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Sally Cohen

Stern Pinball Announces New Insider Connect Features – this is an app you really need on your homescreen
Stern Pinball Announces New Insider Connect Features – this is an app you really need on your homescreen 446 317 GAD Vending

Stern is keeping pinball cool. Insider Connected is free and should become the dominate app on your phone.

CHICAGO, IL –August 3, 2022 – Stern Pinball, Inc. expands its award-winning Insider Connected platform with new features making it easier to access the service.  With Stern Insider Connected, over 43,000 users track their scores and earn achievements on our network of more than 11,000 connected machines.  New features launched today include an easier to use mobile ID card and Home Team system that will automatically log in home users.  Code updates are available today for all 18 Stern commercial LCD pinball machines that include Home Team and additional improvements across titles.

Insider Connected now offers our players the ability to save an ID card with their personal QR code in their mobile wallet.  It saves time previously spent retrieving a QR code by logging into the Insider Connected service on a phone or by finding a previous screenshot of your QR code saved somewhere in your photo library.  These mobile ID cards can be used on connected machines.

With Home Team, users’ home pinball machines will remember them.  Owners will be able to set standard home Insider Connected user profiles that are always available without needing a phone to scan in.  Guests won’t be left out either.  When guests scan into a Home Team enabled machine their profile will be temporarily remembered for rapid replays, until they log out or the machine is turned off.  Turning on Home Team can be done through the service menu on free play machines and accessed by pressing the flipper buttons before starting a game.

For more information on how to set up your own Mobile ID Card and Home Team, visit sternpinball.com/support/faq/ where you will find:

  • Mobile ID Card Set-up Video
  • Home Team Set-up Video
  • PDF Mobile ID Card Set-up Guide
  • PDF Home Team Set-up Guide

Stern Pinball takes the safety of our customer’s data seriously.  Stern works with both legal and security organizations to vet all aspects of Insider Connected for legal compliance and best practices worldwide.  As part of this effort, our new machine updates will notify users if any third party code modifications are identified that may put data at risk.

Insider Connected enables users to automatically download and update code across their machines.  All code updates and read me files are available at sternpinball.com/support/game-code/.  Every new machine produced by Stern Pinball comes from the factory Insider Connected-enabled.  Upgrade kits for earlier Stern Pinball LCD Machine are available through authorized dealers and distributors or at shop.sternpinball.com for both Pro and Premium/LE game editions.

About Insider Connected

Insider Connected is a comprehensive technology initiative to connect the universe of Stern pinball machines.  The platform is designed to enhance and extend player engagement with the games across both home and commercial environments.  It also presents professional operators of the pinball machines a robust set of tools to drive location play, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines.

Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/.  Players can also register at a connected game by scanning a registration QR code on the machine.  Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine anywhere in the world.  When a player scans into the machine, they can track progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.

“Insider Connected is transforming how players interact with pinball machines.  Operators are benefiting from new tools that drive repeat play and help maintain games while players benefit from easier log-in access both on location and in their homes,” said Seth Davis, President of Stern Pinball, Inc.

About Stern Pinball, Inc.

Stern Pinball, Inc. is a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball.  Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise.  Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe.

Recent Stern Pinball titles include Rush, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Led Zeppelin, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man.  A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games from professional pinball players who compete in high-stakes competitions around the globe to novice players who are discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time.  To join the fun and learn more, please visit www.sternpinball.com.

Pinball Events for a Fall Roadtrip
Pinball Events for a Fall Roadtrip 1026 1500 GAD Vending

Looking for a fall road trip? Destination pinball. 

If you are looking to play a lot of different pinball in one place or participate in a tournament, there is an event for you this fall. These are linked to Stern’s website but there are lots more listed at the IFPA events website.

Here’s a few:

Sept 9-11 IFPA Event in Lynnwood, WA

Sept 15-18 ClePin Pinball and Arcade Show in Cleveland, OH

Oct 19-22 Chicago Pinball Expo and IFPA Event

Nov 18-20 Free Play Florida in Orlando

Epic Godzilla Head-To-Head Challenge Tonight
Epic Godzilla Head-To-Head Challenge Tonight 597 336 GAD Vending

8 Players.  One Game.  Epic Prizes!  The Stern Heads-Up Pinball Invitational is going down August 10th at 7pm CST with our players showcasing their skills on Godzilla. Who will be crowned King of the Monsters?  Find out on the official Toho YouTube Channel!

