Arcade Cards instead of Tokens at CEC...some thoughts.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Hi gang.

I'm fresh back from another fab pilgrimidge to The Land That Imagination Built ( also known as Walt Disney World) and came away with many thoughts....one of which i wanted to post here for discussion.

While staying at my fave resort there in FL, i made my usual stop in their Arcade and was surprised to see the much talked about "Arcade Cards" being used. For those that don't know what i'm talking about, "Arcade Cards" are plastic cards with a bar code on them that you purchase instead of coins to play the games. In the case at the Disney hotel i was staying at, you pre-purchase "points" on this debit-like card and then walk up to any game and swipe it through a special scanner mounted where the normal coin mech would be located. It was very neat and worked a charm....it was great not having to shelp a heavy pocketload of coins around. All you needed was this card that could be slipped easily into a pocket. The cards here were also custom decorated, which added to it's appeal as it doubled as a "souvenier" of sorts.

My experience this trip was the first time i have ever delt with this new gaming method, and after coming away from it i have to say i love it. I'm all for this system, and can see so many benefits for the arcade owners. I know last month or so we had this topic come up on the Board and this was the first i had ever heard of it....the Disney hotels did not have this system in place when i was last there in September.

So my thinking is...why not have this "Arcade Card" system at CEC? It would help streamline so many aspects of the Game Room operations, not to mention save tons on Labor Payroll without having to go through a Game Pull every week. Guests could spend even MORE money then they are immediately aware of with this system ( always a good thing in a business like CEC..) and kids no longer would have to worry about spilling their coins all over the floor. Think of how handy it would be too...no more carrying around 20 pounds of tokens in your pockets either and worrying about losing them. Also, this would end the second hand market of selling tokens, as well as curb the theft of tokens at a store level. I can see this being a natural match for the CEC concept.

So what are they waiting for? I say let's see these installed. It would be cool to see this doubled up along with the often proposed "Ticket Card" system. This was tested a few years back, but kids do love to actually have the tickets in there hands i know.

Now i know many folks, myself included, would be sad to see the golden tokens go. I like to collect them, as do many here, and it would be sad to see them fall by the wayside. However, with the amount of money CEC is pulling in these days, and the constant goal of the Company trying to find new ways to cut costs wherever they can, i see this new card system a big plus.

What are your thoughts?

I don't see every CEC location having these at this point....perhaps only the extreme HV ( high volume) locations that are so busy they need to do 2/3 game pulls a week. I say install em' there and then see about the other locations.

[CEC Kid Check]

Hey Jenn,
I think this idea has its ups and downs.
Ups:
1. A GREAT IDEA!
2. No hassle with coins
3. Save money on the produce of cards instead of coins.
4. Easy for techs to do game pull, just look on the displays.
5. People can re-use the same card over and over again, by adding more and more credits as they come.
6. No more producing of Tickets/ no more purchasing of tickets.
Downs:
1. To many FAQ's about it
2. Programming issues
3. Returning Credit
4. 3-4 years will not understand how to use it
(its more common sense for kids to put a coin in a slot than sliding a card and answering questions like how many games...etc...)
5. No more free plays from kids dropping there tokens under the games:b
This is a great idea, it would make me and all the other techs lifes a lot easier...but I would hate to keep telling people how to use it.
I can see something like a 1 credit per every .25cents; this way every game is still consider 1 token.
I've also seen Cards act as Ticket and Coin holders, it keeps track on both how many tickets you've won and who many credits you have left. So when kids bring up there cards, all C.M.'s have to do is slide it or scan it and it will say how many tickets the kid has won.
But all in all, I think CEC should go with this!

[busytech]

Swipe cards would not completely eliminate coin pull.

Don't forget games that need tokens to play, such as Wonder Wheel, Rubble Bubble, Surfs Up and Wheel Em In etc.

Dave and Busters use this system, and the way it works is that there are still token dispensers, and for each swipe of the card it gives a few tokens to play with (9 I think) on those certain games.

The cards do store the amount of tickets won, but the tickets are still given out by the game. The player takes their tickets to the merch counter, gets them weighed, and the number of tickets is inputed on the swipe card by the staff member.

