View Full Version : Wow frontier city new owners are great



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Jesseda
03-24-2009, 07:59 AM
since the park has been sold the new owners cleaned it up added a new coaster and interactive ride, this year, they are still fixing it up to make it family friendly, they are adding new shows one is called fear factor the other is bob the builder. Also what is great the owner notice things are rough with the economy so guess what, there frontier season passes are no longer 60 dollars, this year they are $34.99, this to me is a great price and it shows that the new owners seem to care about whats going on and wanting families to give the park a chance, i am so glad sixflaggs does not own frontier city anymore.

bombermwc
03-24-2009, 10:46 AM
Side Note - FC owned 6 Flags not the other way around.

It's still a crappy little park. Their "new" coaster is even smaller than the silver bullet. They went cheap on the deal. Yeah it's nice that they are doing something, but the place isn't really going to make money until they finally decide to turn it into a REAL park and expand about twice the size they are now.

Jesseda
03-24-2009, 10:48 AM
its a lot better now then 3 years ago when it was crappy ran by the people who ran six flaggs, at least we got a family coaster and new family rides and entertainment, the new owners are not building thrills they are trying to bring the familys to the park first, not a bunch of vandalizing teens.

bombermwc
03-24-2009, 10:54 AM
That's fine and dandy. But it's still geared towards the tweenager groups (yes I said tweenager). So the folks they are trying to rid themselves of are the people they built for...10-15 year olds. The fact that there really haven't been that many changes in the last 20 or so years, shows how the place is doing. Yes they've changed a few rides here and there, but it's still basically the same park. Crap is still broken all the time and the teenagers running the rides still have barely enough knowledge to even run the rides.

They have a lot of ground to make up before I'll ever go back, that's for sure.

Jesseda
03-24-2009, 12:30 PM
i hear you but they have done more things in the past 2 years then they have done in the past 20, so i give them a thumbs up for repair the park from what it was, its better now, not great but at least they are fixing and repairing several things the previous owners didnt, the nightmare roller coaster is gone, same with some old things that always broke down, new kiddie rides addes, new wood and paint jobs throughout.

progressiveboy
03-24-2009, 02:45 PM
i hear you but they have done more things in the past 2 years then they have done in the past 20, so i give them a thumbs up for repair the park from what it was, its better now, not great but at least they are fixing and repairing several things the previous owners didnt, the nightmare roller coaster is gone, same with some old things that always broke down, new kiddie rides addes, new wood and paint jobs throughout.
Jesseda, it's great that you see the positive changes being done and progress is trying to be made. I agree with your post, but it appears some people would still complain and gripe even if Frontier City was turned into Disneyworld. It is the mentality of "some" people in OKC. They would bitch and moan no matter what, even if you gave them a $1,000 because they want $2,000.

Centerback
03-24-2009, 02:53 PM
Is the $34.99 still a two park pass to include White Water or is that just for Frontier City?

Richard at Remax
03-24-2009, 03:06 PM
I just want a new legit coaster, thats all.

FritterGirl
03-24-2009, 03:10 PM
Is the $34.99 still a two park pass to include White Water or is that just for Frontier City?

Frontier City only: $34.99
Dual Park Pass: $59.99 - plus you get a few "friends get in free" passes

There is no White Water-only pass.

If you want to get a pass for WWB, you have to purchase the Dual Park WW/FC pass. It's confusing on the WW website, so I called today and that is what I was told.

Pretty clever if you ask me.

Karried
03-24-2009, 03:13 PM
I'm heading to Silver Dollar City in July... their Water/SDC combo is close to $120 buck pp Season Tix.

Thunder
03-24-2009, 03:24 PM
Last I heard that a major coaster is still in the works.

I agree that the owners is taking up the time to fix everything up, turn it around, and improve it overall. When all that is taken care of, they can focus on getting more in debt, but first they have to ensure enough fundings continue to flow.

So, yeah, it is a clever idea to have only the Frontier City season pass, that should generate more sales.

How the water quality out there? Still dirty?

DaveSkater
03-24-2009, 03:38 PM
I'm heading to Silver Dollar City in July... their Water/SDC combo is close to $120 buck pp Season Tix.