Labor Shortage Issues? Want to Accept Cards and CASH? Look Into How Self Check Out Can Help Your Business
Labor Shortage Issues? Want to Accept Cards and CASH? Look Into How Self Check Out Can Help Your Business 750 520 GAD Vending

47% of all sales that total under $25 are paid in cash

It’s 2022–Retailers have recognized the value of self-checkout technology and the benefits it will bring to their stores including easing labor shortage problems, improving the customer experience, and, of course, increasing the bottom line. Now you need to consider how to deploy your self-checkout to best suit the needs of your stores and your customers; the big question is—do you automate cash, or go completely cashless?

You may be leaning toward cashless—it’s less costly upfront, and card payments seem more like “the future.” Let’s examine that assumption—can you get the full ROI you expect from your self-checkout without adding cash? First consider from the perspective of the speed of service; self-checkout will move your customers through the line faster and eliminate long lines at peak times of day. If you’ve only automated cashless payments you haven’t solved the complete problem, and will not be able to repurpose cashiers to take on additional store related tasks, like cleaning, stocking shelves, etc. Stores that struggle with staff shortages will find relief by allowing their customers to checkout without their assistance, ensuring only one cashier is required to ring up age-verified products.

41% of customers will abandon their purchase if they see a long line

What is your customers’ experience? For the average purchase in convenience stores, consumers overwhelmingly choose cash; 47% of all purchase values under $25 are paid in cash. The percentage of cash usage in your stores may be even higher given that the average c-store transaction is between $3.75-9.00; recent studies report around 40-50% of purchases are made in cash. In addition to preferences, the Federal Reserve estimates 20-28% of the population is currently “unbanked,” or “underbanked,” and do not have access to card payments. Cashless only self-checkouts could lead customers to perceive unfairness—why should they wait in line while the card paying customer can breeze right through? It’s not worth the risk alienating such a large portion of your customers.

Card-only self-checkouts will still require a cashier to handle all cash payments, increasing the likelihood that lines will continue to be long at rush hour, and risk customers walking out without purchasing. 41% of customers will abandon their purchase if they see a long line, and one bad experience can sour customers on your entire business. Almost half of consumers avoid a specific store if they have to wait longer than 5 minutes. No one wants to lose business due to customer dissatisfaction, and these lines can be effectively eliminated by deploying cash automation with self-checkout.

Lastly, cashless processing isn’t always as cheap as it seems to be. There’s a good chance cash payments cost less as a percentage of your revenue than cashless. Driving customers to cashless may actually increase costs and negatively impact profit margins.

In order to fully reap the benefits of your self-checkout deployment you need to include both cash and cashless payments. Cash automation makes it a well-rounded solution and delivers a superior ROI for your business.

If you are looking for self check out equipment that accept both cash and cards, give GAD a call. Our sales team is knowledgeable to help retailers save on labor cost, speed check-out, and improve customer experience.

Favorite Photos for Son and Daughter Day
Favorite Photos for Son and Daughter Day 750 500 GAD Vending

So many great photos of families at play on our favorite games! Whether in costume, at an arcade or playing at home – these photos bring smiles.

GAD has curbside pick up or can help you arrange delivery in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri or Kansas. Our warehouses are located in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City.

Our sales team will give you a quote that is all inclusive – no surprises.

Want to Play Pinball Like a Pro? Try These 7 Easy Tips
Want to Play Pinball Like a Pro? Try These 7 Easy Tips 940 788 GAD Vending

If you want to impress your friends and play a better pinball, there are lots of tips and tricks you can use. Here’s just a few.

  1. Read the rules of the games from the manufacturers.
    1. All of the games have something posted on the internet about the games rules and how to activate certain advanced features.
    2. The flashing lights and frantic sounds are trying to tell you something. Decoding the action will help you take those risky shots for high rewards.
  2. Take tips from any of these YouTubers.
    1. Dead Flip
    2. Abe Flips is a good channel to watch. His videos help you understand the angles and how to use certain techniques to improve your score. For full clips, be sure to visit AbeFlips on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AbeFlips 
    3. Home Leisure Direct has a full channel of various games including pinball. Try this article to hit the pinball highlights.
  3. Learn the game.
    1. Think one to two moves ahead.
    2. Never have both flippers up at the same time.
    3. Master the plunger.
  4. Use the internet scoring apps to help you track the various games you are trying to master. This way you can determine what is working best for you and track your scoring. It also helps you set goals for improvement.
  5. Each machine is different. Even the same exact game. The balance of each machine is unique as well as the amount of play its had. Plus each game is not maintained the same causing the gears and rubber pieces to perform differently.
  6. Don’t freak out! Mastering pinball actually takes time and practice. Your hand-eye coordination will take a bit of time to connect with each flipper to maximize your score.
  7. And, unless you really want to be a pinball pro, this is really about having a lot of fun!

