$3.00 20oz are back

We went to the show to see star wars last week, and they wanted $12.50 for the so called "value meal". And they even had the nerve to put on the sign that you are saving 50 cents by buying the combo.

Soda is a very cheap item to produce, as to why the markup on it is so much I will never know. Whenever we go to the show for now on, we are smuggeling our own pop in.

I don't understand why everyone is so adament about not drinking from the water fountains. It's better for you, it hydrates you more, and, best of all, it's free. Why put out $3.00 for something with a lot of sugar and empty calories when you could be drinking something a lot healthier and more hydrating for free?

Am I the only one seeing the lack of logic in this arguement?

But wait, Sunday at Geauga Lake they charged me for a small ice water. Didn't someone say that they're free?

i don't see it as a big problem to lose 20 to 30 minutes of a long day to get drinks from our van. the idea for me is when it's time to go outside, we just start heading for the lot. along the way, we hit the fountains to tide us over. if wildcat, raptor or demon drop aren't crowded, we catch a ride on the way to the front. sometimes going outside and leaving the stimulation for a few is refreshing. if i only went to cedar point once a year, maybe i'd pay the price to maximize my time. over a season, this may save me $400-$500. i can afford to spend that but i just can't break down and do it. i'm an old, retired eccentric who is tight.

servo said:
...not when you compare it to the $3.50 bottles of water and the $7.00 LITE BEER (yes, SEVEN DOLLARS) at United Center in Chicago.

LOL! I was there for a Bulls game about a month ago, and my dad had bought one of the $7 beers. Before he could sit down and or ever take a sip of it, a guy, sliding his way down to his seat, knocks it over. Haha.

As for the guessing game-- it is called a profit. That is not gouging.

The $3 soda is gouging-- couldn't be more than a couple of cents for the park to buy 20 oz worth of pop. The price of soda has not risen so much (like gas has) to have to increase the price so dramatically.

If I'm thirsty, I buy it. At the same time, I think it sucks and I curse at the machine, like its doing any good. That goes for the candy bar machines too. I can't resist Reeses Pieces.

While I'm talking about the candy, did they used to have the larger size bars and bags early last season? I thought they were a higher price in June, but it was the bigger bag of Reeses. When I went back in July, I think the price was lower, but when I pressed that button, dinky little 50 cent size bag.

CPLurker said:
Remember back in the 70's and early 80's when the place looked like crap?

I have to say I don't know what you are talking about here. I've been going to CP since the early 60's and I never remember it looking like crap in the 70's and 80's. It was always very clean and very well maintained, and I have plenty of pictures that show that.

If they would drop the prices of a bottle of pop to $1.50 would it really make them less money overall? I know that they would have to foot the bill for more trash removal and the employees would have to stay on top of emptying the trash cans more often, but seriously the volume that they would sell would probably quadruple what they sell now.

I doubt very much that what you are saying is true. It's just basic economics, and a place like CP carefully monitors it's revenue and profits. You will most likely sell more soft drinks at $1.50, but the revenue will probably be less then what is brought in by selling less of the $3.00 soft drinks. If that is not true, than the price will drop again very soon. It's happened in the past.

If the price stays at $3.00 all season, then you know they have maximized revenue at that price point. I wouldn't be surprised if it stays at $3.00, since most entertainment venues are actually charging more.

Im more interested in the $6.00 20oz. Bud Light...not much of a pop drinker. I was at a club last week downtown, and a 12oz. Bud Light was $3.50...and a 12 oz. beer (domestic) at the movie theater is $4.00.

It's fair when you put it into perspective with other "entertainment" prices.

I'll pay $3 for water if I'm really thirsty and the lines at the counter service places are long, but otherwise, I generally don't bother. I rarely drink anything else.

Amusingly, at WDW I buy much more bottled water, even though you get free ice water there, too, and in much larger cups. Part of that is that I can often find a counter service place at CP with no line, but find that hard to do at WDW when I'm there, and I'm not willing to wait behind Joe Sixpack and his 2.4 kids while he decides if he wants the hamburger or the cheeseburger. Part of it is also the fact that WDW water tastest like swamp water to me, even heavily iced. Yuck.

Walt said:
Holiday World being the exception, there are other amusement parks that charge similar prices for drinks. I just don't see how this is somehow a special case above and beyond the typical price gouging that happens at any amusement venue.

I don't think that matters though. I mean, this is a CP site, and it's obvious that too many of the site's visitors never go anywhere else.

Bottom line, "par for the course" doesn't mean anyone should roll over and accept it.

While we are on the subject:

On sunday I was in line at the Happy Frier by the Gemini and I witnessed a family of 5 stop for pop, and Fries and the total of the bill was around $54.00.

FOR POP AND FRIES PEOPLE! out of hand.

Just like the new Regal theatre in Westlakes "Crocker PArk" tickets are $9.00 Popcorn starts @ $4.75 and pop starts @ $4.25\ REDICULOUS everywhere.

Last time I looked it was 2005, not 1975, '65, '55, or etc.

I bet back in 1925 people were bitchin about 10 cent beers and 15 cent hotdogs.

"10 cents for a beer?!!" "That's outrageous!!" "We're getting gouged!"

In 25 years people will be crying about $50.00 Soylent Green! :)

$9 for a movie is still better than we have it in Toledo. It's $9.75 here, and I've heard it'll be $10 by the middle of summer. Popcorn and pop are about the same prices as mentioned above. Of course, National Amusements has a stranglehold on this town and can charge anything they want to. I just don't go to movies anymore, unless I can score an extra media pass ticket from my friend who reviews movies for a newspaper.

Anyhoo, sorry to get off subject, just wanted to rant about that.

For the cool leather seat showing, its $12.75/ticket, sometimes thats the most convenient time to see it so you end up paying almost $13/ticket. It usually coster about $40 for 2 people to see a movie (including beverage/snack).

I can go to Walgreens or CVS and get 3 two-liter cokes for $3....lol.

Supply and Demand. I'm sure you've heard of it. They'll charge the most they can get away with. If everybody stopped buying it, the prices would likely fall until it started selling again at acceptable levels.

MrScott

...And we have seen that happen with the pop machines at CP. Unfortunately, the impact of the high price doesn't really show up until (a) school lets out and the school groups quit coming, and (b) the weather gets really hot and (c) the crowd gets a bit bigger. Then when the pop sales don't take off with the temperature, we sometimes see the price drop a little.

That said, unless it drops a lot, I won't be buying any.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Not to get too much off topic, but since tax is not included in the 3.79 for an order of fries, with tax it comes to 4.06. I mean why not round it off somehow to make it a little bit easier? And why not include the tax in the price this year like all other years? Most people do not carry change around so they will probably hand them a 5, 10, or 20, meaning they have to count all that out plus 94 cents in change, I mean come on, in the summer that will cause the lines to be longer cause you will sit there and watch them have to count out all the change.

And you have a better chance of dropping coins while on rides, instead of bills...thus increasing profits even more...

OK, I'm kidding about that last part...sorta...seems I remember CP donates all coin found in foutains and such to charity. At least they will benefit from the tax law change (which is what I think is the real reason for the change this year).

MrScott