[captslappy]

This is also not a new idea by any means. The arcade at Grapevine Mills Mall has had this for about 7 years at least. I have seen other places doing this for a long time also. Token based places are behind the times.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

That's one of the points of this....why has'nt CEC jumped on this system? It would save them a ton of money once they have the card system installed.

Busytech brought up a valid point i did'nt think of....you WOULD still need actual coins for the "coin roller" type games. I suppose for these you could have a token dispenser that you could swipe your card through and imput how many "points" you would like used for coins in order to play these "roller" games as i call em'.

Still seems like the way to go...

[CEC3066]

Arn't the Orlando area CEC locations using this system?

[sungun12]

yea i heard orlando was testing this

think of how many cards you would go through in a week. once you have tokens - you just have them. i think it would be a cost issue too. plus when we get tokens, it doesnt get charged to the store or my P&L. i think wed go thru sooooo many cards and it would cost a lot more...definitely more money than the 2 people I pay 3 hours to do gamepull every monday. costs me about....$40? somewhere around there. i guarantee the cost of cards each week would be soo much more...and like its already been said, there would still have to be some sort of gamepull. for us it would be on rubble bubble, rock n bowl and dinoscore.

[busytech]

One way that Dave & Busters offsets the initial card price is to charge a buck or two for the card itself. Once the guest has purchased it, they only pay for it to be recharged.

[dheineCECfan]

Besides Dave and Busters using the recharagable ARCADE CARDS, Gameworks and Jillian's also use the ARCADE CARDS. I hope the CEC ARCADE CARDS testing in Orlando roll out nationally if the test is a success!

[JyPsy]

I love game cards personally, but the thing that I feel would make it difficult to implement in CeC is that most stores don't nearly have enough games to warrant the cost of upgrading the coin mechs to card readers..

There are 4 CeC's that I go to, and the one that has the most games averages around 30. if that.
(not including kiddie rides)

All the places you have mentioned are dedicated arcades, with the exception of the resort, but I assume they have a decent sized arcade as well.

Now if we see CeC turn around and put more of a focus on the teens crowd and put more arcade games in, then this would be a viable solution.

Yes coin pulls suck. but in the end its cheaper to stay the course than to change.

[captslappy]

Yeah! Game Works, that was what I was trying to think of. That's the place that uses them at Grapevine Mills mall. Thanks Darryl!

[YoungCaliHottie]

heres the way it works with the cards. half of the people take them home or collect them (as jen mentioned) or just throw them away. so whats the difference in producing cards or tokens? either way you have to produce them. and i think cards would have a higher rate of reproduction requirement.

furthermore it would defeat the purpose because you would still ALSO have to produce coins for all the coin machines. since cec is all about games of skill, coins play a large part in that. so why have some coins and some cards, and then you would have to have some card readers and some coin mechs?

then you have to worry about interchanging the two. as was mentioned, machines can dispense the coins from the cards. but what if someone somehow ended up with a handful of coins and now wants to put them on the card? youve just created another manual process.

...i mentioned where the first half of the cards end up. but 'where does the other half end up?' you ask... ...all over the place! in the gameroom, showroom, bathroom, between games, on top on games, everywhere! so now you have to pick up all these blank cards everywhere.

since there are still coins, you still have game pulls. but not only that, now you also have "card pulls". yes, thats right, cards need pulls too. once youve collected those cards that are everywhere, your company has two choices: 1) throw them away and only distribute new cards (to save on labor), or 2) do a card pull: zero them out, scan them back into "inventory," clear the card history, and put them back in the card machine (to save on producing cards). so whether you save on labor or producing cards, it will cost you with the other.

so all you have really accomplished is confusing the whole scheme of things by adding a second, unneccessary system into the whole equation, which will have to be run in addition to the already existing system. youll have to make cards, plus still coins. youll have to still pull the coins, and now cards too. youll have to switch back and forth. clear confusion between the two. and somehow teach every 4 year old that walks through the door how to swipe cards.

not only do these 4 year olds hardly know how to count, but they'll also be expected to utilize and understand a credit/debit system and do math to calculate points and balances.

for most arcades, mainly ones with actual gaming machines, cards are the answer they have been looking for. for kids and games of skill, its nothing but confusion and twice as many headaches.

in my opinion, the few savings and shortcuts realized by reducing the number of coins will be outweighed by having to run both systems at the same time.

good idea. wrong place of implementation.

