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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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The familiar faces are on year round contracts for the most part, many only find out that they are being kept on over winter at the very end of the season.
Some get invited back for interview the following season, then get declined.
Many staff get laid off to make sure they do not get full time employee rights.
I would guess they lose about fifty percent of their lowest grade staff every year.
The engineering staff are not on minimum wage.
I agree its a good thing to want better conditions for your staff.
It is simply unrealistic to expect good basic wages for junior employees with a hard right employer in a ruthlessly staffed industry.
Not with that ice show to fund.
 
rob666 said:
The familiar faces are on year round contracts for the most part, many only find out that they are being kept on over winter at the very end of the season.
Some get invited back for interview the following season, then get declined.
Many staff get laid off to make sure they do not get full time employee rights.
I would guess they lose about fifty percent of their lowest grade staff every year.
The engineering staff are not on minimum wage.
I agree its a good thing to want better conditions for your staff.
It is simply unrealistic to expect good basic wages for junior employees with a hard right employer in a ruthlessly staffed industry.
Not with that ice show to fund.
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I think that fair pay, good working conditions and staff retention schemes should be a realistic ask. If that's not possible, perhaps BPB need to operate more efficiently as a business so that they can afford to do it. Both for fairness, and because happy staff = better morale = improved guest experience offered = repeat custom, good word of mouth = higher gate figures.

If BPB continue to operate like that behind the scenes, they'll never grow beyond the "dragging their heels" phase the park is in at the moment. New owner please.
 
Fair pay, good working conditions, rainbows every day and unicorns as free pets for everyone.
Absolutely agree...
But that won't keep mandy in Evokes, will it.
The Beach has operated like that for over a century.
It hasn't changed at all.
Welcome to capitalism.
At least there is a minimum wage now.
 
rob666 said:
Fair pay, good working conditions, rainbows every day and unicorns as free pets for everyone.
Absolutely agree...
But that won't keep mandy in Evokes, will it.
The Beach has operated like that for over a century.
It hasn't changed at all.
Welcome to capitalism.
At least there is a minimum wage now.
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Yes, but many people have already identified that BPB not responding to change is a major factor in the park underperforming. I'd argue that also applies to BTS operation.
 
By many people, you mean a bunch of moodie thoosies?
How were the recent financial figures again, I forget?
I know you could run it better, but I really don't think the power behind the scenes is going to listen.
Good luck with the buyout though.
 
Remember that the majority of people who claim that you should “support your local parks” are also the first to hightail it to Velvet Coaster (and their questionable employee treatment) when they want some lunch.
 
Rick said:
Would you support higher prices to enable it ?
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Difficult one. I think in this climate, even higher prices would drive custom away and further damage gate figures.

At this point, I think BPB needs a new owner to come in and invest heavily into infrastructure, operations, and marketing.

I cannot see the park becoming the thriving powerhouse it has the potential to be under the current ownership. It's limping along under a 'reduce costs, increase prices' strategy which is driving people away, because the cost is too high, and the customer experience is too poor.

5pm closes on most Saturdays so far this season is a prime example, rides not opening until midday, that's poor value for money. People won't pay. They aren't paying.

It needs an owner with the ability and ambition to invest heavily to bolster the park and drive for long term success as one of the world's best parks, not one who seems quite happy running the place into the ground and doing the bare minimum.

venny said:
Remember that the majority of people who claim that you should “support your local parks” are also the first to hightail it to Velvet Coaster (and their questionable employee treatment) when they want some lunch.
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Not guilty! I've been to Velvet after hours, but usually eat in the park for lunch.

The only times I don't eat in the park are sometimes on a 5pm close, but that's their issue, because they should be offering better opening hours than that on a Saturday! I'm not prepared to lose an hour for lunch on such a short day.

rob666 said:
By many people, you mean a bunch of moodie thoosies?
How were the recent financial figures again, I forget?
I know you could run it better, but I really don't think the power behind the scenes is going to listen.
Good luck with the buyout though.
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Oh no, I don't think I could run it better, ideally I'd love to see it purchased by the Mack family. The same way football fans criticise their team even though they themselves couldn't run it better.
 
