Like many of you, during this coin shortage I am losing most of my quarters to the street. We have a three bay wash with three vacuums and a D/M vending machine. The wash bays use Sensortron coin validators that have the gauge coin installed in the mechanism. One vacuum uses Microcoin QL and the other two use MA-800 Multi Xeptor coin validators. The vacuums can be reprogrammed to accept whatever your drop through it, I would be limited to only tokens in the Sensortrons in the wash bays. I have seen posts where you blend quarters with tokens and I don't understand the benefit of that - I would like to set the pulses so one token equals 50 cents so I am not losing monies in the event someone drives off with the 30 cent tokens. Please share you thoughts, pros/cons, success/failure using the tokens.
Converting to Tokens
- Thread starter WBNTEXAS
- Start date
The reason that some operators blend tokens is to prevent people from using the change machines to get change to use somewhere else while still not upsetting customers who may not want tokens. The couple tokens they get can be used on today's visit and they leave with money in their pocket, not tokens.
If you decide to go tokens, go with $1 tokens. If you go with 50 cent tokens, I think you will regret it.
Personally, I would swap the Sensortrons for Microcoin QL acceptors. That gives you a lot more flexibility. You can accept your tokens and any quarters that the customer brings with them.
My bays accept quarters, dollar coins and $1 tokens. We dispense dollar coins from the changers so we haven't had any issues with coins being lost to the street.
David
If you decide to go tokens, go with $1 tokens. If you go with 50 cent tokens, I think you will regret it.
Personally, I would swap the Sensortrons for Microcoin QL acceptors. That gives you a lot more flexibility. You can accept your tokens and any quarters that the customer brings with them.
My bays accept quarters, dollar coins and $1 tokens. We dispense dollar coins from the changers so we haven't had any issues with coins being lost to the street.
David
Thanks David, Please explain why I would regret tokens at 50 cents?
You want to value your tokens at a $1.00 anything less is just plain dumb. Go all $1.00 tokens, no discounts for a $10 or a $20. By going to a dollar token and lets say your tokens cost .30 each so for every $1.00 token you lose your going to make .70, it’s kind of like selling a car and not giving it to buyer, we lose around 10,000 tokens a year. Get tokens for all your competitors and a bunch of different samples from Van Brooke. Get a high quality secure token, one that no one in your area is using. Do a lot of research and be prepared to spend some big money, high quality tokens aren’t cheap and you’ll need some multi-coin coin acceptors. Mixing cheap .25 tokens in with your changer is just plain dumb. When you lose them you’re not going to make hardly anything from the loss tokens and you’re going to piss off a lot of people. Do it right from the start and go all $1.00 tokens. I’ve got a changer customer who values his tokens at $2.50 each, he only accepts $10’s and $20’s in his changer. When he loses tokens and he loses a lot he’s made a pretty good return on his lost tokens.
MEP001
Well-known member
I'm dispensing tokens valued at a quarter so I can just mix them in. I used to be able to throw 100 tokens in with the 9600 quarters the changer holds and it prevented abuse, but my last 100 tokens were gone in a week, along with about 8000 quarters. I recently ordered 10,000 tokens and mixed 1000 in with the quarters which has stopped the abuse. They cost 17¢ each including sales tax and shipping, so I'm still coming out ahead with every token that disappears.
The advantage of this over $1 tokens:
I don't have to sort anything, I can just dump them right back into the changer.
Customers have enough trouble understanding that the tokens are equivalent to a quarter, so I don't have to educate them about $1 tokens (They don't even know what US dollar coins are).
My start-up price is $1.50 so no one feels like they're being ripped off having to put in $2.
My vendors are mechanical, so I just had to replace the coin mech insert with one that handles quarters and .984 tokens.
I'm not accepting $1 coins because I'd have to sort them out, and they jam the changer when they make it through. No one around here gives $1 coins for change anyway, and if I needed them I'd have to pay $535 for a box of 500.
At some point I'll probably switch one side of the changer to dispense $1 tokens, and I'll most likely give bonus payout, but the 25¢ token was quick, cheap, and effective to prevent abuse.
The advantage of this over $1 tokens:
I don't have to sort anything, I can just dump them right back into the changer.
Customers have enough trouble understanding that the tokens are equivalent to a quarter, so I don't have to educate them about $1 tokens (They don't even know what US dollar coins are).
My start-up price is $1.50 so no one feels like they're being ripped off having to put in $2.
My vendors are mechanical, so I just had to replace the coin mech insert with one that handles quarters and .984 tokens.
I'm not accepting $1 coins because I'd have to sort them out, and they jam the changer when they make it through. No one around here gives $1 coins for change anyway, and if I needed them I'd have to pay $535 for a box of 500.
At some point I'll probably switch one side of the changer to dispense $1 tokens, and I'll most likely give bonus payout, but the 25¢ token was quick, cheap, and effective to prevent abuse.
1. If your start up price is $1.50 the customer has to pony up 2 quarters with the $1 token from the changer or start with 2 tokens
2. Time increases for the wash or vacuums after the alarm sounds is another $1 or the customer adds quarters.
3. Any future price increases would have to be $1 to satisfy the dollar token minimums.... or the customers adds quarters.
Correct?
2. Time increases for the wash or vacuums after the alarm sounds is another $1 or the customer adds quarters.
3. Any future price increases would have to be $1 to satisfy the dollar token minimums.... or the customers adds quarters.
Correct?
Tax and SHIPPING! Is that from the Hoffman Mint?
There are as many opinions as car wash operators, you are welcome to use 50 cent tokens but I believe it is short sighted.
In my opinion,we should be using $1 increments. Quarters have little value in today's marketplace.
Make it easy for customers to spend money.
Whatever you do, get a secure token. Do not get the cheapest token you can find.
Dispensing a $1 token allows you to spend money getting a quality token customized to your car wash. You will pay for them with the walk off tokens
In my opinion,we should be using $1 increments. Quarters have little value in today's marketplace.
Make it easy for customers to spend money.
Whatever you do, get a secure token. Do not get the cheapest token you can find.
Dispensing a $1 token allows you to spend money getting a quality token customized to your car wash. You will pay for them with the walk off tokens
Not in my marketplace. If I started selling in dollar increments my customers would just take their quarters down the street to the next wash.