SFGAdv locker policy backlash hits Consumerist.com
2022 Trips: WDW, Sea World San Diego & Orlando, CP, KI, BGW, Bay Beach, Canobie Lake, Universal Orlando
Geewhzz said:
I went to Disney for the first time since I was just a little kid, and they had loose article nets on almost every ride....
Its been discussed before. A "net" or bin on a ride that goes 124mph doesn't exactly sounds smart to me.
Maybe the security guy who is checking bags at the front can warn people that this is the new policy and suggest people leave their backpacks in the car.
Last time I visited a SF park was 06, and I don't plan on going back any time soon. Instead of taking more and more from each "guest", why don't they work on creating a less customer hostile atmosphere. THAT'S the best thing that they could do to become profitable.
And Gonch, why do you always make people out to be "stupid"? People who don't visit amusement parks on a weekly basis may not realize how they are expected how to behave. I'm sure at some point in your life someone thought that you were one of the "stupid people" because you were out of you element. These arrogant ideas crack me up!
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
Brian Noble said:
Well, I'm going to bet that Consumer Reports probably got more click traffic than consumerist.
Indeed, but Consumer Reports is an entity that ranges far outside of internet-based publications and I should have clarified my qualifiers on that one. Still, my point and purpose still stand.
Brian Noble said:
It is dangerous to draw conclusions about consumer sentiment from consumerist, just as it is dangerous to draw conclusions about the park-going public's sentiment from discussions here.
Drawing conclusions wasn't my purpose in posting this. Obviously I dislike the locker policy personally but I'm not using this post on Consumerist as any sort of evidence for my own unrelated arguments. I just feel like I should reframe my initial statements based on yours because I don't want it to seem like this is some sort of illustration of broader over-reaching consumer sentiment. And if someone else would like to do that we can explain to them why it's a bad idea, I'm straight with that.
Still, the comments are interesting and if you're looking for (a bit) less knee-jerk anti-corporate sentiment you might be able to find it over at the Fark link Gonch posted which in some ways is even more interesting anyway. *** Edited 6/12/2008 8:25:02 PM UTC by matt.***
matt. said:If people feel that their day is more enjoyable, or safe, with these items then why does it matter? Can't a park reasonably accommodate it's guests who want to have more than a wallet, camera, and keys handy...
Thank You.
This is exactly my point of view. I never have understood, and never will understand, why some many "enthusiasts" care that people bring their bags in with them.
Hell, there are days when I bring my camera, which is a DSLR, and a couple different lenses, which all fit in a camera backpack. I have no problem putting it in a locker for a while if I want to grab some rides. Obviously, there's over 2 grand worth of gear in that bag, so I'm not going to leave it in a bin, but I would if it was just something cheap, like a change of clothes or something.
Personally, I don't care if people placing things in bins makes the line 5 minutes longer. If people are enjoying their day, isn't that the point??
-Josh
I went to Six Flags Great Adventure earlier this year with a large group of people, none of which visit more than one park a year. None of them were asked to pay for a locker cause they didn't carry giant book bags into the park!
If they were price gouging you they would be charging as much for these lockers as they did a small cup of ice and soda.
LostKause said:
And Gonch, why do you always make people out to be "stupid"?
Because, in general, people as a whole tend to be stupid. Especially, when you (as you said) get them out of a familiar element.
I'm sure at some point in your life someone thought that you were one of the "stupid people" because you were out of you element.
I'm sure I have been too. Never said I wasn't. In case you haven't noticed, I belong to that group known as 'people' :)
In summary:
I find that people in general are stupid. I am a people. ;)
Not sure why you perceive my bluntness as arrogance so much. I think you tend to see it as standing on a pedestal talking down to others when I see it as forcing everyone to look into the mirror with me.
I do, however, see a boatload of arrogance among a decent number of coaster fans, in the way that they perceive anyone who doesn't follow their train (lol pun) of thought.
Personally, we're all part of the "general public" whether we like it or not. This is especially true in the eyes of the parks. They don't care about someone's coaster count, they don't care that someone packs everything into cargo pockets and fanny packs so that they don't hold up the line for an extra 3.756 seconds, and they certainly don't care to be told by a visitor that the way they run their park in unacceptable. They are in the business of providing a place for people to enjoy themselves for a price, while turning a profit.
If people feel comfortable, they will spend money, and if comfort means them having their purse with them, then so be it.
I know it's a small minority of people who would actually raise this kind of complaint in person, or writing a letter or whatever, but the reasoning still stands.
