Six flags is changing direction

I think that all of this money isn't going to solve SF's service problems, but it may help a little. Maybe SF has been playing their free copies of RTC and are just now learning how to raise the park rating :>)

10- The bathroom huge bathroom by the front gate @ CP

9- Finding a bathroom @ SFWoA within reasonable distance

8- Near Boomerang @ SFDL

7- Near the exit of Viper @ SFDL (always empty = always clean)

6- Any bathroom @ MarineLand in Canada (I think theres only like 2)

5- @ Mrs. Knott's Chicken

4- Closest to the entrance of X @ SFMM (better go now, you'll be there a while)

3- Any bathroom you get a pass out of line for TTD to use

2- The "themed" bathroom buildings @ SFMM, they were camoflaged! I was looking for a plain brick building!

1- My own bathroom (Ever so humble theres no place like home)

Yes, I'm bored and taking peoples suggestions waaaay to serious...

SFWoA needs to get rid of that sewage plant in their parking lot across from the main gate. That's what stinks up the front of that place on hot summer days. Since there is all the new developement across the street, I know there has to be sewer access now.

Wood - anything else is an imitation

I'd rather SFA keep their current restrooms clean than see new ones installed. I seriously don't find that it's such a colossal burden to have to walk a little further to take a whiz.

If the customer service is strong enough, an advertising blitz won't even be necessary to get people back. Not that this should be considered a walking advertisement for my company (but it really is a cool place...stop by!), but I work for Trader Joe's, a company that's been around for about 35 years. The store sells limited, specialty groceries for low prices, and we get a lot of "Oh, your store is cute" and "I just love your prices" from people. But that alone doesn't keep people coming in. It comes from customers who get a free bouquet of flowers because it was their first time in the store, service with a smile, and most of all helpful, attentive, and intelligent crew members. TJ's does no television and VERY limited radio advertising, and grew across the country almost strictly by word of mouth.

Big flashy coasters will get people in the gates and once they're in, it's up to the people in the park to both keep them there and bring them back in the future. Impress someone with a great ride, they'll come back one more time. Impress someone with a great EXPERIENCE, they'll come back over and over, and bring some friends too.

Nitro Dave.

Amusement parks are on a different caliber than a grocery store. With the prices that parks charge, you have to get the word out whether its T.V., radio, etc., that the park has changed for the better.

Since SF parks aren't adding expensive shiny new attractions, they have to get the word out that improvements are being made in the customer satisfaction department.

They need to be creative with their advertising. Instead of showing a bunch of coasters:,they need to advertise families walking the midways, eating in the restaurants, and being greeted by employees with a smile.

You would be surprised what these little details can do to a business. Make it look like a happy place instead of a thrill seeking destination. *** Edited 1/11/2004 9:08:37 AM UTC by Chitown***

Really, Nitro, I have been at two different TJoes in my area and when my wife and I have been there, we have never received particularly good customer service. Not that it was bad but just "nothing to write home about".

Neither she nor I ever received flowers on our first visit, nor have we seen anyone ever recieve flowers (or anything else) free.

THe reason we keep coming back is for the specialty items that we cannot find at our local grocery store chains.

Talk is cheap. I'll believe it when I see it. SF has some serious middle management problems. Yes more and cleaner restrooms would be appreciated. So would employees that actually extend some courtesy towards the guests. Now it may not be a chain wide problem, but I have experienced it at various SF parks across the country. IMHO some house cleaning is in order.

I hope some of that money goes towards hiring enough qualified and competent people to keep the rides open. My biggest gripe with SF is that on each of my several visits to SFNE, SFGrAdv, and SFMW, so many of the rides are not operating. It is disappointing to look forward to attractions that I know are there and then find out that they are not operating once we arrive. More importantly it leaves us feeling ripped off when we pay admission and the park is not fully functional. (Yes, I understand that mechanical and safety issues arrise, but that's not what is going on here. It's a management issue.) This is never a chronic problem at any other park I visit, and it seems to be one that SF should make a priority.

I'm still waiting for SF to get together a better recruitment program. Like go out of country and recruit!

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Vater said:
I'd rather SFA keep their current restrooms clean than see new ones installed. I seriously don't find that it's such a colossal burden to have to walk a little further to take a whiz.

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It is a burden if you are handicapped or aren't capable of running. They should've never buried Batwing as far as they did without bathroom support. Even from the Chaos which I worked, it was a long run to the bathroom. PKD has this problem too with the rides down in Congo. The closest bathroom is in front of the former Diamond Falls, unless there is a bathroom in Bubba's Shrimp Company.

