Coinstar slowly disappearing ??

Tibor

In N.E. Tennessee there is a chain of grocery stores known as "Food City". They
run approximately 100 stores in Ky.,Va., and Tn. In my area they pulled all of the
Coinstar machines and replaced them with similar machines. Is this a start of a
trend or has this been happening for a time in your part of the country?
I've never used them but have found foreign coins in the return "cup".

telephoto1

I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these".

MsMorrisine

Still alive here and I find an occasional empty container, too.

Tibor

I totally agree!! When I'm at Wal-Mart (about once a week) to shop I
take my loose change and go through the self check out. Here you can
drop in 10+ plus coins at a time and the "register" does the counting
for you. No sorting or rolling. At these self check outs be sure to pay with
your change first then paper or credit/debit card.

bestday

<< <i>I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these". >>



they charge a 12 % commission .. why bother

ms70

I noticed they're around but not in the most prominent of places. In my local supermarket they moved it to the most obscure
location in the store.

I'd hate it if they disappear. I've found a lot of silver coins that people leave behind in the return tray!

lordmarcovan

I've used them once or twice.

Sometimes a few cents' commission is worth the time saved not having to count and roll thousands of grubby cents.

toyz4geo

I take my accumulated change to the local casino. No fees. Just have to get out the front door without being enticed........

bronco2078

All my banks have coin counting machines at one its free to anyone with an account , the other 2 charge a max of 5% . Who in their right mind would pay 12%?

Cameonut

I can assure you that Coinstar is alive and well in NC - I see them all over.

And I also think I have a brain, but I use Coinstar to count pennies, nickels, and dimes. I pull quarters out and roll or spend them.

With the proceeds I get i-Tunes credit for the wife or I get Amazon credit. BEST OF ALL - NO FEE. That's right you get 100% of the value.

So there :b

Back in the good old days, my credit union would count them for free. But those days are long gone.

ricko

Coinstar at the local market is free....no fee at all. Cheers, RickO

TommyType

<< <i>I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these". >>



Not necessarily true.

At least in SoCal, you can elect to take an Amazon gift card at face value instead of cash. Assuming you actually use Amazon for anything, it makes the "service" free and convenient.

(And actually, there are other options for gift cards beyond Amazon....but don't know the entire story on them).

mrpotatoheadd

Rather than going to the trouble of trying to figure out who'll give you the best deal for exchanging your bucket of coins, you could always, I suppose, just spend it instead of letting it pile up. Amazon's not the only place that accepts money for purchases, you know.

telephoto1

I fully realize you can get gift cards for them at 100%, and if you like that option, good for you- but you're forced to choose only from certain places that have paid Coinstar for the privilege.
If you want cash they take 10-12% depending on location (there's been talk of this in the past; machines in poorer neighborhoods are supposedly set to charge higher percentages)

I'd rather go to the bank, get 100% in cash or as a credit to my account, and spend my money wherever I like.

Now I'd be OK with it if they charged, say, a buck or two flat rate per transaction to use the machine-I'd simply wait until I had enough change piled up to make it worthwhile.

pcunix

<< <i>I fully realize you can get gift cards for them at 100%, and if you like that option, good for you- but you're forced to choose only from certain places that have paid Coinstar for the privilege.
If you want cash they take 10-12% depending on location (there's been talk of this in the past; machines in poorer neighborhoods are supposedly set to charge higher percentages)

I'd rather go to the bank, get 100% in cash or as a credit to my account, and spend my money wherever I like.

Now I'd be OK with it if they charged, say, a buck or two flat rate per transaction to use the machine-I'd simply wait until I had enough change piled up to make it worthwhile. >>



Newer CoinStars let you deposit to Paypal with no fee.

telephoto1

<< <i>

<< <i>I fully realize you can get gift cards for them at 100%, and if you like that option, good for you- but you're forced to choose only from certain places that have paid Coinstar for the privilege.
If you want cash they take 10-12% depending on location (there's been talk of this in the past; machines in poorer neighborhoods are supposedly set to charge higher percentages)

I'd rather go to the bank, get 100% in cash or as a credit to my account, and spend my money wherever I like.

