FOX 8 NEWS story about Read to Succeed Passes
(And in my opinion...forget about the tickets, which were handed out free. Reading shouldn't be a task you do just to "earn" stuff, anyway...it should be something you do because you come to enjoy it and actually *want* to do because it's fun and makes you feel good. That's like paying someone to get good grades in school).
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~Lee~
Group Sales ATL '01
Group Sales TL '02
Park Admissions Zone 5 Supervisor '03
Park Admissions Supervisor '04
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"The greatest leaders don't take credit for their actions; they don't have to."
If the kids want to use the tickets, their parents can take them to Wyandot Lake, Darian Lake or SFGaM.
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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
http://www.sixflags.com/press/articlereadtosucceed.asp
Give me a break! Yeah, Cedar Fair made the decision, but it was probably the right decision. They don't get much out of taking these tickets, and the extra spending by parents probably isn't worth the hassle.
Oh, and the page says one and a half million. I am not sure if I misheard the figure on the news, or if they overstated the amount of tickets given out. Or maybe the program was scaled back this year.
-Sam
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Avalanche Run - My first Roller Coaster.
Magnum XL-200 - The BEST Roller Coaster!
Why not offer to exchange the coupon for a "twilight" ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket? If you want to limit it make it available to anyone living in certain zip codes and require proof. 3.5 million does sound like a lot but let's be honest about how many of those would even visit Geauga Lake. Let's say it was 200,000 (which is probably a high number). Then it seems more doable.
Of the 200,000, how many of them actually intend to go? Let's say half. 100,000. Now, how many of them might not have otherwise gone to the park if it weren't for the reading program? Let's say half again. Now you are dealing with 50,000 tickets. If every one of those people redeems the coupon and an adult buys a ticket you are talking gate revenue of more than $1,000,000 that you might have not otherwise received. (Not too mention food, games, merchandise, etc.)
Plus...and this is the catch point, you would have avoided the bad PR that has been generated and there is no way to figure out how much that COST you.
I just don't buy the arguments unless there is more to the story that we don't know.
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"You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world...but it requires people to make the dreams a reality."
3.5 million tickets at 25 bucks is 87.5 million worth of freebies. SF might not be in bad shape if they could add all of that to their bottom line. I guess it's just a difference in philosophy. SF believes in giving out freebies and running their parks at bare minimum capacity, hoping that people will spend money while CF goes out of their way to create a place that people are willing to pay for. People are willing to pay for quality products.
-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew
2003 Magnum Crew
2004 Magnum ATL
Of those 56K, how many of them would not have attended the park unless they got this certificate? Maybe half? So now 28,000 kids are exchanging for a free entrance but their parents/guardians are going to have to buy a ticket when they otherwise likely wouldn't have either.
So maybe they lose $1,000,000. Now that the bad press has gone nationwide was it really worth it? If they had been PROACTIVE this would be a story about how the new owners value their customers and support the effort to teach children to read. Unfortunately, that isn't the story now.
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"You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world...but it requires people to make the dreams a reality."
*** This post was edited by Chief Wahoo 4/20/2004 3:36:07 PM ***
The reading program is a TRADEMARKED program designed by six flags. It's not good business to copy such programs. I think CF will do everything possible to say SIX FLAGS IS GONE. The sign will say UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. Get used to new better things at Geauga Lake. Give them time to do their job. And that is we cater to our guests. The season pass thing I'm almost sure will change in 2005. Remember most large companies work on a fiscal calendar. It's going to take at least a year to get the park up to CF standards.
newt said:
Well if they were told they cold use them at any SF park including WOA then they were lied to.
Well now that it is no longer WoA and is now GL who lied?
I am also glad that the number of tickets made CF have a legitimate reason for not honoring SF's deal.
Now my question is: In the read to succeed program, is only one ticket given out, or is it enough for your entire family to get in for free?
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Beer and golf Thursday thru Monday, Cedar Point & beer, Tuesday and Wednesday
*** This post was edited by Browntggrr 4/20/2004 7:11:07 PM ***
When you buy another company, you almost always take the bad (liabilities, problems) with the good (assets, customers.) Cedar Fair should honor the tickets -- consider it one of the "bads" that came with the package. It's not like SF gave these out AFTER the announcement...
The whole thing is very "un-Cedar Fair-like". Quite petty IMO. They deserve the bad press! It's almost like they're going out of their way to alienate people right off the bat. If their goal is to shut it down, they're doing a great job...
BTW, if they're going to ignore everything "Six Flags", then at least be consistent -- don't allow folks to exchange SFWoA season pass vouchers for GL passes. Make them pay the $59.95 even though they bought the SFWoA pass for $49.95. Let them deal with SF for a refund of their $49.95.
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Hey, I heard a rumor that Millennium Force is sinking...
THEN -- let CF deal with the issues once the park is sold.
Hah. I heart CF so I'd never do that, but I think it's funny.
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"Hmm. . .we don't have anything like that. . .but I can give you this comment card."
Shouka was an imposter anyway, .....see ya!
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"Hire me Kinsel, I'll solve all your new problems"
Avalanche Sam said:
Looks like Six Flags is trying to blame Cedar Fair for dissapointing these kids:http://www.sixflags.com/press/articlereadtosucceed.asp
Give me a break! Yeah, Cedar Fair made the decision, but it was probably the right decision. They don't get much out of taking these tickets, and the extra spending by parents probably isn't worth the hassle.
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Dude, relax.
I read the statement that you linked to by SF, and in no way did anything in that statement put down CF for not honoring these tickets. I am sure they put this statement out because they were getting phonecalls regarding this.
They basically said that this decision was made by Cedar Fair (which it was) and not them. What is wrong with that? They don't want the bad press if they didn't make this decision, would you?
*** This post was edited by Chitown 4/20/2004 9:43:47 PM ***
Chief Wahoo said:
So maybe they lose $1,000,000. Now that the bad press has gone nationwide was it really worth it?
Normally I tend to agree with you... but come on. Ask the average visitor to Dorney or Knott's what Cedar Fair is and they won't know. Furthermore this "story" will never appear anywhere outside of the Cleveland area. Even here, it'll blow over and no one will care.
A million bucks is a hell of a lot of money for a park that, under the old regime, was only clearing $9 million in profit in the first place.
It'll go away and no one will care.
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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?
CF wants people to come back to Geauga Lake after the park has floundered for a few years. Anything done to make people think twice about doing just that is a mistake in my opinion.
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"You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world...but it requires people to make the dreams a reality."
However, for those of you on here that have said that kids should read just because they like it, have you ever tried teaching children before?
I am an elementary school teacher and have to say that giving kids the desire to do things is not easy. Some kids do naturally like reading, but many others do not. Teachers work hard to reach kids with programs like this one. Children have many things competing for their time. Sometimes you have to give kids external awards to get them to try something new so that they will realize that they like it for its own sake. If they don't ever become people who like reading, at least they will have hopefully gotten some reading practice that will help them in their life.
Millenium Force is sinking too said:
If Cedar Fair did their due diligence, they knew these freebies existed and should have priced them into their offer
The same can be said for SF, since they knew about it, why did they not take money off the total selling price.
Of coarse, if they cared about the guest, they would have brought it up.
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Beer and golf Thursday thru Monday, Cedar Point & beer, Tuesday and Wednesday.
But I find it a little odd that about two weeks after this arguement hits a head over on CBuzz, a site that we all known is covered by the media occasionally, a local news station runs a story about it.
People fighting over this insignificant issue turned it into a major issue which has now shown up as bad press for the park even before it opened. Way to go folks ...
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Resident Launch Whore
--Brett
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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?
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