Would you pay 9.9% to count your small change?

ILikeBananas

I was in my local Tesco the other day waiting for my sister to go through the checkouts when I saw this Coinstar change counting machine. If you're not familiar with it, it's a big machine about the size of a passport photograph booth that will accept a bucket of loose change and will count it and give you a voucher (as far as I know).

So I was thinking "That's a good idea" but then I noticed the (very small) sticker that said "Coinstar charge a counting fee of 9.9 cents per euro counted.

I think this is daylight robbery-like fair enough charge a fee but 9.9%!

These things have been around a long while so clearly somebody is using them.
Would you?

py2006

Don't bother! Just get the money bags from your bank! count it out and they will give you cash without charging you!

or you could do what I did! I counted up nearly €300 euro in change, put it into the bags and the local took it off me for cash!!!

Although they got most of it back anyway! :rolleyes:

shamtastic

1. It's quick and saves you time + effort putting coins into bags.

2. It counts all your change whereas the bank needs bags in exact amounts and you'll always have a few euro of left overs so it's convenient enough although I see where you're coming from!

AnneElizabeth

I hate those machines! I know you're never going to have hundreds of Euros in small change, but it's annoying to have to pay so much just to get the money changed. I'd prefer to go to the bank.

AnonoBoy

It used to be 12% commission they charged so they're moving with the times!

carefulnow100

Just pay someone else 2% to count it:cool:


I should run the banks

sdanseo

I'll do it for coppers, maybe 10c's but I count the rest myself. Went in with a huge jar of 1-10c coins a while back and got €17. counting that, bagging it, bringing to the bank would have been a royal pain.

amacca

ILikeBananas wrote: »

I think this is daylight robbery-like fair enough charge a fee but 9.9%!

These things have been around a long while so clearly somebody is using them.
Would you?

No but its amazing what people are prepared to pay for convenience....cough (lazy or stupid bstids)

Liam Byrne

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

Naomi00

No way! I count money for someone I know and they were thinking about using that machine but didn't bother. The money I counted added up to about €1500, counted it in about an hour. It would be a waste of money to pay €150 to a machine when you can do it yourself.

carefulnow100

py2006 wrote: »

Don't bother! Just get the money bags from your bank! count it out and they will give you cash without charging you!

or you could do what I did! I counted up nearly €300 euro in change, put it into the bags and the local took it off me for cash!!!

Although they got most of it back anyway! :rolleyes:

:eek::eek::eek:

amacca

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

Genius....

buy the cheapest item in the store and shovel eleventy million squids in copper into the till before it has time to react

up yours coinstar 9.9%!

Marty McFly

Yep I sure would and have done in the past its just a lot handier.

p.s does anyone know were theres one of these in around Clondalkin, Tallaght or Lucan area? I know this is after hours not Dublin but just thought id throw it out there while were on the topic:).

AgileMyth

No I would not. But its not because there's a recession on, pissing away money is foolish at the best of times!

oppenheimer1

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

And the new self service machines have a hopper now for change, so its even handier to dump a load of coppers into them.

GoldFour4

How would you ever know if the machine was counting the right amount. Seems like a scam tbh.

johngalway

Not even for 1c pieces.

Money bags, as someone said. Or local shopsusually like getting change.

admiralofthefleet

the coin machines in supevalu dont charge. shove that up yer bollix tesco

boomerang

Yes for coppers, but not for 10c, 20c or 50c coins.

I wait til I have loads of coppers - I empty my wallet of change every day - and then use the machine. Last time it came to €26.00. Didn't mind paying €2.60 odd for the convenience.

AnonoBoy

I always feel like it's free money when I empty my change jar.

Good advice on the Tesco self service - must give that a go next time I'm bored. Can you put as much as you like in or does it stop you when you've reached the amount necessary for your purchase?

JJJJNR

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

Sooo trying this tomorrow morning.

pragmatic1

Done it at 12.5%. Was a monster bag of 1 and 2 cent though.

YoureSoVain

If you want to redeem the voucher for cash you pay. but if you use the voucher to pay for your shopping it doesnt charge you the fee

byhookorbycrook

I borrow the change machine from work.We had €300 + in the jar for our hols.

HazDanz

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

I do that Also If you live on a dub bus route abuse the exact change rule with your collection of coopers. You might get a look off of the driver but fcuk it.

naughtysmurf

I use it,

Every morning, anything less than a €1 coin goes into a bag at work, I keep track of what I put in it and every two months I cash it in, usually about €40 to €50, saves me a 20min drive going into a bank to stand in line for 30mins, for four or five euro every couple of months I think it's ok, suits me and besides the counting I exchange for notes,

CorkMan

Naomi00 wrote: »

No way! I count money for someone I know and they were thinking about using that machine but didn't bother. The money I counted added up to about €1500, counted it in about an hour. It would be a waste of money to pay €150 to a machine when you can do it yourself.