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Crashmando said:
I'm still waiting for SF to get together a better recruitment program. Like go out of country and recruit!

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They already do recruit out of country. Easily a 1/4 of the people that worked at SFA were from Brazil (and a few other countries mixed in).

They also recruit overseas for SFGAm. They even have the country where the person is from on their nametags.

SFGAm also has employee housing.

Looking through some of these comments, I think some of you may be over-reacting to the customer service at select Six Flags parks. Yes, there can be inconviniances from time to time, but are they really bad enough for someone to decide never to come back? An overflowing trash can should not ruin someone's day. Same goes one train operation on coasters, the occasional breakdown, and a ride op who does not smile. If someone decides that under no circumstance can they endure these hellish conditions, then I fear for them. I don't know anyone who swore off a park just because of a bad day at said park. I know families come to the park to have a good time, but if small details such as the ones mentioned are ruining their day, then perhaps they should go to the ballpark instead. Hopefully their team wins, or maybe they'll swear off the ballpark too. ;)

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with $15 Million of that that money going to bathroom improvements.

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That money would be needed to renovate SFMM's bathrooms alone. However, I am glad to see Six Flags Inc. making these important changes.

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BullGuy said:
Looking through some of these comments, I think some of you may be over-reacting to the customer service at select Six Flags parks. ....

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You would be correct if people like myself were swearing off SF because of the issues you cited, but it goes much further than that. I have given SF more than enough of an opportunity to prove itself, but I continually experience horrible service. I do not mean an unfriendly employee or occasional areas needing cleanup or attention.

I have little desire to return to SF because they continually operate as if they are open for business while many, many, many of their attractions are not operating; and whenever I have tried to address a problem with guest relations, they act as if they don't care and do little to help or even offer an attitude of understanding. This on top of their corporate money hungry attitude, which is demonstrated in their pricing and everyday operations, cleanliness, and customer offerings, makes me disinterested.

I am willing to give any company ample opportunity to show it's good side, and I am able to overlook some of the unavoidable 'bad days' that every person and business has, but I find SF's problems to be chronic. There are so many other parks, which are operated very well and deserving of my business, to make me want to give SF more money and time.

If SF changes for the better I am sure I will hear about it through word of mouth and on forums such as this, and I hope I can give them another opportunity some day and that my experiences will be much improved.

Exactly!

BullGuy, these comments that people here make are not based on one bad visit. They are based on bad visits over and over and over again. In my case, for the last two seasons I have had not only continuing bad visits to SFMM, but ones that get increasingly worse every time I go there.

The park is rundown, numerous rides are closed, some of those rides were closed all last season and two of them have been standing but not operating for YEARS. Then you have rides running only one train (when the park capacity has already been reduced due to all the closed rides) on top of it and well...someone just isn't going to have a good time under those conditions.

I find myself visiting this park less and less each year. Last year it was only twice..the lowest ever for me. This year it may not be at all.

Things like upgrading restrooms may be a nice idea, but if Six Flag's wants me back as a customer, they are going to have to open ALL of their rides, run them correctly (no 1 train op on X or Riddler for instance) have decent employees, have decent food and start giving me the good expereince that they once did.

Hey now...lets not attack the choice of employees. Think about this..how many positions does the park have to fill? thousands, you cant have thousands of good employees, and i'm sure they get rid of a lot as the season goes on. I would like to see those of you who are complaining hire high quality people to work all of the thousands of positions and not hire some bad ones. Don't critisize before you think, or try to do it, please.

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booya said:
...lets not attack the choice of employees...how many positions does the park have to fill? thousands, you cant have thousands of good employees...

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It's funny that most other well run companies are able to hire thousands of qualified employees. It's not easy, but it happens every day at successful companies. Actually, though, it's not the employees fault. It's the management that is the problem. I'm sure these employees could be wonderful if they were properly trained, compensated, and motivated to have a sense of company pride. Most happy and productive employees get to be that way because of how they are treated by their employer and it works in reverse also.

I think what some people miss is that overflowing trashcans, dirty food areas, unclean bathrooms etc. are signs that the park isn't caring about your experience. Such things are ugly, and when people are used to visiting parks such as Disney, Hershey etc., if's quite offensive. It costs a lot of money to get into a major themepark these days, even with discounts. Multiply that by a group of three to five people (the average family), and it's a major expenditure.

Gardner14, how can you say that it's not the employees fault that they are bad at what they do? There has to be some sense of personal responsibility. Everyone goes through the same training. It's what you do with that training that matters.