dollar coins, that can be used nationwide for purchases.

People don't come to use your changers without using the wash.

 

[chaz]

Sure I have some that come just for change, though that is really not a factor to consider at this point since I now dispense $1 coins issued by the US Government. The vending and laundry machines in my area don't accept dollar coins.

I'm not in the token business. I will not force my customers to buy something (tokens) in order to use my services. At least you token guys should allow walk on US coins in your S/S and Auto.

 

[Jason Studer]

Sure I have some that come just for change, though that is really not a factor to consider at this point since I now dispense $1 coins issued by the US Government. The vending and laundry machines in my area don't accept dollar coins.

I'm not in the token business. I will not force my customers to buy something (tokens) in order to use my services. At least you token guys should allow walk on US coins in your S/S and Auto.

I take quarters, gold dollars, Susan B dollars, and My $1 dollar token in every thing, wash, vacs, vending. I would take pennies, nickels, and dimes if I could.

We agree on this point. Finally.

If you are going to start taking Tokens, you need to accept quarter, and gold dollars, spend the money on a good coin acceptor that will allow for this.

 

[Waxman]

Vending $1 tokens works for me. I accept them ( as well as quarters, credit cards etc) in my bays and vacs. Tokens are smart because you can buy them for less than the $1 that you charge. 4 quarters still cost a dollar. The car wash biz can have some thin profit margins at times, so operators need all the extra profit they can get. For that reason alone, tokens make sense.

As far as "being in the token business", I can't relate to that comment. My customers do not complain about receiving tokens from the changer. They come to wash and vacuum and if they need change they get tokens. It's a non-issue at my wash.

Every time I order more tokens it is because more are gone than I have had returned in the bays and vacs. That's what you call a 'good problem'.

 

[Sequoia]

I have never understood the argument against $1 tokens, although I see it frequently enough to realize I must respect the opposition even though I don't understand it. If a customer visits, and puts $3 in the bill changer and then spends all the coins that drop to wash their vehicle, why is the type of coin an issue? My customers tell me they like only fiddling with three $1 tokens instead of four times that many quarters.

Regarding walk off, I suspect it is really more "drive around." My out-of-town customers don't buy $20 in tokens at once, although some regulars will. After a wash, vac, and vend purchase they have some extra tokens in their console to use on the next visit. So, I *know* I have some quantity of tokens driving around town, waiting to be used. I'm sure some do wander away permanently, but I don't consider that my problem to worry about. I gladly offer to purchase $1 tokens back for cash if anyone requests that.

Regarding a tangential value, my hoppers can hold about 6,000 coins. At about .33 cents per token, I have $2,000 tied up to keep my token hoppers full. If those were dollar coins, it would cost an additional $4,000 to keep the hoppers full-- which is money I can be using in some other way to promote the wash.

I do respect the folks who argue and disagree about tokens. I just don't understand it.

 

[washnvac]

Sequoia just made a fantastic point. There are those car wash tokens laying in the cup holder or tray, reminding customers to pay your wash a visit soon. There is an advertising value with that alone. What it is worth- I do not know. But every time they glance at the tokens, it should remind them to make a wash visit (IMO).

We, as well, take quarters & dollars.