Warning: This reads like an ad, but it isn't.
This is a public apology to Coinstar for my years of self-righteousness. Since as long as I can remember I've walked by Coinstar, snickered, and wondered what type of lazy person would pay a 10% commission to avoid rolling coins. Recently however, my wife and I ran out of penny wrappers and decided to take a few years worth of pennies to Coinstar just for the fun of it.
We chose our payout as an Amazon gift card and paid $0 fees. Then, they threw in $5 worth of free MP3s as a bonus for hitting $20! Most companies want you to feel like they've created a win-win. They make a profit while you get a product that improves your life. Very rarely is literal profit gained in both directions. Here, not only do I save time for free, but I get free music. Sure, I have to drive to Coinstar, but it's at the grocery store. I'd go anyway. Sure, I have to spend the money on Amazon, but again, I would anyway. They have all different free payout options from Starbucks to iTunes. Might be worth checking out if you're busy and don't like the smell of money permeating your hands from rolling change for hours. Consider saving your nickels though....
