card to coin

[gla44]

i know of another card store going back to coin. have heard of this at least 2-3 times recently. what is going on elsewhere??

[pete f]

i know of another card store going back to coin. have heard of this at least 2-3 times recently. what is going on elsewhere??

They do not work for every mat, same as why there are so many different types of washers and dryers and manufactures. What works for one may not work for another. I only have 1 card store, but I can say I learned from Duane over at the cla board, you have to emulate a coin store. He was right on this. I also found you have to give people a reason to use the card, and that reason is not because it is easy for you. I used pricing, being a small amount less than anyone also, and when a customer complain about the card I told them without it I could not offer the best pricing around. Many are put out by the card, yet many more are happy with the way it works. Biggest bitch is "they" got my money up front. To make it as easy as possible and keep the "money up front" issue to a minimum, I put in a bill to bill that dispenses $1 bills, so customer can put a buck on at a time. It is alot of work to keep it serviced, but also a way to keep the customers happy. I am not ready to change out my coin stores to cards, but if a total redo I may go with them. There is also an issue of more frequent service required from your card store, IE getting money out of the acceptors. In the coin store the money is spread all over the machines, in the card store it is all in one place, so it stacks quicker. Of course, this is a better security situation if in a bad area, assuming your VTM's are heavily secured.

[anonymous]

Wow you guys must live in backward places. In my area there are three card stores and only one coin store. The only reason there is one coin store it the guy does not have the money to convert - he wants to but cannot come up with the bucks.

Customers love cards, you don't have to deal with those stupid round disks anymore :) People hate change, that is why people throw pennies in jars, they don't want to carry them. Today's quarter is what yesteryears nickel was - forgetaboutit!

When you have a good card system you know so much more about what your store is doing and who your customers are - knowledge is good.

A card system for a new store is very little more money than coins. You buy washers without coin mechs or coin boxes which come out to close to the price of a card reader. Sure you have the cost of the system itself, but you also don't have change machines or if you do it right bill-2-bill acceptors. Thats right, many stores in this neck of the woods have scrapped those and have card systems that accept $50 and $100 bills. Get their money upfront, just like they do on the metro or with gift cards in all the big stores. People seem to love gift cards. Stop thinking small, see the big picture, advance with the times.

The only place where cards might be an issue is in a resort area or in a very transient area. Wait, I take that back - no issue in a resort area where people spend money like it is tap water :)

[William]

I have always thought that the only person that benefits from a card system is the owner. For that reason, it think it is a bad system.

Owners brag about the float. What about the customers that are losing money to the float? I have heard the story about the customer that considers the float on the card to be a savings account. That's one customer, what about the 10 others that feel like they are being ripped off?

I know my main competitor switched to cards. He was telling me how great it was. I smiled, my business went up 20% within a couple of weeks, all of the new customers told me they hated the new cards.

I think cards would work well if there was no charge for the card, and you offered immediate refunds for unused balances on cards. Which means that you need to be attended.

I know someone is going to give me a passionate rebuttal, and I welcome it. But I work on the principal that the best way to do business is to do what is best for the customer. I just do not see how the card system benefits the customer.

[Ken]

I guess I live in backward place(Chicagoland area),not many card stores so far.
I still like the good old coins.

[Anonymous]

Cleancloths,
Maybe card system is good in NJ where you are but it doesnt work in every market.

[anonymous]

Cleancloths,
Maybe card system is good in NJ where you are but it doesnt work in every market.

They work great in NJ! Cannot think of any new coin stores going in, all card systems. Is NJ somehow different than other places - maybe or maybe not - I don't know the answer to that.

I know that the person that owned the mat before me told me I was crazy to convert to cards that I would loose all my customers. I was the first in the area to go to cards, and no I did not loose all my customers. There were a few that left because of it, but many more that left other mats to come to my store because of it. The customers really like it and I would never operate a store without a card system. There is a long thread somewhere on this board that talks about all the advantages of a card system - if you have not read it please go do so before you post the negatives here - they have most likely been addressed already.

I do not consider float a major issue one way or the other. Think of it this way, when you buy something at most major chain stores these days and return it you do not get cash back, you get a gift card for future purchases. When you buy a metro card in most places you put money on the card and there is never such thing as a refund.

While some people loose cards, others loose money on the street all the time. Most people do not loose cards. Some come in at the start of the month and deposit money on the card so they know they will have it there for the whole month when they need to do wash - rather than spending it on who knows what and then not having enough money to wash their clothing.

