Does Six Flags Neglect Parks
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I Survived Millennium Force!
1.) Millennium Force 2.) Steel Eel 3.) Raptor 4.) Mantis 5.) Magnum XL-200
So many Six Flags experts here at C-buzz...who'da thunk?
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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson
Mustang: While a 12,000 peep day @ SFEG might indeed be seen as *astonishing*, realize that if SFGAdv, SFMM, SFoT, or SFGAm had that number of people on a summer Saturday, the weekend would be considered a FLOP! Those markets have more people to entice to the parks.
Andy: A little SF Inc history, the same people (let's call 'em Story and the boyz) owned Darien Lake before becoming Six Flags Darien Lake. Same management, though perhaps a different strategy. But I can pretty much assure you that you would NOT have a coaster the caliber of Ride of Steel WITHOUT the Six Flags name.
BassHedz: But your argument about the difference in appeal between DL and SFMM only BOLSTERS the decision to put more coasters in SFMM. Anyone who wishes to go head-to-head with the mouse in themeing is *ambitious* at the least and more realistically a bit foolish (yes even IOA). No, nobody is going to "do Disney" better than Disney. Therefore, you have to do something different (IOA recognized this, hence TIHC and DD). SFMM wants the market "too old" for Disney and so attracts them with coasters.
And for a little ROI comparison. Just look at the metro areas some of the SF parks have to draw from:
SPOILED markets:
SFGAdv: NYCmetro (21,199,865) + PhillyMetro (6,188,463)
SFMM: LAmetro (16,373,645)
SFGAm: ChicagoLand (9,157,540) + MilwaukeeMetro (1,689,572)
SFA (only because they've had four coasters in 3 years): DC/Bmore/NoVA (7,608,070)
SFWoA: ClevelandMetro (2,945,831) + Pburghmetro (2,358,695)
SFoT: Dallas/Ft. Worth (5,221,801)
SFoG: ATL (4,112,198)
Now compare that to the NEGLECTED Markets
SFEG: Denvermetro (2,581,506)
SFKK: Louisville (1,025,598) + Cincy (1,979,202)
SFDL: Rochester (1,098,201) + Buffalo/Niagra (1,170,111)
Now YOU tell ME which makes more sense: put a coaster (Deja Vu) in a market that services over 10 million people (SFGAm) or a market that services just over 2 million people (SFDL). Assuming the coaster will work right (not an extraordinary thought when buying a product), which market has the best chance of paying for the coaster quickly?
Now the ONLY park that I cannot figure out is SFAW. With it drawing from Houston/Galveston (4,669,571), it would be reasonable to expect that its investment would be comparable to SFoT and SFoG. That my friends is something that can only be explained by "Story and the Boyz".
lata,
jeremy
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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
OutKast said:
Rollergator, You can staff all the rides you want, but if there is a high turnover rate because people either go back to school or graduate to higher paying jobs, then what?
I just think that parks should recognize the value of the staff they have....when an employee is doing good work, PAY them! A radical concept I understand, but the ride ops are the "front line" of customer service and guest interaction with your park. Do you really want to have to hire someone brand new with no experience because you wouldn't give the seasoned employee a buck an hour raise to keep them....
oh, and Jeremy, since you posted first, SFAW's main competition is from....other SF parks! No reason to build competition for yourself....bill, amazed that the math/music link is "out there" (shouldn't surprised it came from you, though), and wondering how many have connected the astronomy and physics...
*** This post was edited by rollergator on 7/23/2002. ***
I think Disney has it right by bringing in foreign employees. They're stuck there for a year, so you eliminate the turnover problem.
I took a "Keys to the Kingdom" tour of MK once and was mildly surprised to find how much pride their employees have in being associated with Disney. Most of them are on a career track, and they take pride in dressing nicely, keeping their hair trimmed, and putting their best foot forward with the public. The reason why? The Disney Company expects it. I don't know if they pay any better at Disney to be a ride op than they do at SFWoA, but they certainly hold their employees to a higher standard.
I think there is a lesson to be learned there-your employees will live up to your expectations, however high OR low they are.
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No love for the whiners
2hostyl, Mustang said that there are 12,000 people is SFEG almost EVERY weekend. And yes, that would be considered a flop at SFOT or SFMM probably. But you can not tell me that every penny SFEG makes stays at SFEG.
I agree with you though, it makes more sense to put X at SFMM than a park like SFEG or SFKK. SF is smart with how they neglect parks. They will continue to do it as long as they are around.
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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson
redman822 said:
du8die...small problem with your math...if you spend 30% of your time on the part you know 90%; and 90% of yuor time on the part you know 30%, you are spending 120% of your time...
Sometimes that's what it feels like... I was going more for the principle rather than the mathematical correctness...
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"Getting on Iron Wolf is kind of like going in a blender and pressing PUREE"
--Ever lying in wait for someone to say something stupid.
RubberDucky said:
"But you can not tell me that every penny SFEG makes stays at SFEG."
And you cannot tell me that ANY penny SFEG makes goes to one of the "spoiled" parks. Only the Six Flags accountants know where the pennies are being pushed/pinched. And with the recent events with corporations and accountants, I'd be skeptical about the results anyway :)
And Vipper, SFA is far from neglected. Its infrastructure has been *VERY* well maintained. SFA just needs to work on the "Social Skills" (faster workers, more efficient cleaning crew, elimination of the femi-nazis....)
lata,
jeremy
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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
Thank you for setting the record straight on that. Like I said, I had heard all of that through the grapevine and was not aware of any truth to the matter.
Femi-nazis? That sounds interesting....
My most horrifing moment was when I saw a couple of them working on S:ROS. Fortuneately one was driving and the other was leinent that day :) (she was always the nicest one anyway).
lata,
jeremy
--who notes that sometimes they "Dispense their brand of Justice" over on Mind Eraser too
Right on, Gator. I now leave my spleen and a few other body parts at home.
Matthew "hard lesson learned" Sullivan
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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson
Mamoosh said:
Just because certain Six Flags parks do not get new coasters as often as *we'd* like does not mean they are being negelcted.
Moosh, come on down to Houston. I will even put you up at my house! I won't say that SFAW is neglected but they have lost more rides then they have gained since Corporate changed to OKC. Add on shorter hours, The train and the Von Roll Cable Cars being regulated to weekends only and the parks staff having to scratch every dollar to get some paint on the rides and you would see.
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Mike
www.mikerobinson.net
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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson
Mamoosh said:
Mike - I understand your frustration. My only question would be this: are you sure all that is due to something at the corporate level?
Yes
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Mike
www.mikerobinson.net
Did someone in this long thread mention the part about capital improvement being based on ROI?
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
7/27: Subdivision Cam becomes party cam at the year's hottest Ohio luau!
Closed topic.