[YoungCaliHottie]

i just thought of something else... we'll also be teaching kids, at a young age, to charge things to cards! that is not a habit we should want such young kids to become accustomed to!

also, kids will think any card = gameplay. theyll be looking all over for id cards, business cards, credit cards, anything they think theyll be able to swipe through the machine.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Excellent points Cali...very well researched and thought out.

Many valid issues have been raised with the above post(s) by Cali....anyone care to add further thoughts?

The points made about used cards littering the store is something i did not think of...but then again, i did'nt see a SINGLE discarded card while at the WDW game room. Of course, these were no doubt kept for the "souvenier" value i'm sure as they were nicely designed. It could also be that they are being saved for next visit...like mine is...to be used again at a future date with the points left over on it.

I still have strong feelings that this is still something that CEC could eventualy use somehow.....i would like to hear MORE about the supposed Orlando stores that have the Arcade Card system already in use as a test. Does anyone from the area know which stores have this in operation already? I would like to know!

[JyPsy]

actually, that is probably one of the goals of most companies, get the kids accustomed to credit as early as possible.

the thing that will cause CeC to do this if they do, is the profit margin. they could do what Gameworks does, and charge 35c or 55c a game, an odd number that creates an uneven amount of game plays remaining at the end of a day, so people will go "well i still have 15c left on this card, i guess i'll keep it" and every time they open their wallet, they are reminded of Chuck E Cheese. this is something tokens fail on.

you don't keep tokens in your pocket/purse "Just in case" most people keep them seperate, no point in bringing extra change around with you. (unless you go on that regular of a basis.)

Much like credit cards, these game cards entice people to spend a LOT faster. when you reach in your pocket, and feel 2 tokens, most people are hesitant to spend them.

As for the card, normally you get so caught up in your game playing,the amount spent (especially on continues in video games) flies by.

The biggest thing that would be a boon to CeC's tech staff, is the lack of work that has to be done, unlike traditional coin mechs. no longer would coins get stuck, or coins get jammed in the works. someone could stick foreign objects in the card slot, but that happens much less often than a kid putting a really dirty nickel in a coin slot.

I can see why they would, but I still feel it would be a waste. there is a large investment in switching from coin to card.

They get that customer retention either way, just with tokens, if you have a hundred at home, and drive by CeC, you might be less inclined to go, since you don't have them on you. The card fixes that.

oh, just remembered...you can change skill games to use the cards, just not the ones where you drop a coin in like wheel 'm in (which I really expect to get phased out soon, since they have a higher chance of breaking down, and require much more work overall.)

[busytech]

In my store, out of 66 player positions. I have only 4 that could not be converted to a card reader.

Those are:

Surfs Up
Spongebob Squarepants
Ghost Hunter
Wonder Wheel

I think that for my case, the work saved from reducing game pull, clearing coin jams etc would easily cover the additional work need to use cards.

What the actual cost would be of a conversion is something else that would have to be taken in to consideration.

[CEC Kid Check]

Yeah, for my store it would be:
Surf's Up
Dinoscore
Surfin' Sufari
Wonder Wheel
Smokin' Token (surprised no one said this yet)
I agree, some excellent points have come up with this topic!
The local Gameworks by me has cards, and I know you get the card first, (with the desired amount of money you want on it) and then if you want to play these "roller"(as Jenn calls them) games, you stick your card into a specially designed token dispenser that gives you the amount of tokens you wish to have. So lets say you 25 points, and each token is 1 point, you enter 10 points, and you get 10 tokens and still have 15 points for the other slide games.
But as Cali and sungun said, why bother changing over, its just add on the costs of converting the slide acceptors etc..
But disagreeing with sungun, you may only pay $40 for the Techs who do your coin pull, but if you think about it, it would be twenty times cheaper to produce millions of cards a day than millions of coins each day...

[dheineCECfan]

Speaking of Arcade Cards: Has the Namco chain of arcades (including if still existing Aladdin's Castle and Time Out arcade chains) tried testing their own arcade cards replacing the tokens?

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Just thought i would revive this thread i started back in March...as it has recently become a hot topic again.

I still think it's a win/win situation for CEC. I can seriously see this happening in a few years time.

