Another "Everything He Touches Dies" Guy: The Deep-Sixing of Six Flags

[Grokenstein]

A new CEO with a bold plan to drive participation down by jacking up prices and slashing personnel? That sounds familiar.

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St Louis, Six Flags New England, Six Flags America, and Six Flags Mexico. All amusement parks and theme parks in danger of closing due to poor management from the Six Flags CEO and corporate. After reporting their Q3 Six Flags 2022 earnings report, Six Flags stockholders have been shell shocked and the future of Six Flags looks dim. Will Six Flags survive?

[moniss]

1. I was way over this

many years ago when I was convinced to go by some relatives. After we stood in line 45 minutes for a 3 minute or so ride I knew I would never be back.

[bamagal62]

2. This.

It’s a wonder Disney survives, because it’s possibly even worse. I went to 6 Flags once in 2010, never went back. It was a nightmare.

[Maraya1969]

4. Disney has a way to "reserve" your place in line now. It makes things a lot better.

[Zeitghost]

13. Disney has always had that

They just charge for it now.

[Coventina]

5. The crucial difference with Disney is,

you can spend the day in the park, never get on a ride, and have a great time.

In fact, not rushing around to get on rides makes it even better.

I suspect that 6 Flags does not offer such an experience.

[Demsrule86]

6. Disney fired their CEO and hired the former guy to fix what Six Flags i doing now.

[Trenzalore]

8. Disney parks are doing great

The streaming service is hemorrhaging money which is what led to the CEOs ouster.

[Demsrule86]

11. No the parks are not doing that well. They have nickel and dimed guests and done the cut in the

the line for rich kids which is unAmerican if you ask me. Some idiots are renting kids in wheelchairs so they can get in the line first...it is a mess which is why the CEO is now gone...he f'd up and badly everywhere.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/11/21/disney-theme-parks-price-hikes-and-ride-failures-angered-customers-ahead-of-bob-chapek-departure-ceo/?sh=477fd6137cc5

[Trenzalore]

12. They are making money

[Xolodno]

16. They are doing pricing completely wrong.

Not that surprises me. I've had a few interviews with them over a couple of decades, when it comes to salary, we part ways...every...single...time. So they snag someone who is enthralled to work at Disney and accept the lower pay and without the experience. While the professionals walk away, my last interview with them about 8 months ago, they offered me 30k less when I could have got almost that amount in a raise by switching companies in the industry. I only took the interview because I thought they might actually pay the industry standard.

[ZonkerHarris]

18. They call it the Maus Haus for a reason

[Genki Hikari]

7. I don't know about now

But Six Flags used to have shows you could see and other side attractions that didn't involve rides. One of my former classmates was a performer in shows at the Dallas facility. That Six Flags also had a dance party every evening with a live DJ that was super-popular. Probably a 70s thing, but it's been a while, so I'm not sure exactly when that was.

When I went to Six Flags in San Antonio back in the late 90s/early 2000s, they were still doing the shows, plus there's a massive German beer hall type place that has its own special show. The Chicken Dance is one of the mainstays of that experience.

Whenever I go to amusement parks, I always took in at least one of the shows for the chance to get out of the sun and heat. Plus a chance to sit for a while.

[Sympthsical]

10. I have a Six Flags ten minutes down the highway from me

Every time I think about going or a friend asks, it's just . . . nah. There's no draw outside of the rides themselves, and you're often standing around otherwise. The place is right there - I pass it every time I drive to the office - and I just could not be less interested.

Now Disneyland I love going to. Even as an adult, it's a complete blast to go with friends, bounce around the park, just chill, and take in the nostalgia. They have their various fast pass systems where you make your appointment for a ride and then go do something else. With even light organization, you can do pretty much whatever you want to do.

There's no compelling reason to hang out at a Six Flags. Nothing particularly entertaining about the place itself. Stand, ride. Stand, ride. Stand . . . stand . . . stand.

It's not even that expensive. $70 for a season pass of unlimited admission to a park 10 minutes down the street. And it's still like, nah, I'm good.

[Maraya1969]

3. Charge more money as you make your product inferior. What a concept.

[Aristus]

15. Every newly-graduated MBA in recent history has done the same thing,

thinking it was a novel idea. They bounce into a boardroom and announce a new way to make more money: Cut costs by eliminating everything customers liked about the product or service in the first place, and then jack the prices on everything else.

[intheflow]

9. I haven't been to our local Six Flags since the '90s.

A day ticket is something like $30, so if I take my grandkids that’s over $100 before you get in the door, and you’re not allowed to bring outside food into the park and the food is awful and expensive. It’s already too expensive, raising prices again will kill the franchise.

[Initech]

14. Where do we find these assholes?

[Doremus]

17. Couldn't care less about them, not since they sold one of their nearby parks to Cedar Point

which in turn promptly shuttered it so as to eliminate the competition. The park they closed had a rich history dating back over 100 years and employed hundreds of locals.

Fuck Six Flags and Cedar Point. Neither one will ever see another cent of my money. They'll never know or care, but I will.