Six Flags Over Georgia wants to sell beer at concerts

GP: "Too much trouble?" There's no such thing as too much trouble when it comes to dollars.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a southern-baptist thing... it's just that Cobb County is heavily conservative, that's all.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

True, GP. But a lot of the conservatism comes from the church.
Anyway, I actually don't think it'll make a difference one way of the other. It's not like they have concerts at SFoG all the time, and it CERTAINLY isn't like the ones they do have are the hottest tickets in town. My guess is people going to see them probably don;t care much one way or another.
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I sing sometimes for the war that I fight, 'cause every tool is a weapon, if you hold it right. -Ani Difranco

*(trying hard to restrain myself as researching the rhetoric of conservative moralists is a bit of a hobby of mine)*

It doesn't really matter where the self-righteous moral conservatives come from. The fact is they are there and I'm continually irritated at how they have hijacked the word "family" and use it to promote there own narrow moral code.

Given the choice, I'd rather my kids be exposed to alcohol then to the rantings of some of these groups.

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Ripple Rock Amusement Park

Or really NEED the beer to enjoy it. ;)

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"But where's the feeelth?" - Uncle Vainstein

Jeff: I vehemntly disagree. "I'll see you in court!" is not the route most businesses want to go unless absoutely necessary. It costs time, money, and other resources. Litigation does have its place, but the county and park have enjoyed a good working relationship, and the benefits may not justify the costs.

Taking someone or something to court is not and should not be the automatic solution for any business. If the park is denied, I wholeheartedly doubt they will pursue legal options against the county. The point of selling alcohol isn't for the direct revenue (the vendors will get most of that). The object is to attract more people to the park.

I think that the park knows selling beer at concerts won't bring them in by the droves, so if they don't get what they want, a more probable scenario would be that the park pursues other options to increase attendence.

This is not about morality millrace, so settle down. I just don't see why SFOG needs to sell beer. I see a handful of drawbacks and few pros. Seems just "eh."

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

uhhh...How do you expect these people to get home??? Most of the people driving are the parents which are the ones who drink...hello! It's called common sense. And for you who said "If you don't want it, don't buy it" that's not something you can say with alcohol. Other people are effected by alcohol...not just the person drinking.

If a small bar in my home town will sue the city over the ability to server alcohol, a publicly traded corporation will most certainly do the same, especially when the precedent has already been set by granting another business a license.

Leodude: Somehow I see upwards of 30,000 people leave Cedar Point every day without a single alcohol-related accident. Come to think of it, the same can be said of the average Browns game, and that's 73,000 idiots who cheer for losers. Clearly they're making it home safely and, as responsible adults, for the most part make sure there is a designated driver.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

Regardless of the precedent or your city's bar or the size of the company, if the costs outweigh the benefits, no legal action will ensue. Since SFOG is a theme park and not a watering hole (let's get our priorities straight), I will venture to say that they'll consider other options before going to court with the county.

If the park wanted to build a new attraction and the county stonewalled them, they'd be all over that... but for a an alcohol permit? It seems unlikely. They'll try another approach.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I spent some time as a ride op at CP, and from working there, I can tell you a couple of things about how much alchohol affected the park.

From my standpoint - Slim to none. I never had to deal with a out of controll drunk person, I never even had to deny somone a ride because they were intoxicated. I find its quite the contrary. Its the people that are stone sober, but decided to leave their brain at the gate are the people that caused most of the problems. Take for example one day we had to stop the Magnum on the lift. Some idiot decides he wants to stand up on the way up the lift. I had to run my fat ass up all those stairs just to find out its a teenager completly sober. If out of the hundreds of guests that day that helped themselves to a beer didn't cause me any problems, but some brainless teenager did, what does that tell us?

I've not been to SFOG but my impression is that they have an outdoor concert area for "additional charge" events. If that is the case then they most certainly will fight to get the liquor license and, why shouldn't they? Anyone been to Blossom, Polaris, an arena concert, stadium concert or any other venue where alcohol...particularly beer...wasn't served?