The load of money the Company will be saving is too tempting for them to be able to resist the urge to go with the Game Card system.

It's always about the $$$$...never about the Guests' wants these days it seems.

Bring on the cards!!

[puppetmaster29]

The card swipe system was installed in the Irving store around the beginning of this year and it has been doing very well, alot of positive guest feedback with a few negitives of course but that will always happen with any change. You can't please everybody in this world. So because of the positive guest feedback is the reason they are expanding test to other markets and pretty soon tickets will be a thing of the past as well.


It's always about the $$$$...never about the Guests' wants these days it seems.

I agree and disagree with this statement. Yes, it will always be about the money in someway, you can't run a business without money and this business can't run without the guests. The Guests have to a say in what's goes on, they're the reason the card swipe system is expanding to be tested in other markets. I think to say it's "never" about what the guests want is where I disagree.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

I agree puppetmaster, sure they need money of course to run the business....my comment is more in line with the opinion that CECE is losing their focus somehwhat.

Instead of the decisions being made on a "Magic Making/Ultimate Guest satisfaction" policy, the focus seems to be more directed towards how much money they can make and how much more they can cut back on. I agree though that Guests do have a say in the direction they take, but it seems all too often it is overlooked in favour of cost-cutting options.

I am very glad to hear that the testing in Iriving has been succesful. I have no issues losing the tickets and tokens. I know that may seem shocking cosidering i'm a serious collector and all, but times have changed. I suppose this will also curb the rampant sales of huge piles of tickets/ reciepts/tokens on Ebay too....as all of these itmes will become worthless once the card system is implemented nationwide.

So my advice folks: if you have extra tokens and tickets, spend em' soon! :lol

[YoungCaliHottie]

or save and collect them. one day u can show ur grandkids what "tokens" are and tell them all about how they used to be used. lol. then ur grandkids can tell u all about how old u r and how nothing was logical or high tech enough in your days. lol

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago after CheeseVention 3, but this is better late then never.

I was able to expereince first hand the new 'Token Cards" at the Irving location. Awesome setup and system they have already in place ...and even though you can tell that some aspects are still be tested, it's a WINNER folks.

Best of all, for those of you wondering what is to become of your Tokens..they are still valid tender at CEC regardless of the changeover. You can use the tokens you still have to PURCHASE Token Cards like you would with any other money tender. They have special electronic Bill Changers that except CC's, Cash, Coins, and TOKENS! So that solves that burning question.....

The coin slots on the games are covered over with a special card swiper. It is frosty clear plastic that sports two colored lights inside: Blue and Green. It glows blue in "netruel" mode...but when you swipe your Token Card through, the light turns Green for Go!

A small LCD strip display on the swiper also tells you how many game "token points" you have remaining. The interesting thing is, that as you go along playing the games, you start to notice a trend: Points are not taken off in "whole points" but often in "fractions". This means you can start with 25 points, but after playing some games ( particually the fancier ones) you will notice you now have 22.6 or something along those lines. Very very clever marketing actually, as this insures Guests will need to constantly keep adding on points to keep the card to a "whole" figure. Get what i mean here?

Dispersed through the store are several machines where you can check your card point totals, and of course add on more points if you wish. At this time, only TOKENS were being put on the magnetic strip "Token Cards". Starting in September, Iriving will drop all tickets and start having "Ticket Points" on the cards as well as Token points. This will be tested to see how Guests react to the now ticket-l;ess game expereince.

The Cards seem to be a hit, and i was more then convinced it's the way to go before even arriving in TX. Now that i have actually seen it work in the CEC enviroment ( and the total acceptance of the Guests that were there that day i was...) i am even MORE convinved this system is a winner.

Now folks here know that often times i tend not to care much for recent changes to the concept. Regular readers of my posts know this....but i have to say that Token Cards ROCK and have too many positive things going for them from a Store level.

It will take some getting used to...but so did not having Show Curtains! :b

[YoungCaliHottie]

i dont like when arcades take away fractions of points.

guess this means we can say goodbye to "all games are just one token" and say hello to price increases...

[VegaNova]

Maybe it's just me, but I hate the new card idea. I'm sure there's so many pluses to it and many have been stated above. But to me, Tokens are just something that's synonymous with CEC. It's like getting rid of pizza or animatronics. Call me old fashioned....

