I need to know if you knew this and im really stupid

[SouthWestmom]

So we have those parking meters in all the shopping centres where you get a little yellow disc on entry, insert it and pay when you are done, and then it comes back out and you use it to exit.
Except you don't - it's not the same disc that comes back out. I absolutely never knew this and thought my disc went in, I paid, it updated to say I'd paid and then came out.

Today for the first time ever, a blue disc came out.

I didn't know that either.

Mainly because I've never used a parking meter that gives out little tokens. They give out paper tickets where I am.

See now I'm thinking it's a different paper ticket as well. I feel really discombobulated.

Revelation to me too!

Paper where I’ve been and it’s date stamped when I come in so it’s the same ticket that comes out as it has leave time now stamped on it.

Never seen a disc for parking

I’ve never seen discs!

Never seen them in my area.

I did not know that. If I remember next time, I’ll try to mark the paper ticket in some way & check its the Same. Surely it must be tho?

Westfield is discs I think. I’ve never thought it was the same disc though.

Please mark the ticket and report back.

Why would it be different for discs and paper?

I feel like I need to prove we have discs. Like I'm in a parallel universe where no one knows what I'm talking about.

I didn't know that either, I always thought it was the same disc lol.

Every day's a school day 😁

I never knew that either

We used to have discs. I liked them. We now have boring tickets

Other car park has auto number plate recognition and an app to auto pay - I like that. It ‘feels’ likeFree parking & its SO easy!!

I've used the discs. Never thought about it being the same one

You mean the little chip coins don’t you?

I did know but I can’t remember how!

I didn't know that either but guessing they may be different weights or something. As for the paper I think they are the same ones as they tend to have the time printed on them.

Yes the little chip coins, I think that sounds more professional than discs.

How did some of you know?

How does it all work?

It's really late and now I'm going to have to research parking meters.

I assumed as much so the machine knows it's an exiting car instead of one entering.

But I don't drive so never thought about it.

I’ve used the discs. It never occurred to me it would be the same disc as surely it needs to be a different one as there would be unpaid discs and paid discs, it’s just bits of plastic.

I can confirm the paper ones are the same ones. I have to write my name on it everyday for work

I've never seen a machine like that, and now I want to!

On holidays recently I paid for my ticket at the machine by scanning a barcode on it, and it then told me how much to pay. Then I had to scan the ticket again to get out. I can't work out how the machine at the exit knew that I had paid...

Ok so that's paper sorted. Same ticket.

Not a clue on the barcodes, straight over my head.

The chips have a chip in them that holds information - I just googled.

I thought that the chip comes out knowing it S 3pm and goes in realises it's 6pm, tells the machine, you pay and the disc knows you've paid and comes back out.

Literally so confused now. If only the random blue chip had not appeared and I would be in blissful ignorance.

We don't have discs, but now have little cards similar in size to credit/debit cards.

To go into the car park you press a button on the machine, it produces a card with time/date etc on, you take it and go park.

Before you go back to your car you pay at a machine for the parking. Put your ticket in, pay (or just validate it on Sundays as it's free parking) remove ticket and go to car. The ticket stays visible in the slot in the machine where you pay so it is obviously the same ticket, just with the payment made/leaving time/machine code etc printed onto it.

When you leave you insert the ticket into the machine at the exit barrier, it says 'Drive carefully' on the screen, lifts the barrier and you drive off. I always expect the ticket to come back out then but they keep it, confuses me every time for some reason. Maybe I expect the ticket back so people can claim the parking on works expenses if they have been there for business.

We have discs everywhere here. Never occurred to me that it wasn't the same disc that comes out. Now I'm thinking of all the little discs I never said goodbye to properly

My guess is theres a stack of discs in the machine the one you put in gets read for the time you came and is "blanked" and over wriren with what ever code means yes the right fee has been paid and goes on the top of the pile.
Since its not going to cone out unless you've paid the right amount it doesn't matter if ots your disc or not just that it has the right bit of code that says yes i've been put in a machine and who ever is putting me in the machine in at the barrier has paid.
And while your paying the disc at the bottom of the pile is dispensed at the bottom of the machine.

Its silghtly different with paper/card tickets that hace the exact time you came in to the car park printed on them. Unless the machine reprinted the ticket it would have to be the same ticket .