Six Flags Announces Nation's Best Theme Park VIP Program
Lord Gonchar said:...with all due respect, I think you're giving your own influence too much importance.
LOL, I guess I should always be careful to say "me and people LIKE me"... ;)
Then again...how many of THOSE can there be? ;)
edit: Regarding the attendance drop, I said in this thread (or maybe another) that I wouldn't be the LEAST bit surprised to find them willing to "sacrifice" another 10-15% in attendance if they can get more than that back in per-caps. I *doubt* they'd have a problem doing that, TO AN EXTENT.
But, hypothetically of course, let's say attendance drops to the point where the Qbotters decide they no longer NEED the Bot, since there's not so many people in the park. Then you've lost attendance AND revenue...and that's not good business by ANY standards, LOL.
On the flip side, as you noted, GAdv was doing BRISK business in the fall. That seems to point in favor of the current direction. Offsetting that somewhat is the fact that the Halloween thing has been an explosive growth market for parks from before we were even discussing how much untapped ppotential Halloween events had...
*** Edited 3/29/2007 6:25:56 PM UTC by rollergator***
(that's 'literal', not 'liberal' ;) )
No confusion would've come about, no woory there.. ;)
P.S. If my coin gets ONE more side, it's going to need to be *omnifaceted*...
Rob Ascough said:
I've since abandoned my "it's not fair" stance... now I'm arguing against the business sense that it makes.
You had a better chance of convincing me it's not fair. ;)
I get what you're saying, but there are many downsides to a drop in attendance. Making a lot of profit from one sale is a good thing, but there is a reason why Dodge sells a bunch of Calibers despite the fact that they make a lot more money on each Viper.
*** Edited 3/29/2007 6:29:30 PM UTC by Rob Ascough***
rollergator said:
P.S. If my coin gets ONE more side, it's going to need to be *omnifaceted*...
You're going to need one of those 10 or 20 sided dice that D&D geeks use. :)
Lord Gonchar said:
I'd love to offer retort to your comments, dexter, but as I sit trying to find the right words, I realize I can't really get there without crossing a certain line that I don't feel comfortable crossing and probably has no place on a coaster forum anyway.I stand by my comments that you quoted and still say the system is available to all. Whether you can or will partake is your decision. The best way I can put it is - Six Flags isn't exactly a inexpensive place to visit in the first place. If that line is too fine, maybe it's not a smart idea to be walking it in the first place?
It's okay. I think I know where you wanted to go with that. Something along the lines of, "If you're so poor, why are you going to the amusement park in the first place?" It doesn't sound like it would degrade me to the point of tears, so I don't mind if you continue. I KNOW you are REALLY enjoying this, and I am too.
Even after I improve myself in being more productive to society and I make more money and all that jazz, I still will feel lo-Q is a dishonest way of allowing SF to make a buck. I don't like how it affected my experience when I didn't have the extra funds to rent it. I believe that a lot of people go to parks on a budget.
With all due respect, maybe you didn't want to "cross the line" because you feel it would make you sound like a heartless meanie? I admitted that I don't have a lot of money to throw around, so it really wouldn't offend me. Get off my butt and get a better job? Already on that, and you already very nicely wished me luck.
Lord Gonchar said:You're going to need one of those 10 or 20 sided dice that D&D geeks use.
rollergator said:P.S. If my coin gets ONE more side, it's going to need to be *omnifaceted*...
LOL....I played D&D for a while...when I was 11 and 12. Now I know people who are in their 30s/40s that play...they SCARE me.
"So I went up in the clock tower with a crossbow and poison-tipped bolts..."... ;)
Brian Noble said:
It's not just numbers of people, it's numbers of people within specific demographics. Six Flags could argue that fewer people with more disposable income are actually a *more profitable* audience for some of the high-end brands (Cold Stone) they've been affiliating with.
Granted, but look at some of the other companies they're affiliating themselves with. Somehow I doubt that the majority of people (likely kids) interested in the Nintendo Wii have enough income to purchase a VIP ticket. I love amusement parks and all, but if I didn't have a Wii and someone asked me if I would rather a Wii or a Six Flags VIP pass, I'm sure you can guess what I'd go with for my $250.
