I tested a Duluth claw arcade. Here's what happened
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Slight sensory overload. GIF: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
👋 Thomas here!
This week, I drove to Duluth to experience an arcade devoted to what might be the most infuriating devices ever invented: claw machines.
Zoom in: Claw Mart, which opened in November, is part of a wave of "clawcades" around metro Atlanta in which people pay to maneuver a dangling claw to win stuffed animals.
- The plush toys rotate regularly and include anime-inspired characters, Pokémon and other collectibles. Players can trade the stuffed animals for better or more interesting prizes.
How it works: Ethan Nguyen, who's worked at Claw Mart since its opening, told Axios the concept is similar to Dave & Buster's, where players cash in tickets for prizes.
- "Except instead of the tickets as the currency, like Dave & Buster's, we use stuffed animals," he said.
Vibes: Kids and adults fill claw arcades for the bright Japanese-style arcade aesthetics, low-cost gameplay (each Claw Mart machine costs $1 to $3 per play) and community space.
Pro tip: After watching a few YouTube tutorials, I figured out how to line up the claw. I started swinging the claw slightly before dropping it, a technique that regular players swear by.
- Once I got the hang of the move, I won a total of two plush objects. When I tell you it was thrilling, folks.
Follow the money: I spent $15 to play 15 tokens in roughly 15 minutes and could easily have spent $15 more. Expense report incoming, boss!
Zoom out: Claw arcades rose in popularity in Japan and are popping up across the U.S., according to the Washington Post. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston, New York, Memphis, Chicago and other cities have them.
If you go: Claw Mart is in the Pleasant Hill Plaza shopping center off Pleasant Hill Road. Grab a bite at the City Farmers Market or a banh mi shop also in the strip.
What's next: Claw Mart plans to open a second location along Buford Highway in Brookhaven.