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Why Six Flags is Failing..

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Post August 17th, 2009, 5:51 am

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Wow. This is some great stuff and a great look inside the management of SF. I'm looking forward to the next post.

Post August 17th, 2009, 5:58 am
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Damn dude. I'm planning on going there Saturday. Every time I'm planning on going, you post something like this. Maybe I'll go do something else instead. [lol]

This whole scenario sounds very familiar though. I work in the auto supply industry, and I've noticed the same things you mention. Squeezing that rock until it bleeds money, and treat everybody like poop during the process of all that squeezing. I'm beginning to think this has become the American way as far as business goes, because I hear this sort of thing from all sorts of people from different industries.

Post August 17th, 2009, 10:42 am

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How did you manage to survive it for 30 years? Has it always been like this, or has it been with recent managment?
The Best Ball Of Optimism and Neglect You Will Find For Miles!

Post August 21st, 2009, 11:22 pm

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I've always liked SFOT's operations. From talking to current and past employees, it's my understanding that the longer the person has worked there, the more they dislike about it, though.

I think I'll be going out there this weekend to ride my second coaster of the year. :)

Post August 21st, 2009, 11:30 pm

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Post August 22nd, 2009, 12:16 am

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This just showes how F'd up SF really is. I mean, comeon! Firing someone because she needed to use the restroom, or closed a ride for guest safety?!

If I werre in a very high position, theoretically, I would have fired the manager that fired those innocent employees.

Very much looking forward to the next post [:)]

Post August 22nd, 2009, 12:27 am

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Hmmm, I've never seen this at SFSL, the employees seem happy, the rides do get stuck on the lift, but a lot of the time some dumb ass had a camera. All my life, I've seen Mr. Freeze valley once, (I was next in line for that train too). I've talked to the employees, and they seem happy, the managers are nice. There was an incident once where after it rained during the beginning of the year where some employees were sent home for the day due to and extremely low park attendance at the time, but they did get payed for the full shift (one of the s:top ops who were getting sent home decided to ride SE with me after they opened the coasters back up, I was right in the middle of the conversation between him and the manager). I'm not really knowing about too much detail, beings I don't go there every day [lol].

Post August 22nd, 2009, 12:35 am

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Great and I was planning to work at SFOT next year.

Post August 22nd, 2009, 1:36 am

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Originally posted by riccoaster

Great and I was planning to work at SFOT next year.

You better obtain some swagger, because if its really as bad as SFF says it is, your gonna have to f**k your way to the top.
The Best Ball Of Optimism and Neglect You Will Find For Miles!

Post August 22nd, 2009, 11:54 pm

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I'm suprised people even apply for the job at SF.

I feel someone needs a spanking, the one who's responsible for all this BS.

Post August 23rd, 2009, 12:25 am

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Sff, is there any chance that you're over-exaggerating at a
few parts of this? I mean... If the park was truely as God awful as you say, why would employees still be working?

Either way, shame shame shame on six flags...
Just keep scrolling...

Post August 23rd, 2009, 1:56 am

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I have been to SFOT many times over the past years. Every time i go i see that the employees are just not happy at all. I really applaud SFF for writing this article because it gives me and the rest of us insight to some really important issues that SF has right now. With the whole keep your mouth shut about issues and dont deny a rider a ride is what is making the employees not enjoy their job. And it is really sad to see employees only stay at their job because it is money on the table. I use to think that Six Flags employees had the best job and that it would be the best job ever, but now i dont know if its the best thing for me to do. And word of mouth is really strong and i think that it is gonna start to spread.

Post August 23rd, 2009, 3:00 am
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I would have to agree with SixFlagsFiesta about this issue.

From my own personal experience at SFGam in Chicago:

1) I do not understand if the park opens at 10am why the County Fair area (about 1/3 of the park) is closed until 11am causing long lines at the major rides in the New Orleans and Southwest Territory areas right from the start of the day.

2) The employees seem more interested is checking their phones for text messages and chatting among themselves instead of doing their job.