Like anything else in this world you can come up with reasons why it won't work in your situation, but it is the innovative person that sees a new way of doing business and implements it.

[Silent Roo]

William

times are changing my friend. I have a 80lb machine priced at 7.50 Which would you perfer putting in 30 Quarters or one card?

Now if everything is priced between 1 and 4 dollars it is not a big deal. 10 years ago we were hearing the same argument about machine bigger than 40lbs Never need them no one would ever use them MAybe if you do WDF. I know mats with 125 lb machines.

Yes float is an issue. The dollar vallidator mentioned above does solve it.

I Have converted 10 stores Numbers do dip. They do not dip long term. It is like anything new it takes a little time..... In all 10 stores the numbers were up at the 6 month mark with out the float....

The first store has the toughest time. After that it becomes very easy.

[mjwalsh]

William quote: "times are changing my friend. I have a 80lb machine priced at 7.50 Which would you perfer putting in 30 Quarters or one card?"

Seven new presidential coins when they come out plus a few quarters could be another alternative for those of us in a non card area & do not want to be on the potential bleeding edge!

[Fred50]

We have been going back and forth with this one for a while. Most people with card systems have had very positive experiences.

I am one of them. However, there are plusses and minusses to everything. A card system is not for everyone, especially those that aren't positive about it.

The "bleeding edge" comment is inappropriate. Everything about a card system is basic, everyday technology.

For example, bill acceptors, touch screens, card readers, PC network, etc.

Bill acceptors have been in soda and snack machine for at least 10 years.

Touch screens have been in ATM for about 20 years.

Card readers have been on corporate office doors for at least 10 years.

PC Networks have been around for at least 20 years.


The only thing sort of new here is the application of computer technology to a laundromat. This has been around for at least 7 or 8 years and possibly longer.

I have seen card systems in laundries everywhere I go now and not just in the NY Metro Area.

We just have to stop bashing something that we don't have direct, personal experience with.

[Kitty]

I agree withh Fred, the problem with this technology and why it is not being accepted at the store level is the customer service aspect and how the operator and that of all the attendants are being trained with the bells and the whistles of the features and benefits.

Without the owners and the attendants fully knowledgable in the system they have purchased their customers will be confused because the store will be confused on how to operate. This will frustrate any cosnumer.

With this said it is extremely important to purchase from a reputable, effective distributor while discussing issues with the manufacturers representatives as well prior to purchase for installation and training questions. A distributor/manufactures sale is not over when the check has cleared the bank on this type of technical equipment and any business man should be sure he asks all the right questions, before purchase, during installation and while training on the product.




Kitty

[gla44]

did not mean to start the whole debate over again, as i agree there are great benefits with either system.

i especially like the card benefit as it relates to the giant machines and the effort it takes to put in so many coins!

however the point of the post was a simple question: does anybody out there know of card to coin conversions in their markets?

additionally there have been ads in the back of the :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: advertising card systems (used) that i assume came from some store somewhere?

thanks a lot for the input

[fishmanz]

That system sold in 2 days time from what I heard and whoever bought it got a sweet deal. I'm loving our mag system. Customers think it's great. We refund any float if asked but we teach them to only put on approximately what they need. I don't think we've given many refunds but it's there for them if they ask.

[Ken]

I read the trading meg (Coin -op or Jaurnal)once a few years ago,a large crad store change to coin since the card cost so much ,the store owner could not charge the full price for the card to keep customers,so he was losing one dollar for every card he sold.That was a few years ago,I guess card system is better now.Someone offered a used card system to me once,I turned the deal down,I will be a coin guy for a few years.If I build a new store,maybe....
One of largest chain in Chicagoland area has all coin stores,if they can deal with coins,small operator like me can deal with.
The dollard coin is not a new idea,a chain in Chicago has been using them for over 10 years.

[fishmanz]

I read the trading meg (Coin -op or Jaurnal)once a few years ago,a large crad store change to coin since the card cost so much ,the store owner could not charge the full price for the card to keep customers,so he was losing one dollar for every card he sold.That was a few years ago,I guess card system is better now.Someone offered a used card system to me once,I turned the deal down,I will be a coin guy for a few years.If I build a new store,maybe....
One of largest chain in Chicagoland area has all coin stores,if they can deal with coins,small operator like me can deal with.
The dollard coin is not a new idea,a chain in Chicago has been using them for over 10 years.

