New ticketing system?

I heard we just get a RFID microchip planted in the back of our skulls that stores all the credentials we need to get in to the park.

jk

How does the current system account for employees?

Employees that come through the regular gates get scanned the same way the season passes do, and I assume the computer separates those numbers since season passes are counted by the computer.

All you need is a turnstile from the 1960's and a calculator to know how many people are in the park at any moment. The new system just gets you the data faster.

Maybe if they take the money that they are wasting on the new admission system and give it to the seasonal staff wage they might be able to really take care of a real problem.....STAFFING!

I wouldn't call the new admission system a waste. The park has needed technology upgrades in infrastructure for at least a few years now. Plus, I highly doubt that the money they're spending there would even put a dent on one weeks worth of wages.

IDK, it just doesn't seem right to throw money away at something that won't increase the bottom line. You have to admit it, better employees will bring in more paying customers, a new admission system won't.

Well, actually it might. If people remember the experience as being faster and "happier", so to speak, then they may be more willing to come. If you have to deal with slow, old technology on your vacation, well, how much fun is that?

Ok, you got me there, so I guess it is better to throw money at a gate system that you experience as a guest for only a moment instead of to your seasonal staff who have to deal with the guest all day. uh ok. NOT

Without getting into details, there were a lot of needless hassles for guests caused by the old admission system. I believe the new system will make those hassles go away.

You can't underestimate the importance of an up-to-date, efficient, easy to use infrastructure when it comes to an operation of something as big as Cedar Point. It is obvious from what others have said that this will improve efficiency at the gates, both for employees as well as guests.

Where did this kid come from?

Cedar Fair sells a pass you can use all over the chain. In order to realize that value, especially around Ohio, you need technology to facilitate it. They got it with the acquisition of Paramount Parks. It only makes sense to use it.

Wait, are you referring to me, Jeff?

I think he is referring to Thee Dog.

Technology is great and those types of advancements are important for a company to survive. All I ask is what is more important, good technology or great employees. Right now they are hiring anything that will fog a mirror. I'm sure you have noticed the change in seasonal employees over the last couple of years. We aren't all bad but our crew is only as good as the weakest link, and there were a lot of bad links out there last year and it's not going to get better with a crappy bonus program this year. They need to start paying more to the seasonal staff before upgrading systems that have been working fine for years.

I dunno but intraperitoneal euthanization at the pound doesn't sound like a bad idea.

huh?

You don't just pick one thing over another, employees or tech. You can achieve both under the right leadership.

To Thee Top Dog:

Just my personal opinion, but I think you need to look more at the big picture, rather than one part of the picture (one that obviously affects you and on which you have biased opinion). Sure it would help to hire better seasonal employees, or pay the existing ones more, but you can't just say that CP should do that instead of the new ticketing system. Did you think that they should do that instead of building Maverick, or Planet Snoopy, or adding Skyscraper to Challenge Park? My point is that are lots of things are done every year and they aren't done on a whim either, these things are a part of a plan, and there are factors of which most of us have no idea about which are considered before any action takes place.

If the seasonal employees are as bad as you say and are causing the problems you say they are, then I'm sure CP knows of this too, but it was decided that the ticketing system and other improvements were more important.

And like Jeff said, both can be achieved.

Tennessee_CP_Fan said:

If the seasonal employees are as bad as you say and are causing the problems you say they are, then I'm sure CP knows of this too, but it was decided that the ticketing system and other improvements were more important.

But knowing and caring enough to do something about it are two completely different things. Installing a new ticketing system is likely far less expensive than it would be to raise the base pay for employees for the entire summer. The fact of the matter is, over the past several years, the company has become more invested in their shareholders than in the rest of their stakeholders. Staffing is a huge problem, not just in numbers, but also in terms of who is hired.