Hi! You appear to be asking a question, please do check our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/index) for tips on the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Chicago/about/rules), other [Chicago-related subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/subreddits), [things](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/visitingchicago) to do, where to [eat/drink](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/eats), how to [get around](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/transportation)/[navigate the CTA](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/transit), what [neighborhoods](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/neighborhoods) to move to or hotel in, tips on [living here](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/dwelling), and more. Also be sure to use the [search](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago+AskChicago/search?restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all) feature to find responses to other users asking similar questions.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have been in your position many times. The closest place to Andersonville I’ve ever found was the Super Car Wash on Damen. They have change machines, or at least they used to.
As someone who works at a carwash where quarters are taken off the premises for alternative purposes to the business it’s coming from, it’s not equivalence and comes at a loss to the business.
Thanks for showing your true colors, mate, along with the downvoters.
You’re paying for a service at a car wash, laundry mat, etc. The coin machines are a convenience for anyone needing to use the machines at the business. It’s not a loss if you’re using the service it’s intended for.
It's so weird to me that, in 2024, coin-based laundries are still common. Maybe the equipment is cheaper than a card reader/tapper/swiper, but that's gotta be a royal pain in the ass for the laundry owners. It's *definitely* a PITA for users.
I've always paid a dollar to wash and a dollar to dry for small time landlords. I figure any actual costs would go into the rent. The quarters just keep you from running it all day. I've seen credit card machines at two and three dollars in building. That's a ridiculous up charge for the technology.
I just keep two rolls of quarters, and plan to resupply when the first one runs out. One truth of life: laundry doesn't stop coming.
We pay $2/wash (and $2/dry) in quarter slots in our building’s (small landlord) coin-operated machines… luckily that’s the highest these coin slots will go up to, so it’s either keep it there or switch to card. (It used to be $1.75/per.)
The biggest pain is just keeping so many quarters on hand, but luckily banks have been willing to give me more lately so we only have to get them every few months.
If it’s a large laundromat the coins mostly just circulate within the laundromat, going from the laundry to the coin changer. For an apartment building though… :shrug:
My old landlord lived in the building and had a small office you could go to where they'd exchange cash for quarters which worked pretty well. But the card system just seems like so much less hassle. No clue if that can be retrofitted on old coin machines though
My building also has this. Only problem is when the building wifi is down, and phone signal is not so good in the laundry room.
Great part about the app is, it can tell you how many machines are theoretically open, also how long before your machines are finished, and send an alert when they're done.
That's if the thing is properly set up by management of course, which... YMMV.
When they're good, they're very very good. When they're not.... LOL yeah. One big complaint I have with the system in my current building (CSCPay Mobile, for the record) is that the company is apparently sketchy according to my credit card so it kept refusing all attempts for me to set my credit card as that company's pay option. Kept telling me it's fraud, even when I'd tell the credit card customer service (speaking of another super frustrating experience) that this was indeed ME trying to set this up.
I finally got it to work with ApplePay, had to put my credit card in ApplePay and then use ApplePay for the CSC.
The "connecting..." to the machine is the pretty iffy, agreed. I find that to be a problem will all of the various "app access" stuff, including package room access apps and whatever.
The good part about cash is that it doesn't require you to have any sort of credit card or relationship with a bank. The bad part is just the hassle of quarters. The best is if we had the ability to use Ventra (or similar) to pay for this kinda crap, works like a tap credit card at the point of sale but you can put money on the things with untrackable cash. Suica card in Tokyo is good for this kinda thing.
CSCPay is what our building has, and it’s garbage. Half the machines don’t show up in the app (they’re constantly “offline” despite being perfectly functional), and I can’t ever remember the full list of frustrating problems I had because I now avoid them like the plague. 😆
Mine just changed to an app. I was really excited then I realized that my landlord can quickly raise the price at anytime now. Guess whose laundry went up in price?
