Tokens

[Waxman]

1. As long as dollar tokens can be purchased for less than 4 quarters each, they are a good idea.

2. As long as tokens can only be accepted at your wash, coin vaults in bays will remain unvandalized.

3. As long as 1 is less than 4 and 2 is less than 8, it is more convenient for the customer to deposit tokens into any of your machinery.

4. As long as laundry mats do not accept tokens, your changer will only need replenishing when your machinery has swallowed up the tokens from your changer.

 

[Red Baron]

Fortunately, breakins just have not been a problem for me here (looking for something wooden to knock on). Thus, it all comes down to time spent separating quarters from tokens vs. supplying quarters for other businesses. Another complication is that my ACW accepts tokens and customers get annoyed when they pay for a $5 was with a $20 and get 30 tokens in their change, especially if they're just passing thru (they often call me to come and cash in their tokens in that case).

I have factored in that the few people using my change machines for qurters to use at other businesses, are doing so anyway, then they spending the tokens at my car wash later. I don't think I'm creating any new business by forcing them to take some tokens along with their quarters.

I collect and count my quarters every 2 weeks and I figure I spend an extra hour separtating tokens from quarters. That's 24 hours per year that could be better utilized doing something else, at least at my car wash.

It makes me realize how fortunate I am to operate in an area where in the 3-1/2 years I've had this car wash, I've not had a single case of vandalism or breaking attempt (looking for that wood again).

 

[Doug P.]

Red,
Out of curiosity have you used tokens the entire 3.5 years that you have had no vandalism. How have you been sorting your tokens, manually, a tray, or a machine? I had a location with zero vandalism the first five years it was open and then three punks took a sledge hammer and demolished my entry door and my Hamilton DRS Changer. I built a cage around my changer out of 3/8 steel and switched to dispensing dollar tokens . To the local cops credit they caught them and they did some jail time. They have also paid some restitution for the damage they did after being paroled. I was surprised the system actually seemed to work in this instance.

Doug P.

 

[Red Baron]

Red,
Out of curiosity have you used tokens the entire 3.5 years that you have had no vandalism. How have you been sorting your tokens, manually, a tray, or a machine? I had a location with zero vandalism the first five years it was open and then three punks took a sledge hammer and demolished my entry door and my Hamilton DRS Changer. I built a cage around my changer out of 3/8 steel and switched to dispensing dollar tokens . To the local cops credit they caught them and they did some jail time. They have also paid some restitution for the damage they did after being paroled. I was surprised the system actually seemed to work in this instance.

Doug P.

Yes I've used the tokens the entire time. I use a Scancoin 303 sorter/counter.

 

[MEP001]

We use a CS-95A coin counter which we got from an eBay store - we also have a Scancoin 303, which got put on a shelf 3 years ago when we got the CS-95A. The latter sorts by kicking out coins smaller than what you're counting at the time - the drawback is that you have to run your quarters through it twice.

 

[Kevin Reilly]

We dispense dollar tokens only but all equipment accepts quarters, dollars and dollar tokens. Probably for fifteen or more years primarily because of vandalism.

We have a Brandt sorter that works almost perfect. It sorts the large tokens into the 50 cent bag, quarters in the quarter bag and dollars (we don't get many but it is increasing a little in the past year). This is all done with one action by dumping the bag(s) into the top hopper and it is tractor fed into the sorter. We've had this machine for almost 10 years and I bought a backup unit in case of a breakdown just to be sure and we've never had to use it.

I personally would NOT attempt to go to tokens ONLY unless there is no competition in your town and that usually is rather unlikely.

 

[BayWatch]

After reading the intial posts I checked on a few competitors to see if they dispense tokens, whick a lot do. In the process, I thought about putting up a sign above my changer because I also have to add quarters to my machines every few weeks due to walk-offs. I put up a sign stating "this machine dispenses a mix of tokens and quarters. Tokens may be used in all bays,vacs and vending". Sure enough after two months, I think I have solved most of my walk-offs. I dont use tokens, but they think I started and since most of my competitors do, they know what they could get.

 

[MEP001]

I've done the same thing a number of times, and it always worked at least for a while, usually for quite a few years before they caught on.