People getting change

[DbltheBbls]

How do you all handle people coming over to simply get change?
I hate to get too ugly about it, but I can't be the change machine for the nearby apartments for laundry.
Just curious how others handle it.

 

[Mr.Aap]

Change to tokens....

 

[soapy]

I mix a few of my own tokens in with the quarters. They are valued at .25 cents also. If the get a few every time they get change they either have to redeem them at my wash or throw them away. I make money either way.

 

[MEP001]

Just a sign stating that the changer dispenses a mix of tokens and quarters should stop it. If it doesn't, or if it does for a while and they come back, tokens mixed in will stop it for sure.

Are you having trouble running out or having to buy quarters? We get some light changer abuse, but we always take quarters to the bank, so I don't worry about it. As long as some jackass doesn't come in with a bank bag and a 2" stack of $5 bills again, that is.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

mix in tokens. My changers were completely emptied on occasion, so I switched completely to tokens years ago.

There are other benefits to tokens, such as reduced breakin attempts and walkoff profits. Search for "tokens", this has been discussed quite a bit.

 

[Reds]

I have a big problem with local fast food restaurants coming over on weekends (early morning or late night) and draining my change machine. They are too stupid or too ignorant to keep their store bank adequately stocked. So they use me as their private bank. I put prominent signs up on my changer and they ignore them. I have gotten into arguments when I catch them. But they keep it up. If you have customers putting in $5 or $10 and getting all tokens do any of them complain because they have a lot of left over tokens? Has anyone considered going to all bills? I had one bay with the coin acceptor broken for about 5 days. I didn't get a single complaint and it was still heavily used.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

The other suggestions are all good. I dispense dollar coins and I have no problem with being used as a bank. Do you have to go buy quarters? If not, they are doing you a favor.

 

[DbltheBbls]

We don't have to "buy" quarters, the bank dosen't charge us for them.
I thought about mixing tokens as well, but will the coin acceptors in the bays accept either quarters or tokens at the same time? How about the vacs? Will the bill changer dispense quarters and tokens at the same time? We've using Ginsan equipment and were told that we could'nt mix the two. I'm wondering if we got bad info?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

We don't have to "buy" quarters, the bank dosen't charge us for them.
We've using Ginsan equipment and were told that we could'nt mix the two. I'm wondering if we got bad info?

I'm assuming that if you ask the bank for $500 worth of quarters you have to cough up $500. I call that buying them, maybe I'm wrong. Do you have to go to the bank to replenish your quarter supply? If you don't, you don't have a problem, you have helpers.

Which Ginsan acceptor do you have? If it is a Sensortron with a sample quarters stuck in the side, you can only accept quarters or whatever other sample you choose to install. If it is a Multi-tron you can do more than just the one coin.

What bill changer do you have?

 

[DbltheBbls]

OK, I thought you were asking me if I was paying a fee to the bank for quarters. Once or twice a week we're getting $500 worth of quarters from the bank.

Anyway, we have the sensortron. Not sure what changer we have.

 

[chadrpalmer]

maybe im crazy, but i sure find it odd you dont know what kind of changer you have

 

[I.B. Washincars]

With the Sensortron you are limited to just one coin or token. You must change to a multi-coin acceptor. The Ginsan Multitron doesn't get good reviews so I wouldn't go with them. I prefer Microcoin, but the IDX is good too.

We really need to know what make/model changer you have to advise on that.

The only thing you can do that won't cost anything is to dispense and accept dollar coins only. I really wouldn't do that since you need to be able to accept quarters. Putting in multi-coin acceptors opens up possibilities. The Sensortrons have you pretty much handcuffed.

 

[Randy]

How long have you been in the car wash business? Find out what kind of changer/Equipment you have. I.B Washincars is right, your limited on what you can dispense from your changer and what you can accept in your bays with a single coin coin acceptor. If you decide to dispense tokens from your changer go with a Dollar token, but your still going to want to accept quarters.

