Strange MF policy Sunday morning

For years, they've been saying all the amusements at the Jersey shore have had a difficult time filling all their positions, even lifeguards on the beaches. Even here in PA, many of the state parks cut back hours they allowed swimming because they didn't have enough lifeguards to staff the beaches as much as in past years.

I think another part of it is that more and more college students are required to work co-ops or internships in their majors. Some of those terms either start or end in the middle of summer. And the pressure is on them to get as much experience in their chosen fields as possible, so for many of them, working at a park isn't feasible or isn't something they want to include on their resumes.

If they only test the large (notice my generous use of politically correct language so as to not offend, but more importantly, show how much more compassionate I am than you…you know who you are) people...wouldn't this be profiling? Profiling is bad you know...

Jeff---who probably cannot ride MF at my present girth...though I've started running again! :-)

*** Edited 9/28/2005 4:12:53 AM UTC by Jeffrey R Smith***

I don't understand all the staffing issues everyone is talking about. SFGAM seemed to be staffed well enough in the middle of Sept. with VERY few (no?) international workers. I think it could be because SFGAM uses more high school workers than college, but I'm not really sure. I do know however that the service I recieved at SFGAM was on par (maybe a little better) with the service I recieved at any Cedar Fair park this year. The high school employees don't seem as bad as many like to make them sound on here.

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redman822 said:

Personally, I think CP should, as 8.3 said, retrofit the current MF trains with the same type of restraints that TTD has.

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A-FRICKIN'-MEN, I guess I have been riding MF from 2000 til 2003, unsafely, as the response I got from CP seemed to indicate. Due to safety...blah....blah. Why won't they get with Intamin and work this stuff out? I guess they are just content with low capacity, long lines, mad guests and none too happy employees. Anyone who gives me the "lose weight" business can go scratch since 2003 I have consistently been losing weight to get back on this thing to no avail. Since I have ridden it before at a larger scale reading, what gives? My picture is from 2000 and since fall of 04' I have not been able to ride...bunk I say! *** Edited 9/28/2005 6:35:19 AM UTC by Marky Mark***

I just saw you in Boogie Kinights a week ago... I can't believe you don't fit on MF! Man...there is no way I'll ever ride this thing again!

dannerman...I know more about this than you realize. Cedar Point officials ARE in fact, travelling overseas to recruit the international students. Those students do NOT get paid any less than an American Cedar Point worker. In fact, the foreign workers have to pay their own way over and back. That is pretty costly but most of the kids do it because they really want to visit America (not that Sandusky is the best representation of the States) or because their home economies are such that finding work isn't easy.

Filling the rides department has never been a problem. Everyone wants to work rides. They are having trouble filling jobs in foods, housekeeping, custodial, etc. Frankly, many American kids think it is beneath them to do those types of jobs and the foreign kids, for the most part, have a much better work ethic.

The reason Cedar Point doesn't have a larger problem filling positions is because they have dormitories. Some of them are a down right embarassment but having the housing gives Cedar Point an advantage many other parks don't have. As such, Cedar Point is able to recruit from much of the midwest. I went to colleges in Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Michigan to recruit.

Something happened from the regular season to bonus weekends that cause Operations to make this change. One variable appears to be the fact that the Volunteer Groups are working the front of the line. If that isn't a reason then it must be something else. Was a discrimination lawsuit filed? We might not know.

Your friends who were turned away from Dorney either applied too late or weren't flexible to do anything other than rides. Plenty of kids are "turned away" from Cedar Point too but that doesn't mean they don't have problems with vacancies. It just means those kids likely weren't willing to work some other type of job or their availability was so limited as to make hiring them more of a hassel than it is worth.

So does anybody know if this policy will indeed be enforced from now on or did management get the point? (no pun intended).

I agree with the sign that says they have right to ask anyone to use test seat. Any other private business has right to refuse and make up these rules so should they. Large people shouldn't be offended, they should thank the workers for just saving them a 2 hour wait in line for nothing.

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Jeffrey R Smith said:
I just saw you in Boogie Kinights a week ago... I can't believe you don't fit on MF! Man...there is no way I'll ever ride this thing again!

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LOL! Bad!