3) Most if not all of the small rides are short staffed to 1 person operation. Let in too many people on ride causing delays while they have to get the extra people out of the ride area.

4) They have instituted a no carry on item policy (articles must be left with a non-rider including drinks or you must use the $1 pay lockers) in lines for major coasters but they will sell you drinks while in line.

5) The children?????????s area is short staffed, so that the few ops they have must rotate between rides by closing one and opening another.

The worst offense I have had was while in line for Dark Night. (1.5 hour wait) I saw some people line jump. I brought it to the attention of the staff. My group and the line jumpers were removed from the line and escorted to security to file the complaint. After our complaint was done (approximately 1/2 hour) we were escorted back to the ride. I expected that SF would follow their own policy and evict the line jumpers from the park but to my surprise they to were escorted back to the ride and I ran into they several times in the park later that day. So much for enforcing policy.
If you are going to make a scene, be seen.

Post August 23rd, 2009, 2:53 pm

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You are right about the phone situation, i always see them on their phone. And they really don't like for people to ask them questions at all.

Post August 23rd, 2009, 3:02 pm

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Originally posted by coasterpimp

I've talked to the employees, and they seem happy, the managers are nice.


This doesn't surprise me, and this shouldn't surprise you if you've ever had a job. Bottom line, regardless of the mood of the employee, customer satisfaction is their priority and they'll surely be displaying happiness and jolly as long as the park-goers are catching a positive drift.

...this means even if they want to kill themselves and their manager because of job hatred [;)]

Post August 23rd, 2009, 3:55 pm

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I have never seen this any of this a Magic Mountain. The only complaint I have is that the actual people that go there are assholes and don't give a f**k about the park. But I always see the big bad guys get caught, not the small little pot smokers that move about the park, getting high before riding, and that the park smells like smoke 24/7. So maybe an enhancement in security and beautification is a must, but everything else seems fine. Fast and Calm dispatch time's (Not Superman, not sure about X2 or Term.) for almost all the rides, don't really give people something to jump lines for (not that they can, because there's always a angry mom that will kill anybody that lined jumped).

Except for rainy days. Once it rained hard for 10mins, and the only rides that remained open where Batman and Riddler ( 1 train for the rest of the day) and after 2 hours of nothing; Viper(2 trains) Revolution(1 train then 2 trains) Goldrusher(1), and Tatsu (2) opened up for the rest of the night. I say they buy a a giant disk that blocks the sun, like the one in the Simpsons. But besides all that, I have never seen anything bad like what you have said.

But I take your word for everything. I just hope they can recover, along with the rest of the country...............................Obama
Sometimes you gotta sacrifice a little bit of yourself to get the job done.

Post August 23rd, 2009, 5:08 pm

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Originally posted by SixFlagsFiesta

So they are just hanging on in the hopes that someone will make a difference.


make way for super mike?
Making screams come true

Post September 1st, 2009, 9:35 pm

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Post September 2nd, 2009, 12:01 pm

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I'm not an employee of Six Flags, or ever worked for them. But I always thought that there was a union for the workers. The workers should have had a union since the beginning.And I know Six Flags employs way over 100 worker. No medical benefits....no raises? WTF!!!!!

And the thing you mentioned about the girl who needed to go to the bathroom made no F*&^in' sense! And she gets fired over it.I live in NJ and have been to SF Great Adventure many times this year,and I didn't notice anything wrong, but I guess that's here and not at SFOT. But it's an invisible wall of pain that I guess exists. There needs to be protection for the workers, and it doesn't matter how long a worker has been there, they should all have the same tags,same uniform.

I work in an industry that's a bit similar...the tour bus industry. We both deal with guests,visitors,whichever way you wanna call it. I drive a bus and I'm in a union, but so are the tour guides,ticket agents, etc!

