-
ℹ️ Heads up...
This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.
The Sinking Ship: (Un)Love Letters to Merlin
- Thread starter AstroDan
- Start date
- Status
bluesonichd
TS Member
Ive never understood how they can be so slow, is it special training they undertake?
Error
TS Member
I can't agree more with this post as i would be in the same boat as andeyhart.
For me its about the coasters and they are what makes me return again and again. I don't care about shows, in my opinion they just waste precious riding time, yes i am selfish but hey ho.
I still (and always will) enjoy Towers but my experience starts when i pull off from the motorway with the vision of the brown "Alton Towers" sign. Now i live in Norfolk, flat as a pancake so driving the last 10 - 15 miles towards the park i feel i am somewhere special with all the hills, dotted farm buildings here and there.
The location of where the park sits, for me, is the biggest factor. The scenery and views you get are amazing, i can't get enough of the view from the top of oblivion. Just walking around the place makes me appreciate my time within the park and takes me away from normal day to day life in (flat as a pancake) Norfolk.
Yes i agree, if looking in depth, the park needs a lot of work to spruce it back up, but for me, as i said before the coasters and just being in such a beautiful part of the country makes it for me.
Retail mate, if you can't lick ass, its not for you.
delta79
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis, Air
There is two sides to an Atlon Towers visit for me.
Myself and my daughter having a quality time away from everyday life. Enjoying the rides, even if the theming need maintenance.
Then there is the eye of the estates team, the curse of spotting things most normal people would miss. The garden bloke (bluesonichd?) Understands this. That anything that is not right jumps out at you. I see it, then put it to the back of my mind to forget it.
Is alton bad for maintenance needs? I have seen worse, core maintenance is good, theming maintenance could be better.
Myself and my daughter having a quality time away from everyday life. Enjoying the rides, even if the theming need maintenance.
Then there is the eye of the estates team, the curse of spotting things most normal people would miss. The garden bloke (bluesonichd?) Understands this. That anything that is not right jumps out at you. I see it, then put it to the back of my mind to forget it.
Is alton bad for maintenance needs? I have seen worse, core maintenance is good, theming maintenance could be better.
Sam
TS Member
Have you ever done a menial service job for low pay?
PeteB
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Ive never understood how they can be so slow, is it special training they undertake?
This, this, this... and more this! I'd love to see these people work in a busy city centre bar. They wouldn't last 5 minutes.
Yep, sure have. No matter what the job is or level of pay, when you're in a customer facing role you have no right to be miserable. Becuase that's not your job. Your job is to service the customer with the company's product and make them feel valued to the business.
People in a menial service job (as you put it) on minimum wage should consider themselves very lucky because there are so many other people out there who can't get a job at all.
But I think the problem at Towers all comes back to training and the management. What efforts are being made to make their jobs as enjoyable as possible? What incentives are offered to make employees work hard and better themselves? Knowing Merlin, the answer to that is likely none whatsoever.
Spike
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Alton Towers treat their staff terribly, the pay is poor, they are expected to work with minimal breaks so I don't blame them whatsoever for being miserable.
There's a fine line between "can't" and "won't"
The jobs are there.
There's a fine line between "can't" and "won't"
The jobs are there.
Spike
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
I don't think any job should be classed as menial really. I mentioned about the fine line between can't and won't find work and that's because there are a lot of British people who think these so called 'menial' jobs are beneath them. I respect anyone who chooses to become a toilet attendant, I've often said to oafish clients of mine who refuse the idea of cleaning work as they see it as menial or 'beneath them' "Yeah, actually you need a good standard of education, an understanding of health and safety laws, health and hygiene and knowledge of COSHH, plus the resilience and drive to do this admirable job"
Matt.GC
TS Member
Whilst I remind staff that report to me that they should be grateful for their jobs, I still think it's no excuse for poor pay and working conditions. Mine are treated well and paid fairly, many other services workers are paid shocking money, have no access to any kind of appropriate pension scheme. Often they take the job because it's the only one they can get In that area.
I would say this is probably different at Towers though. Don't most choose to be there?
I would say this is probably different at Towers though. Don't most choose to be there?
Altonadvocate1
TS Member
Great post, there are two problems with attitude to work in this country.
On the one hand you have vastly overpaid, CEO''s, managing directors and consultants (and I include a lot of (but not all) accountants, bean counters, solicitors, lawyers, etc in this category). I worked in the Accountancy section of a Local Authority for 12 years and have never seen as much dishonesty, incompetence, misappropriation and nepotism in my life... leaving the sector and the "profession " was the best thing I ever did.