Also, look at the kind of crowd that Six Flags, and amusement parks in general, traditionally attract. You see a lot more Toyota Camrys than M-B SL500s in the parking lot (wow, I can't seem to get off the car thing).
Everyone has different priorities. Some people might use 100% of any extra income to go to the park. Some people might have plenty of extra money but feel it's more important to put it somewhere else before spending it at the park. Someone might make six figures a year, but after expenses, 401K, investments and savings or whatnot, there's not enough money to do the park.
It's a toucy situation as we all have different goals and personal perspectives about where the money we have should go.
With that said, yes, I was flirting with an idea similar to my retort on the gas prices thing - if $20 makes or break your trip, maybe (just maybe) you were stretching a bit further than you should be in the first place. Same idea, if a family of four is already dropping $200 to get into the park and has budgeted X amount to spend inside, then is the Q-bot really the breaking point?
It sounds so crappy to say, but I do think that way. I'm sure certain people would be appalled that I spend X number of dollars on park trips and don't put it here or there first, so this one really is just a matter of perspective. We all have different situations and priorities.
From my POV, if you're already dropping that much to visit the park, then the additional cost of the Q-bot probably shouldn't affect your life too much.
Everyone's mileage will vary. :)
*** Edited 3/29/2007 6:55:21 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***
Rob Ascough said:
(wow, I can't seem to get off the car thing).
Hehe. Yeah, and I don't think it's a valid comparison to the park thing. It's a product (and possibly a necessity in these times) whereas I'd consider amusement parks more service industry oriented.
You need to think something more service oriented.
Then again, the VIP experience is *not* targeted at anything like the average guest. It's targeted at the select few. The Q-bot is a bit more mass market, and there the comparison is between a Q-bot for the day, and an extra game for the Wii.
(And, I'm looking at cars, too, but mine will be a crunchy granola hybrid. I'm also on the lookout for a Wii. Those things look like way too much fun.)
*** Edited 3/29/2007 7:30:54 PM UTC by Brian Noble***
Coaster Junkie from NH
I drive in & out of Boston, so I ride coasters to relax!
Brian Noble said:
The kids buy neither the Wii nor the ticket---their yuppie, SUV-driving, chardonnay-swilling parents do.
I won't argue that.
Then again, the VIP experience is *not* targeted at anything like the average guest. It's targeted at the select few. The Q-bot is a bit more mass market, and there the comparison is between a Q-bot for the day, and an extra game for the Wii.
But that's part of the problem. You're targeting people that likely have little interest in the product being offered. You're pushing an Outback restaurant on vegetarians... a suburban colonial on people wanting an apartment in Manhattan. If wealthy people have traditionally kept away from amusement parks (which I believe is the case), how is offering them a super dooper VIP ticket going to turn them into customers?
I'm also on the lookout for a Wii. Those things look like way too much fun.
Good luck. Despite their promises, Nintendo still doesn't seem up to keeping up with demand. I lucked out and preordered mine. Not to make you jealous or anything, but it is fun. Then again, so is God of War 2 on PS2 and Gears of War on 360- stuff that you can get your hands on very easily.
Recently read a conspiracy theory that Wii's will hit the shelves in mass numbers come next week.
Seems Nintendo's fiscal year begins on April 1st and they already crushed last year, so holding back Wii's until April would make financial sense. (not sure to buy into it or not)
If wealthy people have traditionally kept away from amusement parks (which I believe is the case), how is offering them a super dooper VIP ticket going to turn them into customers?
I don't think the 'wealthy' have traditionally kept away. Then again, I don't think SF's approach targets the 'wealthy' - I think it targets the upper-middle class.
Heck, I think amusement parks in general target strictly the middle class.
To me it's not the difference between the lower class and the wealthy that they're trying to jump, it's the difference between the true middle and the upper middle. Just enough to make a noticable difference in revenue.
"The upper middle class has grown...and its composition has changed. Increasingly salaried managers and professionals have replaced individual business owners and independent professionals. The key to the success of the upper middle class is the growing importance of educational certification...its lifestyles and opinions are becoming increasingly normative for the whole society. It is in fact a porous class, open to people...who earn the right credentials." - Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 1998.
*** Edited 3/29/2007 7:55:30 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***
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