Our favorite cheap souvenir ruined

[Rafikisstaff]

I'm here now with my kids for the first time since May . We were shocked to see almost all the pressed penny machines are now converted to only accept dollar bills or swipe a card and are now 1.00 instead of .51 . I know i know, .49 cents why are you complaining (98% price hike, yikes). But it's not the cents that matters it's the nostalgia that those machines represent is entirely gone with the swipe of your credit card and press of a button . I find this switch to be a very sad thing (maybe the saddest change I have seen at disney, period) and I hope these new machines fail miserably. Last trip we had to wait in line a few times to crank the handle on the old machines. I have yet to see anyone using one of the new machines so I hope that is a good sign the old ones will be brought back. My five year keeps asking me to "talk to Mickey about that" I don't have his number so that was my rant. I imagine the bottom line matters much more than guest complaints and that can't be hard to track with the new machines.

#bringbackthepennycrank

 

[hsmamato2]

I agree!!!! what in world?????? the fun of those machines for kids (and grownups) is the coins themselves, the fun of creating something etc. this just ruins it. And the price???????? I'm horrified. And I'm being 100% serious.

 

[FreeTime]

We were there last week and found plenty of old fashioned penny and crank ones. Also, some of the ones that take credit also had the penny option.

 

[Rafikisstaff]

Good to know all is not lost....yet. We will keep looking. All the machines we saw in MK and Epcot yesterday were new and the coin collection I was charged with hauling around was worthless. The kids were not impressed. We are staying at movies and the lobby had one that accepted coins but you press a button on those rather than operate the crank. Most changes I will accept but this seems just......wrong.

 

[seashoreCM]

Would a nearby clerk or cashier take some of your coin collection, relieving you of the weight little by little, and give you a dollar bill to operate the machine with?

By the way, does the hand cranked machine mess up the coin souvenir if you don't line up the starting arrow quite right before you start cranking? Or mess up the souvenir if you jostled and jerked the crank too much after your hand slipped off? Perhaps the new pushbutton machines were installed to give more reliable results.

 

[HHMcG]

Sad to hear this.
It's not the $0.49 price increase. Its the fun of carrying around the coins, sticking them in the slot, jamming in the slot and cranking the handle. (OK, maybe the carrying of the coins part isn't fun but its a tradition for me to complain about it.)

 

[ibob52]

By the way, does the hand cranked machine mess up the coin souvenir if you don't line up the starting arrow quite right before you start cranking? Or mess up the souvenir if you jostled and jerked the crank too much after your hand slipped off? Perhaps the new pushbutton machines were installed to give more reliable results.

Yes we had a few that were 1/2 good and 1/2 nothing because the alignment before cranking was a little bit off . I was not doing the cranking . I'm already cranky enuff . the youngest does the cranking

 

[scullylam]

I agree. I was at Magic Kingdom October 11th and rarely saw any change pressed penny machines. The Country Bears one was broken and one near the Liberty Square Ticket Office takes coins. Pop Century’s machines took coins too.

But the crank ones I seen were the credit card style. Ruined the fun wanting one from the Train Station.

 

[MillauFr]

I can't believe you are shocked that DIsney would remove something that is costing them money.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

I can't believe you are shocked that DIsney would remove something that is costing them money.

Those machines are quite the opposite. They are cash cows.

I bet the issue was that repair parts for the old machines became scarce/the manufacturer now only makes the high tech style.

That probably forced Disney to convert the machines.

Now they need to place an old one in Carousel of Progress...................

".....Back when I was young we had to hand crank the penny press machine......You kids these days have it easy with your automated machines and video games!....."

 

[MillauFr]

Those machines are quite the opposite. They are cash cows.

I bet the issue was that repair parts for the old machines became scarce/the manufacturer now only makes the high tech style.

That probably forced Disney to convert the machines.

Now they need to place an old one in Carousel of Progress...................

".....Back when I was young we had to hand crank the penny press machine......You kids these days have it easy with your automated machines and video games!....."

If the machines are cash cows why the manufacturer stop making the parts?

 

[DisLiss]

If the machines are cash cows why the manufacturer stop making the parts?

Simple---they can make all new machines and increase the price by 98% instead. Same reason companies change anything. What's better than making a hefty profit? Making an even heftier one.

Of course, they'll try to tell you it's because they feel people aren't carrying around change as much as they used to. But in the case of penny presses, most people who want to make them go places with change specifically for them, or else are very willing to get someone to make change for them.

