By Jeanni Ritchie
I initially dismissed the “promise of a good deal” every time I went into Chuck E. Cheese.
“I don’t come often enough.”
“I don’t want to pay a monthly fee.”
Besides, I do THAT with my gym membership. I call it my charitable contribution to Planet Fitness.
But I found that we were going to Chuck E. Cheese rather often and spending $40-$50 bucks a pop. It was time to look into this membership pass.
While they have summer memberships and two-month passes, I was interested in the annual passes. A trip to play games post speech therapy is a great motivator for my grandson. I knew we would continue to use it even after school started back.
They offer bronze (7.99/mo), silver (11.99/mo), and gold (29.99/mo) memberships. The bronze was the best option for us, both financially and time-wise. I usually buy an hours’ worth of free play and the 40 game points that come in the bronze package usually take him about an hour to play. When his brother is with us, I can split the points into two cards and they each get to play 20 games.
This was originally costing me $23 every time we went- without buying food or drinks- and now we can go every single day at no cost for the membership fee of 7.99/mo.
And guess what? When the grandkids are not with me, I can go play 40 rounds of Skee Ball all by myself! It truly can’t be beat!
The gold membership gives you 250 games every time you go and you can split between 6 cards. The other bonus to that package is you get 50% off any food ordered. With my bronze package I’m getting 20% off which is still a discount. We have learned how to keep that cost as low as possible.
Some days we just play games without ordering food. Sometimes we order a small pizza and get cups of water to drink. Once a month- you splurge on the big pizza and sodas; twice a week- you learn to be frugal!
We added the Trampoline Zone at our last visit, an additional expense of a new offering. We will probably skip that in the future- they have more fun on the free dance pad or playing the games.
Speaking of games, I’m constantly getting offers on my Chuck E. Cheese app. Right now I can get 500 prize points added to my Play Pass to be redeemed for tickets. Last trip, we had free churros!
The Alexandria store has undergone major changes in recent years and the game floor has expanded and is filled with new and classic games. They are almost always ALL functioning, a rarity in arcades. My grandsons love the kid-sized air hockey table. Sometimes I let them win, sometimes they win all on their own!
We always take a photo- my requirement for their play points is one photo with Gigi! These pictures line the wall around my dresser! I recently filled out a survey in which they are considering going to digital photos you access on your own phone. I STRONGLY DISAGREED with this idea! I love my photo prints!
My great-nephew Carter recently had his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, bringing back my own memories of a post-high school job at Showbiz in Baton Rouge! I remember the parties and wearing the Billy Bob costume! I loved seeing the kids so excited.
I loved seeing my own family enjoying the party last month! Especially when Chuck E. Cheese came out!
Chuck E. Cheese makes an appearance every time we are there, party or not, delighting the kids and grown-ups alike.
I hate that I dismissed the idea of this membership before really checking it out. It could’ve saved me tons earlier in the summer and given me something fun to do while flitting around town alone. I think I’m going to start going by and taking photos in the Chuck E. Photo Booth and putting them in my Christmas cards this year! Forget boring family photos- let’s do some wacky Chuck E. Cheese pics!
But I have to play games too while I’m there. I like to win prizes to add to my scrapbook or put on my dresser!
Now that I think about it, forget the kids and grandkids! Go get a 7.99/mo. membership just to go play 40 games 2-3 times a week. It’s cheaper than therapy!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist and mental health advocate who believes grown-up play therapy is therapeutic! She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