IMO, this is one of the reasons attendance is down, being turned away after waiting two hours because your too large can't be good for bringing people back to the park.

Dannerman: You seem to know a lot about exchange student employment. The parks pay them less, but don't they also (the parks) get a break because they don't have to pay out SSI on them as well as FED tax, Medicaid and such?

That would be a huge break for parks.

Bigger coaster riders mean more momentum through the circuit! :) *** Edited 9/28/2005 4:19:18 PM UTC by FLYINGSCOOTER***

There's a much easier solution to this whole "test the fat guest" problem: CP needs to sprout a pair and use their customer buying power to lean on Intamin and call off that stupid rule. Never had a problem out of that ride all the way up till that rule was dreamt up and now *viola* we got trouble. Lean on Intamin, reverse the directive, then put the belts back like they were. There's no need for an expensive train modification... just use your power of suggestion CP!

Wahoo, I don't doubt your knowledge, but please don't doubt mine. The paying them less thing was an oversimplification. According to some ride ops that I befriended over the past few years, here's how it works at Dorney (exact dollar amounts will not be mentioned because of confidentiality concerns). As a ride operator, you can choose to be 'Flex' or 'Non-Flex'... basically, Non-Flex means you tell them when you can work, and they can't force you to work anything else. Flex means they tell you when to work, and you have no choice but to work that, and it includes working up to 75 hours per week. In return for essentially selling your soul to them for the summer, they get paid approximately $.50/hr more. However, according to the ops I was talking to, the international workers were not given that option of being a Flex op since they already have a contract that they are guaranteed at least 40hrs/week. As wahoo already mentioned, they pay a considerable amount (to the tune of around $1500-$2000, not counting housing) just to come over here, so they want to work as many hours as possible. Thus, my point of 'not paying them as much' stems from the fact that they work like flex ops, but get paid like non-flex ops.

Flyingscooter, the ops that I was talking to did say that they are not responsible for federal tax, but they didn't mention if the park had to pay it or not.. just that they, the employee, did not have it taken out since they were international.

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Joey Stewart said:
Lean on Intamin, reverse the directive, then put the belts back like they were. There's no need for an expensive train modification... just use your power of suggestion CP!

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Or that...that would work just as well.

If the max rider limit is clearly posted and the test seat is clearly available, then ultimately if a person waits in line and cannot ride the ride because they are over the weight limit it is their fault for not following the ride restrictions.

EVERY ride has limits and restrictions posted at the entrance. If one does not read these when they enter the queue, it is their own fault for waiting if they cannot ride IMO.

There is no reason to test everyone.

Of course the restrictions would have to be written in every language so as to not discriminate...

Having had previouus experiance these are what CP calls Ride Prides baically Frats, Soroirtys, and College groups making a buck for thier rspectice group. The problem is there an employee for two maybe three days thats a short time to explain to them the intracess of the CP ride op mantra. They also only work entrance on most coasters, for obvious reasons.

The big problem as stated is not ride ops but all the other stuff, and here is where the age is lower and more europeans come into play, but the problem here is these are the people you talk to the most either buying food or playing games and that where your customer satisfaction begins to sag.

I couldnt agree more about the condition of the dorms.

super7, it doesn't matter how much things are posted, people will still be offended and ignore the signs (if they even read them at all), and then sue the park for public embarassment, profiling, or some other BS reason.

I remember being in line for Thunder Canyon at Dorney once, and after complaints from other guests waiting in line, an operator called security on a woman for line jumping. She claimed that the left the line, and was just coming back to ride with her kids. The operator and 2 security officers were trying to explain to her that it's still line jumping, which is defined as 'leaving the line for any reason, and trying to reenter at the same point'. Her response? "Where is that posted?" (as I saw the operator point to 3 signs in the line, and tell her that it's also posted in all the other lines, at the main entrance, and in the fun guide). Finally, she left the line, but she was screaming at the op and secuirty saying she was going to write a complaint letter to the park, and sue for age discrimination because we wouldn't let her ride with her kids. (Note: her "kids" looked to be in their low 20's)

It didn't matter that there are signs everywhere, not to mention common sense coming in to play - she still wanted to sue the park. Granted, she would never win even if she tried.. but if she brought a case, it would still cost them money defending it. That's what they want to avoid.