They proberly had chip cards, they cost approximately $4 each so the owners have to charge the customers for the cards. I have mag cards and they only cost about >80 each so I give them for free. Its tough enough to get the customers use to the card store without charging them for the dam thing on top of it. We have only had one rather stuffy lady walk out of the store because of the card system. Good ridence I say. If she stayed, she may have contaminated other folks with her old fasioned ways.

[NYJETS1313]

I have been considering changing to a card system, but making my customers give a deposit for the cards worries me. I have spend alot of time in other laundromats and it seems to be a big complaint. I have seen many people just walk out of the store.
I have looked closely at the Setomatic credit card system. Alot of good info on their website
www.setomatic.com.
Tell them you saw their link on Coinwash.com. And to please become a Sponsor of Coinwash.com too
It seems to eliminate this problem because the customers can use their own Mastercard and Visa cards or coins. I have spoken to several customers who are using it and all seem to be very happy. One of them told me that he picked up so many new customers who came in just because they could use their Visa card. The great thing about it is that you don't have to convert the entire store at once, so it is not very expensive to get started. Someone on this site who is using it posted that it only took him 15 minutes to install it per machine and that he was able to do it himself.
Any other thought would be welcome.

[Tom@Troske.com]

We went with a card system and never regretted it. customers love it. We have of course a few that freak, but we usually let them use a card for the day and they ned up keeping it. We have all levels of the economic spectrum in the store and the hard sell is older males. Get it and do not look back either

[mjwalsh]

It seems that multicoin mechs set up for dollar coins, quarters, & tokens would be a good fit for a bunch of us operators. Multicoin drops such as MicroCoin would be trouble free enough & a coin counter such as a Cummins would make sorting & counting a non issue. If the changer companies would allow us to add a card reader to existing bill changers, that would make floor space for changers & card machines a non issue.

The people who prefer credit cards would be satisfied but it would be kept low key so transaction fees would not get out of hand. I would hate to have to be at the mercy of transaction fees too much. The tracking could be set up with reliable wireless hubs so machine usage information would be as good as a card machine.

This sounds like a lot of money to set up but I believe it would be less than what I have heard the better card systems are costing plus their non hardware covered yearly support fees etc.

50 machines x $200 conversion costs would be $10k. Sorter counter would be 4k. Bill changer reader add on--- 500 dollars x 2 would be 1k. Wiring & wireless hubs <2k. Lets not rule this alternative out. Remember the guaranteed solid supply of gold colored president dollar coins will be coming just 4 months away.

Locally, the busiest gas station in town is the one that gives a 5 cent per gallon discount for paying cash instead of credit cards.

[Senior Sudsy]

The cards for the CCI system are about .60 with printing. I do not charge a deposit, I find that the amount of money customers leave on their cards and never use covers most of this cost. Also, the system takes credit cards. I have it set to a $10 minimum in order to control transaction costs.

[pete f]

I know of a resort that does not accept cash at all, except at the front desk to put on a card. Frequent members have house accounts, which are billed to your on file visa/mc card, and most vistors use thier own visa/mc. rather than a prepay card. This place has 4-5 bars, 3 restraunts, gift shop, spa, etc. NO CASH every changes hands between a customer and employee, unless a tip, even most of those are on the card.. I often think, wow, what a credit card fee this place must pay. Come in have a couple drinks, charge $10 to your card and leave. But then I think, wow, no cash to be handled, counted, collected, accounted for etc. I am sure the fees offset the cost of handling money, much like float offsets card costs to card systems. I will be looking closer at set o matic in Clean 07, I did talk with them at '05

[laundryboy]

Reduction in theft may offset transaction fees, also!

[DaveLevenson]

I know of a resort that does not accept cash at all, except at the front desk... I am sure the fees offset the cost of handling money, much like float offsets card costs to card systems. I will be looking closer at set o matic in Clean 07, I did talk with them at '05

The big question, for laundromat owners, if not for a resort in St Pete Beach, is whether accepting the customer's MasterCard or Visa will attract additional customers or more business. My store is in a relatively affluent small town, and a number of WDF customers, when picking up a 75-pound WDF job, have offered me their plastic when asked for payment. So the first question is: should I accept plastic at the counter for WDF work. The second question is: if I go the trouble and expense of getting a merchant account and a credit-card terminal should I also equip my self-service machines with the Set-O-Matic credit-card payment system (to accompany, not replace, the coin mechanisms).

