Six Flags Announces Nation's Best Theme Park VIP Program

I must be out of touch on the white wine front. I've been drinking a lot of pino grigio and suavignon blanc lately. Gewurtzes always seem too sweet to me.

I'm too lazy to quote right now so I'll just respond to everything...

Wal-Mart does an excellent job of convincing people, through creative marketing spin, that they are actually good for America. I'm not going to suggest that people in certain parts of the country are stupid but I do think some are ignorant when it comes to seeing the big picture. Many people truly believe that Wal-Mart saves them money while forever blind to the fact that it was Wal-Mart who sent jobs over to China and put people in a position where they had to shop at Wal-Mart to save money. Sad, but true. Not to mention the fact that it's a vicious cycle that Wal-Mart exploits in its quest to take over the free world.

I believe there are some companies that donate to charities because they truly care- after all, not ALL CEOs are heartless bastards- but the majority of them do stuff like that because it makes them look good. I don't see how charitable donations can't be considered to decrease profits, though (as dannerman said). Profit is you have left after all expenses are paid. If a company donates $1 million to breast cancer research, that is a $1 million expense. How can it be argued that donations don't come off the company's bottom line?

I pretty much agree with what you're saying, Jeremy... including the fact that people don't view Six Flags as being in the same league as Disney. Therefore, it kinda is like selling steaks to vegans because you're selling something that people aren't looking for. Six Flags customers aren't looking for a Disney-esque experience because they've never been used to getting that kind of experience from Six Flags. Years and years of poor service and thrilling roller coasters instead of a genuine interest in the customer and a focus on rides for everyone has taught people to expect very little from those parks. Because of that, I don't think there is much of a market for $250/day Six Flags tickets. Now, on the other hand, if Six Flags were to put some serious money into fixing what is wrong, maybe things will be different in five years... maybe there would be a market like they think there is now. But they have to learn to crawl before they can walk. Burger King can claim there is a market for deluxe, super-expensive burgers and they'd be right- the thing is, they'd have to get people accustomed to getting better-quality meat in their Burger King burgers before they can convince people that a deluxe, super-expensive burger is worth the money they want to charge.

And I have actually tried quite a few Covey Run wines- they're all pretty good. Speaking of prices, people seem convinced that they have to spend $40 for a bottle of good wine but many of the best ones are in the $8 to $16 range.

While I dont have a hard and fast rule, I typically stick to the ~$10-$20 range. I've tasted $150+ wines and, IMO, they werent *that* much better than some of the cheapys.

Brian: Well, if you like Pinot Gris and Sauvingon Blanc, then I guess Gewurtz would be too sweet. But I dont care for PG, SB, or Viongier because I dont like the lemon/grass taste. But I do like 'spice' hence my affinity for Gewurtz, Syrah, Petite Sirah (which is neither 'petite' nor 'Syrah'), Zin (*not* WHITE Zin).

On topic: I dont think that there has to be an either/or deal with VIP and the current state of SF parks. I whole heartedly believe that SF parks need to clean up their acts. But while they are cleaning up, I see no point in waiting to offer these new products. I can appreciate that perhaps ppl are not phoning up SF and saying that they need these VIP programs @ SF. But if you see that your competitors are offering a product, you want to compete with something similar. As a young man in A League of Their Own said to Geena Davis: "Can't we do both?"

The good thing is, at the end of the season we will know wheter or not people are buying this experience or not. :)
lata, jeremy

Covey Run IS yum-yum. Also liking some of those Australian wines.

Red wines are almost universally too heavy for me. I am a night owl, NOT a vampire. :)

Even those of us on the lower end of our *middle-class* definition can enjoy some of the goood life, LOL....as long as we live someplace where our dollars go further and remain child-free. (Does hurt the kiddie credits, but we ALL have to make sacrifices)... ;)

Does the VIP experience include wine-tasting, and who IS going to be the official champagne supplier for SF? ROFL!

edit...continuing the WallyMart discussion a bit further: 22K is *gross* income, not net. Also, if 22K is the *average* for full-time employees, and presumably that includes LOTS of the store managers that must be hauling in vast sums like 40-50K....well, you see where I'm going with that line of reasoning.