Me and my two kids went there last year, and the only saving grace at that park was the awesome cave.

I'd go back just to crawl around in that cave again, but wouldn't go in to the park even two more steps.

Karried
03-24-2009, 04:02 PM
Really, we love WildFire and Powder Keg - we'll ride that as many times as we can over and over ... my two favorites.. plus the kids have massive water fights in the Water area and love that.

I love the cave too.

Generals64
03-24-2009, 04:28 PM
This thread is so confusing. I remember when the park 1st opened in the late 50's....More fun than anyone can imagine. If some think it's so crappy then don't go....Go to disneyworld every weekend and don't complain. For those tht enjoy what they have...Welcome to OKC...Sure do miss the Cinnamon coated candy apples....We seem to have a good time when go even when we were kids then later as parents and our kids and then our Grand Kids...What's wrong with that????Crappy????naw....just beauty and fun are in the eyes of the beholder....Some think it's fun to catch Rattlesnakes.........then others are smarter..

Luke
03-24-2009, 05:42 PM
A day pass to the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld costs $75 for an adult. We're going in a couple weeks! :)

This Frontier City pass is a good deal.

Jon27
03-24-2009, 06:56 PM
I haven't been to White Water in years. How is it now? Is it worth going? My wife has never been there, and wants to check it out. OKC needs a Schlitterbaun!! They could build it off the Oklahoma River near Bricktown!

BBatesokc
03-24-2009, 08:02 PM
I personally like Frontier City for what it is... A small local family park. We go on off days and never have to wait to ride anything. My wife isn't much of a coaster rider so all the rides are just right for us.

I also like that the park is smaller and I have no problem letting the teenager run off with his friends.

We've done the road trip to Six Flags twice now and we wouldn't go back if you paid us. It was expensive, huge, and we'd wait up to 1.5 hrs to ride one ride. The kiddo took two friends last time and they hated it.

I agree, its not Disneyland or Six Flags and for that I'm thankful.

I do though agree that the teen hooligans were starting to overrun the place.

Years ago I worked the haunted house/forest two different seasons - loved it!

kevinpate
03-25-2009, 04:47 AM
Under 40 for an all day, every day, all summer pass, and folks are surprised a place is overrun by tweens and teens ... cheap sitter, cleaner house back home cause the bipeds are at FC, some security. Cost effective too.

No surprises there.

To check out either FC or WB on the cheap, look into Scout day tickets via BSA and GSUSA, possibly Campfire has their own day as well. typically more than 1/2 off that day, but such tickets aren't available at the gate.

OKCMallen
03-25-2009, 06:12 AM
Newsflash- FC is made for tweenagers and families. If you take the fam out there during the day, you're not going to have problems with hooligans. You keep your 8 year old out there til midnight on a Saturday night, and don't be surprised if you hear from cuss words fromsome wannabe teenagers.

The negativity on this board astounds. $35 for a season pass to FC. I might buy one just for the heck of it. That is SO cheap, and I bet I could get out there a couple/few times this summer to make it worth it.

As to FC itself- the main thing they need, i think, is a revamping of the employees (the employees drive 80% of the experience for guests) and honestly., when I went last summer, most of the restaurants were closed (it was a Sunday) and the one I went into was really aged and felt dirty. Noting a new coat of paint/wallpaper couldn't fix, but still. I wasn't happy eating in there.

OKCMallen
03-25-2009, 06:14 AM
(And as usual, someone ought to direct an upper level manager there to this board, which although negative, has great, great feedback and ideas for improving their product)

BBatesokc
03-25-2009, 08:32 AM
I agree, great price for a season pass. Will probably buy the teen one as his money is tight and it would give a fun regular spot for him to take his girlfriend and guy friends. Anyone know how many free friend passes they give out now with the FC pass?

We will probably get him the combo pass and the wife and I the FC only pass.

BailJumper
03-25-2009, 09:12 AM
Haven't been there is awhile. Is there still chewed gum on the trees and walls from all the teenagers whose parents use Frontier City as their babysitter?

