Knoebels adds $1.5 million to payroll to attract and retain workers

They're still only paying $11.50-$12 an hour. I'd hate to see what it was before this salary bump. For comparison cashiers at the local Walmart get $13-$18 an hour and Target starts at $15.

I bet a lot of kids would rather work in place like Knoebels than stand behind a register at Walmart for a couple bucks more per hour. I would have back in the day.

Yea I was going to comment something similar. They are banking on the idea that their job is more interesting than that job, or that other job.

Back in the year 2000, I got a part-time gig at a running store in Columbus Ohio that paid $17.25 an hour. 22 years ago. It was the perfect combo of loving the place you work and taking home a decent paycheck.

The two guys that owned/managed that place set a standard in my head of where I would be willing to work, who I would be willing to work for, and for what price.

Vater said:

I bet a lot of kids would rather work in place like Knoebels than stand behind a register at Walmart for a couple bucks more per hour. I would have back in the day.

That was the Walt Disney World staffing strategy for decades until COVID.

Right, but you adjust when necessary. Find the right rate that brings in enough help but doesn't kill the bottom line.

"My payrate brings all the boys to the park."

The last time I was at Knoebels was after they reopened in ‘20. The staff was mainly adults, many of retirement age, and their number was few. It was about to get worse, as many of the old timers I spoke to said they would likely not be back for many more seasons. The work had turned challenging and the abuse they took from customers unhappy with restrictions (many state-imposed) permanently ruined their experience. What had once been an opportunity to have a fun summer and make some pin money was spoiled, if not completely ruined. If my thinking is correct those chickens are finally coming home to roost about now.

This is exactly why amusement parks are having staffing issues IMO. They NEVER paid a fair wage. They depended on the “fun” factor to attract employees I think people wised up that these jobs aren’t that much fun.

OhioStater:

Back in the year 2000, I got a part-time gig at a running store in Columbus Ohio that paid $17.25 an hour. 22 years ago. It was the perfect combo of loving the place you work and taking home a decent paycheck.

2000 was the year I started as a ride operator at Six Flags Elitch Gardens, for a whopping $6.00/hr. I don't know what they're paying now, but minimum wage in Denver is $15.87/hr.

super7*:

This is exactly why amusement parks are having staffing issues IMO. They NEVER paid a fair wage.

I think you're overlooking the reality. It was fair for a long time given market conditions. These are typically seasonal jobs, not careers. It's the kind of work you do as a side hustle or summer job. The reasons for staffing difficulty now are pretty simple supply and demand dynamics.

I disagree. For decades they depended on the fun factor instead of good wages. They were already using international labor at many parks pre pandemic because kids weren’t interested in those wages for those jobs. The pandemic eliminated their fallback of international labor.

Also people aren’t as willing to expose themselves to the public for low wages. The labor shortage is mostly about wages. Now this industry and other low payers are laying in the bed they made over time.

Knoebels also has the factor of remoteness to deal with, and the cost of fuel to get there for employees. But again, low pay factors into this making it not worthwhile to travel there to work.

I am probably an outlier, but I used to make a Hershey/Knoebels trip annually. I did not go last year due to cut hours, and will not be going this year for the same. I enjoy nighttime parks and both parks have eliminated that almost entirely during the summer weekdays. These cut hours may be costing them customers.

You're missing the point. The fun factor was all that the market required to get butts on the payroll. The thing that changed isn't the seasonal amusement park job, it's the opportunity to make more at other jobs. You're literally describing supply and demand, not a moral shortcoming of amusement parks.

super7*:

For decades they depended on the fun factor instead of good wages.

There's nothing particularly wrong with that, though, and it's not limited to amusement parks.

My job is a good example. I am "underpaid" in terms of my skill set in the market by a factor of about 3x-5x, and possibly more. One of my son's housemates got an offer with total comp approaching my 9-month academic-year salary as a fresh college graduate in the same field.

But I also get to do something that I (mostly) enjoy, and have a significant amount of intellectual freedom in doing it. I make enough to live comfortably, and I suppose I could figure out ways to use more money, but I don't really need to.

But, that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it.

What would Mao do?

Who has "What would Mao do?" on their Coasterbuzz Bingo card?

Thanks to the free market we can ALL have "What Would Mao Do?" on our bingo cards. 🙂

What would Mao do? I don’t know.. cope?

Vater:

I bet a lot of kids would rather work in place like Knoebels than stand behind a register at Walmart for a couple bucks more per hour.

This was always my thought when I would be handing my credit card to the kid who could be working on a coaster instead of Pac Sun at the Sandusky Mall. But then I spent time hiring for seasonal amusement parks and started to understand. Very few local teens actually worked at Cedar Point for example simply because that is where they went for fun growing up and they didn't want that to change. That and the job they had at the mall didn't end after summer. I was surprised when I saw the data and the numbers were so much lower than I expected for the younger, local crowd. I wouldn't be shocked if this was common amongst summer parks in small towns.

Jeff:

These are typically seasonal jobs, not careers.

Not debating the point that they are not typically careers, but a lot of the jobs are less seasonal than they used to be. At Kings Island, to take one example, you could start around the beginning of April, continue through the summer, weekends through October, a little break in November, and back at it in December til January. Probably not enough to live on, not handsomely anyway, but more than a summer gig. Suitable maybe for the second earner in a household or someone who was doing some freelance stuff but wanted a steady income.

(Doesn't particularly apply to Knoebels, of course.)