Now I'd be OK with it if they charged, say, a buck or two flat rate per transaction to use the machine-I'd simply wait until I had enough change piled up to make it worthwhile. >>



Newer CoinStars let you deposit to Paypal with no fee. >>



PayPal, owned by eBay, which is where they're betting you use the money. But, no upfront fee at least.

PRECIOUSMENTAL

My bank offers me free use of counting machine.
Local Giant Eagle store has a coinstar, is an option, as was posted, to apply 100% to pay pal, amazon, or, lowe's home improvement.
People today like the convenience.

Weiss

Our Schnucks stores replaced their Coinstars with CoinMax machines a couple of years back. Same idea, except I think they're owned by the stores themselves.

They reject stuff and I find stuff just like the Coinstar machines. Except their reject slot isn't quite as easy to miss as it is with the Coinstar machines.

goodmoney4badmoney

I also have used the machines for anything under 25 cents, long before they offered 100% return in the form of gift cards etc. I'm either insane or hate rolling coins, perhaps both.
Also, I don't check the reject bin unless I'm standing in front of it putting change in.

braddick

<< <i>I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these". >>



No, it's not like handing someone a dollar bill and having them give you 90c.

It's like handing someone $1.10 in pennies and nickels and they give you back a dollar.

The convenience is worth the commission to some.

Lakesammman

If you've ever rolled 6 coffee cans of pennies and gone to the bank where they ask you to put your name, address and phone number on each roll, it's well worth the price!

SaorAlba

<< <i>All my banks have coin counting machines at one its free to anyone with an account , the other 2 charge a max of 5% . Who in their right mind would pay 12%? >>



Banks in my area charge 5%, my credit unions charge 0% and have cuter tellers.

pcunix

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I fully realize you can get gift cards for them at 100%, and if you like that option, good for you- but you're forced to choose only from certain places that have paid Coinstar for the privilege.
If you want cash they take 10-12% depending on location (there's been talk of this in the past; machines in poorer neighborhoods are supposedly set to charge higher percentages)

I'd rather go to the bank, get 100% in cash or as a credit to my account, and spend my money wherever I like.

Now I'd be OK with it if they charged, say, a buck or two flat rate per transaction to use the machine-I'd simply wait until I had enough change piled up to make it worthwhile. >>



Newer CoinStars let you deposit to Paypal with no fee. >>



PayPal, owned by eBay, which is where they're betting you use the money. But, no upfront fee at least. >>



Well, yeah, and I probably WILL use it there. But I can transfer it to my bank if I want to. That does take a couple of days, but that jar of coins took a while to accumulate, too.

MsMorrisine

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I fully realize you can get gift cards for them at 100%, and if you like that option, good for you- but you're forced to choose only from certain places that have paid Coinstar for the privilege.
If you want cash they take 10-12% depending on location (there's been talk of this in the past; machines in poorer neighborhoods are supposedly set to charge higher percentages)

I'd rather go to the bank, get 100% in cash or as a credit to my account, and spend my money wherever I like.

Now I'd be OK with it if they charged, say, a buck or two flat rate per transaction to use the machine-I'd simply wait until I had enough change piled up to make it worthwhile. >>



Newer CoinStars let you deposit to Paypal with no fee. >>



PayPal, owned by eBay, which is where they're betting you use the money. But, no upfront fee at least. >>




for now.

if the clued get wise, they'll transfer to paypal then the bank, and ebay gets 0%. If this is done enough PP/ebay will add a mandatory fee.

Wabbit2313

Where in the world are you all getting so much change? It is becoming a cashless world out there!

AMRC

The one at our local supermarket has changed names. New company moved in.