WHEN I am elected King (or whatever) - ALL full-time employees WILL have health insurance and WILL make $10/hr minimum (not average). If a full-time employee isn't worth THAT much to your company, either they need to be fired or you need to go out of business....
*** Edited 3/30/2007 3:32:12 PM UTC by rollergator***

Truth is, I was never a wine person- beer was always my thing, and still is most of the time. But I have become much more interested in wines lately, especially the far-from-mainstream stuff. For a while I found myself really liking Sauvignon Blancs, then my taste shifted to Pinot Grigios and finally Chardonnays. I have to be in the mood for a red wine (usually with a meal containing meat) and when I do go for red, it's usually Chianti (pronounced correctly- it amuses me when I hear people call it "CHI-ahn-tee") or a Pinot Noir.

I'm not necessarily against Six Flags offering an upgraded package at some point in the future, but I can't help but feel they are sending the wrong message by offering to sell people something more before they get the basics right. A mechanic doesn't try to restore an entire car before learning how to complete an oil change, and Six Flags shouldn't offer the world to people for a price when they can't offer respectable customer service and ride operations down with any level of consistency.

And I still feel the same way about "selling" places in line to people at any price. Money talks and all that, and that's fine with me- I get it. But some things shouldn't be up for sale, no matter what people are willing to pay. Making a paying guest wait longer because another guest decided to shell out more money isn't fair. At least it doesn't seem fair to me.

Rob A said: " not going to suggest that people in certain parts of the country are stupid."

Sure, let ME do the dirty work. ;)

Actually, I'd go with MOST people in MOST parts of the country. I call 'em the way I see 'em. Oh, and I'd use *ignorant* more than "stupid". Ignorant carries connotations of willfulness that I don't care for....lack of EXPOSURE to new ideas and new ways of thinking shouldn't be lumped in with the idea of "rejecting all outside inputs out-of-hand".

Just a thought...
*** Edited 3/30/2007 3:37:46 PM UTC by rollergator***

That very well could be the case, although I find it hard to believe that someone working at a factory that was shut down because retailers forced prices so low that production had to be sent overseas can't put two-and-two together to see that a place like Wal-Mart set into motion that particular chain of events. Therefore, I don't really know what to call it. Stupidity doesn't seem right... ignorance is more like it... either that, or it's a case of turning a blind eye to a situation that they can't really do anything about.

I really do feel bad for people in certain parts of the country because they are really affected by this sort of thing. They get put out of work by the enemy, and are then forced to seek employment from the enemy and are often forced to shop with the enemy because they have no other options. Here in NJ, there are lots of job opportunities and retail options, but that isn't the case everywhere.

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If a company donates $1 million to breast cancer research, that is a $1 million expense. How can it be argued that donations don't come off the company's bottom line?

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Tax write-off?

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Actually, I'd go with MOST people in MOST parts of the country. I call 'em the way I see 'em.

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Yikes! :)

I'm even arrogant enough to generally feel the same way, but I just can't see myself telling someone they don't know their own situation. "You're just too ignorant to see that Wal-Mart is hurting you"

Even this heartless bastard can't go that far. ;)

Really, though. Given the nature of this conversation, if any of you guys get SHO try to catch this episode. They even have the assistant professor of economics from San Jose St. University arguing for sweatshops, there's a woman who is the main provider for her family talking about how she couldn't get a job until Wal-Mart came to town, and a fun rundown of why the unions want in on the profit and how politicians that try to stop Wal-Mart are often in bed with those unions. Just generally fun stuff.

What does this have to do with Q-bot again? People who work at Wal-Mart can't afford Q-bots? Am I close. ;)

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Lord Gonchar said:I'm even arrogant enough to generally feel the same way, but I just can't see myself telling someone they don't know their own situation. "You're just too ignorant to see that Wal-Mart is hurting you"

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Not to their FACE, Pat! ;)

That's why we have message boards... :)

LOL!

Now I get it. :)

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Lord Gonchar said:

I'm even arrogant enough to generally feel the same way, but I just can't see myself telling someone they don't know their own situation. "You're just too ignorant to see that Wal-Mart is hurting you"

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I wouldn't say it to their faces (well, unless they asked) but sometimes it does take an outsider looking in to properly assess the situation. Just like people go to therapists because they have the ability to look at things from the point-of-view of someone not involved, I think some people that worship Wal-Mart are unable to see how the company that claims to save them $2000 year ended up costing them $30K/year in lost wages.

Not if you don't work there.

What about people struggling in low paying jobs that will not be lost when Wal-Mart comes to town. They're now getting more on their salary.