 

[MEP001]

Trust me, the sign works.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Trust me, the sign works.

I don't doubt that it does. That tactic has been around for years and I have yet to here of anyone that said it didn't work.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

We had this same problem. We are surrounded by 5 apartment complexes that would drain both of our changers every weekend, with the local fast food and party store taking their share. We are now dispensing one dollar coins for the larger denominations. We dispense like this:

$1-4 quarters
$5-8 Q/3 GD
$10-12 Q/ 7 GD

We still get some apartment people that will bring some one dollar bills in to get some change. Instead of having to buy upwards of $2000 in quarters every month, we are depositing about $1500/month. Unless you switch to all tokens, it looks like you will have to switch out your acceptors if you want to accept multiple coins.

MEP: I tried the sign at my wash, and it worked for about a month and then word got around that it was smoke and mirrors and then I was back to getting abused.

 

[DbltheBbls]

We have a Standard Changer model MC500RLDA. I'm sure we can change over to dollar coins on this changer and switch all the sensortrons, vacs and vendening over as well. I'm just wondering how the customers are going to react to the change. If a customer needs to add .25 to extend his time to rinse, are we going to lose that customer now that he has to invest a 1$ instead? I'm not so worried about our loyal customer base, it's the ones that come over for convienience sake that I'm concerned with losing.

 

[DbltheBbls]

We had this same problem. We are surrounded by 5 apartment complexes that would drain both of our changers every weekend, with the local fast food and party store taking their share. We are now dispensing one dollar coins for the larger denominations. We dispense like this:

$1-4 quarters
$5-8 Q/3 GD
$10-12 Q/ 7 GD

We still get some apartment people that will bring some one dollar bills in to get some change. Instead of having to buy upwards of $2000 in quarters every month, we are depositing about $1500/month. Unless you switch to all tokens, it looks like you will have to switch out your acceptors if you want to accept multiple coins.

MEP: I tried the sign at my wash, and it worked for about a month and then word got around that it was smoke and mirrors and then I was back to getting abused.

So how does this work? Your changer is dispensing a mixture of quarters and GDs?

 

[MEP001]

So how does this work? Your changer is dispensing a mixture of quarters and GDs?

In order to dispense a mix like that you'd need a new changer, and as far as I know there are only two that can do this: a Rowe 1400 and a Hamilton HS-2. It would likely be much less expensive to change out your coin acceptors and mix in tokens at a 25? value.

You'd still have coin walk-off if you went to all dollar coins. It might reduce your trips to the bank, but I doubt it would stop them. You'd have some token walk-off as well, but on the plus side you'll actually profit from that since you can still get tokens for half the price of a quarter, and you can order them via UPS rather than have to make time for a trip to the bank.

 

[DbltheBbls]

In order to dispense a mix like that you'd need a new changer, and as far as I know there are only two that can do this: a Rowe 1400 and a Hamilton HS-2. It would likely be much less expensive to change out your coin acceptors and mix in tokens at a 25? value.

You'd still have coin walk-off if you went to all dollar coins. It might reduce your trips to the bank, but I doubt it would stop them. You'd have some token walk-off as well, but on the plus side you'll actually profit from that since you can still get tokens for half the price of a quarter, and you can order them via UPS rather than have to make time for a trip to the bank.

Well right now we're having to "buy" $500 a week, that's how many are walking off. We've NEVER in 3 years, ever deposited quarters! So right now we're on the fence weather to go to .25 tokens or dollar coins. If we do the dollar coins we'll have to do something about the vending as some of the product is .50. Guess we could double up as far as what drops. Otherwise everything else should be easy enough.
Tokens should be easy enough as well as all the acceptors can be converted. We have Laurel machanical vending machines and I'd like those to take either quarters or the tokens though.
I'm wondering what the fall-out will be from the customers: Tokens VS Dollar coins?