When we were in Irving, there were two different cards - the discount card (with Super Chuck) and then the regular token cards which were green. The regular cards were pretty flimsy and thin, not much thicker than a laminated piece of paper. The discount cards were a bit more heavy duty but not even on par with a credit card.

They're definetely made to be disposable. Hard to say if they would last much heavy usage, but being that you're probably only going to use it for that visit, it may not matter much. Also they're only good at the store where you put credits on them (in other words, you can't max one out and then eBay it).

I picked up a few of these in Irving, and will list a couple on eBay soon in case anyone's dying to get their hands on one. I might even auction off the "tech" master game card that a CV attendee (who will remain annonymous) found lying around in the gameroom. Maybe someone out there could hack it if they have a card reader.... :evil

-VegaNova

[pizzacam]

Hahaha, man techs will forever leave something important out on the floor...in my experience it was a cordless drill that walked out like 10 mins after we brought it out of the tech room! :rolleyes But yeah on my way out of Irving I went and bought the 2 cards just to collect...:lol

[Billy Bob Brockali]

Damn... it's sad how ghetto the stores are when stuff gets taken right out the front door. I bet any eBay auction with the cards gets pulled until they are nationwide, and useless... but I for one would love to see VN fight the CEC law once again!








/yeah, i said "ghetto"

[MMBBfan327]

I hate to bring up an old thread like this, but I just found ut West Aliis recently started the Arcade Card concept, and I absolutely hate it. It is extremely confusing (for me, at least). Ok, so I bought a card, and tried playing games and apparently I'm swiping the card wrong, so I'm sitting there for 10 minutes trying to get this thing to work, then when I get it to work, the cost is something like 1.5 or 2.6, or some bull like that. Then I try to play a different game, and I don't have enough points on my card! So I try to reload it, but all the machines are being dumb, so after all of this, I only got to play about 3 games. Tokens were so much easier, and everybody knew how to use them (obviously). Sorry to followers of the card, but I dread the idea.

[pizzacam]

LOL dude you can't use Dave & Busters cards at CEC that's why! Haha j/k :lol

[MMBBfan327]

:lol

[CEC3066]

so wait, are these damn things nationwide now?

[MMBBfan327]

I hope not, but more than likely yes.

[VegaNova]

Ahh the token cards...

Hey MMBBfan327 did that store have the two cards? The normal one was green with red print and the discount one had Super Chuck on it, and again this may have changed since the ones I got at CV3 in July.

I'm just curious to see if they've made any design changes since the inital rollouts have begun.

OH - and that whole 3.7 and 1.2 token crap! I had almost forgot they were set up that way (just like Dave and Busters). That system sucks, and it's confusing, especially when you have to try to figure how much you acutally save per game by having the discount card.

This is an off-subject rant, but I was D&Bs a few weeks ago (after boycotting them for years because of being hassled for not having a sleeved shirt at the entrance... you know, that dress code since they're such a classy joint *pfft*). Anywho, there were several instances where I wanted to play a game that was like 3.8 credits or something and I had like 3.6 or even 3.7 left on my card. Which meant you can either add another dollar to the card or just leave the balance and walk away. >:

That difference of like maybe a penny or two kept me from zeroing out that card. Nice way of forcing people to spend more money... or not, because I got so frustrated with it I think I'm done with them. :evil

-VegaNova

[ZombieGoldFish]

You know, if they used cards when I was a kid then maybe I wouldn't have gotten into my dads coin collection to steal the quarters. :o

[MMBBfan327]

To answer Travis's question--yes, they had both the SC Card and the regular green one. Since this was my first time using the card system, I had no idea what to do, so I just went for the green one. Man, why can't CEC be about family togetherness anymore? It's all about money now. Like they don't get enough with everything else they provide. Back when they were about families, it was a nice environment. Now it's a freaking zoo just trying to get through the entrance!

[sungun12]

why do you guys have to be so negative about things??

all about the money??

credit cards have been around for years, and money is becoming more and more obsolete, so obviously it would happen to tokens as well.

its called technology people, come on.