Ticket prices don't generate the big bucks for most of these places. The performers, managers, etc keep most of that money. It is the concessions, and particularly the beer, where the big bucks are generated.

I couldn't even imagine going to see Jimmy Buffett without a beer in one hand. What's the point, really?

The concerts, save for one or two, generally attract dismal crowds.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Thousands of beers at $5 profit each per event.

Yeah, no money to make there. I think you grossly underestimate the profitability of serving alcohol.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

Serving alcohol = big bucks. Trust me, I used to write the checks for the booze at a concert venue. The mark up on the stuff is obscene.

I support this proposal. First, selling alcohol in the park will not affect the family atmosphere. I've visited several parks that serve beer (Cedar Point, Epcot, Busch, etc), and not once have I witnessed an intoxicated person destroying the environment. Most concert halls and amphitheater sell beer. Also, the article states that beer would not be allowed to leave with guests and enter into the park. Secondly, alcohol sales generate great amounts of revenue. When more money comes in, more money is likely to be put into new rides. Lastily, it isn't like we are talking about hard liquor here. It is not right to assume that just because some concert attendants may want a couple of beers they are intending to get drunk. Most people's behavior does not change after a glass of beer.*** This post was edited by Michael19887 7/8/2003 5:00:35 PM ***

The park is out of money. Rednecks will pay for beer. Thats the bottom line in it all.

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"Press down, pull up, and enjoy the rest of your day here at Six Flags over Georgia as we celebrate 30 years of operation at the Great American Scream Machine."

GP: The object of the alcohol sales I'd say is certainly not to increase attendance. What do you think they'll do, sell tickets and put up billboards, which have "NOW WITH BEER!" in the bottom right corner? It's to bring in extra money during the shows. Concert organisers will hire a venue to suit their needs. They're not going to get a 12,000 seater if they don't plan on selling all those seats. Six Flags see all these people, probably many of them asking attendants where they can buy a beer, and realise that there's a heck of a lot of additional revenue to be made.

I thought I'd throw this in anyway.

The anti-alcoholers here seem to all be using the "family atmosphere" line.What is a "family atmosphere" anyway? It got me thinking - family atmosphere doesn't get much better than a backyard barbeque. And really, how many six packs to you churn through on one of those afternoons?

The fact of the matter is just about every major park people can think of sell alcohol - not just limited to a different admission area. I know at Dreamworld you buy a beer just about anywhere you can buy a hotdog or burger in the park. And there are no problems with it - no one's going to get drunk at $6/bottle.

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Total Thrills Amusement Guide
Australia's Premier Source for Thrills!

Jeff, you assume that thousands of beers will be sold. Considering attendence at these concerts is in the hundreds, I don't think this is a viable option for revenue. And that' assuming everyone buys a beer, too.

Besides that, the vendors who sell the beer will see most of that profit. That's why I think the real push here iis to increase concert attendence.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

**UPDATE**

The AJC reports that the county commissioners have delayed a vote to allow alcohol sales in the park by a few months so an advisory board can look over the issue. The vote is expected in December.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/0703/08sixflags.html

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Said Earlier: "How do you expect these people to get home??? Most of the people driving are the parents which are the ones who drink...hello! It's called common sense. And for you who said "If you don't want it, don't buy it" that's not something you can say with alcohol. Other people are effected by alcohol...not just the person drinking."

Oy, if this is true, then I guess alcohol should be banned completely! People shouldn't drive home from bars. People shouldn't drive home from sporting events. Family BBQ's with beer, forget about driving home! The simple fact is that what makes driving home from an amusement park different from going to a concert, or a family gathering, or anything? I'd say you are in favor of Prohibition. And everyone has seen how that worked. :-)

Great Adventure sells beer at their concerts. I went to the concert the other night. There were absolutely no incidents, although I did see one visibly drunk man which gave my friend and I a laugh. :) The line for the beer wasn't huge, but it was busy throughout the hour+ long concert.

I think they should allow beer. It's a private business. Why shouldn't they be allowed to? If you dont want to go because of it, then dont go on a day of a concert!*** This post was edited by Mitchell 7/8/2003 10:06:45 PM ***