 

[DisLiss]

For me, a penny press needs to take my own penny (none of those blanks already loaded into the machine, thanks) and it needs to let me crank out that penny myself. Otherwise, there's no point in stopping for the machine.

But for my kids, it needs to charge them change. They save change just for this and think of that money as separate from their actual souvenir money (bills). They won't start feeding their precious bills into a penny machine.

So before we go, I'll hit the pressed penny sites to see if there are any updated lists on where to find the more nostalgic and/or less expensive machines. And if they're all gone, we'll just skip doing them, I imagine.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

For me, a penny press needs to take my own penny (none of those blanks already loaded into the machine, thanks) and it needs to let me crank out that penny myself. Otherwise, there's no point in stopping for the machine.

But for my kids, it needs to charge them change. They save change just for this and think of that money as separate from their actual souvenir money (bills). They won't start feeding their precious bills into a penny machine.

So before we go, I'll hit the pressed penny sites to see if there are any updated lists on where to find the more nostalgic and/or less expensive machines. And if they're all gone, we'll just skip doing them, I imagine.

I haven't used the machines at Disney, but it's possible that they are preloading the pennies to use copper (some '82 and earlier) instead of zinc. I suspect people use the zinc ones because they are newer, and when they don't come out well, they complain and have to have another made.

As far as converting to dollars/card, I also suspect few people carry change, and a lot of people who use these machines go to stores or food stands to ask for change.

Regardless, if you kids save change, you could always turn it in for dollars and use those. I think the nostalgic factor is probably more for you, not them (unless your kids are older).

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

If the machines are cash cows why the manufacturer stop making the parts?

Cash cow for Disney.....not a cash cow for the manufacturer.
By the manufacturer not making the old repair parts they create a need for clients to replace old machines with new ones.....thereby increasing sales and profits for the manufacturer.......they got a one time profit (the big one) when they sold the old machine and now they get a big profit from the 2019 version with automated guts.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

From a manufacturer website........


The Penny Machine Company- We got something for everyone!
The Penny Machine Company manufactures many different styles of penny press machines. We offer wooden, bamboo, metallic, indoor, outdoor and fully customized cabinets. With the right design, PMC’s machines fit in well at any tourist attraction.
The Penny Machine Company’s penny press machine has a clear ramp that shows the penny’s progress as it rolls into the press. We find guests enjoy the experience of watching how their souvenir is actually made. Both the electric and hand crank machines that we manufacture are easy and safe to use. Many of our clients voiced concern regarding the amount of pressure needed to crank out a coin with the hand crank machines of our competitors. Therefore, PMC created a model to make it easier for children to use with minimal adult assistance.
Due to the speed of our electric penny press machine motors, we can offer guests a much faster experience than our competitors. The machines have been designed to offer easy access for children and light up to attract more attention, therefore making more money. Our electric machines are ADA compliant, allowing all of your guests access to use the pressed penny machine.

Link: http://pennybiz.com/penny-press-machine.php

 

[meeshy79]

This is sad news! We've started a little collection from all our family vacation spots and it's always exciting to find the machines. We will still do it, but only half as many. They may be making a larger percentage profit, but not more $ total off of us. Oh well...

 

[MillauFr]

Cash cow for Disney.....not a cash cow for the manufacturer.
By the manufacturer not making the old repair parts they create a need for clients to replace old machines with new ones.....thereby increasing sales and profits for the manufacturer.......they got a one time profit (the big one) when they sold the old machine and now they get a big profit from the 2019 version with automated guts.

The problem for Disney is they are only charging 50 cents to make a pressed penny. Seems like they should charge at least 5 dollars for a pressed penny. Even jacking the price up 10 times it would still be a huge bargain at Disney. What are the prices for Mickey ears up to now? $40?

 

[Rafikisstaff]

Happy to report that last night we found two hand crank machines. One in front of the brown derby and one on the boardwalk in front of flying fish. There was a group behind us waiting to use them at both. Still have not seen a single person using one of the new machines. I cannot imagine they will keep the new machines if a great deal fewer people use them... or they will just raise the price to make up for less use and maintain current profitability of each machine.

 

[monkeydawn]

Oh no! THat is sad news. I love picking through my pennies and saving ones with meaningful dates and just the right amount of tarnish so that you can still see the penny details. It loses something when you have to use one of those electronic machines.