Heck, find some small town that's economically depressed to begin with. High unemployement, not many jobs, low pay and technically when Wal-Mart moves in everyone can get a job (something is better than nothing) and everyone else goes further with their money.

(Oh God, I'm arguing pro-Walmart just for the sport. Somebody smack me!)

News Flash: Half of world population currently of below-average intelligence *** Edited 3/30/2007 5:39:25 PM UTC by matt.***

I wish I could smack you! (just kidding, by the way... you know it's not personal)

Suppose a Wal-Mart does come to a depressed town and suddenly creates jobs and new industry. That's all well and good. But what happens when Wal-Mart deems that location doesn't turn enough profit and closes it down once they build a store in a more favorable market a few years afterwards? Now those people are unemployed again, and chances are everything that was built up in the wake of Wal-Mart is closed, leaving a ghost town. There are many documented cases of that happened... I'm not just saying, "what if...?"

And if a town is small enough to need a Wal-Mart, chances are that sparkling new Supercenter is going to offer everything available elsewhere in town for a lot less. Liquor, groceries, electronics, gas... they'll have it all. And even if their prices aren't better, they'll have a captive audience that will likely patronize them instead of the locally-owned business that they used to go to out of convenience. Might as well buy your DVDs where you buy your milk, right? Aside from creating construction jobs (which are temporary), I don't see how a Wal-Mart does anything good for the town's long-term outlook.

It's hard for me to argue this one becuase technically I agree with you.

I'm just trying to see it from the other side. (I'm turning into Gator :) )

I just have a hard time telling people who benefit in such situations that they're really not benefiting - they're just too stupid to realize it. (even if that's what I think)

And on the insurance issue, I found this quote:

"Wal-Mart is one of the few retailers that offers benefits to part-time associates and premiums are as low as $11 per month...we have expanded eligibility and made coverage available to the children of our associates who work part-time."

I have no idea what the details of that coverage are, but man I wish our insurance cost $11 a month. We pay pretty much twice that per day. (and I think our coverage sucks - f'n Aetna!)

Wow, you agree with me? I think I'm about to go into shock!

I know what you mean, which is why I'm not planning a tour of the deep south to tell them that they're idiots for supporting Wal-Mart, but like you, I do think they're foolish for not looking at the big picture. But it's just another example of how money talks- tell people they're saving a few cents and they go ballistic.

I'm not sure what the details are regarding that part-time employee benefits plan but I used to work for a retailer that gave part-timers benefits, yet it was limited to vision and smoke-cessation plans. As for real health coverage, there was none to be found. I have a feeling the stuff that Wal-Mart "gives" to its part-timers is of little consequence.

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Lord Gonchar said:

I'm even arrogant enough to generally feel the same way, but I just can't see myself telling someone they don't know their own situation. "You're just too ignorant to see that Wal-Mart is hurting you"

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If I imported this to the smoking thread and swapped smoking for Wal-Mart, would the world collapse on itself?

Anyway, I'm a few pages behind, so here goes:

Rob said something to the effect of:

"Why do we put up with line cutting at parks and not other places?"

I would say (again) "Why do we put up with multiple hour lines at parks and not other places?"

I too am a Wal-Mart boycotter but I wouldn't call wal-mart unfair or bad business (evil business, sure, but not bad business).

A company that donates $1M to charity *may* be able to make that back in employee and customer good will.

My parents live in Napa and none of us drink wine. :P

And the record for longest thread has to be either "What happened to Coasterbuzz?" or the original DDR thread. I think they were both in the 40 page range.

Speaking of which, "WHAT HAPPENED TO COASTERBUZZ??!?!!!?!?!?oneelevenDen" *** Edited 3/30/2007 6:48:21 PM UTC by ApolloAndy***

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Lord Gonchar said:I'm just trying to see it from the other side. (I'm turning into Gator )

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Resistance is, and always has been, futile...

http://www.pbase.com/rollergator/image/76306247

:)

If you guys and gals are into wine, next time you visit CP, there are some good wines coming out of that area. I tried a white wine made with the Delaware grape and loved it. Plus, it about ~$5 a bottle.

I'm sorry, but there are some places that really ought not to be making wine, and Northern Ohio is one of them.

Michigan has "wineries" too, and they uniformly suck. Except for the ice wine. That's good eats. The fruit-based wine (Leelanau Wine Cellers has a plonky but still drinkable raspberry wine) can be fun for a change of pace too. But, the "wine" made here is awful.