[anonymous]

The big question, for laundromat owners, if not for a resort in St Pete Beach, is whether accepting the customer's MasterCard or Visa will attract additional customers or more business. My store is in a relatively affluent small town, and a number of WDF customers, when picking up a 75-pound WDF job, have offered me their plastic when asked for payment. So the first question is: should I accept plastic at the counter for WDF work. The second question is: if I go the trouble and expense of getting a merchant account and a credit-card terminal should I also equip my self-service machines with the Set-O-Matic credit-card payment system (to accompany, not replace, the coin mechanisms).

How many people choose where to do business based on what type of payment they offer? I don't but maybe others do. I would think that if people are aware ahead of time what form of payment they need it should not impact your business. Remember that we don't sell things that are impulse purchases where a customer might not buy if they don't have cash in their pocket. You can offer credit card acceptance as a niceity but I doubt it will add to your business, only add to your costs.

Also keep in mind that we are in an utility reselling business and over time those costs climb and hopefully so do our prices - but the credit card costs will keep going up as a percentage. Each year they will take a bigger and bigger bite out of your profits unless you are able to pass that cost along. You have probably noticed that many independent gas stations have gone out of business in the last year. I have talked to many and the reason they went under was because of credit cards. You see as gas prices went from $1.50 to $3.00 per gallon their cost to process credit cards doubled since they were a percentage of gross sales. Further still as the amount of each transaction doubled more and more people choose to pay by credit rather than by cash which further increased their costs. Unfortunately for them their gross margin per gallon typically was a set amount not a percentage of gross, so their credit card costs started to take such a large portion of their margins that they were no longer able to make ends meet.

[pete f]

The big question, for laundromat owners, if not for a resort in St Pete Beach, is whether accepting the customer's MasterCard or Visa will attract additional customers or more business. My store is in a relatively affluent small town, and a number of WDF customers, when picking up a 75-pound WDF job, have offered me their plastic when asked for payment. So the first question is: should I accept plastic at the counter for WDF work. The second question is: if I go the trouble and expense of getting a merchant account and a credit-card terminal should I also equip my self-service machines with the Set-O-Matic credit-card payment system (to accompany, not replace, the coin mechanisms).

See you 07 clean show?
Do any of your phones have cc capability? I see them now and then. I would guess it is expected to use a cc for most any service/purchase. If I did w/d/f I would take them, the rate is better when it is a person to person deal. I think of w/d/f as people who "got money"
given they could do thier own laundry for about 70% cheaper than you are charging, so why not accomodate them to thier standards.
I do not know how or what set o matics deal is, look forward to exploring it later next year.

[DaveLevenson]

See you 07 clean show?
Do any of your phones have cc capability? I see them now and then. I would guess it is expected to use a cc for most any service/purchase. If I did w/d/f I would take them, the rate is better when it is a person to person deal. I think of w/d/f as people who "got money"
given they could do thier own laundry for about 70% cheaper than you are charging, so why not accomodate them to thier standards.
I do not know how or what set o matics deal is, look forward to exploring it later next year.

I am planning to attend the 07 Clean Show.

I have spoken with Set-O-Matic; if you're interested, they have a brochure full of details about their system. They could not name a single laundromat in New Jersey that's currently using it. I have spoken with one satisfied customer who has a mat on Long Island, near Set-O-Matic's offices. Apparently it is more popular with route operators.

Once you have the Set-O-Matic card readers, you also need a merchant account/transaction processor. I have been quoted 1.6% plus 25c/transaction for that, with a monthly fee, a minimum, and rental or purchase of the counter terminal.

The Set-O-Matic system collapses all of the uses of the same card into a single transaction daily or however often you choose to "settle" with your merchant account provider. So that 25c/transaction doesn't appear on every card-swipe, but just once per customer. They also allow you to set your credit-card vend price higher than your coin vend price--one way to recover the cost of the merchant account.

I accept cards at all of my payphones (so do you, no?, it's an FCC requirement!). Just dial 0+ the telephone number, and our operator-service-provider (a subsidiary of Verizon) will happily accept your plastic. I also accept pre-paid phone cards (as also required by the FCC). For both of those, however, the card-acceptance and merchant-account business is taken care of by others who pay me for the use of my phone. No special hardware, software, or merchant account is necessary on my part, just a business relationship with one of the clearinghouse companies to collect the prepaid card compensation.

As for customers choosing a merchant based upon payment options, I tend to avoid cash-only gas stations, restaurants, and other places where the amount I need to spend is likely to be $20 or higher. I think I'm not alone in doing this, else why do so many merchants pay so much to accept cards?

