Seven ways to conquer Chuck E. Cheese
October 15th, 2007 | by mbhunter |
My family went to Chuck E. Cheese this weekend. My wife had gone to Chuck E. Cheese when she was little, but I had never gone to one before, so when the opportunity came up we went.
Man, those folks know how to encourage people to spend money. It took me by surprise how effectively they did it, actually.
We were looking for food, so we got a pizza. The meal came with four tokens for the “fun stuff,” which basically just whetted our appetite. (Smart Move #1 on CEC’s part.)
I didn’t realize how adept a 2 1/2 year old was at finding the slot on a machine and putting a token in. Unbeknownst to us we were training our child to spend money and get immediately satisfying results. (Smart Move #2 on CEC’s part.)
I also didn’t realize how competitive my wife and I are at Skee Ball. The machines aren’t just for kids. (Smart Move #3.)
Most importantly, there’s The Nag Factor. (The book that I picked up this phrase from was Born To Buy.) We had gotten through the first couple of years with our daughter pretty nag-free, but not that day. Eventually we conquered her expectations (mainly by saying “OK, this is the last time”) but not until we had gone through a few bucks’ worth of tokens. And boy, they go fast. (Smart Move #4 — they turn your kids against you. 
)
So, how does one conquer Chuck E. Cheese?
- Just not go back. That would indeed conquer them, but we did have a lot of fun. This one would be hard to swallow.
- Make it a special-occasion thing. It starts to cost a small fortune when it becomes a staple. Once every couple of months or so for a couple of hours won’t break the bank.
- Get food elsewhere. The pizza was OK, but nothing great, and it was expensive. We can get better pizza other places. It’s the noisy “kid atmosphere” that has the appeal (if adults are capable of calling it that).
- Get tokens off of eBay. It’s easy to get real Chuck E. Cheese tokens for about half price off of eBay. So you can double the length of your stay or halve the price of playing the games. Here’s a direct link to Chuck E. Cheese token auctions on eBay. Make sure that the tokens are real Chuck E. Cheese tokens, with the mouse picture on them, and not generic tokens or tokens for some place other that Chuck E. Cheese. If you’re not sure, ask the seller before you buy. Using non-Chuck E. Cheese tokens in Chuck E. Cheese machines is theft.
- Start with the free stuff. There actually is free stuff in there, like a big tunnel slide or kids’ song videos on the big screen. Try those things out first.
- Try to get by with the rides without feeding them. Easier said than done, especially when the kids already know that they do cool stuff if they put a token in.
- If all else fails, try good old-fashioned parenting. Set limits and go before the law of diminishing returns sets in.
24 Responses to “Seven ways to conquer Chuck E. Cheese”
By Mike on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
There are always good coupons available on the deal sites for lots of free tokens.
By dimes on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
You can also set limits at the outset, like “each of you has FIVE tokens to spend.” It teaches the kids to be judicious with their money, to decide whether they want to participate in a ride before feeding the coin slot. My cash-strapped parents did that with us, and a lot of the kids who had birthday parties there did the same thing. Mainly all we cared about was the ball pit anyway.
By Mrs. Micah on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
Yeah, I still remember the pizza as not being great. After 12 years.
The limited token thing worked pretty well for me. Another way you can do it when they’re older is say “Here’s $5. You can buy as many tokens as you want and you can keep the change. But we’re not buying more tokens.”
When it’s their own money, kids can be more thrifty. Wouldn’t work too well if you have a smart kid who wants to save it all or if you have one who expects to get more from you once their tokens are all spent.
By Laura on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
My parent did give us money at the beginning (usually $5)and told us there was no more money after that. My sister and decided to do group games and split them. It makes it more enjoyable.
By Patrick on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
LOL. Chuck E Cheese. I went there as a kid. I seem to only remember going for special occasions such as a b-day. It was always a good time. My parents always gave us a spending limit on tokens also. I don’t remember what it was, but it was surely no more than $5 each. My brothers and I always played competitively against each other. I still have the scars!
By rocketc on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
Good post. Our family is planning a trip there very soon – as a potty-training award. I am not really looking forward to it, but if it saves me $40+ in diapers a month, I’m “game” for it.
By Meg on Oct 17, 2007 | Reply
If it’s the child’s birthday you don’t need to buy a party package from CEC, just mention it at the door and they will give your child a hat and balloons and they can still do the whole birthday parade thing. CEC also allows you to bring in your own cake and they will store it for you in the fridge.
And don’t forget your hand sanitizer
By rocketc on Oct 17, 2007 | Reply
Hand sanitizer, nice. My wife and I have had a business idea for a while that included marketing hand sanitizer to places like CEC and the McDonald’s Playland.
We are off to CEC tomorrow. . . we’ve had dry pants for a week. . .
By RR on Oct 21, 2007 | Reply
Don’t forget this tip: Let the grandparents take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese! Works for us:-)
By we love chucke chees coupons on Oct 22, 2007 | Reply
hello chucke chees should be ket only for special ocasions but if you go only you might find coupons for a great deal like i have 8 coupons for a pizza 4 drinks 100 tokens for $24.99 now after that i just tell the kids these are the only tokens we have and were not buying more then we have a great time under $30 but if you gow to chucke chees with out a coupon your waisting money and throwing away a bunch of tokens just visit http://www.chuckechees.com
By Geoff on Oct 22, 2007 | Reply
If you go to their website, they have decent coupons. We went this weekend and we could use the same coupons over an over. (Buy 40 tokens and get 30 free worked really well, and they said we could just keep bringing the same coupon up and they would accept it.)
