Parking Lot Costs...Your Opinions/Thoughts
Actually, I'd have to say parking is one of the few things that are sold at 'market price' during an amusement park visit. At least the parking price is roughly what I'd pay for a stadium event. As for the $1 candy bar, the $2.50 can of pop or anything else...well that's just crazy.
-'Playa
(...who still whines, "Whaddaya mean, my VF parking pass doesn't here at {insert-name-of-CF-sister-park-here}??)
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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.
While we're on the subject of comparing the incomparable, though, the soda prices are close to, if not less than, those in-stadium, too.
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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/
*** This post was edited by Brian Noble 5/21/2003 3:28:44 PM ***
*edit* spelling
*** This post was edited by kip099 5/21/2003 3:32:22 PM ***
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Do you bleed Blue?
There is little to no upkeep at most midwestern parks in the parking lot areas. They are not sealcoated / striped very often nor even plowed during the winter for the most part. The parking areas usually only require a minimum number of employees. Maybe a couple of security people and the gate attendants. I definitely see it as a source of significant income for the park. I would imagine the parks themselves would see it that way too.
It kind of goes back the point that was brought up earlier about metro area parking as opposed to theme park parking. If the parks are located in an area where land is at premium, I could understand the cost of parking being comparable to the surrounding areas.
But when I can park at gurnee mills even in late December (when parking spots are at an absolute premium) for no cost, I should be able to do the same at SFGAm. I understand that the admission costs would be higher in that case and I would be paying for parking either directly or indirectly. However, 90% + of SFGAm patrons drive to the park and park their car there.
It boils down to wanting to keep the admission price down and therefore charging in other ways. And I still maintain that they are "overcharging" at that! I could see $5 per visit - but $10 is a profit center for sure.
If you go every week for the summer, you've saved WAY more than enough. Just do the math:)
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Yeah, if coasters WEREN'T men we'd have Raging Cow instead!;)
What the parks don't seem to understand is that there are places where we customers will hit them back. My in-park spending has been declining over the years as the costs for parking have increased. Likewise, as food and drink prices inside the park climb outrageously past the market price, I find myself refusing to spend the money.
I can't do that with parking money. I have to put the car someplace. And apparently it hasn't occurred to the park that by overcharging me for parking, they may be cheating themselves out of twice that in the meals that I don't eat, the shirts that I don't buy, and the games that I don't play.
It's particularly galling when a park that is trying to position itself as a 'value' park starts your day by dinging you for $6 in the parking lot.
Yes, parking lots need maintained and staffed (although significantly fewer staff would be required if they weren't collecting parking fees). And yes, there are situations where parking fees are justified, for instance urban settings where a huge free parking lot would be attractive to commuters, or situations where the park does not own the lot, or where the lot is shared by multiple attractions. But for the most part, extra fees for parking are a good way to annoy the customer, tie up traffic on the entrance road, and in general, get the customer's day off to a lousy start. Holiday World has the right idea. I guarantee you that parking at Holiday World is not free, any more than the soft drinks, sunscreen, or float tubes are free. But Holiday World doesn't charge extra for those items. They take the concept of a P-O-P amusement park seriously. Perhaps it is time for the rest of the industry to do the same, before the extra dings start costing them real money.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
The only thing I don't like about the average pay parking lot is the fact that if your car gets broken into, they take no responsibility. They ask you to "rent" some of their property, but cannot guarantee your car's safety. Lame.
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SCREAM with me... in 2003!
Brian Noble said:
Parking fees are not "evil", unless charging what the market will bear is evil. My hippie-liberal Berkeley-trained self may in fact believe this is true, but that's beside the point.An amusement park (or any for-profit entertainment venue) exists only to maximize its profit. It provides us with (arguably) affordable fun only as a side effect. Some propellerhead sits in an office and tries to play "what-if" games: if parking were raised by $X, then Y fewer cars would come to the park, blah blah blah, and settles on a price that maximizes profits given the other considerations (perhaps setting or eliminating parking fees to maximize attendance, increasing other revenue.)
For example, Holiday World offers free parking. This is not just because they're really sweet people. It (along with the free soda, sunscreen, and what have you) also allows them to market themselves uniquely as a friendly, folksy, down-home fun family place. This helps generate attendance (especially families-with-kids attendance), which in turn helps generate profit.
