Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Changes: Looking for a Coinstar replacement after the Food Emporium closes this spring?

In our post last Thursday about the May closure of the Food Emporium on Union Square, a reader lamented the pending loss of the grocery's Coinstar machine.

As another reader noted, there's a Coinstar machine in the lower level of the Kmart on Astor Place.

Also! You can find one at the PayOMatic at 303 E. Houston St. between Clinton and Attorney... where EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos the other day...
There is an 11.9 percent service fee here ... (fees may vary by location!) ...
Other nearby locations include the D'Agostino outpost on First Avenue between 20th Street and 21st Street.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's another coin machine somewhere on 14th around Union Square, that takes no fee, if you choose a gift card to few businesses, like Starbucks and such, instead of taking cash. 12% is high fee.

Anonymous said...

Do banks in the city not have change machines if you have an account?

Grieve said...

Where? The Coinstar kiosk finder doesn’t list any other machine on 14th except for the Food Emporium.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 8:49 - I'm a Chase customer and years ago, they took coins, but now they only take them if you roll them. I really wish they had coin machines like TD used to.

Anonymous said...

Im not as fast as a coinstar but if im not busy at the time I'll roll up your change by hand, for a 12% fee. I find it a soothing activity.

Anonymous said...

12% - WOW, that is generally called "usury" I believe.

I'll be happy to "roll my own" and earn 12% for MYSELF, thanks.

It's beyond bizarre that in 2021 there are not affordable & reliable coin-counting machines available for public use (reliability having been the issues with TD's machines, if I remember correctly).


dja said...

Out of the EV, but not too far for many readers, the D'Agostino's on First Ave. and 20th has one

Pinch said...

Last year I went to a Coinstar, at the D'Agostino on 3rd at 26th St., which gave an option of getting cash back (but with the fee charge) or instead, with no fee charged, choose to put the full amount of the change onto a card (there were options to choose from, e.g. I chose a card for Home Depot...but there were also choices for movie theaters among others businesses).

Anonymous said...

Wow, surprised so many people still use cash!

Anonymous said...

https://www.coinstar.com/giftcards

Anonymous said...

Hi 4:53p.m.
Cash cuts out the middleman.
Venmo takes a percentage, it is not free to receive money through venmo.



MaryG said...

I just discovered this problem when I went to the Republic Bk on 14th St (formerly TD bank). I was told I could use the coin machine if I opened a bank account. This isn't a big deal for me - I just had a filled piggy bank. But what about poorer people? Kids? If you don't have credit cards and a smart phone, you don't exist? Or is it just that you don't deserve to exist?