Payrange worked okay when I first installed it. The regulars eventually decided that it takes much longer to use than having a pocketful of quarters. This venue is in a basement, so cell reception isn’t that great. Everyone who tries to use it on Andriod complains that it sucks and then eventually gives up.
Casuals hardly ever use Payrange.
That said, I never do any special pricing or promotions. That would be the best use of it in my opinion…doing stuff like happy hour pricing, or play 7 games get 1 free.
The Coinbox Pinball Podcast guys raved about it all the time, and were getting really high adoption numbers.
I have tried all kinds of promos including half off, free games etc. payrange is mostly worthless I have some luck in hotels where they have no choice but to use it. All of our Token changers have E-port systems from USA Tech. This gets used quite alot
The Android app is useless and the iPhone app is a great way to drain your battery. My main complaint is the UI though. It takes way too long to flip through individual games in the carousel. They should just do a simple list of names so I can see 10 names on a single screen.
That said I still use payrange where possible because I don’t often have quarters around and operators around here will do $0.89 per game on payrange for $1 games. It gives me super game pricing for single games and I love that part
The operator for our league’s primary location uses payrange. He offers a slight discount all the time for using it. For example, instead of 75 cents, it’s 70 cents a game. This initially made me mad because when I use cash at the gas station, I get a discount, not a penalty. Then I thought about it and I remembered counting, collecting and processing quarters is a pita, so I suppose it makes sense.
I don’t use it because I don’t want to carry a phone while playing and there’s a change machine nearby. I always make sure I have five or more singles in my pocket, so I’m always good. The location has a second change machine, so getting quarters is never a problem.
When I had games out, they always had bill validators. This made a noticeable difference. The other reason I won’t use payrange is because people have so much trouble using it. It’s often a struggle to find the game and get a credit. One pleasant side effect of payrange is that sometimes people will put credits on the wrong game. I’m playing SW and they want to play the game next to it. As I’m playing, I hear the credit sound on my game and look up to see I have an extra credit. Thank buddy!
At our location its 50 cents and we set match % low. I operate Addams, AfmrSe, TZ and those are top earners with MMr and MB. Stern wise GB did great but regulars wanted to burn it, GoT Prem does decent.
I hear Guardians isn’t doing that great but i think the code can fix it.
Yup but we have a “special” arrangement on repairs and basic parts. The location is fortunately very busy. If the games were collecting dust there wouldnt be any point.
The route we have has our classic games set to $.50 per play, EMs at $.25 per play, and modern games at $1.00 per play/$2.00 for 3 plays. We’re not used to $1 per play here yet, but people seem to be ok with the $2.00/3 model. Almost anywhere you go in the Salt Lake valley, games are at $.50 a play, aside from the nickel arcades that are $.15 a play with a $2.00 entry charge.
I do 25 cents for EMs. 50 cents for anything up to around TSPP/LOTR. 75 cents after that. $1 for anything released in the last year or two.
I don’t know what the answer is with pricing, but there are two huge venues about 45 minutes away that do 50 cents for all games (except Hobbit and AFMLE). That causes the pinheads to see my games as expensive…and puts a lot of downward pressure on all other locations. Casuals who discover the pinball room frequently complain loudly that they are being ripped off by my pricing. They think everything should be a quarter (which is actually why I’ve liked the recent addition of 2 EMs…$1 is too much? You can play a game from the 70s for a quarter). They’ll sometimes look at a few pricing cards, pick the 50 cent Fish Tales, play one game, and then go leave to play Skeeball or Jenga.
75/25 or 65/35 split with the locations. The higher number going to me.
Make the split as high as possible. The venue is going to be earning lots of additional income through alcohol and other sales from the people brought there by your pins. I see some people saying it should be 100/0, and that’s probably fair, but I’m guessing that giving some direct financial incentive to the venue probably have some benefits. (Though their cut of the coinbox, regardless of the split, will be practically nothing compared to their overall revenue).
If someone tries to tell you that 50/50 is fair…you can tell them that 50/50 split is for things like pool tables, skee-ball, jukeboxes, and maybe even arcade games. Compared to pinball, there is virtually no maintenance, the equipment is (usually) significantly less expensive, and those things will earn a lot more than pinball. The skee-ball at my best earning location earns roughly the same as 8-10 pinball machines…sadly I don’t own the skee-ball.
Our games take tokens, which are sold single (20 Norwegian Kroner) or in lots of three (NOK 50) or seven (NOK 100) tokens. Most people buy in lots of 7, so the price per token is just above NOK 14, or about US$1.80.
Yeah skeeballs rock, get a Photobooth as well big bucks
Our prices are based on Equipment cost, avg play time and #of avg plays before service is required. also number of Simultaneous players are taken into account. This last one is where Pinball really gets kicked in the balls, For example an 10 player Killer Queen can have a low .25 price point and still potentially earn $2.50 in roughly the same time as a one game of Pinball.
My best machines are in a blue collar biker bar. The early DMD’s make about $35 a week with Scared Stiff usually leading the bunch consistently. The bar tenders tell me that most of it comes from a couple of regulars. The replay score is set just right for the regulars. About 25% of the coin drop comes from casual lookers that are avoiding the bar.
Really wouldn’t worry about that, if you just run pinball there is never any profit anyways the fines and possible jail time is not worth the little amount of taxes you pay
I love FFDD but my one gripe is the lighting. The landing is dark as night! I’m surprised BK2000 is a top earner. That location has so many big liscense titles and beloved classics. I wouldn’t have guessed it to be in the top 10.
