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A British couple have conquered the infamous arcade ‘GRABBER’ machines – kitting out their home with gadgets and toys.
Michael and Lauren Francis spend their weekends and holidays in seaside resorts up and down the country – playing the notorious claw games.
They have used the machines to scoop piles of prizes – from teddies to toys and even a dash cam and Amazon Alexa.
Their favourite spots to visit include Blackpool, Skegness and Weston-super-Mare – but they are happy to go to anywhere with an arcade.
Michael, 40, and Lauren, 30, from Yeovil, Somerset, own a caravan so often head off at the weekend as well as on week-long breaks.
They love trying to clutch a prize in the claws – but most machines pay out tokens even if they don’t win.
These tokens when collected in large enough amounts can be exchanged for high-tech prizes – like iPhones and devices.
Collecting the tokens means they often rack up their big wins – but spending hundreds of pounds in the process.
Lauren has refused to reveal their secret grabber technique – but says ”practice makes perfect”.
She said: “It’s about the fun, isn’t it? It’s just become a bit of a hobby, really. When we have a free weekend we go to the seaside.
“We like to save up for the big items. We save up a lot of tickets throughout the year.
“We take a few back which we don’t cash in. You can save them for something you really, really like.”
The pair play many different types of arcade games including grabbers – sometimes putting in £10 to £15 a time.
Lauren said: “When we are on holiday it’s a bit more – it’s stacked up over the years.
“We have probably been doing it for around ten years. As long as I have been with my partner – we met in a theatre. We’ve found a hobby we like to do together.”
Retail advisor Lauren and Royal Mail worker Michael play the machines for up to two hours a day in a bid to collect as many tickets as possible.
They will often be building towards a target they have set at the start of the holiday – such as the Amazon Alexa.
If they win enough they will then cash in the tokens – or keep them if they fall short.
They have also won a huge amount of smaller prizes including cuddly toys and key rings.
She said: “We saved up to get the Echo one time. Michael won a dash cam recently, too.
“Most of the time you can save them – there’s no expiry. If we both go on holiday we can soon accumulate quite a lot [of tickets].
“We keep all of our winnings at home. We always run out of space! We only live in a small house.”
