Tough Pay and Work at CP for 2010?

It's not that Cedar Point is unique, it's that "Compared to Burger King or a movie theater, which are crappy minimum wage jobs, Cedar Point is unique." That's kind of like saying, compared to Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper, 7 Up is unique. Anything can be unique when you're establishing specific points of comparison.

"Cedar Point is unique in that employees live in dorms, rely on their employer for transportation to work, and rely on their employer to feed them for practically every meal of the day, much like college".... not really. Ski resorts, as mentioned. Army barracks. Off shore oil rigs, also as mentioned, to name just a few.

If you choose to rely on your employer to transport you to work, and the transportation system has not been developed around your specific needs, you either adjust to the transportation system or find another way to work. Drive your car. Carpool. Ride a bike along the Chausee (and I did that on occasion. It's a long ride, but a nice one).

While at Cedar Point, much as I did while in college, I made my own meals (well, and made far too many visits to Cedar Villa for spaghetti).

Cedar Point is special, in many ways. Good, and bad. But it's just not unique.

Louie's! Wow haven't heard of that place much. So many of the kids went there, I never walked in the place. We went to 'Club X' or "Excentricities" a few times, wonder if that place is still there.

Those summers were some of the best ever. Of course, there was lotsa crazy stuff going on, but ooohh the drama!

Deamon, what did you do at CP?

Besides, I went to Louie's EXACTLY once over the whole summer. All the Group U guys went to celebrate out bronze in the "Cleanest Park" Golden Tix catagory, so I went along, ONLY because I had the next day off. My blue tag walked me back to my dorm and made sure I was okay for the night. Now that's how a boss SHOULD treat their employees! :)

I had quite a bit to drink that night, between the Long Island, the shots, and two beers. Plus, there was the "rum punch," in the apartment before the big event. Plus, I'm not really a heavy drinker to begin with (maybe a beer with dinner, if I'm not driving that night or working the next day). I did have a nice little headach the next morning, though. ;)

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who didn't frequent Louie's. I went there twice within the three seasons that I worked there. It never really appealed to me.

Club X, I went to only once. Nice place, but again, not for me.

I was the kind of guy who hung out with friends at Steak 'n" Shake after work.

I'm with you LK, give me Steak n' Shake. If you want to go enjoy some drinks, then let's go to BWW or the Roadhouse. I got dragged along to Louie's twice in 08 and couldn't wait to leave from the moment I walked in the door. Of course, grabbing TacoFish or BK and going back to the room for fun is a lot more appealing of an option with both Rock Band and a Wii (equipped with Mario Kart and 4 wheels) in the room. It was a bad night if we didn't get a noise complaint from one of my roommates screaming. ;)

^^^I worked in foods in '91 (yuck!) and the Blue Streak (the original Blue Streak) in 1992/93.

Whenever we could get a day off and some cash, we would usually head over to Geauga, Kennywood, KI or the best woodie in OH, Screechin' Eagle at Americana. We also did alot of 'ride nights' back then. I have many old flyers from the personnel dept. Rollerskating, movie nights, great stuff. Thank GOD I didn't drink back then (and don't any longer).

After 18 years in the park industry, I have yet to find any experience like living at the Point. You have countless stories, as mentioned above, like living at Cedars..the train wakes you up, the food they serve...always bad, the blue school busses that took you to the mall, which in 1990, was all their was on Rt 250.

Beach volleyball at 11pm, staying out on the DT beach all night, Magnum and Demon Drop night, all great stories. I wouldn't trade that summer for anything. I have the privledge in my park now that several FT/PT Cedar Pointers made their way here, and they all have similar stories, and newer versions of mine.

Rules dictate that its similar to a full college schedule, but with a paycheck. Day-off trips to Sea World, Geauga Lake, and the Put In Bay Islands make special memories. Hell, I hope to see everyone I worked with at some point in the future. If I didn't work for the largest family owned park in North America (yes, bigger than the Point), I would have made it there on Labor Day.