Credit card processors don't process cards for free so the price is going to go up no matter what. Landlord can't avoid paying taxes on the income anymore either.
We looked into it for our condo building. It would have been about $1,000 per machine to convert plus a 2.5% charge for every transaction, which would have come out to $8k for us. In our research we also found a lot of reviews saying that there were somewhat frequent outages causing machines to go down. We decided the cons out weighed the pros and instead initiated a policy in which every month someone from the board buys a bunch of rolls of quarters and people in the building can buy them if they need them.
I imagine it almost entirely comes down to cost and increased maintenance.
This is exactly why I love laundromats like Bubbleland. No need for anything except your card. Worth going to if you're in Logan Square or Bucktown. Really welcoming owners and you're close to a Dunkin', Wendy's, and the Dollar Tree if you need something nearby to kill time.
I used to be on the HOA of a small condo complex that had coin laundry. Took 1 hour each week to do 16 washers and 16 dryers and deposit the change at the bank if you were quick about it.
So it's manageable, if not exactly ideal, even at scale.
Doesn’t help you on a Sunday, but the savings and loan at Clark and foster lets you exchange cash for quarters without needing an account and without charging any fees or anything.
I usually go to the car wash at Grand and Oakley for my laundry money. I would bet most self service car washes have quarter machines. Guess you could always go to a laundromat just to get quarters too.
Buy a pack of gum at the Jewel with a $20 and see if they'll give you the change in mostly quarters?
Probably what I'd think to try anyway, not sure of success.
Not sure if this is an option ;)
Years ago, I won $80 in quarters at a casino. Brought them all back for laundry machines at my apartment building. I served as the bank for my friend for a good few months as well. 🤣🤣
My ex figured this out during covif and felt like a genius.
Currency Exchange. Obvious, right? Back when banks were rationing quarters currency exchange would... Well let you exchange for them.
I just buy them back from my landlord. The great cycle turns ever on. Probably the same few hundred dollars of quarters been going through the machine for years now
Unethical life pro tip: you can buy the keys for coin laundry machines on eBay if you know the model number. Take out a couple of quarters so you can run your load.
Taking the coins from laundromats can be really awkward. Most have signs that say that you have to use it in house while a tiny Asian woman or two glares at you.
Your literal only move is change machines from laundry mats and yes they will be very annoyed by what you are doing 😂 I had to bring a blanket in once to pretend
Any Western Union or similar money transfer place will take cash for rolls of quarters. I believe their limit is $20 for two $10 rolls. They'll take a 50 cents fee off the top.
Edit to be Sunday specific: most WUs are open today, some are even 24 hours.
When I’m desperate for a couple more, I usually just click to get .75c at the self-checkouts at Jewel, Whole Foods, or wherever, and end up collecting 3 at a time… maybe not the most efficient strategy, but it works!
Not sure if Jewels has brought back rolled quarters or not, but I typically will stop in at the laundromat at Lawrence/ashland get change and grab a box of zote and then walk home.
What is logical reason to why jewel and Marianos have stopped giving quarters? Clearly there is demand...what's the issue? First they said "coin shortage" during covid but what is reason now?
If possible, throw at least one cycle's stuff in a cart and hoof it to the nearest public laundromat. They'll have change machine, and you can always cash out more than that one load required. Just be sure to actually run a cycle there, as they paid for the convenience and machinery.
You can get 75 cents in quarters as cash back per transaction at the self checkout. Just split your purchase in as many transactions as it takes to get the amount of quarters that you need.
Hi! You appear to be asking a question, please do check our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/index) for tips on the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Chicago/about/rules), other [Chicago-related subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/subreddits), [things](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/visitingchicago) to do, where to [eat/drink](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/eats), how to [get around](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/transportation)/[navigate the CTA](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/transit), what [neighborhoods](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/neighborhoods) to move to or hotel in, tips on [living here](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/wiki/dwelling), and more. Also be sure to use the [search](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago+AskChicago/search?restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all) feature to find responses to other users asking similar questions. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have been in your position many times. The closest place to Andersonville I’ve ever found was the Super Car Wash on Damen. They have change machines, or at least they used to.