[puppetmaster29]

The token card system is being tested in about 8 stores. In which it's still in the "Test" mode. There are changes that are still to be made. Most of what I've read in here are issues they are already looking into. It's not "all about the money" but like any business it takes "money" to run one. Credit cards have been around for a long time as Ms. Sungun metioned and is not going anywhere. Most video arcades I've seen now have some type of card system installed. The token card system will go company wide someday, once all the bugs are worked out. That's why it's being tested. This is something that has been in the works for a long time.

So like it or not, it's coming.

[MMBBfan327]

Yes, I understand it takes money to make money, but the reason I got upset was because at the store I went to, one game cost about 2.6 on the card, and after one game, you had to keep reloading with more money, which I did not have too much, as I had no idea this store switched to the card system.

[sungun12]

the way i see it, thats the only way they could get away with moving from the 'every game 1 token' thing. i remember back in the day when sketchbook was $1, then they made everything 1 token, which was a fabulous idea, and worked very well, but you had to know it wouldnt stay that way forever. inflation would take it up. either that or they would have to just keep up-ing the prices of everything else. its inevitable and being in the position that i am in, i say, bring it on. im super psyched about it.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Same here.

I have been a supporter of this since day one, when i was introduced to the card concept while rooming at Walt Disney World. Since then i have thought i would be PERFECT for CEC...and solve SO many problems, like the ones i talked about in my earlier posts in this thread ( game pulls, token theft or reselling, etc.)

Naturally i can see it being a huge bonus for the company too....as the "fraction" point system is a clever way to get Guests to cough up more money to play the games. You also tend to spend your points ( and money) MUCH faster then you would with coins, as you don't have that instantly visable guide ( a cup full of tokens) to help control your "spending". I still have my cards from Irving, and when i used one i could instantly see why these are such a perfect match for the current CEC enviroment, and i still think it's a good idea for the Company.

There are too many positive things for the Company with these, so it's no surprise to me that they will go Store wide soon. I agree with Sungun, bring it on! If you work at CEC you can see how these cards will solves so many cost and labor issues, not to mention theft and other realted problems....not to mention the high cost for a case or two of tokens!

I say bring em' on! And make collectible designs too...like those phone cards people collect!

[sungun12]

jenn, if i ever make it up north, we are so going to lunch someday

[VegaNova]

Ok let's set this straight...

I'm not trying to be overly negative here, and I know the token card system has fans and foes. (Thank you puppetmaster for posting that neutral grounded post - I couldn't have said things better myself :D )

For me I just don't like it. Probably just old fashioned here, but getting rid of tokens sucks. From a logistics/employees perspective I'm sure it's a godsend, but as a fan/collector, it's cheap and cheesey. Just my opinion.

And I'm not against CEC making money - I know that you need that to thrive (yes I'm fully aware that this company nearly failed in the early 80s before Dick Frank turned things around). So that's not it. And budget cuts are fine where they make sense (and I'm going to secede here and say that YES in this case it does make sense).

It does rip me raw to be wholeheartedly for anything and everything that makes a profit though. That's whether you work for the company or not. Think of all the money that could be saved if the carpets were all ripped out and replaced with concrete. So should that be done? Of course not.... my point is saying something is positive just because it makes money is just as irrational as anything else. :(

The moral of this is that most people on this board are just fans. You can love money making, or you can love CEC as a concept. The negativity just stems from us fans seeing a concept slowing get chipped away at under the blanket idea of "profits". I know it's not always practical to want things that don't make financial sense. But if we didn't give a crap about stuff like this it would be shameful to call one's self a "fan".

-VegaNova

[pizzacam]

Awesome a cement CEC...sigh I wouldn't doubt if that's in the plans too... :rolleyes :lol

[MMBBfan327]

Haha, and maybe one with wooden walls and one that has no ceiling and the trusses being visable.

[sungun12]

you mean like Sam's Club style?? haha

hey vega, i totally get your point. and its hard for some of us who are fans AND employees. not as much a problem for castmember fans i would suppose because none of those changes really have a direct influence on their life persay.

