As for the cake stall analogy, in addition to feeling for the employees of AT and the local economy, I have a selfish reason for wanting it to be successful. I think it's a great theme park, a fantastic day out, and I want it to continue.
Thanks for the debate though.
Thank you - very much enjoying it. I understand the desire for you to want to support Alton, I do understand it. I just think it's an odd approach to one of the most savvy money making machines I've ever bothered to invest in. It's not a mom & pop, look at its market cap! It's crazy just how big Merlin is now - but I am sure the t-shirt sales will be very much appreciated...
I still struggle to get on board with the whole Ratner comparison. Yes the CEO screwed up, massively - but I don't hold the media accountable for what happened. It should have happened - businesses work when there is integrity in the product and the associated pricing. The second that Ratner said all the products in his shops were crap and wouldn't last as long as a Marks & Spencer (prawn?) sandwich, that's a serious dent in the integrity of the value that customers are receiving. The stock market thought so too, HALF A BILLION disappeared from the company's value in a matter of days.
There is a humanistic slant, of course there is - that's not to say that it isn't awful that people lost their jobs, but in the case of Ratners, employees put a lot of faith in their CEO and he stuffed up. That's just the way it goes. Companies fail for a variety of reasons.
Who is to say what would have happened to the chain without the above, it could have gone the same way as lots of other retail powerhouses and have been crushed by the advent of the internet.
Yes we do know exactly what the collision was. It happened to me a couple of years ago as well, in fact it seems be happen relatively frequently but guess what, it's only become an issue after The Smiler crashed! I wonder why!
When it happened to me no one noticed,
no one cared, the ride carried on as usual.
But we don't - that's absolutely my point. You are assuming the exact same thing happened here as happened to you. As I said, cases can be different, people can be different. The guests sat on the ride for a time quoted as 20 minutes and were then evacced before being taken to receive medical assistance for two hours +/-.
I understand the desire to shoot everything down as tabloid claptrap, but I think that's dangerous.