# How does CoinStar survive as a business? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003 "2006-10-02T16:54:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/61 "2011-05-14T19:06:49Z")
> [@Chotii](#): > > My only complaint with Coinstar is this: though they say outright what their fees are, and that is perfectly fair as far as it goes, they do NOT tell you that if you put in a silver dime, quarter or dollar, or a very old coin with different dimensions somehow by accident, it won’t even count toward your total, it will fall into a can inside the bowels of the machine and become the property of Coinstar. They _could_ have the machine give those coins back to you, but they don’t. I don’t know if this has changed since this was posted 5 years ago, but the CoinStar machines around here WILL give you back the coins that it couldn’t verify, including foreign or off-modern-format coins. They get kicked out to a little hopper in the front. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/62 "2011-05-14T20:36:58Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > I used to throw my change in a jar. It accumulated so fast it became a PITA to get rid of it. I then decided to change my buying habits. I keep my change in my pocket and I use it every chance I get. Yes, I’ve taken 99 cents out of my pocket rather than get back another coin. > > Ya know what? The system works. I don’t accumulate coins. Problem solved. Me, too. Change I receive goes into my pocket, and at the end of the day I empty my pockets - change goes into a tray on my dresser, right next to my wallet, keys, and cell phone. The next morning, the change goes back into my pocket. Sometimes I only have a few pennies in my pocket, sometimes I have over a buck, but, over time, I typically have about 70 cents. That and a dollar gets me a cup of coffee in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/63 "2011-05-14T21:22:38Z")
Pennies go in the garbage - silver stuff goes in vending machines… ---
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/64 "2011-05-14T21:26:54Z")
One time I put a dollar coin in a CoinStar. All it did was rattle around…it didn’t get counted. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/65 "2011-05-14T22:39:54Z")
A relative of mine used to just use her big jar o’ change to go on a semi-annual slots binge. I suppose since the take from a slot machine is usually something like 5%, that’s a better deal than the 9% the CoinStar takes! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/66 "2011-05-15T00:11:14Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > A relative of mine used to just use her big jar o’ change to go on a semi-annual slots binge. I suppose since the take from a slot machine is usually something like 5%, that’s a better deal than the 9% the CoinStar takes! Basically true but you only feed the Coinstar once. People generally play slot machines until they run out of money a few percentage points at a time punctuated by a big win every now and then. This thread caused me to take my own change jar to a Coinstar machine this evening. It was a big but not huge jar. I was a bad guesser. I thought there would be about $150 in change in it. It turned out to be over $400 because I had so many quarters. I was so proud when they had to call for management approval just to cash my voucher. The privilege of using it did cost me close to $40 but there is no way I was rolling it myself or dragging it to the bank. I consider it a free gift from past me to present day me. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/67 "2011-05-15T00:52:43Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > I used to throw my change in a jar. I still do, takes maybe five years (possibly more) to fill. The idea that people have so many coins that you need a fleet of conveniently located machines to deal with it had never occurred to me. When my jar is full, off to the bank, they dump it their machine - clunkety clunk $800-1000 in the bank. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/68 "2011-05-15T02:24:09Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Dropping the coins into the sorting machine takes no more time than it would to drop them into a jar. That’s what I do, thanks to a coin sieve that I came across at a dollar store, which I paid for in coin. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/69 "2011-05-15T09:32:13Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Free money making idea for those of you who are technically inclined, Have a free coin counting system that automatically looks at the coins, identifies rare ones, and separates them out to sell to rare coin dealers. Customers just get face value of coins. It’s called the coin return slot. I found a pure silver 1949 dime that way, since it was lighter than the other coins it was rejected. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/70 "2011-05-15T09:52:33Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > I still do, takes maybe five years (possibly more) to fill. The idea that people have so many coins that you need a fleet of conveniently located machines to deal with it had never occurred to me. When my jar is full, off to the bank, they dump it their machine - clunkety clunk $800-1000 in the bank. And they don’t charge you for this service? Back around 2000, I was in charge of the computer science graduate student union’s pop machine at my university. We’d have to empty the coin box every month or so and then organize coin-rolling parties to sort, roll, and count all the coins. We had the option of taking the loose coins to the bank, but they would charge us a hefty commission to count them. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/71 "2011-05-15T16:46:51Z")