Luke
03-25-2009, 09:30 AM
Do you have to pay for parking?

dalelakin
03-25-2009, 09:37 AM
Yes but you can buy a parking pass which is in the $30 range and good for the season at both parks.

hoya
03-25-2009, 09:43 AM
35 bucks? I might just get one. I haven't been to Frontier City in probably 13 or 14 years... since I was one of the punk kids who worked there. :) I really didn't like working there then, and I haven't ever gone back. But it might be fun to do that now, just to see how the place looks.

And $35 is cheap.

Jesseda
03-25-2009, 09:48 AM
i dont ride rides, but my 4 year old will love it, i will probably get the family a season pass, we need to support what we have here in okc

Taggart
03-25-2009, 10:48 AM
Keep in mind, this is only the new owner's 2nd full season of ownership. I work in theme park design for a living and get the fortune of seeing the multitude of local parks the country has to offer. Frontier City really isn't that bad, and after working with their parent company, PARC, I'm convinced that they are committed to making this little property a gem.

Frontier City is one of the only parks its size to pay attention to atmosphere and theme. Sure it's not the best, but at least it's not a steel jungle of rides thrown onto a parking lot like Six Flags' properties. Remember that the theme park came from the idea of the city park, a place where trees and space allowed people to relax in leisure. Frontier City delivers that for me.

The teenagers in the park is inevitable. Go to Disneyland and witness the scores of youth with their $140+ annual passes. All Frontier City can do is watch them and try to dissuade them by making the park more attractive to families. I find it funny that in the same breath, people complain about the teenagers and then wonder why Frontier City opens up smaller, family friendly coasters instead of steel monsters.

From my experience, I find that many in Oklahoma don't appreciate what they do have and instead envy the amenities of other cities. This mentality uproots the base for improvement and leaves the city with nothing at all. Your support in what you currently have will help them make the decisions to build it bigger.

Disneyland has the same problems you guys bitch about: high prices, teen overrun, falling standards. Yet the SoCal public chooses to support it. If Disney is too hard to swallow as an example, look at Knotts Berry Farm.

If your standards are really that high, visit Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea. There the teenagers will probably be picking up YOUR trash.

...

jawgie
03-25-2009, 11:10 AM
The last time I went only a couple of concession stands were open and the kids working them were so busy jabbing, pinching and punching one another they had to be called on to wait on us.
The guy working one of the rides was so hateful to all the kids that I said something to him about it. Not the best experience.
I would love to see it come back to the way I remember as a kid.

Thunder
03-25-2009, 12:28 PM
Taggart, long time no see. You have a way of knowing inside info on FC? Furture rides, specifically.

SoonerDave
03-26-2009, 11:56 AM
A new ownership group dedicated to overhauling FC deserves a chance. In other, older threads about FC, I admit I've been pretty rough on that park, but if the new guys are really working to rehab the place, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Two years is barely enough time to get started and get the basic things fixed, let alone get a plan for a longer-term overhaul in place on top of a lousy economy.

about Disney as a comparison....AFAIK, Disneyland continues to be a bit of a Disney albatross because they can't seem to attract the longer-term visitor from outside of California, which makes the mistake of the Disney California Adventure "companion" park all the more stupefying. And Disney is already, as I understand it, to "retheme" DCA rather substantially over the next few years...so no one is immune from having to keep parks current and costs attractive...esp in the current economy..heck even DisneyWorld is giving away three nights if you book four at DW for the summer....

Jesseda
03-26-2009, 12:09 PM
i was at disney california lat summer, the only thing good about it was the back lot studios, great little area, they are suppose to build cars land, from what i was told, that disney california is going to be mainly pixar stuff, toy story theme, cars, bugs life, wall-e, monters inc, etc. the only thing extra so far on the rehab list is a little mermaid dark ride, plus they already have the ariel grotto..

scootinger
03-27-2009, 12:33 AM
I worked at Frontier City while it was owned by both Six Flags and PARC, and in my opinion customer service (like Jawgie mentioned) is the biggest problem with the park. While PARC has definitely done a lot more for the park as far as new rides/attractions go than Six Flags did, it was sad to see little improvement in treatment of employees/customers under new ownership and management.

