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2018: Park Operations & Ride Availability

DistortAMG said:
As the launch system charges over a period of time, there is no sudden power demand and spike, as there would be on say a LSM or LIM launch system. Which are far more power hungry, and demand huge current at launch time. Completely different to Rita and the way all hydraulic launches work. The hydraulic launch system is far far more suited to somewhere like Alton, where power can be an issue. Hence why we have a hydraulic and not a LSM/LIM launch ride at Alton.
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A good chunk of LSM/LIM coasters use flywheels to prevent the huge current demanded by those launches.
 
‘Interestingly’ (maybe that’s not the right word) in Merlin’s half years results presentation they have specifically highlighted recruitment of housekeeping and F&B staff at Alton Towers as an issue due to the local competition.

I suspect people would rather take a job close to where they live for minimum wage instead of having to pay petrol/bus fare to schlep out to the middle of knowhere for the same wage.
 
@AT86 How do they staff buses work these days? (presumably they still exist?)

With unemployment as low as it is, I am sure Alton do struggle more than others due to their location.
 
I'm sure l read on a thread here that housekeeping are (or were) moved on zero-hour contracts and benefits were reduced. Perhaps poor morale is a factor in staff retention.
 
Rick said:
@AT86 How do they staff buses work these days? (presumably they still exist?)

With unemployment as low as it is, I am sure Alton do struggle more than others due to their location.
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I've looked and it's a somewhat pricey staff bus

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No wonder they're having recruitment problems, not only do they pay minimum wage but they charge their employees for the privilage of working for them, next they'll be charging them for their uniforms.

*For the record when I left school I had a job in cleaning, we would do several different offices over the course of a shift, I was picked up from a collection point along with everybody else and we were driven to each location, never were we charged for this, or asked to contribute to it, so this relatively modern system of charging employees for stuff that should be provided free is utter horseshit and should be outlawed - in fact I think it was, until a few years ago.
 
@IanSR Whaaaaattttttt? They offer subsidised travel! My minimum wage staff pay over an hour's wage to travel in each day, that's real life!

Given the scale of the operation, offering free transport would have a significant cost associated with it that I am not sure would make sense unless retention really suffered.
 
Cost won’t be the only factor, I guess the frequency of the buses and the locations they serve will come into it too.

I believe the buses are quite restrictive in terms of where they actually serve. That will have an impact on whether it is viable for someone to be able to take a job at AT.
 
and I bet your minimum wage employees just love working for you.

As I said, I was given free transport when I first started in the working world, this practice of charging employees for stuff is relatively new.

Rick said:
Given the scale of the operation, offering free transport would have a significant cost associated with it that I am not sure would make sense unless retention really suffered.
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Well yup, they're complaining about a lack of staff.... while charging said staff... not rocket science...
 
The issue is the instability in the hours, with closed days and 10-4 days they are often only offering 20hrs a week and there is no real warning what hours staff will get. Why stay in an unstable environment with a long commute when you can work in Nando’s in Hanley.
 
IanSR said:
and I bet your minimum wage employees just love working for you.
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I haven't lost one yet! None of them have the expectation I am going to pay for their Oyster or diesel though!

IanSR said:
As I said, I was given free transport when I first started in the working world, this practice of charging employees for stuff is relatively new.
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I don't doubt you got it for nothing, but I put it to you that isn't the norm. For sales assistants, baristas, bar staff etc who live in the suburbs, how many do you think get free travel on buses, the tube, trams etc - not many, I'd suggest.

IanSR said:
Well yup, they're complaining about a lack of staff.... while charging said staff... not rocket science...
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True, but there are cheaper and more effective ways to deal with it largely because I think the reasons that @Dave outlined are more damaging to retention.

(Dave - the home of witty banter and logic. But not football).
 
Back in the day, you were often forced into the mill owners shop, buying overpriced goods on credit, and the payments were taken from your wages before you got your pay packet.
What was left was sometimes paid to you in shop tokens if you were in debt to the firm due to shop credit.
The mill owner also usually owned your house as well.
 
rob666 said:
Back in the day, you were often forced into the mill owners shop, buying overpriced goods on credit, and the payments were taken from your wages before you got your pay packet.
What was left was sometimes paid to you in shop tokens if you were in debt to the firm due to shop credit.
The mill owner also usually owned your house as well.
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Well it wasn't that long ago that Towers converted a few buildings - disused Mills I believe - in Leek into staff accommodation (in partnership with a private firm). These were rented out to seasonal staff (unsure if Towers paid for the accommodation & made deductions from pay, or if the employees paid the private company direct). Towers laid on staff transport for which they charged the staff - think the main reason behind the transport was to provide semi-reliable transport to get the staff to the park in time for their shifts. Towers could probably have paid the staff in tokens** redeemable at bars in Leek / Hanley / taxis between the two - would have suited most down to the ground!

** And by tokens, in this case I do not mean £ Sterling!
 
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