I don’t think it’s emotional though. At least, it’s not for me. I just don’t want my 256 units to fizzle out in price, or for the distribution to go away!

In my opinion, this hits the nail on the head. Many seem to be leading with their emotions on this topic. Even those who can’t really find fault in the concept DK described seem to be offended. For the record, “it’s not what he said, it’s the way he said it” = emotion, emotion, emotion.

My thoughts as I got caught up and skimmed through the thread this afternoon is that the reactions to DK seem to be very similar to those of Joe Paterno these days. You may not be following it, or even care over in Ohio, but Joe Pa’s been getting a lot of slack lately for his direct and somewhat gruff approach to explaining his coaching tactics to the media.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that as he started getting more and more terse and to the point, the public started grumbling that it was time for him to retire and move on. All of a sudden, things that really have been no different over time get a new type of light flashed upon them and the public reacts accordingly.

The connection may be a stretch, but connecting the dots and seeing patterns is how my mind works.

Read the thread on PointBuzz instead. That crowd is less coaster enthusiast and more Cedar Point enthusiast. I think there’s a real difference.

Jeff – Yeah, you’re definitely right. I still don’t think that thread is representative of what’s really happening in the parks. I think people are paying (leaving and finding food elsewhere is much more of a hassle than enthusiasts like to admit) and taking it in stride. I don’t think it’s the reason attendance is flat or down and food revenues appear to be growing.

All in all, I don’t see the problem.

You’re right to look at it from the business angle, and hell, we’ve been criticized for focusing too much on it with the podcast. But that angle isn’t simply “get as much money as possible.” There are other things to consider, like the quality of the product and the value perception of your customers. I mean, if you went to a hotel for a $200 room and it wasn’t ready until 5pm and it wasn’t that nice, you wouldn’t feel you were getting your money’s worth, right? Same thing applies to theme parks.

You pay up and roll with it, and I get that. But with attendance going nowhere, high gas prices and competition from things we wouldn’t have thought of ten years ago, it’s just not as simple as “charge a lot.” As Wal-Mart crazy as Americans are, I don’t think it matters if they’re enthusiasts or Joe Consumer.

Bottom line, as you very well know, it’s the internet and full of douches, and coaster enthusiasts tend to be one of the MOST whiney bunches!! (myself included at times)

A very small anecdotal example of the whole food (and prices) discussion that I’ve seen, is I was a manager at a movie theater for many years, which is a place with obviously astronomical prices. While many people would “beat the system” by getting kids tickets when they were adults and sneaking in food, etc., most customers and families would, indeed, pay the prices, whatever they were, and maybe complain about it, and sometimes sales trends (or lack thereof) would price-adjust if pricing was too high or out of line. Yet in the end, they still paid!

Ultimately, whether you pick and choose your times in threads to make a point, you still have the best “forum” there is with the podcast anyway. So I say, Godspeed!!

Btw, have you gone to IB yet? If not, the weather looks pretty damn good this weekend!!