On a separate note, I always thought that these machines were perfect for money laundering, and I’ve half-suspected for years that most are owned by some form of criminal enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/72 "2011-05-15T17:39:18Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > And they don’t charge you for this service? Back around 2000, I was in charge of the computer science graduate student union’s pop machine at my university. We’d have to empty the coin box every month or so and then organize coin-rolling parties to sort, roll, and count all the coins. We had the option of taking the loose coins to the bank, but they would charge us a hefty commission to count them. Generally, banks will charge their business customers for this service, as the business customers will bring in HUGE amounts of coins from vending machines on a daily basis. A nonbusiness customer, on the other hand, will bring in some change once in a while, say every six months to every six years, so it’s not such a burden. I bank at the city employee’s credit union. They will do this for free, but they won’t do it on the city payday, because of course that’s when they’re the busiest. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/73 "2011-05-15T18:37:55Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > On a separate note, I always thought that these machines were perfect for money laundering, and I’ve half-suspected for years that most are owned by some form of criminal enterprise. Consider how many coins would have to be moved to launder drug money amounts. If you brought in a boxcar of pennies to the bank every day, someone is bound to notice. So I doubt that money laundering with coins is all that prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/74 "2011-05-15T20:08:36Z")
> [@What\_s\_That\_Smell](#): > > What does this mean? “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/75 "2011-05-17T14:58:13Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Consider how many coins would have to be moved to launder drug money amounts. If you brought in a boxcar of pennies to the bank every day, someone is bound to notice. So I doubt that money laundering with coins is all that prevalent. Not to mention - you wind up with either cash money, or gift cards. The cash would arouse suspicions if you deposited it; if you just spent it, the coins would be just as spendable. Plus, I doubt too many drug deals are done with coins vs. bills. Too heavy / cumbersome. Re banks and counting machines: Relatively few banks around here have them. The one where I specifically recall seeing one, it was only for customers (while I was making a deposit into an account there, it was Girl Scout money and not my own account, so I couldn’t have used it). The bank we deposit our coins into asks us to bring them in rolled. We did use the Coinstar machine once, when we were going to make a purchase at Amazon, so we used the gift card option. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/76 "2011-05-17T15:00:01Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > I still do, takes maybe five years (possibly more) to fill. The idea that people have so many coins that you need a fleet of conveniently located machines to deal with it had never occurred to me. When my jar is full, off to the bank, they dump it their machine - clunkety clunk $800-1000 in the bank. How big a jar adds up to that much?? We have a basket, probably holds about quart or less, and I’ve never gotten more than 80ish bucks from it. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/77 "2011-05-17T16:30:25Z")
Nitpick: You **Wrap** loose change. When they are wrapped, then they are rolls. You don’t roll loose change. Just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/78 "2011-05-17T17:23:52Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Consider how many coins would have to be moved to launder drug money amounts. If you brought in a boxcar of pennies to the bank every day, someone is bound to notice. So I doubt that money laundering with coins is all that prevalent. I guess it could be, though, if your criminal organization dealt with slot machines. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/79 "2011-05-17T17:29:40Z")
I remember a post on the SDMB that at one time Coinstar was running a promotion where you could get Amazon gift cards at a discount (like a fifty-dollar gift card for forty dollars in change). I’d love to be alerted if anyone hears that they’re doing that again, as I’ll go to the bank and buy up rolls of quarters to get the gift cards. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003/80 "2011-05-17T17:40:42Z")
Hell last I checked it was a 100% deal for the gift credits ($50 in, $50 out for use on Amazon). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-coinstar-survive-as-a-business/375003.md?page=5)