Tokens. Whats the point?

[leapinlew]

I must be missing something.

Imagine I ran an arcade - whats the point of using tokens? Seems to me you could potentially lose money making people use tokens.

Someone clue me in.

[clanggedin]

If your machines are filled with tokens instead of quarters, then you don't have punks breaking into your games to get money.

[markrvp]

Assume as vendor your cost is $.07 cents per token and someone pays you $.25 cents for it.  You just made $.18 cents.  If the kid never plays the game you got $.18 cents and somebody else didn't have to wait for it.  If they brought in $5 worth of quarters they might or might not spend all of them.  If they had to change a $5 bill for tokens, then you get all their $5 when you might not have before.  If they don't spend all the tokens that day, then they will probably want to come back to use the left-over tokens and then they will probably buy more at that point.

[leapinlew]

So... tokens were cheap? For some reason - I was under the impression they cost a bit more. So... are you saying back in the 80's I could've bought tokens for pennies on the quarter?

I suppose they come in different sizes and what not...

Makes sense - thanks

[markrvp]

You would have had to buy several thousand to make it cost-effective.

[missioncontrol]

plus they are shiney......

[Rok]

I think the idea behind it is that people spend x amount of cash to buy tokens. Whether or not they use them all it doesnt matter to you, you already collected their money. If they bring in 5 bucks of quarters, you wont have gotten all their money unless they get addicted to the Simpsons or something

[thebrownshow]

Weren't they also used to change pricing?  I think I remember getting 25/$5 (rather than 20) at some arcades, and at the crappy ones something like 3 tokens / $1 to get more money per credit.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Weren't they also used to change pricing?  I think I remember getting 25/$5 (rather than 20) at some arcades, and at the crappy ones something like 3 tokens / $1 to get more money per credit.

I used to save all my money, and hit the arcade on "Super Tuesday", or whatever they called it.
They sold tokens at 10/$1 that day only, to try to get more business.
I'd buy whatever I could afford then, and spend them throughout the week.

[missioncontrol]

Weren't they also used to change pricing?  I think I remember getting 25/$5 (rather than 20) at some arcades, and at the crappy ones something like 3 tokens / $1 to get more money per credit.

yeah many places used that as a gimock to get you to their arcade...

tokens 25 cents each
5 for $1.00

you thing your getting a deal your happy.. Your spending your money at the guys arcade... he's happy