My "Value Token" Idea- Input?

[Waxman]

Oh I get it now. Sorry.

Sounds like good signage will accomplish the explanations! Go for it.

 

[Greg Pack]

Hey guy, just got back from the Savannah roadshow. It was a really good show. There were about 150 people that attended. EVERYONE there was talking about how challenging it is right now (Southeast is being hammered by weather for almost a year now). The one price SS was on the bus tour. It was quite an interesting concept. Will post a report and pics on another thread concerning that.

The Hamilton rep was there. He told me that their token dispenser will only work with gold line units. So that moves me back to a Coleman unit.

I would prefer the token have an equal value in all equipment but don't want to reduce my SS start up price to $1.00

To add to the confusion, someone at the show even thought that a special machine to vend little trees for the token would be an idea. I kinda like that, but I have all combos at this wash so the customer can get spray fragrance, or shampoo cycle for the token already.

One issue is tokens. I don't want Chucky Cheese tokens but with this item being a freebie, I don't want to spend big bucks on a higher security tokens. I anticipate many of these will be walk offs and I don't want to spend an extra $200/month on high security tokens to prevent $100 worth of cheating. But the bottom line is that I can't let word get around that the pizza rat's tokens work for a $2 wash. Red brass tokens were suggested as a possible low cost options that could work. I'll check into it.

Scheduled to close on the wash tomorrow. Have the token machines in the basement. Have token to test. Will hopefully implement this before pollen season.

 

[MEP001]

There are a lot of tokens that should serve your purposes that are different enough from the pizza chain's. We use (mainly for promotions and along with refunds) a nickel-plated token that only costs a little more than the 85/15 token, but has very few other matches. In six years I've only found maybe five in with the quarters that aren't ours, most commonly a casino token from Louisiana.

 

[Greg Pack]

Still haven't implemented this yet. I'm trying to find a Hamilton goldline cheap before I mount the token dispensers. The wash currently has an ACW on the older auto and a goldline on the new auto. I'd like for them to match. Although I must admit I would prefer two unitecs, I can't justify buying new cashiers right now. I have ordered some token samples and need to install multi coin acceptors.


Got a great deal on a used scancoin 303 from IB washin cars, hopefully this will help take some of the PITA factor out of the token implementation.

 

[Earl Weiss]

No, I don't. The four washes are in three different small towns spread over 30 miles so I didn't see much need or benefit.

I am always surprised who come from where for my different locations. Seems cars have wheels and they frequently are in other areas for work, family and shopping.

So, there may be little benefit, but the only downside is money spent on a few signs "Our tokens can be used at all the following locations for your convenience".

 

[MCoons]

Standard Change-Makers has a pay station (GUARDIAN XP) that you can get a second hopper that will dispense tokens. We have a local car wash operator that has a bonus token program, that when customers buy his top two washes - the machine will dispense a token with their change. If they use Credit Card - it will dispense the token when the card is approved. That token is good for $1, and can be used to start the vacs, in the vending machines, SS bays. And he also programmed the IDX coin acceptor to take that token as a $1 discount on their next wash purchase. The "BUCK BACK" program has been pretty successful. It sounds like the general idea you are proposing. There was an article in America's Car Care Business (June, 2009 issue) about it.

Mike Coons
Standard Change-Makers, Inc.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

On the flip side, if they don't know those tokens they bought somewhere else will work, they will pay cash and the tokens may never get redeemed . That's one reason (other than being cheap) that I don't put my wash name/names on my tokens. When mom finds a tokens in jr's room years after he has moved out, she may not know where to redeem it.

 

[pitzerwm]

One good reason other than advertising your wash the reason to have your name on them, is so when someone has someone else's tokens, you can instantly explain why its not working.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I just don't see the advertising angle. Whoever bought it already knows about my wash. No one else is going to see it in his pocket, ashtray, purse, or wherever. I've already made the money and am better off if they don't redeem it. Other tokens have never been an issue for me regardless of whether it had a name or not. The few times it has happened I just told the customer that it wasn't my token, here's one of mine to compare. Even if I knew where their token originated I told them I didn't know whose it was. I've been using the stock tokens for years and have had no adverse effects so I'll stick with them.

 

[pitzerwm]

You might be surprised where your tokens go, and who might see them. Just because you haven't had any problems and haven't seen any potential doesn't mean that there isn't some money under the couch cushions. That's the value of the forum, to give you another prospective.

 

[Earl Weiss]

That's the value of the forum, to give you another prospective.

Yep, ask 5 car washers a question and get 10 opinions.

"Walk Off" value of tokes is a definite operator plus. So is customer loyalty. Having a couple of unused tokens is a reminder to the customer that they "need" to use them and frequent your place again.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

CFCW--did you implement--how is it working out.

Ted

 

[Greg Pack]

I put them in at one wash. Customers that know about them like them, but still probably 20% of the dispensed go uncollected. One main problem is my signage and marketing could be much better. There has been a small increase in gross revenue at this location but nothing markedly significant. I think I was up about 5% at this location in 2011 vs 2010, where my other wash was up about 1.5%.

I would say that 90% of the tokens end up in the vacs, the other 10% end up in the SSs and ACWs. Again, I need better signage and marketing to extol the benefits.

I have another express tunnel building about 4 miles away from my primary wash and will probably add them there. I'm going to improve signage at both locations and try to tweak things a bit this Spring. I admittedly have been pretty complacent this past year, kinda just going through the motions. It's not too late to make a New Year's resolution, is it?

 

[soapy]

I have been thinking this idea over for a while. I have 4 washes in one town so any advertising I do benefits all 4 locations. I think it would be easy to promote this $1 token through the automatics. I plan on keeping my SS wash at $2.50 and leave the vacs at $1. That way if they want to use the token in a SS bay they would still contribute some money to get the wash or save some tokens over time. They would also be able to use them towards an automatic wash at a later date or save enough for a free wash. I would put my name on the tokens so that if people had one laying around they would bring them back and I would have a 2 out of 3 chance of them using something that also requires them to add money.