[pete f]

I do accept cc thru payphones like you, they dial a number, someone takes the card and sends me a cut. I was talking about phones I have seen that look like they have a cc swipe in them.
I also accept all pre paid/800/888 cards, they acuallty pay more than some of my phones still at 35 cents. This will probably kill you, I just had rate files done last week, taking 3 phones to 50 cent 15min local from 25 cent. Last phones on the planet at 25 cent?
I have a mat in a resort area, I think customers would use the cc swipes, save me from collecting so often. I look forward to vegas again, maye I will talk myself into the system by then, I could install at 3 or 4 stores and still have the same set up costs I think. I am running out of tax breaks anyway..thanks for the info.

[anonymous]

How many people choose where to do business based on what type of payment they offer? I don't but maybe others do. I would think that if people are aware ahead of time what form of payment they need it should not impact your business. Remember that we don't sell things that are impulse purchases where a customer might not buy if they don't have cash in their pocket. You can offer credit card acceptance as a niceity but I doubt it will add to your business, only add to your costs.

Also keep in mind that we are in an utility reselling business and over time those costs climb and hopefully so do our prices - but the credit card costs will keep going up as a percentage. Each year they will take a bigger and bigger bite out of your profits unless you are able to pass that cost along. You have probably noticed that many independent gas stations have gone out of business in the last year. I have talked to many and the reason they went under was because of credit cards. You see as gas prices went from $1.50 to $3.00 per gallon their cost to process credit cards doubled since they were a percentage of gross sales. Further still as the amount of each transaction doubled more and more people choose to pay by credit rather than by cash which further increased their costs. Unfortunately for them their gross margin per gallon typically was a set amount not a percentage of gross, so their credit card costs started to take such a large portion of their margins that they were no longer able to make ends meet.

Long time no see.... still have my card store... still think it was an excellent retrofit choice...

I agree about keeping fees low. I decided long ago that credit card transactions at the counter were not for me.

For the convenience of all customers, both self-serve and drop-off, I own an ATM to convert plastic into bills. Instead of paying all percentage fees to some jokers I've never met, I have a transaction fee, and the jokers send 85% of the fee back to me.

Over time, the transaction fees more than pay for maintenance. I only put money in the machine twice a month.

Also, the network my machine is connected to will process the "debit cards" our state uses for welfare recipients. This is very handy.

The trick is to own the machine, not lease it. Leasing will only cost you money. Buy from a reputable distributor, just as if you were buying any other piece of equipment.

Bubbles

[anonymous]

I have found the few times a customer only has a credit/debit card they walk down 3 doors to a store that has an ATM and get cash. I do accept checks for WDF, and have never had one bounce - so that takes care of people that don't want to use cash.

As I mentioned before, laundry is not an impulse buy - it is a destination that people plan and they can very easily plan to have cash or check. Very few people ask to use a credit card.

I am fairly certain that if you put in credit card capabilities many many people will use it - which will increase your costs but most likely not add to the revenue side of the equation

I understand what Dave talks about as far as not buying gas with cash, but that to some degree is an impulse purchase. If I glance at my gauge and see it is low while near a cash only gas station I might not go in if I am low on cash. But, when I plan to get gas I grab cash ahead of time and go to the low cost gas station that takes cash only but also only currently charges $1.96 a gallon.

[NYJETS1313]

I have been seriously considering putting the Setomatic credit card readers on my machines. I went to look at one of their customers stores in Mass. who put a credit card reader on every machine. I spent a few hours there talking to customers who were using their credit cards. The thing I liked was that the store is not attended and the customers had no problem using the system. Several of the customers I spoke to said they only started coming to this laundromat because they can start the machines with their credit cards. The owner of the laundry told me his revenue is way up since he put in the Setomatic system. I guess the bottom line is that if you don't have to take cash out of your pocket, your machines will be used much more.

[anonymous]

They proberly had chip cards, they cost approximately $4 each so the owners have to charge the customers for the cards. I have mag cards and they only cost about >80 each so I give them for free. Its tough enough to get the customers use to the card store without charging them for the dam thing on top of it. We have only had one rather stuffy lady walk out of the store because of the card system. Good ridence I say. If she stayed, she may have contaminated other folks with her old fasioned ways.

You are overpaying for your cards. If you are willing to order 5,000-10,000 in one lot you can get them for between 20 and 30 cents per card. Check the internet, there are lots of companies that will produce them for you.

[William]

Does anyone know how much the Setomatic system costs?

