People getting change

[MEP001]

Is there an adapter I can buy for the vending that will accept dollar coins? I have the Laurel 2100 (single colume)

Not exactly, you'd have to retrofit them to electronic.

I'm assuming you've got to upgrade your change machine to be able to dispense quarters and dollars?

You'll have to replace the changer - Standard may or may not make one that allows payouts of different coins, but there's no "retrofit" for yours. Rowe's BC 1400 can dispense quarters and dollar coins with a simple change in the settings, Hamilton's can do it with a few DIP switches and replacing the wheel in one hopper to acommodate the larger dollar coin.

You may have a problem with taking other tokens with your equipment, particularly in equipment with a mechanical acceptor. It depends mainly on what's around you that uses a similar token. The bays likely won't be a problem at all, since most places that still use tokens value them at $1 or greater, and no one's going to go buy a bunch of Gattiland tokens for a buck apiece and use them at your wash. I do know several people that have done exactly what I suggested, and they get a handful of odd tokens a month versus losing several hundred of their own. That's still coming out way ahead.

 

[Randy]

Who ever sold you this equipment didn?t do you any favors. You should have gotten multi-coin coin acceptors from the start. Your changer can be retro-fitted to dispense dollar coins or tokens. To do dollar coins or a larger token you?re going to have to change out the wheel in the bottom of the hopper. If you decide to go to a token, Dollar coin or both you?re going to have to change out all of your coin acceptors. If you decide to go that way I?d go with a token valued at a Dollar. We lose 10K tokens a year, we make about .85 on every token that is lost. Convert your venders over to accept tokens and quarters. I have a changer customer who was in the same situation that your in with apartments all around him he was buying $500 quarters a week. I switched him over to dollar tokens and he couldn?t be happier. He started out with 5K tokens and has reordered more tokens twice in 18 months. I have another customer who charges .25 to use his charger for any bill larger than a $1. San Antonio is a tough market, to many car washes.

 

[richard]

If you are "buying" quarters that often, just switch to tokens. I know it can be costly if you have to upgrade coin acceptors, but it is worth it. I am next to two coin laundries and had the same problem. Once I switched to tokens, problem solved.
On a funny note, when I switched, the laundry customers starting complaining. Apparently, the laundromat didn't accept my tokens!!!

 

[Kevin Reilly]

Richard,
I have a laundromat next door to our of our locations and we had the same problem. When I first shifted to token/quarters mix the laundromat owner came to my office with a handfull of tokens and wanted money for them. After a short discussion with him that my tokens had "no cash value" on the coin I told him to use them in the car wash.

That solved our problem. Eventually we went to all tokens. He eventually sold the place and we now have an excellent neighbor who now helps look after our place.

 

[richard]

Good story!
$1 Tokens work great. Sure, you have to upgrade acceptors, but it's worth it.
Two months ago I installed a new glass front vendor (forced to because of the token switch). My drop shelf vendors didn't accept the new tokens, and rather than convert, I opted for a new vendor. After two months, my vending sales have tripled. I know I won't get rich off that but every bit helps.
Anyone interested in some used drop vendors?

 

[DbltheBbls]

Just an update...in February we switched to 25 cent tokens and couldn't be happier with the results. I know everyone advised dollar tokens but we were worried that too many changes (tokens and jumping up to dollar increments) would be detremental to the business. In 3 months we've taken in perhaps a dozen odd-ball tokens from other places that we didn't sell...no big deal. The biggest up-side are no more trips to the bank for quarters, we don't "eye" everyone that pulls up to the changer anymore (are they getting laundry money?) and the amount of tokens that walk away! My wife gets upset when she has to buy more tokes, but I keep explaining to her that we make .13 everytime someone walks off with one. Hey, that's a wonderful thing, right?!? LOL!

Anyway, perhaps in a year or so we'll make the switch to dollar tokens, but the .25 one are working out fine for now.

 

[Indiana Wash]

Wow, I couldn't imagine buying quarters anyway. I am happy that people carry mine off to the laundry mat. I end up with $1000+ in extra quarters a month. Every dollars worth they carry off is one less I have to carry to the bank. 1000 dollar bills is a lot lighter than 4000 quarters.

