News: Cedar Fair staffing decisions expected to take time

I suspect that in some markets (PGA specifically) they could do just fine with a more relaxed look. I was at PGA a couple of weeks ago, and one of the first things I noticed was that the crowd there was much more hip than your average CP crowd, or even KBF. MUCH more. It was a really fun vibe!

Jeff,
They have the same thing at Disney. It was nice to not have to worry about cash the entire time we were there. Could go from park to park (swiping it each time, didn't need to get hand stamps) and the card let us buy whatever we wanted, even at "midway" carts.

Do they check for ID or have any sort of security in place for that system?

There are limits and you have to sign, just like a credit card. You can also lookup the charges on the Lodgenet thing on the TV.

No, but I wasn't that worried about it. It is backed by a credit/debit card but nothing is charged to it until the end of your stay when you sign the bill. We actually lost ours on the last day of our trip (long story, not fun to think about) and we were able to get the lost passes canceled at the park so no one could use them. We didn't have to go running around for it. I believe we could have put "check id" on the passes, so that they would have to, but we didn't bother with it.

That's a good system, except for the lack of ID check. But, its not like anyone ever asks for ID with a credit card these days anyway. :(

I have check id on my cards, and it still never gets checked. It is amazing how many times the cashier will look at the signature line and still doesn't check my id.

Jeff said:
I know the park is hesitant to spend money on big infrastructure changes, but with 1,400 rooms, how awesome would it be that the kids can go do their thing and get food when they want, without having to give them a wad of cash?

Will that help the bottom line?

It certainly could. There is soem evidence that people spend more when they aren't actually handling cash.

Of course it would! I've seen it in action and it encourages spending. Heck, extend that program to season passes, and charge up juniors pass so he'll spend more money at the park. Season pass holders are notorious for bringing down the per cap spending, so give them a reason to spend more!

And you're right, Brian, that some research (admittedly by Mastercard and Visa) shows that since debit cards came along, people do more impulse buying.

Debit cards are particularly nice for prompting impulse buying, more so than credit cards...because with the debit card, the bill is already paid. There is no gigantic bill at the end of the month. And the banks are doing their part to encourage it as well, as they find reasons not to supply you with monthly statements anymore. Just direct-deposit your paycheck, use your debit card like crazy, and we'll tell you when the money is gone.....

A little scary, isn't it?!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Here's something that's even better: look at the order in which your transactions made on the same day clear. If your bank is shadythey will always clear: most expensive to least expensive debits, followed by credits. That way, if you do run out of money, the largest number of transactions bounce!

RideMan said:

A little scary, isn't it?!

You have no idea.

Brian Noble said:
most expensive to least expensive debits, followed by credits.

I argued with my bank about that once. The bank manager tried to convince me that the policy was for the good of customer because they assume the biggest check is the most important. It was tough not to laugh at him, especially given the fact they don't have the same policy with credits!

I never got blindsided with bounces by that rule, but I still switched banks because of it.

You guys are right about banks. They really do stick it to you. For a while I was trying to keep the absolute minimum in my checking account (I use the high interest online savings accounts like HSBC, Presidential, or ING to keep most of my cash reserves), but then they burned me by posting the debits before the credits like you were saying above and I learned my $32 lesson. Now I keep some "padding" in there just for cases like that.

I totally think CP needs to explore something like the resort charge card or season pass debit card. For a long time they've seen technology as a burdon, but they need to realize it can be an asset and a way to grow revenue. I'm thinking that maybe this Paramount merger might help with getting some of the CF folks up to speed with what technology can do for them. Season pass processing would be a glaring example. Start with that and then really work up to the 21st century with debit season passes, resort charge cards, and real time line length display boards to distribute crowds! :)

If I'm a dumbass, my bank charges me $7 and transfers money out of my credit card for whatever amount it needs at the end of the day.

And what does your CC charge you for a cash advance?

Mine says "Bend over and take it" for cash advances.

The card doesn't charge me anything. It's the same bank.