COALPORTER

COINSTAR changed name to OUTERWALL, and the machines look somewhat different.
Maybe that is why some think it is a different company.

messydesk

<< <i>

<< <i>I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these". >>



they charge a 12 % commission .. why bother >>


Because it's better than you'll get if you sell your change on eBay.

coindeuce

The Coinstar machines at the supermarket of my choice are parked adjacent to the automatic deposit container receptacles. This affords one the experience of frequently being surrounded by the homeless and panhandlers who survive primarily by picking up discarded deposit containers. Most of them are civil, but occassionally a drunk or mentally unstable individual appears and gets everyone on edge.

telephoto1

No, it's not like handing someone a dollar bill and having them give you 90c.

It's like handing someone $1.10 in pennies and nickels and they give you back a dollar.

The convenience is worth the commission to some.

Actually that would net you 99 cents, but I digress.

It blows my mind that some apparently don't consider coins "real money" enough to want to exchange them for full face value, especially given all the dues, fees, taxes and the like that take enough of our income as it is.

It's particularly mind blowing when it's being said by numismatists.

Have we really gotten that lazy?

Apparently so, because Coinstar and its clones seemingly make good money doing what they do...

COALPORTER

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I don't know why anyone with a brain would use them. It's like handing someone dollar bills and saying "Here- give me 90 cents each for these". >>



they charge a 12 % commission .. why bother >>


Because it's better than you'll get if you sell your change on eBay. >>



Someone mentioned taking your coins to a casino...generally, they will
"coinstar" it for no fee.

RGJohn

<< <i>I take my accumulated change to the local casino. No fees. Just have to get out the front door without being enticed........ >>



My advice is to stay then out of Black Hawk, Colorado.
As we have SO many temptations that you'd have virtually ZERO chance (0.00000) of escaping.

braddick

<< <i>No, it's not like handing someone a dollar bill and having them give you 90c.

It's like handing someone $1.10 in pennies and nickels and they give you back a dollar.

The convenience is worth the commission to some.

Actually that would net you 99 cents, but I digress.

It blows my mind that some apparently don't consider coins "real money" enough to want to exchange them for full face value, especially given all the dues, fees, taxes and the like that take enough of our income as it is.

It's particularly mind blowing when it's being said by numismatists.

Have we really gotten that lazy?

Apparently so, because Coinstar and its clones seemingly make good money doing what they do... >>



Why jump to a conclusion it must be about laziness?
Unless you make less than minimum wage, it doesn't pay to hassle with change. I toss mine in a oversized coffee mug and drop it off at the CoinStar at my local VON'S once or so a month.

I use the proceeds to restock my Starbucks gold card and call it a morning well spent.

TwoSides2aCoin

One time a lady was going to take her change to coinstar. She called the shop and I offered 3% more. Wrote a check for a couple grand. Worked out okay. Can't say I scored, but 9% of a couple grand paid half the electric bill that month. (This story is not true, but it could happen)

telephoto1

<< <i>Why jump to a conclusion it must be about laziness?
Unless you make less than minimum wage, it doesn't pay to hassle with change. I toss mine in a oversized coffee mug and drop it off at the CoinStar at my local VON'S once or so a month.

I use the proceeds to restock my Starbucks gold card and call it a morning well spent. >>





Fair enough. Why are you jumping to the conclusion that only poor people care about change? That sounds just a tiny bit elitist.

On a personal level I save my pocket change (all but quarters) throughout the year, take it to our locally owned bank, exchange it at full face value, and end up with a nice three-digit sum- a little extra vacation, holiday or personal coin spending money. Not life changing money perhaps, but not chump change either. So I submit that you are wrong in saying it doesn't pay to "hassle" with change.

And I know this isn't apples/apples, but it's certainly not chump change when we take in the extra spendable non-numismatic coins gleaned from hoards and deals purchased in the store. I don't know the exact numbers offhand but if we were to eat a 12% fee on that end-of-year number, it would probably be the equivalent of most of a month's overhead.