Success With... MAKING A REDEMPTION EXPANSION EASY! with Redemption Plus

By Corrie Pelc

In 2016, Wild Island Family Adventure Park, which includes Wild Island Coconut Bowl and Wild Island Waterpark in Sparks, NV, was getting ready to expand from 75,000 square feet to 125,000 square feet. According to Craig Buster, general manager of Coconut Bowl, part of that expansion would include a new arcade and full redemption store. After considering many options, Buster said they found the right fit for their redemption endeavor with Redemption Plus. “Frankly, when you expand a facility [by] 50,000 square feet, there can be a lot of bumps in the road. Our interior designer worked with them, communication was good, and that was definitely one of the easier [aspects] to deal with for me — it was just simple.”

Initial Training

Solid support from those leading the process is vital for an expansion, store refresher, and ongoing operation. “Retail merchandising space is really interesting, and it’s not something that most family entertainment center operators know [much about], to be honest with you,” Buster says. When expanding or adding a retail merchandise venue, initial staff training and access to ongoing support are essential elements. Once Coconut Bowl’s redemption store opened in December 2018, they had a point person from Redemption Plus who worked with them every step of the way, which was a critical part of their store’s success.

Ongoing Support

In the beginning, Coconut Bowl’s primary redemption employee was taught the basics of merchandising and then some. Since then, Buster says they have continued using Redemption Plus’s training seminars and online tutorials, finding them valuable for staffing and operations. Taking advantage of services, like assessing the facility to ensure things are operating in the best way possible, is part of a continuing effort to maximize the store’s benefits to the center and guests. “Basically, from top to bottom, beginning to end, having professional help to assist you with design to implementation to inventory is key,” said Buster.

Prizes That Drive Arcade Revenue

Beyond training and support, another crucial factor to consider is choosing a redemption partner that can guide you through the sometimes-confusing process of selecting the right merchandise and having help in ensuring your store is visually appealing.

“Prizes drive your arcade. Period,” Buster says. “Our redemption store drives our arcade revenue.” Buster and his team have found that continuing to use Redemption Plus for the bulk of their redemption toys and prizes provides ease of service and maintains product quality.

Buster also recommends taking advantage of the plano-grams that come along with merchandise orders. “The provided plan-o-grams make it easier for an employee to open a box and know where things go,” he adds.

Dependable

Finding a service provider to depend on was critical to the management team at Bowlocity Entertainment Center in Rochester, MN. Erin Glorvigen, the manager, said that in 2014 when the center was first opening, someone recommended they give Redemption Plus a call to learn about their redemption services. “They were recommended to us [by] the outfit we purchased our arcade games from,” says Glorvigen. “They are very good at getting orders out the same day, and their customer service keeps us coming back year after year.”

Easy to Operate

Glorvigen concurs with Buster that running a redemption operation needs to be as streamlined and straightforward as possible. With less staff, all centers are looking for ways to operate efficiently. “We also like that they use the DPL file for inventory, which makes tracking stock very easy for us. From setup and installation to operating your store, they’re there for you the whole time,” Glorvigen says.•