If you pay employees pennies above minimum wage for a job in the hot summer heat and treat them like crap, then you aren't going to get many people that care about their jobs. This leads to apathetic and uncaring employees, and other problems like rides having to be closed due to lack of employees...even with them having temp agency workers come in to operate rides. There are plenty of other little things that showed an apathy towards customer service (on part of management) as well.

I hope they'll realize the value of a customer and adopt a better attitude towards customer service at the park...towards both employees and park guests alike. It's not only a necessity for them to stay afloat, but it's also the right thing to do. (Sadly, corporate America doesn't really care about the latter.) I really would like to see a park like Frontier City do well in Oklahoma, but I don't foresee myself visiting the park again until some of these things change.

oneforone
03-27-2009, 03:57 AM
I worked at Frontier City while it was owned by both Six Flags and PARC, and in my opinion customer service (like Jawgie mentioned) is the biggest problem with the park. While PARC has definitely done a lot more for the park as far as new rides/attractions go than Six Flags did, it was sad to see little improvement in treatment of employees/customers under new ownership and management.

If you pay employees pennies above minimum wage for a job in the hot summer heat and treat them like crap, then you aren't going to get many people that care about their jobs. This leads to apathetic and uncaring employees, and other problems like rides having to be closed due to lack of employees...even with them having temp agency workers come in to operate rides. There are plenty of other little things that showed an apathy towards customer service (on part of management) as well.

I hope they'll realize the value of a customer and adopt a better attitude towards customer service at the park...towards both employees and park guests alike. It's not only a necessity for them to stay afloat, but it's also the right thing to do. (Sadly, corporate America doesn't really care about the latter.) I really would like to see a park like Frontier City do well in Oklahoma, but I don't foresee myself visiting the park again until some of these things change.

I beg to differ on the argument of pay. Amusement park jobs have never been intended to pave a path to financial stability. I have never known anyone to make more than a buck or two over minimum wage. The ground level jobs are do nothing non skill jobs that almost anyone can do. For every person that turns their nose up at a low wage there are ten people behind him who will. Besides a persons work ethic should not be based on their level of pay. What few people realize is that you have to start somewhere. Your not going to land a $18 an hour job without work experience and/or training. My first job paid $4.25 an hour. 8 months later I moved on. The key is not to stay in a low paying job. Stay for 6 months to a year (or in this case the season) and move on to something that pays better. Stay there for a little while if that job does not pay what you want. You move on and keep repeating the cycle until you make the big bucks.

Amusement parks are seasonal jobs and they always have been always will be. You rarely see the same people come back year after year. I never known anyone to have a career in ride operations, games or concessions. Most of the people I know that worked at Frontier City and/or White Water Bay worked there as teenagers. It was a great way to get a few phone numbers and earn a little spending money over the Summer.

The only people who make good money in the Amusement Industry are the people who are on the operations side of the house. These people tare employed 365 days out of the year like the mechanics, bean counters, planners, promoters and executives.

The only places I know of that pay well would be Sea World, Universal Studios, and Disney. Then again it cost a small fortune for most families to get in the park.

BTW You are right to blame Corporate America for the demise of customer service. It is Corporate America's fault for not enforcing customer service standards. If they did believe you me there would be more companies in the black then red today. Bottom line when you have great customer service the customers will always come back regardless of the price of your goods or services.

SoonerDave
03-27-2009, 07:37 AM
BTW You are right to blame Corporate America for the demise of customer service. It is Corporate America's fault for not enforcing customer service standards

I'd love to know exactly when customer service died. No, a survey that "tracks" my "level of customer satisfaction" is not what I'm talking about.

There used to be a time when the customer truly was king. You ordered something at a restaurant that wasn't prepared the way you asked, you got an apology and a fixed meal. These days, you complain and you're likely to get your food spat on.

I've heard arguments like the one earlier here that say, basically, "well they don't pay enough for me to care," but that's a horrendous cop-out. It used to be that, regardless of how much you made, or how relatively "important" a job was perceived to be, there was a sense of personal pride that compelled performance even if no one else cared. Putting *your name* on something mattered. Not anymore, and I can't blame that entirely on "corporate America."