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Always dreaded to think during the parks glory years under Geoffrey from the late 80s to late 90s how much the ride staff were on. When the park operated from 10am til whenever they felt like it. First two full big one trains of the day likely covered that rides staffing costs for the day.
 
Wages were made up with turnstile fiddles on cash and tickets, pushing two kids through the turnstile together in a single turn and pocketing the extra ticket/50p.
Other staff sold on scrap parts from the waste bins to pay for essential food and beer.
Pockets and waste bins were checked on a regular basis by management for "bounty".
Allegedly.
 
Coaster said:
Oh no, I don't think I could run it better, ideally I'd love to see it purchased by the Mack family. The same way football fans criticise their team even though they themselves couldn't run it better.
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I think Mellors would be a good fit.

They know how to run an amusement park. And they have plenty of rides at their disposal to constantly freshen up the ride line up, like PB used to do on a yearly basis in the last century.

Purely hypothetical though. Can't see the Thompson's loosening their grip unless they literally go bankrupt.



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rob666 said:
Correct.
The weekenders are arriving, the cheap weekday packagers are going home (spot all the coaches outside the hotels at the top end of the prom), so you get mainly daytrippers.
But as it is the school holidays...
And of course, it is donkeys day off.
No donkey rides in Blackpool on Fridays.
...all part of the above.
Edit...best day for the Beach in the holidays is usually Sunday, the park is often quiet until lunch, you can get all the coasters done in an early couple of hours.
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Cheers

we're only going wed-fri so i'll book it for the friday👍
 
How do people think a takeover of the park by another company will be financed? It would be a much larger loan than the park currently have and that debt would have to be funded, probably with cuts and price rises. Careful what you wish for.

I really don’t see a park buyout as a good thing, but if it does happen, money is on the Council.
 
Just noticed the park are now closing more rides earlier than the parks actual close time. (according to the maintenance page)

Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, Steeplechase, Dodgems, Convoy Ride, and the Gallopers will close 1 hour before the park closes on mid-week days.

I am assuming this is also during the holidays as it doesn't say it isn't.

That's added to already closing the rides in Nickelodeon land an hour earlier on all days.

So approximately half of all rides are now closing an hour earlier on most days.

It doesn't mention late openings but we all know that several rides also don't open till well after park opening.
 
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shakey said:
I think Mellors would be a good fit.

They know how to run an amusement park. And they have plenty of rides at their disposal to constantly freshen up the ride line up, like PB used to do on a yearly basis in the last century.

Purely hypothetical though. Can't see the Thompson's loosening their grip unless they literally go bankrupt.



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I’m not sure about Mellors being a good fit. They are doing a good job of running Fantasy Island but I’d question whether there are actually any plans to improve that park by building any more permanent thrill rides or large coasters there. Yes, they’ve invested inside the dome with Harrington Flint (which is excellent) and The Guardian (which unfortunately has some issues). But can you really see them building a ride to stand there alongside Odyssey and Millennium as a headline attraction?

And that’s the thing, what Blackpool needs is someone with the vision to create something pretty special there and with all due respect to the Mellors that’s not them. I agree with the suggestion that the Mack family would be an excellent choice, or someone that could for Blackpool what Andreas does for Liseberg.
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
I’m not sure about Mellors being a good fit. They are doing a good job of running Fantasy Island but I’d question whether there are actually any plans to improve that park by building any more permanent thrill rides or large coasters there. Yes, they’ve invested inside the dome with Harrington Flint (which is excellent) and The Guardian (which unfortunately has some issues). But can you really see them building a ride to stand there alongside Odyssey and Millennium as a headline attraction?

And that’s the thing, what Blackpool needs is someone with the vision to create something pretty special there and with all due respect to the Mellors that’s not them. I agree with the suggestion that the Mack family would be an excellent choice, or someone that could for Blackpool what Andreas does for Liseberg.
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There isn't really any room at fantasy Island to build a massive new permanent coaster or i am sure they would have done by now.

What Blackpool needs is an owner that knows how to run a seaside amusement park, instead of an owner that thinks they are running an inland theme park.





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