I do like they card idea. I liked it the very first day i went to dave & busters. i like the fact that there will be pretty much no more gamepull. a lot. and although i dont have much of a theft issue (id like to say none, but when you say NO ONE is stealing, ever, that just means your oblivious) it will be nice that tokens will be one less thing i have to worry about. but im sure with this new card thing we'll be thwarting off new inventive ideas of stealing. will i miss tokens? yes, of course. as a fan. as a GM? no way. not one bit. because in the end it will drive more sales. more sales and profit are always good for a GM, plus the other reasons i mentioned above. and its good to keep up with the other game restaurant concepts.

and vega, i like the way you worded your post. it just really bugs me when people get soooo pi$$ed if something is changing and go off about 'all cec cares about is $$' yea, thats up there, but i think they still get that if they dont make the people happy, there wont be any money. at all. and thats why the company is still around.

obviously, i like to run a tight ship (we were #2 in profit in the region) but its because i spend smart - not cheap. i know what the most important thing in the building to me is - the CM. which is why right now i am running a Guest Service Star contest for the month of Jan and the prize is a Ninteno Wii - and why last tuesday I took all my team 2 to TGI Fridays and bowling. skimming things here and there, or changing things wont make you more money. it doesnt matter if my store never gets the card system i will still destroy all of them because i dont worry about #'s - I worry about the people and the #'s just fall into place on their own. Thats how i was 'brought-up' and i like to think thats how everyone else thinks.

so, sorry to go off on the fans before, its just that i LOVE my job, and i love this concept and i would defend it to the death and when someone is bashing cec, i take it personally. maybe one of the reasons i can do so well as a GM is because i am a fan and understand that point of view as well.....

[puppetmaster29]

I couldn't have said things better myself
Actually Big V, you just did. What you said makes complete sense and hey, it's all good. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Sungun, I absolutely love the fact that you take care of your CM's and TL's like that. When I was a Tech Manager, I made it a point to get to know all of my GRA's and made sure they knew I appreciated them. It's amazing what a little "praising" can do cause you get so much more of them. Congratulations on being #2 in the region!!:D

[bzier]

Umm...about that whole 'concrete floors' thing? Well, just so you know, most stores have concrete underneath the carpet. So why not just rip all of the carpet up so little kids who get knocked over crack their heads open on the floor? Lol! Just kidding! They would be insane to do something that crazy! I think there will ALWAYS be carpet at CEC, unless they change over to some futuristic foam or something! :lol

I am also an employee of the company, and a huge fan. I love what CEC was, and some of what CEC still is, but I hate seeing all of these cutbacks and removal of things I find nostalgic and part of what makes CEC what it is. No more showrooms? Stupid. Cheapen the show by putting it down to just one animatronic? Crap. No more curtains? Downright crazy. New food choices? Great! Game cards and card readers? Interesting and very helpful to workers! Really neat looking exterior remodels? Awesome.
I know with all of the things I find bad, there are always good things too. There just has to remain a balance, and CEC needs to remember what it was, and use that knowledge to make it an even better place. I know for CEC to continue to thrive, it needs to evolve.

[MMBBfan327]

I couldn't agree with you more, Bzier. I just wish that CEC didn't drastically change from Theatre-like setting to a kiddie day-care center looking thing. I know, there's nothing we can do about that, but I don't understand how you can go from one to another, in this type of situation. I mean, the Theatre was just so...how do I put this, magical. Sure, kids today may not have appreciated it as much without the noise and open space, but hey, it seemed to be a nice place to bring the family for a nice dinner. Even check out the Alphabetical Intermission, and they even mention Quiet Time! That cannot be pulled at CEC today, no freaking way. Although I havta be honest, and state the early '90s remodel I really did fancy. The adding of Rocker Stage, C-Stage and MMBB was completely a step up, and quite a success in my eyes. The addition of more games from the '90s era also was a good move (Can-Alley, Chuck E. Cheese's Memory Match, Chuck E. Cheese's Tic-Tac-Toe, Whac-A-Munch, Ball Crawl, etc.). Well, I guess my point is, the Theatre style was excellent. Something for everybody. However, the '90s remodel did change, but it was still exceptional. Then with the Skytubes and purple walls, well...that's just pushing it. Now parents are afraid just walking through the lobby! Pfft, didn't happen that much awhile back. Wow, I really babbled on, didn't I? :\

[cec080]

Rumor has it that those Arcade cards are coming to Michigan with in the next 2 months. :D

[pizzacam]

Ah screw it, the way I see it (from a collector's point of view of course) is that the tokens are pretty bland these days anyway...I'm suprised that with all cutbacks they even bother dating them anymore :rolleyes That being said, these cards are just another thing to start collecting. Showbiz Pizza and the Chuck E Cheese I once knew and loved are gone period. I've made peace with that and come to realize that the more of it I collect and surround myself with the less I need to even go to CEC anymore.|I

[MMBBfan327]

Exactley why I'm holding on to my items...