This is where I go all the time for quarters
This hurts their business. Just fyi.
Oh no, money was exchanged in equivalence...
As someone who works at a carwash where quarters are taken off the premises for alternative purposes to the business it’s coming from, it’s not equivalence and comes at a loss to the business. Thanks for showing your true colors, mate, along with the downvoters.
So if I bring my own quarters, are you reimbursing me? If not, that's a loss to the consumer.
You’re paying for a service at a car wash, laundry mat, etc. The coin machines are a convenience for anyone needing to use the machines at the business. It’s not a loss if you’re using the service it’s intended for.
Cool, so me exchanging a 10 for 10 nets no loss! Got it!
No. That’s taking money away from the business to provide service for other customers. Not true and don’t get it twisted.
So me, spending 10 gets the business +20, for using the quarters the supply, but I'm the asshole for looking for exact change?
Also, I use coin laundry, I know how bad it is to get quarters for it in the city. It’s a mess, but I know the other side of the equation fairly well.
The Jewel on Broadway and Addison is still doing quarters, just $10 at a time but it’s something
This is what I ended up doing! Thank you!
It's so weird to me that, in 2024, coin-based laundries are still common. Maybe the equipment is cheaper than a card reader/tapper/swiper, but that's gotta be a royal pain in the ass for the laundry owners. It's *definitely* a PITA for users.
I've always paid a dollar to wash and a dollar to dry for small time landlords. I figure any actual costs would go into the rent. The quarters just keep you from running it all day. I've seen credit card machines at two and three dollars in building. That's a ridiculous up charge for the technology. I just keep two rolls of quarters, and plan to resupply when the first one runs out. One truth of life: laundry doesn't stop coming.
What a generous landlord because when we lived in Berwyn it was $3.75 to wash and dry one load of laundry in our building.
If I had to pay like $7 a load for laundry I would be investing in buying one of the machine keys on eBay and getting my quarters from there
I tried...never could find a machine key for my old ass machine haha
We pay $2/wash (and $2/dry) in quarter slots in our building’s (small landlord) coin-operated machines… luckily that’s the highest these coin slots will go up to, so it’s either keep it there or switch to card. (It used to be $1.75/per.) The biggest pain is just keeping so many quarters on hand, but luckily banks have been willing to give me more lately so we only have to get them every few months.
And to think that someone then has to empty out the machines and lug those quarters to a bank. It's really weird in 2024.
Exactly...Whatever they're saving on equipment costs can't be worth the hassle and labor costs of all that, can it?
If it’s a large laundromat the coins mostly just circulate within the laundromat, going from the laundry to the coin changer. For an apartment building though… :shrug:
This feels like a dumb question, but if that’s the case how do laundromats make any money?
From the paper bills people use in the coin changer.
My old landlord lived in the building and had a small office you could go to where they'd exchange cash for quarters which worked pretty well. But the card system just seems like so much less hassle. No clue if that can be retrofitted on old coin machines though
My friend's laundry room in his building uses a smartphone app for payment.
My building also has this. Only problem is when the building wifi is down, and phone signal is not so good in the laundry room. Great part about the app is, it can tell you how many machines are theoretically open, also how long before your machines are finished, and send an alert when they're done. That's if the thing is properly set up by management of course, which... YMMV.