It just kills me to hear that "people" are stupid. Compared to what? Animals? Other people? Who? Me? You? Saying that sounds so funny to me, and I seem to hear it a lot.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
2022 Trips: WDW, Sea World San Diego & Orlando, CP, KI, BGW, Bay Beach, Canobie Lake, Universal Orlando
LostKause said:
It just kills me to hear that "people" are stupid. Compared to what? Animals? Other people? Who? Me? You? Saying that sounds so funny to me, and I seem to hear it a lot.
Your mistake is comparing the subject, not the action.
Stupid compared to what? Stupid compared to being smart. :)
If the options are stupid or not stupid, then most of the time people, in general, are stupid.
For reference: Stupid & Not Stupid
eightdotthree said:
Geewhzz said:
I went to Disney for the first time since I was just a little kid, and they had loose article nets on almost every ride....Its been discussed before. A "net" or bin on a ride that goes 124mph doesn't exactly sounds smart to me.
Does Rock N Roller coaster have these nets? The problem with these nets is that it doesn't solve a lot of problems. Sure, you could put maybe your shoes in them, camera, and hat, but how are you going to put your basketball, or your stuffed animal? Disney World doesn't have these games except for Animal Kingdom.
Also if I believe I need a bag.. then I need a bag at the park. If you don't good for you!
No I don't have a kid, but I still want to ride!
As for when I go to a park, I have three pockets needed. One for keys, one for cell, and another for my wallet. The cell has a camera on it, so if I want a picture, sure it's crap, but when I go to a park I don't usually photograph it. That's why I have Gonch! :D
There is so much room for improvement when it come to the way SF treats their customers. Why are they going the wrong direction? Instead of looking for profitable way to make you customers not want to come back, why don't they look for less profitable way to treat them right? It's as if they don't care about creating a loyal customer base.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
So when are we finally going to see that happen?
Because, in case you missed it, their two top attended parks drew around five and a half million people last season and were both among the top 20 park in North America in terms of attendence for the year.
First it was Flash Pass. Then the gate prices. Then the parking. Then the in-park pricing. Then the capacity. Now the lockers.
The mass exodus just isn't happening.
Lord Gonchar said:
The mass exodus just isn't happening.
I don't think we will see a theme park Moses come and lead us the promise land of no waits, 500 ft coasters, and cost-co priced food.
People always will go out to do things that are "expensive" and such, but this will impact other parks of their bottom line more than anything. People won't stop coming, they'll stop buying those giant $12 refillable drink mugs, gifts, stop playing the games, etc, because "We don't want to pay money to put this somewhere when we ride a ride!" If anything you'll see souviner shops close near the back of the park as people stop buying there and the ones in the front to better business, but not enough to offset the cost of running the park.
It's just SF shooting themselves in the foot again.
Lord Gonchar said:
Yeah, you keep saying people aren't going to come back or don't come back or might not want to come back or get treated poorly or whatever.
I believe it's a long-term trend that can be attributed to a number of things. In a previous thread someone mentioned SFStl's attendance, I think in the mid-90's compared to recent years and the change was quite dramatic. Of course, we'd have to look at the chain as a whole, not just one or two parks, but I'd guess if we looked at trends overall then attendance would generally be down. At least that was my impression, I don't have the numbers or care enough to pay that much attention.
Lord Gonchar said:
Because, in case you missed it, their two top attended parks drew around five and a half million people last season and were both among the top 20 park in North America in terms of attendence for the year.
This is disingenuous and you know it. Where those parks rank in the top 20 is no indicator of *change* in attendance, and that ranking would also be affected by changes at parks that are not owned by SF. Even still, it's just two parks and we're not even considering the way things are complicated by the per caps numbers.
Consider that American Idol is the #1 show in the country but viewership was way down this season. The Academy Awards is always one of the highest rated shows of the year but viewership is lousy recently compared to what it used to be. Simple rank alone is really not an indicator of much else.
I'm open to being educated and convinced but it's obvious that sort of thing is a completely non-relevant indicator.
Lord Gonchar said:
The mass exodus just isn't happening.
Glass half empty/half full. We haven't seen a massive drop off in attendance lately but we aren't seeing gains, either. I'd reckon that pissed off customers who don't return the next year at these levels would simply contribute more to churn then attendance drops, anyway. Either way it's not a good sign but nobody here has the numbers and I wouldn't be shocked if SF didn't either. *** Edited 6/13/2008 2:36:33 AM UTC by matt.***
You must be logged in to post
