One library has a message for patrons: Chuck E. Cheese tokens don’t pay late fees
A library in Massachusetts has taken to social media to let people know: Chuck E. Cheese tokens are not a legal currency, much less a way to pay off late fees.
The Peabody Institute Library, in Danvers, Massachusetts, posted on Facebook Wednesday that its employees had seen a “surge of folks attempting to pay fines and printing fees with tokens from Chuck E Cheese” and Bonkers Fun House, another arcade, this summer.
According to CNN, a bookkeeper at the library was actually fooled by the tokens at first, counting them as actual coins.
“Everyone got a laugh out of it,” the bookkeeper told the Salem News.
In its post, the library also noted that it cannot accept Canadian currency.
This summer we've had a surge of folks attempting to pay fines and printing fees with tokens from Chuck E Cheese and...
Posted by Peabody Institute Library, Danvers on Wednesday, August 30, 2017
However, the library doesn’t need to worry too much. As the post above shows, the tokens appear well used and old, which makes sense given that Chuck E. Cheese’s announced in October 2016 that it would be phasing out its iconic tokens, per Business Insider, in favor of rewards cards. This sparked a wave of nostalgia and outrage from millennials who grew up using the coins.
Still, this is not the first time Chuck E. Cheese tokens have caused problems in Massachusetts as of late. About 60 miles away from Danvers, a 53-year-old man was arrested in a Chuck E. Cheese’s in Attleboro in early August after he allegedly kicked a 6-year-old girl to the ground after he spilled his tokens, per the Associated Press. The man says he thought the girl was attempting to steal his tokens; her mother says she was trying to help him pick them up.
The girl’s family says she was traumatized by the incident, according to WPRI, as the suspect allegedly yelled and cursed at her as well. The man declined to comment.
The cash value of tokens depends on location, though eBay has prices as high as $100 for rare tokens down to 13 cents for tokens in bulk.
This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "One library has a message for patrons: Chuck E. Cheese tokens don’t pay late fees."