[DaveLevenson]

Does anyone know how much the Setomatic system costs?

Last spring, I was quoted approximately $300 per machine + $3,000 once for the software and hand-held unit used to collect the transaction data and forward it to the transaction processor.

If you don't already have a PC, you'll need one of those. If your dryers have Greenwald square or round electromechanical timers, you'll need to replace them with Set-O-Matic electronic timers (with coin drops).

[fluffy]

I'm wondering if someone who has the Setomatic system can answer my two questions:

1. Fraud problems? What happens if someone uses an invalid card - I'm assuming you don't know until you try to authorize the transaction later. Is it also possible for the fraudster to use the same invalid card every time they visit the store (or is there some way to have the reader "learn" which cards are bad?).

2. Any problems with water/soap/dirt getting into the reader mechanism (since it sits outside of the machine housing)? I think it would be alot better if it could be mounted internally (it looks like my Dexters have an access slot for this where they mount the prepaid card readers).

Thanks

[William]

So a conversion of 10 machines would cost $6,000. If your net is say 20% of gross, you would have to do $30,000 in additional business over what you would have done with coins just to break even. And that does not include the transaction costs of the credit cards.

Of course one could argue that once the overall break even of the entire laundry is met, then the marginal cost is much lower, so it would not take that much to get a payback. Since this might be "found" business, the actual cost could be less. On the other hand, if you end up trading your coin customers to credit cards, you might actually end up LESS profitable!

I have to say I am tempted despite the price though. I can see how it might be good for my customers. But the price seems high to me. On the other hand, I am cheap.

Heck, for many of my customers the "bank" is their shoe! Or mattress.

It will require more thought...I think I need the services of a one armed economist.

What are your opinions?

[WhatwasIThinkin]

I have the card wipes. They are expensive but not relative to having to convert a whole store to smart cards. The reason I got it is because I do a good deal of drop off/deliver and before I installed the swipes, the attendants would take $ out of drawer to do the service and then write down what they used. There was no way (other than watching video and even then...) to account for what was being used. Also, I would have to collect this $ out of machines and I was not getting a true picture of my coin revenue. I may be able to move to 1x a week collections soon because of the swipes. Just having the attendants swipe keeps me from having to lug 30 lbs of quarters every week.

-The swipes run horizontal so they don't get gummed up. They make swipes for car washes that can be under water for a long time so they know how to ovoid these problems.
-I have had only 1or 2 cards get rejected. They beat me for $2.50 ad the card can never be used again on the swipes. It seems as if thieves would rather buy an ipod w/ a stolen car. They also know the time will be noted and they are on camera. Not worth a free wash to them because of this.
R

[DaveLevenson]

Thinkin:

I've been hoping to find someone who is actually using this equipment.

How long have you had the swipes? Have you seen any change in turns per day since installing them? Have you had any feedback (positive or negative) from your customes? Do you also accept cards over the counter for WDF business? Did your merchant account provider need to do anything special to accept the transactions from your swipes? Have you gotten any claims from customers who say they were billed but the machine did not start, or did not work, or something similar? Where in the Northeast is your store? Did you equip all of your machines?

[NYJETS1313]

Dave,

I would try calling Setomatic for some names of people using there credit card system. They gave me several people to speak to. All of them has great things to say about it.

Tell them you saw their Name (Setomatic) on Coinwash.com and to become a Sponsor

[TLR]

I researched this a year ago: My conclusions:

A store converting from coin to card - should consider this Setomatic system - since everyone has credit cards.

It would differentiate themself from a card system - and not make people mad.

Stolen credit cards must be detected first by the store owner on his recap reports - and then reported as stolen to the credit card merchant - so they can not be used again - otherwise - if you do not pay attention to it - they can continue using it. Ther is not auotmatic rejeciton at the terminal itself - since they are not tied into anything.

I considered doing it on all my 40 and 55 pound washers - 14 machines - so the customer would have a choice of coin or credit card for all those quarters - but I "chickened out" at the first cost price.

My ultimate conclusion was K.I.S.S. - and I did not think it would draw MORE customers to the store - which is the ultimate goal. We use credit cards for Wash and Fold - and that works great! We had our biggest day ever of Wash and Fold yesterday - $215

I still have it in the back of mind - and will do it one day - for those machines above. I do not think I will convert all 42 machines. I have not considered the dryers yet.

TLR

[gla44]

just saw another ad for a used card system for 10 grand...i think it is for over one hundred machines.
this sounds pretty cheap, what gives?