The next summer, I interned at Conneaut Lake, and planned all the employee events. I gladly copied as much as I could from Cedar Point. They helped me. It paid off, as CLP had a record year, and those events helped after busy concert weekends with a new lazy river. You know what some of our events were when we were closed on Mondays? We went to Cedar Point to ride Mean Streak. I took pictures all of 1990 as it went up, and had to ride it.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but unless you have worked your entire summer their, you do not know 100% about life as a seasonal. I love when my staff comes to me with uniform issues, lost paychecks, roomate issues, and scheduling conflicts for bus trips. I have been their, done that. You want to work in this business full time, you need to live the park experience. Period.

Just like Dick Kinzel? Clearly that experience is serving him well.

LostKause said:
Cedar point is not unique in that employees have to put up with crap. Practically all crappy minimum wage jobs offer crap to put up with. :)

Cedar Point is unique in that employees live in dorms, rely on their employer for transportation to work, and rely on their employer to feed them for practically every meal of the day, much like college.

Am I getting warmer?

I dunno, are you?

I don't doubt it's a crazy experience to spend a summer at the Point. The stuff you're complaining about seems unreasonable, petty and not unique to Cedar Point. Yes, all jobs have crap to put up with and the stuff you mentioned way back on page one didn't seem very serious, difficult or even worthy of a compliant. (planning accordingly to get to work on time to get clean uniforms and planning accordingly to pick up your check)

It seemed like stuff a total lightweight would mope around about at any job.

After seven pages Carrie's original comment still seems to hold true.

...I disagree with stuff too! :p

This thread is reminding me of my very first job. I was in high school and worked at Taco Hell for a summer. Talk about a CRAP job! :) There is nothing quite like cleaning bathrooms.....ugh.

And don't get me started on having to clean out all the "caked" cheese and beans from the pans. ;)

Like I said, I give kudos to anyone who works with the public. I have never worked at an amusement park but I can only imagine what they go through. Customer service/working with the public is one of the most underrated jobs out there.

I have worked in customer service (mostly printing) most of my adult life, so I can somewhat relate to this. This is why I love to tip and I give compliments to anyone who gives me great customer service. If I get an ***hole, then I probably won't complain unless it's a major issue. I am too laid back. :) It goes both ways, though. If you are THAT unhappy in any job you should just quit or suck it up and deal with it.

I also agree that if you haven't "been there" then you really don't know what it's like. :) The "crap" jobs are a great learning experience. I think most of us here have had them at one time or another. It makes you want to strive for better. :) It makes you appreciate things.

This is why I LOVE "Clerks," "Adventureland," and especially "Waiting." That pretty much says it all. ;) Oh, add "Officespace" to that list as well.

Peace. :)

-Tina

This is why I LOVE "Clerks," "Adventureland," and especially "Waiting." That pretty much says it all. ;) Oh, add "Officespace" to that list as well.

I'm with you on ALL of the above.

I watched "Adventureland," and could not keep myself from thinking about how, while from a distance, it seems off base, but when you look at it closely, from a former park slave's prospective, you just can't make that crap up!

In a strange twist of fate, it was actualy my boss at a former job (at a video store no less) who turned me on to Clerks. I think I've watched it 37 times. I recomend it for ANYBODY who's crazy (and brave) enough to be working in CS.

Anybody want to produce a CP reality show?

Cedar Point would not go for allowing a reality show to be filmed there at all. It would scare away potentially new employees, although it is a great idea and would probably make a fantastic and very interesting show.

Yeah, Tina's right, some customer service jobs bite really hard. Because I have worked in those kinds of jobs before (not just Cedar Point), I am extra friendly to employees in those fields of work.

I tend to give larger tips to wait staff and hairstylists than most. I'm one of those guys who still tips the bag boy for helping me to my car with large purchases (I love to give them gold dollars).