 

[Waxman]

Dollar Tokens are super IMO.

 

[Randy]

I hope you guy's are still accepting Quarters!! We dispense Tokens and still get a large amount of Quarters.

 

[Randy]

We gain about $400 a week in extra Quarters.

 

[DbltheBbls]

Wow, I couldn't imagine buying quarters anyway. I am happy that people carry mine off to the laundry mat. I end up with $1000+ in extra quarters a month. Every dollars worth they carry off is one less I have to carry to the bank. 1000 dollar bills is a lot lighter than 4000 quarters.

We have several apartments accross the street and they'd come in droves to take our quarters. We'd we'd fill the hoppers some nights and it would be empty the next morning. The women would walk over load up. We also had "roach-coaches" dropping $50 in at a time to get quarters early in the morning. No worries now.

 

[DbltheBbls]

Dollar Tokens are super IMO.

I want to go to the dollar tokens soon, I just didn't want to make too many changes all at once. I wasn't sure how the change over to tokens would effect business.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I went with the new presidential dollar coins and I have been pleased with the response we have received. Some people get a little bent out of shape, but I have only had one gentlemen actually leave after he got change.

To each his own, I'm glad it is working out well for you.

 

[wendy's wash]

mixed in hopper

This used to drive me crazy. I would have to buy $1,000.00 of quarters every month. The bank charged a fee of 8 cents a roll extra. Its been 2+ years that I changed to dispence quarters and tokens, mixed in my Hamilton machines. Now when people drive up and haul away quarters I don't care. I use secure tokens and make a nickle on everyone that does not return. Did not have to change hopper wheel, only adjust coin switch. I went to zero quarters walking away. A few months ago I only put in quarters as I started getting alot on extra quarters each month. Sold them and went back to using tokens. With giving out quarters and a few tokens I have not lost any customers and now I can give out free washes. This caused the city to tell their employes to wash at my place. Best change I ever did at the wash. Secure tokens and I don't get anyones junk tokens, like chucky cheese.

 

[Red Baron]

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.

Let me be the first. Our 6/1 is across the street from 3 large apt complexes and at least 20 times a day launderers will come for quarters in spite of "Dispenses a Mix of Quarters and Tokens" stickers.

Since we have 14 vacs it would cost a pretty penny to install acceptors that would take tokens. I came up with a devilish plot to eliminate the issue, but it has some hangups. I thought I'd make the changers dispense 3 quarters for a dollar then have very obvious signage that we have also changed our times and 3 quarters gets them the same time as 4. Obviously the main hangup is then people would get their quarters elswehere to get a 25% discount on washing.

I decided that the problem wasn't as much hassle as the solutions.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I also tried that method and it didn't work at all for me. Hence the dollar coin solution.

 

[MEP001]

Since we have 14 vacs it would cost a pretty penny to install acceptors that would take tokens.

I've been replacing the Slugbuster acceptors in the vacs with IDX over time, one every few months, or as one fails. It spreads the cost out better than if I'd spent $1,200 in one shot.

 

[cleaning up mud]

I have the same problem, my wife says to ok, because we always have to take quarters to the bank, but its the wear and tear on the change machines also, one wash is within one mile of a ladies prison and on weekends they poor in just to get change, when I confront them they just ignore me, and I get fumed! I have change the machine to only take 1's and 5's but then they just go to the store next door, get smaller bills and come back. I even put up signs and they just ignore them. I had one girl call me a racist white trash, and her sister's in jail?

 

[Jeff_L]

If I were having that problem, I'd probably do what MEP is doing and replace each coin acceptor as time goes by until all of them have the ability to accept tokens. Then switch to vending only tokens.

 

[Randy]

If it bothers you so much why don’t you charge for the use of your changer? I’ve got a changer customer who charges .25 to break a $5.00 and a $10.00, .50 to a $20.00. That pretty much stopped the changers whores from getting change for the Laundromat. On another note, I can’t understand why Laundromats don’t have reliable changers that are in a good operating condition.