Millrace points out that he no longer attends many of these venues. If enough people decided similarly, the price would come back down. In other words, the only effective way of complaining about the price of something is to not buy it.
The hippie actually has it right here (and you won't hear that from conservative me too often ;). I can't stand the parking fees, I am spoiled by smaller parks that don't charge them. The best way to combat the parking fees is to not go to the park. Go to a different park that does not charge such fees. There are plenty of them out there, and most of them could us your business.
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"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone
Or, you could have free parking and not get a new ride every few years. Or maybe you'd get a 150 ft tall coaster rather than a 420 ft tall coaster :):):):):) You get what you pay for.
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Lets go Drag racing.
Luckily I have found that you can park in malls or shopping centers across the street at certain parks and I don't mind walking the extra bit to save $8 to $10 dollars. I did that recently with SFWOA and have done it with other parks in the past.
I personally think a *fair* price would be anywhere from $1.50-$3 for any amusement park. But then again you can't argue with free (thanks to HW and others).
Only recently did Camden Park slap on the $3 parking fee, and people are up in arms about that. In a park that could use all the money it can generate I can see that, but there is no reason for a chain park to charge so damn much.
But it's something we all have to get used to. :-)
-Tina
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Feel The DragsterGasm....
www.intenserides.com
*** This post was edited by coasterqueenTRN 5/21/2003 8:51:21 PM ***
john peck said:
I dont plan on boycotting any parks since I enjoy them too much, so it's a lose-lose situation for me.But I respect Holiday World and Kennywood much more now.
I don't plan on boycotting either, but when it comes time to decide what parks I will visit it certainly pays into the situation.
That's why the only other parks I plan on visiting the rest of this year are Kennywood and Holiday World. I could go to SFWoA or SFDL, but the combined price of parking there is the same as admission to either of those two parks. Park my car at couple SF parks or go to Kennywood or Holiday World, hmmmm ;).
In 2001, parking was raised from $8 to $9, but that accompanied a $2 decrease in admission. So however you look at it, you are still $1 ahead. I do, however, think people feel better about paying extra for admission if parking is less.
Another reason for the parking hike is to try to match what the Texas Ranger's parking lots were charging (close ones all charge about $9). Six Flags Over Texas' parking lot (BFE...I.E. way the heck out there) is literally 300 feet (give or take) from the entrance to the stadium. If you could pay $1 less to park CLOSER to the stadium that way, wouldn’t you? Of course, with, upwards of 1,000 other people. Taking away from SFOT's parking on busy days. You get the idea.
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Titan Laps: 358
2003 SFOT Chaps Crew
Maybe someone mentioned this already, but SFKK is only 4 bucks!
Eric
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"I'm hoping to see if any dead people will be my friends." - SS
*** This post was edited by eric.walton 5/21/2003 10:53:45 PM ***
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All who think Mean Streak needs a match taken to it say I.
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Yeah, if coasters WEREN'T men we'd have Raging Cow instead!;)
eric.walton said:
Am I not correct in thinking that Kennywood does not charge for parking? So even a more urban park is offering free parking. At least we didn't pay anything for phantom fright nights. I spend much less money inside the park than I used too. I'm not saying it's directly because of parking cost, but if I paid less for parking, I may be more inclined to spend some money once inside. As of now, I leave to eat, don't play games and don't spend money on pay-per rides.Maybe someone mentioned this already, but SFKK is only 4 bucks!
Eric
Regular parking at Kennywood is free. They have a $4 premium parking that is closer to the gates. Maybe parks should try something like this out, though I don't mind walking ;)
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"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone
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The Jokes on You!! Ha Ha
But you can't blame the parks. The people will pay no matter what, so why not charge them? As bad as it sounds it makes sense.
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God bless Intamin, Company that I love. Stand beside her, and ride her, from the opening to the closing of the day.
I am thankful that some Parks provide Parking Passes so you don't have to pay the same fee over and over again.
Besides, if you've paid $40+ to enter the park, shouldn't that cover the Parking Fee? (IMO the Ticket Prices are getting High themselfs. In 1997 you could get into nearly any Non-Disney theme park for under $35, and in just Five Years the Prices have rose, in some cases up to $15)
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"The Mountain Slidewinder. Voted The #1 Non-Rollercoaster Ride in America Amusement Business Magazine, 1991"
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