Sad news that jobs may be cut at Towers:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-34771289
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-34771289
Alton Towers Resort is operating in the very dynamic and competitive leisure industry which is seeing increasingly rapid change
primarily fuelled by new technologies and ever higher visitor expectations.
The business therefore needs a modern, flexible structure which reflects this requirement
for a reactive and customer focused approach
The review also looked at the impact on the business of the devastating incident on ‘The Smiler’ ride in June
So they have a horrific accident possibly caused by a staff member's mistake, and their response is to cut staff numbers hugely, meaning more staff will be overworked, and therefore more likely to make mistakes.
Good to see Merlin demonstrating their usual competency, they're nothing if not consistent.
Let's all hang fire for just moment. I've heard loads of people saying how this is all because of The Smiler, when actually if you read the official statement, the incident on that ride is only a partial contribution to this. What I put it down to is what I've been saying for years - morons in management, morons in marketing, morons in finance, and morons in health & safety. They should have a department called Merlin Moron Making.
For example, in response to the official statement:
Well duh! This is the theme park and amusement industry. How is this statement anything new? Tell us something we don't know.
New technology? No. Again, has that not always been the case with this industry. Visitor expectation isn't higher, it comes down to your ever lowering standards of operation combined with your ever increasing prices and greed. The park once generated a great reputation for itself, putting it where it is today. All you have to do is take a good look around the park in it's current state to understand why visitor expectations are higher.
Hey, I think Merlin are catching on to how this business of theme parks operates. Give this person a cookie.
Yes, and the key phrase here is "customer focused approach" - your competitors are well aware of this. How did it take you so long to figure it out? Has this community and so many others not been harping on about these same old issues for the most part of a decade?
As anyone with a brain would expect, but the only way out of that situation is investment, not cuts. I'm talking big time investment. Go big, or go home!
Yes it's incredibly saddening that so many jobs could be lost, but hopefully those in the moron departments will be first to go. Those of us who've criticised the park heavily for a while have been saying a time needs come for it to crash and burn and maybe now the writing is on the wall, unless Merlin pull their finger out and do what it takes to actually run a theme park properly.
I know so many people want to support the park but to be brutally honest I have no sympathy for the place. I'm not in the habit of spending money with a greedy, careless organisation just for the sake of nostalgia. Merlin and Alton Towers have done this to themselves. Even incident on The Smiler, while only part of the above issues, was caused by "human error" (as admitted by Nick Varney) and remember there was a former ride op who had previously been quoted as saying "operating standards for the rides weren't as high as they once were".
Time has come for rapid change I think, and I hope that is in the form of more investments, bigger budgets for the park, and a huge increase in customer service - because if not things will only get worse for certain.
Let's all hang fire for just moment. I've heard loads of people saying how this is all because of The Smiler, when actually if you read the official statement, the incident on that ride is only a partial contribution to this.
That's a rather interesting and cold point of view, which just makes it sound like you're on Merlin's side. It comes back to what we were talking about last night. Why should staff who have nothing to do with the fall in profit have to suffer from it, rather than the incompetent idiots that have been dragging the park and the company down? It's much easier for the bosses to just cut a load of 'lesser' jobs than take a look in the mirror at their own performances and salaries.I'm not exactly surprised that they've had to react in this way, the park has been significantly quieter this season and they need to do something like this in order to prepare themselves for what could potentially be another very quiet season, if trading picks up then I'm sure that they will create more positions where required. Sadly that's just how business works. Don't get me wrong, I do have sympathy for those losing their jobs but AT aren't a charity and it is understandable that after a difficult trading year sacrifices have to be made.