[mmbbfan10972]

I Dont like this idea i thought it would turn out great.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Just thought i would post the latest update to this long running thread to keep folks in the loop....in case word has not broke yet.

I recently returned from another trip to Dallas and saw the latest additons to the Irving CEC's Game Card program. It is catching on pretty nicely...and now the cards are able to keep "Ticket Points" on them. Pretty nice. I remember 5 years ago when this was first being talked about....well now that has finally become a reality, at least in Irving.

Guests keep not only there "Tokens" on a Game Card now, but also there "Ticket" Prize Points. The Merch counter has now been outfitted with a couple of flat screen tv monitors that display eyecatching graphics enticing you to swipe your Game Card. Upon doing so, it will tell you via on-screen graphics how many "Prize Points" you have on your card. A friendly CM will deduct any points you redeem at the counter for prizes.

The system for registering your Game Card is now upgraded as well, with far better graphics. This system tracks what games you have played, how many "tickets" you have, and any remaining game plays left on your card. Big Brother is watching folks.....!

The new graphic on the Game Card is nice, titles "Chuck E. Cheese's Token Card" and is green with a token shaped circle in the center. The "Super Saver" Game Card is still the same as it was last year ( Super Chuck graphics).

Here's the lowdown for those keeping tabs on this system and all it's various components still being tested:

CEC Token Card:
The new Token Card system replaces tokens for playing all games and rides at any Store it is installed in. Plastic "credit card" is free and can be loaded with play value at Cash or at the Full Service Kiosk. Only plays loaded at that particular CEC can be used there ( meaning, you cannot use the same card at two different locations.)

CEC Super Discount Card:
Similar to a Token Card, this one gives the bearer special discounts and additonal game plays. You save 20% on every game, and on Tuesdays recieve a 50% savings on every game. You also recived 4 free games with each visit when you use this card instead of the standard Token Card. The Super Discount Card must be purchased ( $1.99) before it can be loaded with play value. All SDC's also come with a free wrist strap to prevent loss and to keep close at hand for use.

Super Glo Swipers:
Card swipers attached to every game/ride where the standard coin mech opening would be. They are made primarily of clear plastic, and have small LED lights inside. They also have a LCD that tells you how many "tokens" it costs to play, and upon swiping your card, how many you have remaining. These are neat as the lights inside glow green when you are cleared to play...and red when you are not ( improper swiping or not enough "tokens").

Full Service Kiosk:
This replaces the standard Bill Changer and perfroms all of these functions with the Token Cards-
Buy a Token Card
Add Tokens to your Card ( either with cash, credit cards, OR old CEC tokens)
Check your balance on your Card
Register your Card ( for premiums, coupons, and play value discounts)

Check Balance Station:
These are slim machines located around the gameroom for Guests to use for periodically checking the balance of their Token Card. Considering that all games seem to tell you when you first swipe your card to play, this is something that does not really seem to be needed.

Reload Station:
Think of this as the Diet Coke of Bill Changers...this slender machine does the following:
Add more value to your Card
Accepts cash or tokens to do so
Offers Token Savers deals

Card Registration Terminal:
This neat little toy is actually a retrofitted cash register screen...lol...here you can register your Token Card(s) to protect your purchase from loss of theft. You can also sign up for the Chuck E-Club for exclusive e-mail coupons, birthday specials and promotions ( same as the official website's club) Simply swipe your Token Card and a list shows all the games you have played, the date and time you played them, how many "tickets" earned and more.

Chuck E-Tickets:
Now the tickets you win are automatically collected directly on your Token Card. To see how many tickets you have won, swipe your card at any of the Token Card kioks listed above. When you are ready to redeem your tickets go to the Prize Counter and select your prizes. The attendent will electronically remove the correct number of tickets for your chosen prize.

[Munch's Make Believe Band]

Also sun valley ca is testing them