Could this be the end of Six Flags--as we know it?
I'm going to second Jeff's suggestion. We own some stock in Cedar Fair, and though it never really substantially moves (I guess, for the optimist, it is a 'steady' option) the dividends are pretty good, and Cedar Fair is very good about making it worth our while in general. (Buy one get one free tickets come to mind.)
This could also be due to the problems SF seems to be having with some key suppliers (cough... Arrow & Vekoma...) and a general feeling by holders to stay away from anything that could get ugly. Though, I'm really not sure how 'ugly' this is going to get, I'm sure those with a quick trigger will be more pessimistic than I.
I mean, I haven't checked recently, but if CF's stock is 'down by association' I'm really not sure what to think... Do the holders realize that CF's attendance is up (possibly as a result, or the cause of, SF's going down?)
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My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
Woodencoaster.com
The World of Thrills
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"Escuse me, can you tell me where the heck the Mystery Lodge is"?
CoasterPunk:
The easiest way to buy stock on a limited budget is ShareBuilder.com. For $12 a month unlimited, or $4 per trade, you can make "planned" purchases. For example, I buy $100 per week, 48 weeks a year. These planned purchases on the lower comission take place every Tuesday. They have about 4000 available stocks and also some index funds. FUN and BUD (Cedar Fair and Anheuser Busch) are available, but not PKS (Premier aka Six Flags). The plan allows smaller investors to get in the door with minimal funding. However, they offer no advice, and like all stocks, there is a risk. If you want to make a real time purchase, there is a $15-16 fee.
Good Luck!
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Sometimes lurkers speak . . .
*** This post was edited by CoasterDad64 on 8/13/2002. ***
GOOD. I hope Six Flags tanks. I still blame Premeir for all of this and that idiot Gary Story. God I yearn for the days of Time Warner ownership.
Would someone pick up the remains of this company? NO. I would like to think that a company would pick up the Six Flags name and keep the best preforming parks and put them under that banner, but that wont happen. They just got way too big way too fast.
Wait, why is Gary Story an idiot? I'm generally not one to blame COO's for massive failure. The CEO sets the agenda.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM
You know, I don't want to turn this into a 'versus' thread--because it isn't and shouldn't be--but in most of markets where CF and SF compete head-to-head, SF comes out with a black eye.
-DP is up 4% over last year's record attendance while SFGA is down
-CP is up (is it 3%?) while SFWOA is down
The only market where this may be different is KBF/SFMM. KBF is essentially flat and I haven't heard either way about SFMM, but the closure of X has probably impacted attendance figures, too.
-'Playa
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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.
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AHHH-SCHWARZKOPF!
-Coaster Enthusuiast Sneezing
But Premier Parks is Six Flags. It was nothing more than a name change.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM
Just like all businesses, amusement and theme parks sell a product. In order for the business to be successful, they must not only provide a product that a consumer wants, but provide a reason to keep the customer using that product. Six Flags has a great product, roller coasters. But, their lack of originality, atmosphere and customer service fail to keep people coming back year after year. On the other hand, Hersheypark does.
Since 1996, Hersheypark has built 5 new roller coasters, a new themed area, 2 new shows, 4 new flat rides, 7 new kiddy rides, 4 new restaurants, a new catering facility, 4 new snack shops, 3 merchandise stores, a new set of bathrooms and other park improvements too numerous to count. Their attendance and profits have never been better. Their product is not roller coasters but rather a full day of family fun, excitement and great customer service. Customers love the time they spend at the park, not just the rides. That is what keeps them returning year after year.
I really don' t think the name "Six Flags" is as meaningful today as it was ten years ago. I think that Premier slapped that name on parks that were really undeserved. While certain companies protect their brand identity, Premier butchered it as badly as ABC butchered Millionaire.
I have a cousin who went to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and was appalled at the whole place. When I asked him why he went there instead of King's Island or Cedar Point he said he had been to Magic Mountain and had a certain expectation of Kentucky Kingdom. It doesn't take an enthusiast to see the difference between those two parks and it isn't just in the number of rollercoasters.
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CoastaPlaya said:-DP is up 4% over last year's record attendance while SFGA is down
Can you prove that? I never heard any attendance figures being released form Great Adventure. Plus Great Adventure doubles Dorneys attendance so I don't know where you going with that.
'Tuan, you're so testy...sorry, it had been too long since I'd seen that in type....
'Playa is comparing each park to their OWN prior year's attendance...not comparing them to each other, but to their previous year.....
Antuan said:
Can you prove that? I never heard any attendance figures being released form Great Adventure.
Sure I can. Here ya go. A link where Mr. Burke says the underperformers are SFGA, SFWOA and SFOT.
You'd have to listen to CF's conference call on cedarfair.com to get the rest....but DP's attendance is up 4% from last year's record numbers and CP is up 3% while the competing SF parks reel.
Again, I don't know how things add up in the SFMM/KBF market.
-'Playa
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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.
Well, based solely on my personal experiences, I'd say that CP and DP do a "better-than-average" job of making me WANT to return, and recommend the park to others, etc.
...when in LA, neither park to me showed that same *commitment* to GR...(that Guest Relations, not GhostRider, lol)....SFMM clearly has the better rides overall, but is clearly lacking in two areas: no decent wood, and non-operating rides....(Slingshot, X, Flashback)....Knott's....well, the commercials for Xcelerator suggested a different "Grand Opening" day on a daily basis, but my REAL gripe was with the 'tude.....(picture the EXACT opposite of HW)....only two years' earlier KBF was in my top-5 parks and got LOADS of recommendations....average age of KBF employees was cut in half during that time....
SFGAdv and SFWoA....great rides, but non-operating rides and poor attitudes seem to be the prevailing concepts when people visit....NOT a good way to boost atendance or "per caps".....
CoasterDad64 said:
"CoasterPunk:
The easiest way to buy stock on a limited budget is ShareBuilder.com.
(SNIP)
FUN and BUD (Cedar Fair and Anheuser Busch) are available, but not PKS (Premier aka Six Flags). "
Poppa: Actually PKS *is* there. I know, because it's on *my* list. Just look under "Six Flags" and not the ticker symbol. (that is, if you want it). I've yet to come across a stock on the NYSE that is not on there (though maybe some of the more exotic ones are missing).
toodles
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"To get inside this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do
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