Tuesday, March 6, 2007

How Chuck E. Cheese's is Similar to a Las Vegas Casino

I spent some time yesterday afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese's at the kids request (well, that's obvious, I rarely ask to go there!) And while I was staring idly at my kids running around like maniacs, I started making some comparisons between two popular places: Chuck E. Cheese's and a Las Vegas Casino.

1. No clock - although Chuckie time goes slower than Vegas time.
2. Lots of loud beeping noises, plenty of blinking lights. Leads to sensory overload.
3. "Live" stage shows, although Chuck and his friends wear more clothes, it is about the same level of sub-par talent.
4. Packed on the weekends, but you can tell the real die-hards because they are there at 11 am on a Wednesday.
5. Easy to spend more than you planned, especially with easy access to ATM/token machines.
6. Odds favor the house. I mean, seriously, a decent game of Skee-ball only nets 2 tickets?!?
7. Slot machines, yes they have the equivalent at Chuck's. Boy #1 and #2 would stand and feed their tokens into a machine that would randomly spit out tickets. #1 went through most of his alloted 20 tokens and then spent $5 of his own money doing this! They just need to add some bingo cards for the bored parents, and we've got ourselves a violation of Utah law!
8. When the money runs out, the heartbreak begins.

To be fair, here's some ways that Chuck E. Cheese is different than a Las Vegas Casino:
1. Not smoky, thank goodness. You can still get a headache there, though.
2. The clientele is much more attractive, and anyone with no teeth most likely just got $1 from the tooth fairy.
3. The food at Chuck E's is overpriced and tastes horrible. You'd never go just for the good deal on the food.
4. If you make a new friend at Chuckie's, you probably wouldn't be embarrassed to let them meet your mom.

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