By Swamproot on Oct 24, 2007 | Reply
I believe no piece on Chuck E. Cheese would be complete without mentioning Tim Wilson’s epic ode to the eatery: “Chuck E. Cheese Hell”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLGtuDZTk6o
Puts it all in perspective.
By jenolyman on Nov 3, 2007 | Reply
Our CEC here is great: they offer free rides for the little ones on M-F from 11 am to 2 pm and they have a lunch special for $8 that includes an individual pizza, one trip salad bar, & a drink. I upgrade to the all-you-can-eat salad bar for a dollar & the kids split the pizza. We’ve also joined their kids club, and on Tuesdays, each kid gets a kids drink and 5 free tokens, or on other days, just the 5 free tokens. I also have printed out some of their reward calendars (homework, potty training, brushing teeth, etc.) and the kids fill them in with stickers or coloring and they each get another 10 tokens per visit. For me, a mom with 3 small kids, the $9 and change I spend for two or three hours of kid-exhausting time (they all nap when we get home), is a great bargain! Also, since the rides are free, the kids spend their tokens on games that give tickets; each child receives one or two little toys each visit & I get a voucher for the remainder of the tickets and we are saving up to get one of the nicer toys (I’ll use it for Christmas or a birthday). Just a sidenote: their games where you have to hit things that jump out quickly and accurately can be a great stress reliever!!
By Jean on Sep 19, 2008 | Reply
We are heading to CEC tomorrow to celebrate my son’s 7th birthday. He is so excited—I am not but all the comments were very helpful. We have the coupon ready for free tokens with a purchase of 50 tokens from the CEC website and hope to eat elsewhere. My least favorite part is cashing in the game tickets for prizes. It takes my kids forever to decide what little trinkets to choose. Then those little toys lay around the house for weeks totally ignored. The bottom line is that the kids absolutely love CEC.
By melanie on Oct 10, 2008 | Reply
You can also buy the toys for whatever their tickets are worth if it’s 80 tickets it’s $.80. Sometimes when one kid feels left out it’s much easier to send 2 or 3 dollars then earn 200 or 300 more tickets. We did this when some of our tickets were “lost”…
By Teresa on Oct 27, 2008 | Reply
I Dont Do Halloween in the normal way. I pick a place every year and the kids and I have fun. This year we are going to Chucke cheese. I intend on letting them play till their hearts content. I know the last time they went we didnt even get to eat our pizza as they cleaned our table. but this time I have a sign made.
By dano on Nov 13, 2008 | Reply
my wife signed up for the coupons on CEC website, and we noticed they the same coupon on one day was cheaper on the next day so sign up a few days before going.and another thing is when people ask what you or your childeren want for b-days or X-mas ask for gift cards, we are going this weekend and uses a gift card.
By NJ Mom on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Looking for a Christmas gift idea for my nephew who just turned 9. Is CEC still a good time for that age? We live in NJ, he in OR. They just opened a CEC there, and thought it would be neat. It’s been many years since I took my own kids, and can’t remember how old was too old.
By David on Nov 21, 2008 | Reply
Wahoo, a Chuck E. Cheese post! I worked there when I was in high school…and yes, I got to be Chuck!
Anyway, a couple inside tips. First, use the coupons! They bring the prices down to normal. Second, great idea with the money limits. Third, the birthday party stuff is accurate. Cake is fine, just don’t bring your own food and drinks. Chuck is happy to visit, too!
The biggie, though, is this. If your kiddo really wants whatever prize for tickets, just buy it. CEC works on a system of 1 ticket=1 cent (or at least, they used to), so ask the cost of paying the difference. That 500 ticket item is only $5 in real money. Now you don’t have to worry about your skee ball score!
The smart parents I saw would work both systems. Here’s $5 for tokens, and when you’re done, you can have anything under 500 tickets. Ten bucks spent for entertainment, and everyone’s happy!
By DivaJean on Nov 24, 2008 | Reply
Chuck E.’s is a rarity for my kids. We go maybe 3 or 4 times a year and only do tokens and maybe drinks. It works best going early in the day and leaving before it picks up too much. I would rather buy a better tasting pizza elsewhere- for less money too!
By niki on May 14, 2009 | Reply
FYI: Dollar Tree and other dollar stores frequently have Chuck E Cheese goodies. Buy them and smuggle them in with your purse/diaper bag.
By Steve on May 24, 2009 | Reply
Your suggestion of buying generic tokens on ebay to “beat” chuck e cheese’s is simply theft.
Hopefully police departments read your views, soliciting others to break the law.
By mbhunter on May 25, 2009 | Reply
Steve: Thank you for pointing out my vague wording. Now I see why some people took issue with what I wrote. I corrected the post.
Buying and using generic tokens (tokens that do not have CEC and the mouse printed on them) is theft.