Tim and I will pick up a 500lb bag of Alpo at Walmart.
And we'll add Who Let the Dogs Out to the playlist. |
^^^^^
|
Hello!
So I've gotten into the MS'ing game about 7 months ago. I primarily do the GC --> BlueBird deposit. However, I've been having a REALLY hard time locating a BlueBird Kiosk in the Bay Area. So, I usually have to go to someone and depending on their mood/training, will accept or decline loading a GC. I know So-cal is abundant with Kiosks and I wanted to see if there are any in the Bay Area people have found that work. Any help is appreciated :). Thank you! Here is a list of what I have found: Fremont WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" Milpitas WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" San Ramon WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Pleasanton WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Martinez WM: Had a functioning Kiosk for 2-3 months and now "does not work" and have to load with attendant Vallejo WM: No Kiosk and have to load with attendant Fairfield WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Davis WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" |
I had never really looked at the list before, so I checked it out. The funny thing was, there were 2 on the list that I swore were not there, but guess what, when I got there, there they sat! One was needing a manager login/reset or something, but the other was just waiting to be used.
I'm not going to say that the list is accurate all the time, but for the 5 locations I am occasionally at, it was accurate this week. Maybe they do update it or maybe they were out for repairs when I was there previously. I'll have to keep looking at the list and see if it ever changes.
Originally Posted by jmw
(Post 25583217)
I wish you lots of luck and hope you have plenty of gas and time to waste.
The list is not accurate in places where Kate have been removed or is in a permanent out-of-order state. You can try the money center cashiers, but they might be trained to look for gift cards - and none of your jedi mind tricks like switching cards will work. |
Originally Posted by TahoeGiant
(Post 25592868)
Hello!
So I've gotten into the MS'ing game about 7 months ago. I primarily do the GC --> BlueBird deposit. However, I've been having a REALLY hard time locating a BlueBird Kiosk in the Bay Area. So, I usually have to go to someone and depending on their mood/training, will accept or decline loading a GC. I know So-cal is abundant with Kiosks and I wanted to see if there are any in the Bay Area people have found that work. Any help is appreciated :). Thank you! Here is a list of what I have found: Fremont WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" Milpitas WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" San Ramon WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Pleasanton WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Martinez WM: Had a functioning Kiosk for 2-3 months and now "does not work" and have to load with attendant Vallejo WM: No Kiosk and have to load with attendant Fairfield WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Davis WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" The only way around it is to do your loads during your business trips. You can carry $5k of GC x number of BB and then do all your loads during the business trip. I'm assuming your employer does pay for your business trips so you are not out-of-pocket. That is what I do. This is flyertalk after all. I'm not kidding. Otherwise, this hobby is a huge gas, money and time waster if you live in the SF Bay Area. Milpitas to Davis is a ton of gas. |
Originally Posted by jmw
(Post 25593327)
Just quit. This isn't ever going to work out with all of the time and gas you are wasting away... with one exception.
The only way around it is to do your loads during your business trips. You can carry $5k of GC x number of BB and then do all your loads during the business trip. I'm assuming your employer does pay for your business trips so you are not out-of-pocket. That is what I do. This is flyertalk after all. I'm not kidding. Otherwise, this hobby is a huge gas, money and time waster if you live in the SF Bay Area. Milpitas to Davis is a ton of gas. Totally agree with you about the hidden costs of MSing. I drove 20 mi each way today to buy GCs + load $2500 on a BB at a Kate. Hitting both of those locations added a couple of miles to my trip to pick up my suitcase (handle was being repaired), otherwise I would have waited to buy the GCs and done the loads closer to home. |
Originally Posted by iflyjetz
(Post 25593393)
Totally agree with you about the hidden costs of MSing. I drove 20 mi each way today to buy GCs + load $2500 on a BB at a Kate. Hitting both of those locations added a couple of miles to my trip to pick up my suitcase (handle was being repaired), otherwise I would have waited to buy the GCs and done the loads closer to home.
I do wonder what the best someone can do in a single sentence would be. :D |
Originally Posted by TahoeGiant
(Post 25592868)
Hello!
Davis WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" Anyhow, y'all are wasting your time. NorCal Kates are few and far between these days. I travel around the Sacramento area, and once or twice a year I make a sweep of the map, stopping at WM I pass and noting the current Kate status at listed stores. Stores that have them, odds are >66% they have either unplugged them or a dusty OUT OF ORDER sign has taken up residence. I had a discussion with a CSM once, and she HATED the Kate and wanted it out of the store. Thing was constantly crashing and needing attention. Rebooting multiple times a day indicates to them an item that is defective and needs to be removed, or replace with a standard ATM. For it's intended purposes it's actually slower than a cashier. The machines themselves are pretty old, and even when not mistreated are cantankerous. I saw a CSM reboot one and it takes at least a half-hour for it to do all it's self-tests and be ready again. Best bet is WM NM locations, get friendly with cashiers and keep it cool. Or give up and find another avenue. |
Originally Posted by gpen1827
(Post 25603109)
That is the most Flyertalker paragraph I've ever seen. (Although there were no mentions of airports, airlines, lounges, airline miles, or upgrades.)
I do wonder what the best someone can do in a single sentence would be. :D |
Try www.bluebirdstatus.com. I hacked this site together for people to not only find kiosks, but also for people to report on whether the work or not... Kind of a social experiment.
|
Originally Posted by dehjli
(Post 25682342)
Try www.bluebirdstatus.com. I hacked this site together for people to not only find kiosks, but also for people to report on whether the work or not... Kind of a social experiment.
|
Originally Posted by TahoeGiant
(Post 25592868)
Hello!
So I've gotten into the MS'ing game about 7 months ago. I primarily do the GC --> BlueBird deposit. However, I've been having a REALLY hard time locating a BlueBird Kiosk in the Bay Area. So, I usually have to go to someone and depending on their mood/training, will accept or decline loading a GC. I know So-cal is abundant with Kiosks and I wanted to see if there are any in the Bay Area people have found that work. Any help is appreciated :). Thank you! Here is a list of what I have found: Fremont WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" Milpitas WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" San Ramon WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Pleasanton WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Martinez WM: Had a functioning Kiosk for 2-3 months and now "does not work" and have to load with attendant Vallejo WM: No Kiosk and have to load with attendant Fairfield WM: Kiosk doesn't work and have to load with attendant Davis WM: Decline loading and say "against store policy and they can get fired" |
Originally Posted by dehjli
(Post 25682342)
Try www.bluebirdstatus.com. I hacked this site together for people to not only find kiosks, but also for people to report on whether the work or not... Kind of a social experiment.
|
Originally Posted by dehjli
(Post 25682342)
Try www.bluebirdstatus.com. I hacked this site together for people to not only find kiosks, but also for people to report on whether the work or not... Kind of a social experiment.
|
Originally Posted by Phantom707
(Post 25683553)
Nice site. May I make one minor suggestion? I would suggest making a separate entry for stores that have non-working kiosks versus stores that have no kiosks. I understand that for most people, there is no difference. However, there's a chance that a store could actually fix their machine. Again, nice site, though.
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