Ehics: looking for a chuck e cheese deal and saw...

[pocomom]

Our family has had a rough week, among other stresses, one of our dogs just passed away. We had him for 14 years and loved him very much. I'm looking for some cheap activities to do with the kids to get out of the house. We homeschool so we are here, and much of our day involved the dogs so it is pretty painful just sitting here all day. The weather is miserable still.
My two younger kids suggested chuck e cheese, and it is an indoor and relatively easy activity for us so I was considering it. I looked online for coupons and deals and saw an article suggesting you buy tokens off ebay - I looked and sure enough they are there. (with ebay craziness they might sell for $1 a token but there were some that were currently 10 cents a token). The article suggested that using other tokens would be stealing, but buying them off ebay is fine.... I'm tempted to get them not for now, but for treats for my 3 year old, but this started a few ethical debates in my head....
What do you think. Is buying tokens from another party online, assuming they are branded correctly, ok?

 

[jmartinez1895]

I don't see anything wrong with it. The original owner bought then from the store so the mouse got his money ( unless they are stolen, and if you know they are then that would be an ethical issue). I home school as well and out local one will give free tokens for good grades. I print the report card and take it with us. Also, the Sunday paper will often have coupons ( but I think they are the same that you find online) for pizza, drinks and tokens. We use these and the buy so many get so many free coupons as well. They will often let us use them all at the same time.

 

[pocomom]

I don't see anything wrong with it. The original owner bought then from the store so the mouse got his money ( unless they are stolen, and if you know they are then that would be an ethical issue). I home school as well and out local one will give free tokens for good grades. I print the report card and take it with us. Also, the Sunday paper will often have coupons ( but I think they are the same that you find online) for pizza, drinks and tokens. We use these and the buy so many get so many free coupons as well. They will often let us use them all at the same time.

Yes, our local one actually has better posted deals then the newspaper normally. Ours will give 10 tokens out for good grades and a few other things, which the kids spend in a nanosecond.
The thing I was wondering about the tokens, why would packs of hundreds of them be for sale -( were they put out of commission, stolen, faked) which I think I just answered people actually collect them! But also how this worked for the franchisee - introducing the other tokens into their store. I guess I should probably just get them - after all my 200 tokens would probably get my kid's a tootsie roll each

 

[khaoskat]

They actually have a ton of award certificates on-line you can use that will give the kids free tokens. They also have games the kids can play on-line to get free extra tickets....

 

[auntmeme7577]

Sorry to hear about your dog OP to you and your kids
After such a stressful week, Chuck E. Cheese is the last place on the planet for me
You are a good mom to take them
I would rather drive nails into my own head

 

[Fab4@disney]

I am so sorry to hear about your dogThey become so much a part of our families. I think it's perfectly fine to buy the tokens off Ebay.....just watch your seller's feedback so you don't get burned by a dishonest person.

 

[pocomom]

Sorry to hear about your dog OP to you and your kids
After such a stressful week, Chuck E. Cheese is the last place on the planet for me
You are a good mom to take them
I would rather drive nails into my own head

I know! I hate it there, and normally make my dh take them as a special daddy outing every few months, but anything to make my kids smile this week, that we can actually afford, would be worth it!

 

[pocomom]

I am so sorry to hear about your dogThey become so much a part of our families. I think it's perfectly fine to buy the tokens off Ebay.....just watch your seller's feedback so you don't get burned by a dishonest person.

Thanks, my big guy was part of my family before my kids and husband were. We loved him so much and perhaps harder than his passing were the days leading up to it. He was in pain, so I feel some relief now that at least he is not suffering, but the kids don't get that. They just miss him.

 

[hsmamato2]

if you get them on ebay,won't it take a while to get them,I thought you wanted to go this week with your kids? I just look online everywhere till I find a good deal, IMHO it's usually cheap to get a pizza with tickets bundle,and split it up among the kids,like 20.00 bucks or so..... (feed them beforehand,and make the pizza a 'snack' so they don't need more food, usually they give you a few refillable soda cups, that was always plenty to keep my kids happy for a while....even better, bring some friends along so they can play with someone while there....

 

[pocomom]

if you get them on ebay,won't it take a while to get them,I thought you wanted to go this week with your kids? I just look online everywhere till I find a good deal, IMHO it's usually cheap to get a pizza with tickets bundle,and split it up among the kids,like 20.00 bucks or so..... (feed them beforehand,and make the pizza a 'snack' so they don't need more food, usually they give you a few refillable soda cups, that was always plenty to keep my kids happy for a while....even better, bring some friends along so they can play with someone while there....

We're going today, but my ds 3 likes the CEC tokens anyway as a prize. I was going to get them just for a little treat, maybe some in his easter basket, earning one for going potty things like that, plus there is not much to do here when the weather is bad so I'm sure we'll be going back.