Then on the other hand you have the Jeremy Kyle types who choose to sit at home all day, smoking, drinking, watching TV and eating takeaways (because they are too bone idle to cook), with the benefits they receive. Please note there are people with genuine disabilities and people who apply for jobs unsuccessfully every day and I do not put those people in this category. Just the ones for whom benefits are a lifestyle choice.
Take away the highly paid "elite" and little will change. Take away the underlings on minimum wage, and civilization will grind to a halt.
I have all the respect in the world for people doing boring, dangerous or tiring jobs on minimum wage and would like to see them receive better pay funded by reducing the oscene salaries of the top brass and stripping feckless scroungers of the benefits to which they think they have a lifetime right.
Everything great about this country was built on the sweat and toil of miners, steelworkers and similar occupations. When Britain was in its darkest hour in world war two, a miner was worth any number of lawyers.
I don't do politically correct
Rant over!
Last edited:
Martin
TS Member
Oh my god we've turned into the Daily Mail comments section again haven't we? How a discussion of the horrifically slow service at the bars turned into weird shouts about the the welfare system I don't know. I know I'm dragging it even further off topic replying but seriously hahahahahaha. That last post, you were doing so well then it all went wrong, can't believe the numbers it's got too hahaha.
ANYWAY
"You should be grateful you have a job" absolutely not. No one should be grateful for having a job, it's a basic need and the whole economy relies on it, there's nothing to be grateful about being a cog in the machine. As someone said before, it's an excuse to take the Michael. Absolutely nothing worse than people who feel entitled to have people on minimum wage bend over backwards for them and treat them like their proverbial doesn't stink. It's part of staff's job to help customers etc but be reasonable. If you (general you not aimed at anyone etc) think staff are unreasonably unpleasant it could be you that's making them like that, or, of course, the conditions of the job, people don't like to consider that though because everyone is selfish and empathy is dead, apparently. I wonder how many people talk about jobs being 'out there' have any experience of being unemployed recently, particularly with no major qualifications, or live in areas where most jobs are low paying? It's horrific how easily people buy into all the nonsense that gets thrown at them, people who are otherwise sensible enough to see workers are exploited, the people at the top are greedy, that there's nothing wrong with 'menial' employment and recognise the importance of these jobs in society. Then these people at the top start saying it's actually people even worse off that are the real bad ones and without any evidence everyone buys it. Jesus Christ. It's so paper thin as well, throw in a few token shouts about workers being sound and you can get away with regurgitating any old drivel and people lap it up.
Anyway to get this back on topic seeing it's been days since the last reply, Merlin need to treat and pay their staff better, they have the money to. Happier staff, better performance. With their little obsession with Tripadvisor lately they better had start making their staff feel better if they want to boost their scores.
Oh yeah, rant over, or something.
No you don't.
Lol
Ooh you're hard
ANYWAY
"You should be grateful you have a job" absolutely not. No one should be grateful for having a job, it's a basic need and the whole economy relies on it, there's nothing to be grateful about being a cog in the machine. As someone said before, it's an excuse to take the Michael. Absolutely nothing worse than people who feel entitled to have people on minimum wage bend over backwards for them and treat them like their proverbial doesn't stink. It's part of staff's job to help customers etc but be reasonable. If you (general you not aimed at anyone etc) think staff are unreasonably unpleasant it could be you that's making them like that, or, of course, the conditions of the job, people don't like to consider that though because everyone is selfish and empathy is dead, apparently. I wonder how many people talk about jobs being 'out there' have any experience of being unemployed recently, particularly with no major qualifications, or live in areas where most jobs are low paying? It's horrific how easily people buy into all the nonsense that gets thrown at them, people who are otherwise sensible enough to see workers are exploited, the people at the top are greedy, that there's nothing wrong with 'menial' employment and recognise the importance of these jobs in society. Then these people at the top start saying it's actually people even worse off that are the real bad ones and without any evidence everyone buys it. Jesus Christ. It's so paper thin as well, throw in a few token shouts about workers being sound and you can get away with regurgitating any old drivel and people lap it up.
Anyway to get this back on topic seeing it's been days since the last reply, Merlin need to treat and pay their staff better, they have the money to. Happier staff, better performance. With their little obsession with Tripadvisor lately they better had start making their staff feel better if they want to boost their scores.
Oh yeah, rant over, or something.
Last edited:
And less horrifying, life changing accidents.
Altonadvocate1
TS Member
We actually seem to agree on more things than we disagree... either way, thanks for the debate... opinion respected.
And to get back on topic. Merlin are not uniquely awful, but sadly they are very typical.
Spike
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Ouch, that's a bit assumptive isn't it? Assuming the cause of the accident was due to an unhappy member of staff.
- Status