Especially at theme parks, I always say "Thank you" to every employee that I can, from the Dippin' Dots dipper to the guy who grabs and stops the sky lift gondola that I am sitting in, to even the bathroom attendants if I see them. I got this from a combination of my upbringing, and from working those kinds of job.

Jeff, you are correct. Just like Dick Kinzel. That guy saw me on my day off by the Midway Carousel, and took the time to stop and say hello to my family. Now he recognized me in street clothes is beyond me, but with 3,500 employees, I accepted that greeting was no easy task.

He greets me the same way on the IAAPA trade show floor. Everyone os so gung-ho to bash Cedar Fair on their Paramount deal, their debt load, and finaces. Those kids running rides, games, food, the beach, whatever, they don't care. They don't care who has how many shares of stock. Their only concern is that they get to work on time, they have something to do after work, and their paychecks are good. Cedar Point meets the mark on that. Period.

Disney has a dorm-culture also. I know its also something special from the stories I hear. Its just all about having a fun summer. Unless, you are Kinzel, own Bob's Space Racers, founded Dippin Dots, or own Nanco Plush, you are not going to get wealthy in this business. But you will have a damn good time working. The employees have fun, the guests have fun. Period.

Agent Johnson said:
Those kids running rides, games, food, the beach, whatever, they don't care. They don't care who has how many shares of stock. Their only concern is that they get to work on time, they have something to do after work, and their paychecks are good. Cedar Point meets the mark on that. Period.

Cool. That's good to know.

Tipping is fun, period. I guess it comes from my upbringing as well. ;) You have to appreciate anyone who busts their butts for you. I wish I could tip more! I would gladly tip $50 and $100 if I could afford it, just to make their day. Since I can't, I try to do good with what I have.

:)

-Tina

LostKause said:
Especially at theme parks, I always say "Thank you" to every employee that I can, from the Dippin' Dots dipper to the guy who grabs and stops the sky lift gondola that I am sitting in, to even the bathroom attendants if I see them. I got this from a combination of my upbringing, and from working those kinds of job.

Linkback time! :)

Lord Gonchar said on Feb 25, 2006:
I have a habit of doing the same thing. Especially when directly assisted.

I'm not stopping the ops doing the quick restraint check, but on a ride like SFOG's Great Gasp for instance (I know it's gone, it's just the first to come to mind) where the op specifically unlocks you and only your 'chute' after the ride, I always thank them. Or if I'm first off a ride and an employee is at the exit gate and opens it, I thank them there too.

It's a two way street. I'm not some pompous dickwad expecting a kid making a couple bucks an hour to personally kiss my royal ass all day long. Just look like you're having fun, make me feel welcome - basically do your job - and I'll gladly return the kindness.

Interestingly enough, I said that in response to LK (then dexter) talking about how he always thanks park employees.

Hopman said:

I think I've watched it 37 times.

Yeah? Well, try not to watch it any more on your way out to the parking lot!

LK, I've gotta agree with you on thanking park employees at other parks. I've found myself doing that on quite a few seperate occasions. On my trip to SFNE, I had a nice little chat with a guy who's doing garbage. As you know, that's what I did at CP. Well, I told him and thanked him for keeping the park so clean. I think I made his day, if not his week.

Yeah, I'd love to tip bigger as well. I did a stint as a pizza delivery guy for about a year. I remember on rainy Saturday, I had an taken an order for a small house pie, total order value, about $12. Well, I get to the house and the guy hands me a $20 and says keep the change. He gave me an 80% tip! That made me grin all day. :)

Then again, there are times I wish I could've tipped a customer as well. One crazy snowy day, I got stuck in a customer's driveway. He and his buddies saw what was up and helped get my van unstuck.

In any CS job there are four types of customers: good, bad, ugly, & other.

I always thank park and other CS employees too. I have had park employees thank me for being polite to them and tell me that they wish more customers treated them that way. Most of my jobs have been as a delivery driver to grocery and convenience stores and as an Admin. Asst., so I have dealt with customers a lot. To have a customer be nice to me while I was working went a long way toward boosting my morale.