And, if you want to talk with a pinball enthusiast about buying your own game – GAD knows Pinball.

3 Reasons Why Self Checkout is a Smart 2022 Solution
3 Reasons Why Self Checkout is a Smart 2022 Solution 332 347 GAD Vending

It’s 2022 and savvy retail owners have recognized the value of self-checkout technology and the benefits it will bring to their stores including:

  1. Easing labor shortage problems
  2. Improving the customer experience
  3. Increasing the bottom line

Now you need to consider how to deploy your self-checkout to best suit the needs of your stores and your customers; the remaining big question is—do you automate cash, or go completely cashless?

47% of all purchase values under $25 are paid in cash

You may be leaning toward cashless—it’s less costly upfront, and card payments seem more like “the future.” Let’s examine that assumption—can you get the full ROI you expect from your self-checkout without adding cash? First consider from the perspective of the speed of service; self-checkout will move your customers through the line faster and eliminate long lines at peak times of day. If you’ve only automated cashless payments you haven’t solved the complete problem, and will not be able to repurpose cashiers to take on additional store related tasks, like cleaning, stocking shelves, etc. Stores that struggle with staff shortages will find relief by allowing their customers to checkout without their assistance, ensuring only a few manager cashiers are required to ring up age-verified products and help customers with items that don’t want to ring up easily.

Next, think about your customer’s experience. For the average purchase in convenience stores, consumers overwhelmingly choose cash; 47% of all purchase values under $25 are paid in cash. The percentage of cash usage in your stores may be even higher given that the average c-store transaction is between $3.75-9.00; recent studies report around 40-50% of purchases are made in cash. In addition to preferences, the Federal Reserve estimates 20-28% of the population is currently “unbanked,” or “underbanked,” and do not have access to card payments. Cashless only self-checkouts could lead customers to perceive unfairness—why should they wait in line while the card paying customer can breeze right through? It’s up to the retailer to know their average ticket sale and customer demographic to make the right choice before going all cashless.

Card-only self-checkouts will still require a cashier to handle all cash payments, increasing the likelihood that lines will continue to be long at rush hour, and risk customers walking out without purchasing. 41% of customers will abandon their purchase if they see a long line, and one bad experience can sour customers on your entire business. Almost half of consumers avoid a specific store if they have to wait longer than 5 minutes. No one wants to lose business due to customer dissatisfaction, and these lines can be effectively eliminated by deploying cash automation with self-checkout.

41% of customers will abandon their purchase if they see a long line

Lastly, cashless processing isn’t always as cheap as it seems to be. There’s a good chance cash payments cost less as a percentage of your revenue than cashless. Driving customers to cashless may actually increase costs and negatively impact profit margins.

In order to fully reap the benefits of your self-checkout deployment you need to decide to include both cash and cashless payments. Cash automation makes it a well-rounded solution and delivers a superior ROI for your business.

Having a conversation with a well versed GAD Vending sales person can help you determine the optimal self checkout solutions for your business. Let us help today.

Inbound Pinball
Inbound Pinball 940 788 GAD Vending

GAD knows a lot about our machines. We enjoy vending machines, ATM’s, digital music, etc. – but we love pinball.

Pinball is our passion. We love to play for fun and some of our co-workers participates in various pinball tournaments.

So, every time a shipment of pinball games comes into our warehouses its like Christmas morning.

If you love pinball as much as we do and are considering a game for your home – give us a call. We love give customers guidance on how to choose the right game. Where to go play the titles that are of interest. Talk about the various model levels and what it means to the user experience. And, how the newest internet connections are working from our various manufacturers.