Both industries deal with guests, both deal with saftey,and when you look at it, both industries have gone through changes. And my company employs well over 500 workers, and is a well known company in the tour bus industry. A bunch of you and the workers need to stand up, get together, and organize to enter a local union. And there are alot of unions to check out around the country. But this needs to be in ALL Six Flags theme parks. ONce you have more than 50, or even 100 workers that ban together, you can make waves! But I also understand that alot of SFOT and other workers in other parks might be afraid to commit to installing a union, and that's ok. What's needed is support. People who have had enough and who want change.And when you have something like that happen, there's very little the people at the top can do. It's about job security, it's about workers being treated fairly, so that someone doesn't get fired for having to go to the bathroom, or having to shut down a ride because if saftey issues and end up getting fired. I knew that something was wrong with a ride, and I went to top management and told them, and they say to me continue to operate it whether I was the one operating it, or someone else, I would report it to the state. Here in NJ, they are strict when it comes to amusement park rides ever since SFGA had that fire back in the early 80s and also the accident where someone fell out of the lightning loops rollercoaster because the saftey bars weren't properly checked.

Post September 2nd, 2009, 2:49 pm

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I dont see that at the Great Escape, the Six Flags near me. Our park closes the rides over nothing like someone on boomerang who thought they were going to fall out of the lift their first ride. I know I felt the same way, but i trust our park, mabey its a smaller park and thats why, cause i felt i saw the same thing at SFNE. It was pouring and windy and the Sky Coaster was still operating. They dont seem to put the same amount of thought into ride safety. It totally depends on the park!

Post September 2nd, 2009, 4:10 pm

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Some of the stuff i would like to hear about would be has SF done anything to update their current situation. How is the attendance for the year, and if its low what are they having to cut to make sure they dont lose too much money? But other than that i really like the way you have been going on your stories. Just general stuff like that would suffice.

Post September 8th, 2009, 11:13 pm

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I like six flags tho well they should add some more roller coasters over here at laronde. But Beside that I pretty much like it

Post September 9th, 2009, 10:58 pm

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ReallY? EMT Basics (not Paramedics) are so cheaply paid...I know, Im an EMT in training right now. Had class tonight. In Ohio, they make a measly 7 bucks an hour helping to save lives, keep people from dieing, bringing people back to life or keeping them from life altering spinal injuries.

And they cant afford to keep just a few EMT Basics on duty? They would at least provide enough treatment to keep the patient feeling ALRIGHT, give em some oxygen, (cant suture...but they could start to prep the laceration) and other basic things while they call for ALS.

LAME!

Thats a HUGE WTF!

Post September 10th, 2009, 12:08 am

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I think it's a good thing that SFF has put insight into this "behind the scenes" view. There is a lot of eye opening information that really makes you take a step back and wonder "what are they thinking?!?!?!".

I have friends who still work at the park and all of them have different mixed feelings on their jobs/performance. Many of them still cling to the fact that 5+ years of service would lead to something bigger and better and it still has yet to happen, but then someone with 3 months worth of time in the company gets put to the top right away promotion-wise, which isn't right unless they totally, ultimatley out-performed everyone 100% of the time...and that doesn't happen too often.

My philosophy from working for Six Flags was that "first-year" promotions were just kind of frowned upon (by me at least). It took me 2 years to be promoted, and part of it was by choice because I wanted to make sure I was well-rounded with protocol and procedures to be a role-model for other employees. In most cases, they were in desperate need of people and promotion became "whoever applied and is competent will get the job"...in those cases there's not much choice, but that was more towards the end of the season anyways as people went back to school and what not.

Overall, employee relations is just as important, if not a little more important than customer service in some aspects. You want the guests to have a good time, but on the same token, you have to keep your employees happy so that they can stay committed to guest satisfaction. It seems that sometimes the negative reflection from the employees could be considered a direct result of less than par treatment from management themselves....the same ones who then reprimand later because your guest interaction was crap, especially when that same manager yelled at you eariler in the day because you didn't "rotate" fast enough and person X had to be signed out 1 minute later then scheduled.

Post September 11th, 2009, 12:59 am

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I feel if SF keeps this up, then within 10 years or so, customer service will be down so far, parks will be too far in debt and will have to close down [:(]

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