Did an old women give you the change by chance?

Mezcita

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

I nearly got lynched when I tried that in Tesco Ballybrack.

vibe666

i know of a guy who has a dozen or so of these things that he goes around emptying and taking to the bank.

afaik he empties each one about once every 2 weeks or so and although i don't know how much he makes off them, he doesn't have any other job that i know of, so he must be doing okay off it and fair play to him, making a business off the laziness of others.

EmacB

malachyscott wrote: »

How would you ever know if the machine was counting the right amount. Seems like a scam tbh.

No way a massive company like tesco would risk the controversy if they did do that!

I think its a great idea for coppers, they would go to waste otherwise anyway!

ArmaniJeanss

Use the 1c, 2c, 5c in the Self Service checkouts as Liam said.
Also if you are buying something for 1.20 or 2.30 (newspaper, busfare) then its another opportunity to make inroads into them for the odds.

20s,10s can be used in an off-license. Strolling over to buy 4 cans for €6? A Fiver and ten 10c coins or 5 20c coins, job done.

RichieC

used those machines a few times... not so sure it was 9.9% though..

Naomi00

CorkMan wrote: »

Did an old women give you the change by chance?

Lol no, it was from taxi fares.

bnt

9.9%? It was 8% on the machine I saw in a Tesco a couple of years ago, and that was too much for me. It didn't say "8%" in so many words, of course - the language was odd, designed to fool the unwary (in my opinion).

Mr.Crinklewood

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

the coin machines in supevalu dont charge. shove that up yer bollix tesco

Can you give the locations of said machines?

Yakult

People are lazy, machine is convenient = business

SeanW

Not a chance in hell I would pay that - far cheaper ways to spend/exchange coins.

vibe666

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Can you give the locations of said machines?

the one in my local supervalu does.

Ray Palmer

After spending about 5 hours counting change I decided using it to count the coppers. Charged €7 even if it had taken me just a hour it was worth but it easily saved me 3 hours.

They aren't owned by Tesco BTW they lease the space and have an arrangement. Banks charge to get change for companies so they actually are a really good idea for the shops who get their change for free. HTe owner gets the profit.

dlofnep

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That was in Tesco?

Just go to Tesco when it's quiet and then use their self-service checkout; it'll count it AND won't charge you anything.

Recession smashing tip of the week.

bowsie010

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

20s,10s can be used in an off-license. Strolling over to buy 4 cans for €6? A Fiver and ten 10c coins or 5 20c coins, job done.

Heres a Top Tip, They can also be used in all other shops.

..Brian..

I'm more than happy to pay the commission to have my coins counted at my convenience and effortlessly by these machines. I brought in a coffee jar full of change recently and was charged €18 to have €180 worth of coppers counted in less than 5 minutes. No need to get bank bags, separate coins and queue for the bank.

And I'm more than happy to do it again.

Mushy

Im actually struggling out of bed and first on my to-do list today is empty my Jaeger tin of the change in it. Should be enough to feed me until payday.

In other words, Im lazy and this machine is great.

Diabhal Beag

Nobody should be arsed to save 70c by taking at least an hour longer counting 1c coins by yourself. It's convenient to use the machine.

bonzodog2

I'd never pay the 9%. I used to not take out anything less than 50c, and count and bag the rest every once in a while, and take them to the bank. Now I recycle 10c/20c back into the money I take to the shop occasionally, the coppers wait until I have a bank change bag full, then go to the self service till at Tesco.

Jesus Wept

Bus fares.

El_Drago

I did it once with a pile of 1 and 2 cent coins that I had amassed over 3 years.They amounted to 74 euro something.I was only happy to give them 10% of it as there wasn't a hope in hell that I was going to count it myself.

super_furry

Same thing here. I have a massive jar at home that gets any change in my pocket that's smaller than 50c each night. It would take me hours to sort it out and arrange everything so once ever three of four months I bring it down, dump it in the machine and get €120 back. It's worth the €12 it would cost me.

marxcoo

Yes I would. But I used to pay my older brother 50% to bring all my change to the credit union when I was younger. I'm terrible with money.

weemcd

I have a small set of digital scales, 1p in sterling (uk money) weighs 3.56 grams, put a stack of coins on, divide by the weight for each coin you have and it saves some time. In saying that, I've used the machine on occasion, just taking a carrier bag in full of coins, fúcking them into the machine, and letting it do the dirty work is very easy, you don't even lose the commission if you use the voucher in store. Plus I hate banks, and will do anything I can to avoid standing in them for any reason, or 1 second longer than I need to.

moonflower

I find counting change very relaxing so I usually just count it out and bag it up. Although since a Tesco opened within walking distance of me I now just grab a fistful of coppers from the jar and throw them into the self service till.