Here’s just a few of the titles on the way to GAD:

  • Houdini
  • Hot Wheels
  • Oktoberfest
  • Toy Story LE
  • Godzilla Pro
  • Star Wars Pro, & Premium

There are more titles going into production as the chip shortage gets a bit better. Ask us about other titles you may be interested in ordering. Stern has these titles in production:

  • Rush
  • Godzilla
  • Jurassic Park Home Edition
  • Led Zeppelin
  • The Mandalorian
  • Star Wars
  • Star Wars Comic Art Home Edition
  • Star Wars Home Edition
  • Avengers: Infinity Quest
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • Jurassic Park
  • Dead Pool
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Iron Maiden
  • Elvira’s House of Horrors

Because we sell to both residential and commercial business’, many of the Stern titles have been ordered but there are also outstanding orders on much of what’s coming in. Let us know what you are looking for, your budget and your timeframe – and we’ll come up with an amazing game to start or add to your home game room.

AMI Digital Music Newest Promotion
AMI Digital Music Newest Promotion 1024 1024 GAD Vending

AMI digital music is a venue’s best friend. And here’s how:

  • Digital music
  • Adds to a live DJ
  • Tracks music for ASCAP reporting
  • Runs promotions and ads
  • Allows customers to pay for music they want to play
  • Trivia games
  • Music videos
  • And, AMI helps promote their own product with giveaways on their app

Most current promotion for July 2022:

AMI celebrates the music of Kehlani by giving away two exclusive prizes in their latest contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive a Kehlani “Altar” hoodie, an autographed art card, and Kehlani’s latest CD, Blue Water Road. One runner up will also receive a signed art card and CD, plus a Kehlani long-sleeve t-shirt. This giveaway runs July 1, 2022 through July 13, 2022. Everyone can enter using the AMI Music app, available on iOS and Android. Contest entry is also available on any participating AMI Jukebox.

Kehlani was born and raised in Oakland, California. At home, they were surrounded by R&B and soul music. Powerful female vocalists like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott are cited as some of their biggest early influences. At school, Kehlani was serious about dance and had their sights focused on studying at Julliard until being sidetracked by a knee injury. Switching gears from dancing, they were soon recruited into Poplyfe- a local singing group, at the age of 14.

Poplyfe experienced success in and around Oakland but were exposed to a national audience when they appeared on season six of the competition reality show America’s Got Talent, in 2011, where they finished fourth. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the show was judge Piers Morgan telling Kehlani “You’ve got real talent, but I don’t think you need the group.” As fate would have it, Poplyfe soon disbanded because of mismanagement and contract disputes, and Kehlani became a solo artist.

It was 2013 when Kehlani released their first single on Soundcloud. “ANTISUMMERLUV” was popular on the streaming platform, and once Nick Cannon–who was a judge on AGT–heard it, he brought them out to Los Angeles, arranged an apartment and paid for studio time. Kehlani quickly released their first mixtape–Cloud 19 in 2014. The rest of the pieces easily fell into place and by 2018, They were the opening act on Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” world tour. Kehlani has also been featured on chart-topping tracks with some of pop’s biggest names: Charlie Puth, Cardi B, and Justin Bieber.

Currently, their “Blue Water Road” tour kicks off on July 30th in Raleigh, North Carolina and travels across the US, then to the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. AMI is excited to offer fans the opportunity to win some signed Kehlani merchandise. For a limited time, AMI jukeboxes will also be featuring a playlist of their songs. Everyone is encouraged to check out the playlist and enter the contest using the AMI Music app or by visiting a nearby AMI jukebox venue.

Past AMI app merchandise promotions included:

  • June 2022 Warren Zeiders
  • April 2022 Fontaines D.C.
  • March 2022 Keith Richards
  • Jan 2022 Motorhead

GAD Knows AMI Entertainment. Let us help you create an immersive music experience.

GAD Vending

Greater America Distributing (GAD Vending) is your premier marketer of vending equipment and amusement games in Mid America.  The company has been operating for over 30 years with offices in Omaha, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; and Grimes, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.

Omaha

6161 Grover Street, Omaha,
NE 68106

1-402-553-2812
[email protected]

1-402-553-2812
[email protected]

Kansas City

3230 Roanake Road, Kansas City,
MO 64111

1-816-531-4300
[email protected]

1-816-531-4300
[email protected]

Des Moines

2105 SE 37 Street, Grimes,
Iowa 50111

1-515-278-4455
[email protected]

1-515-278-4455
[email protected]

Greater America Distributing

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