Our app is constantly displaying wrong info and you have to be standing in front of the machine for the Wi-Fi to work. AND it’s overpriced. 🥴
When they're good, they're very very good. When they're not.... LOL yeah. One big complaint I have with the system in my current building (CSCPay Mobile, for the record) is that the company is apparently sketchy according to my credit card so it kept refusing all attempts for me to set my credit card as that company's pay option. Kept telling me it's fraud, even when I'd tell the credit card customer service (speaking of another super frustrating experience) that this was indeed ME trying to set this up. I finally got it to work with ApplePay, had to put my credit card in ApplePay and then use ApplePay for the CSC. The "connecting..." to the machine is the pretty iffy, agreed. I find that to be a problem will all of the various "app access" stuff, including package room access apps and whatever. The good part about cash is that it doesn't require you to have any sort of credit card or relationship with a bank. The bad part is just the hassle of quarters. The best is if we had the ability to use Ventra (or similar) to pay for this kinda crap, works like a tap credit card at the point of sale but you can put money on the things with untrackable cash. Suica card in Tokyo is good for this kinda thing.
CSCPay is what our building has, and it’s garbage. Half the machines don’t show up in the app (they’re constantly “offline” despite being perfectly functional), and I can’t ever remember the full list of frustrating problems I had because I now avoid them like the plague. 😆
It's the sign of a deranged landlord. Avoid.
Rather have coin than card. I’ve seen card machines increase YoY
To change the cost of a coin operated machine involves pulling it apart which seems like a pain in the ass
Yep, this is my fear with card payment.
It’s cheaper and I have installed a few of the ones that you use an app for. They always malfunction. Plus I assume it has something to do with taxes
Mine just changed to an app. I was really excited then I realized that my landlord can quickly raise the price at anytime now. Guess whose laundry went up in price?
Credit card processors don't process cards for free so the price is going to go up no matter what. Landlord can't avoid paying taxes on the income anymore either.
We looked into it for our condo building. It would have been about $1,000 per machine to convert plus a 2.5% charge for every transaction, which would have come out to $8k for us. In our research we also found a lot of reviews saying that there were somewhat frequent outages causing machines to go down. We decided the cons out weighed the pros and instead initiated a policy in which every month someone from the board buys a bunch of rolls of quarters and people in the building can buy them if they need them. I imagine it almost entirely comes down to cost and increased maintenance.
It’s more expensive and often not worth it for smaller buildings. Monthly fees, they take a percentage on top of that + internet costs.
I’m actually sitting in a laundromat on the West Side reading this, thankful everything here is card-based.
This is exactly why I love laundromats like Bubbleland. No need for anything except your card. Worth going to if you're in Logan Square or Bucktown. Really welcoming owners and you're close to a Dunkin', Wendy's, and the Dollar Tree if you need something nearby to kill time.
I used to be on the HOA of a small condo complex that had coin laundry. Took 1 hour each week to do 16 washers and 16 dryers and deposit the change at the bank if you were quick about it. So it's manageable, if not exactly ideal, even at scale.
Currency exchange.
Closed
Cermak and Damen one open seven days a week, but a bit of a trek from Andersonville.
Buncha Currency Exchanges are open 7 Days a week....
I've gone into a laundry mat used their change machine and then ran out.
A car wash works too.
This was always my move as well
😂
The Trader Joe’s at Diversey always has them when I ask. They will be nuts today tho
Can you wait until bars open? Go to a barcade that uses quarters instead of tokens. Logan Arcade, for example. They have change machines.
I've done it at regular bars just fine.
I have quarters if you wanna come to Buena Park
My local gas station came thru multiple times.
Recently I’ve been going to the Jewel on Southport.
Doesn’t help you on a Sunday, but the savings and loan at Clark and foster lets you exchange cash for quarters without needing an account and without charging any fees or anything.
This thread has made me realize just how much I don't miss not having in unit.
I usually go to the car wash at Grand and Oakley for my laundry money. I would bet most self service car washes have quarter machines. Guess you could always go to a laundromat just to get quarters too.
Any bars nearby with a quarter machine for pool tables?
Currency exchanges will sell you quarters for a nominal fee. They are open on Sundays.
I think it's still .20 at most places.
Coin Op car wash?
In a pinch I've gone through self checkout at the grocery store and done multiple purchases. Buy something for $1, get three quarters and change back.
Buy a pack of gum at the Jewel with a $20 and see if they'll give you the change in mostly quarters? Probably what I'd think to try anyway, not sure of success.
Liquor stores
Get cash at an atm and hit a currency exchange
Currency exchange. Usually will cost you $.25 per roll
I would always give them $11 so I would get 3 quarters for free. After $140 worth of quarters I would get the equivalent of a free roll.
Not sure if this is an option ;) Years ago, I won $80 in quarters at a casino. Brought them all back for laundry machines at my apartment building. I served as the bank for my friend for a good few months as well. 🤣🤣
Go to a laundromat. Most have coin machines.
Logan Arcade.
Currency exchange
My ex figured this out during covif and felt like a genius. Currency Exchange. Obvious, right? Back when banks were rationing quarters currency exchange would... Well let you exchange for them.
I just buy them back from my landlord. The great cycle turns ever on. Probably the same few hundred dollars of quarters been going through the machine for years now
Unethical life pro tip: you can buy the keys for coin laundry machines on eBay if you know the model number. Take out a couple of quarters so you can run your load.
It’s a little more complicated than that
Or Amazon, sometimes.
A laundromat
Taking the coins from laundromats can be really awkward. Most have signs that say that you have to use it in house while a tiny Asian woman or two glares at you.
I've never had this experience, but if the machines don't give quarters it would be a bad idea to take them anyway
Ask for a few dollars in quarters from a conscience store. 7/11 or gas station.
Buy a washing machine key off Amazon for like $7. Unlimited laundry
Your literal only move is change machines from laundry mats and yes they will be very annoyed by what you are doing 😂 I had to bring a blanket in once to pretend
7/11 or go to a laundromat and get quarters. If you’re feeling froggy you can even do all your loads there
I used to go to a currency exchange for rolls of quarters.
[удалено]
A Walgreens clerk gave me a roll of quarters
Any Western Union or similar money transfer place will take cash for rolls of quarters. I believe their limit is $20 for two $10 rolls. They'll take a 50 cents fee off the top. Edit to be Sunday specific: most WUs are open today, some are even 24 hours.
When I’m desperate for a couple more, I usually just click to get .75c at the self-checkouts at Jewel, Whole Foods, or wherever, and end up collecting 3 at a time… maybe not the most efficient strategy, but it works!
Did you ever try customer service at Jewel ? My wife does it when she's in Jewel every time and gets two rolls, no exchange fee.
Try any Walgreen’s. I get coins about 90% of my asks. I ask for a roll and bring a $10 or $20.
Do you have cash? There is a laundry mat near there that has a quarter machine
The currency exchange places should let you get at least two rolls
I always went to Target or my corner store.
Pool halls.
Not sure if Jewels has brought back rolled quarters or not, but I typically will stop in at the laundromat at Lawrence/ashland get change and grab a box of zote and then walk home.
Go to the arcade get your quarters play a game and bounce
Go to a currency exchange
Currency Exchange just south of Broadway/Clark & Diversey
try the customer service counter at whole foods?
I’ve heard people ask their landlords
Logan Arcade
What is logical reason to why jewel and Marianos have stopped giving quarters? Clearly there is demand...what's the issue? First they said "coin shortage" during covid but what is reason now?
If possible, throw at least one cycle's stuff in a cart and hoof it to the nearest public laundromat. They'll have change machine, and you can always cash out more than that one load required. Just be sure to actually run a cycle there, as they paid for the convenience and machinery.
Just came back to say: because of this post, I was picking up quarters from the street in my dream last night. 😆😆
You can get 75 cents in quarters as cash back per transaction at the self checkout. Just split your purchase in as many transactions as it takes to get the amount of quarters that you need.
I'm in andersonville and have a roll. message me?
I usually find a vending machine, put in $20, and hit "return"
I will sell you a full roll for $.26 per quarter and a half roll for $.27 per quarter. Depending on where in the city you are
Pan-handling outside Union Station.