Sorry, this is getting off-topic, but this whole issue about "customer service" is one that kinda sticks in my craw, because (and especially these days) it seems there's very little of it.

bombermwc
03-27-2009, 07:41 AM
Actually I would agree with Scootinger. I had a similar experience when I worked at K-Mart. They treated their employees so poorly to the point that no one was interested in helping customers because it didn't matter. The 40 something year old managers that had worked at K-Mart for 20 years wanted a power trip. I kid you not that one day a manager called all the employees to the front of the store in the middle of the day to tell us all that we were expendable and could be replaced in 24 hours, so we were to shut our traps and do as we were told.

Now you tell me if that would make you want to have a happy work environment no matter what the pay is. You can pay someone minimum wage and still have a happy work place. My first job was at a packing/shipping place similar to Mailboxes Etc. It was minimum wage but we all got along, had fun, and did a good job. I made more at K-Mart but it wasn't worth the crappy management.

Employers tend to think that just because they are hiring teenagers or college kids that it means they don't have to treat them with respect. That very crappy attitude is why the turnaround is so high in that age group. I'm not talking about petting them and giving them awards for doing their job, I'm talking about treating them as human beings and not treating them like crap. I guarantee I worked harder than my department manager at K-Mart but made a lot less.

Frontier City can go a long way to the same philosophy. Yes the place operates on a seasonal basis. HOWEVER, if you treat your employees well, you will probably get more of them back next season which means less training time, which means cost savings. It's more beneficial to have happy employees. They are more likely to show up on time, with a good attitude, and be absent less. Unhappy employees cause the downfall of a company. Those employees are the face the public interact with, and if they aren't happy, then why would they care how the public sees the place? From the kid's POV, so they give an attitude to someone and get fired....ok, so they lost a low wage job that they had to drive a good distance to, where they were treated poorly. Firing was probably the better situation for them. Now they'll get a higher paying job closer to home that pays year round.

OKCMallen
03-27-2009, 07:53 AM
I beg to differ on the argument of pay. Amusement park jobs have never been intended to pave a path to financial stability. I have never known anyone to make more than a buck or two over minimum wage. The ground level jobs are do nothing non skill jobs that almost anyone can do. For every person that turns their nose up at a low wage there are ten people behind him who will. Besides a persons work ethic should not be based on their level of pay. What few people realize is that you have to start somewhere. Your not going to land a $18 an hour job without work experience and/or training. My first job paid $4.25 an hour. 8 months later I moved on. The key is not to stay in a low paying job. Stay for 6 months to a year (or in this case the season) and move on to something that pays better. Stay there for a little while if that job does not pay what you want. You move on and keep repeating the cycle until you make the big bucks.


Well bully for you. You've clearly never worked at Frontier City as a teen. When you ask a kid to work 12.5 hour days (14.5 on Friday and Saturday) with only 1.5 days off a week and NO overtime, you're going to get a LOT of turnover unless you make it worth these kids' time.

Jesseda
03-27-2009, 08:43 AM
okay, iworked at a sno-cone stand in highschool, it was minimum wage job, the hours sucked it was weekends and friday and saturday night, which was the time to go hang out with friends, no real breaks unless there are no customers, then its clean up time, but i put a lot into making my job fun and create great customer service, i made people in line laugh while waiting for there sno-con, i acted like a bar tender and was trying to do tricks with the flavor plastic bottles ( and dress hawaiian and have paper umbrellas all over my head), my now wife worked with me at the sno-cone stand we both hated the pay and the hours, but turned the negative to positive, there really is no excuse to treat customers poorly just because you cant find a positive in your job, if you cant turn it to something positive then leave.

jsibelius
03-27-2009, 11:23 AM
Actually I would agree with Scootinger. I had a similar experience when I worked at K-Mart. They treated their employees so poorly to the point that no one was interested in helping customers because it didn't matter. The 40 something year old managers that had worked at K-Mart for 20 years wanted a power trip. I kid you not that one day a manager called all the employees to the front of the store in the middle of the day to tell us all that we were expendable and could be replaced in 24 hours, so we were to shut our traps and do as we were told.

Now you tell me if that would make you want to have a happy work environment no matter what the pay is. You can pay someone minimum wage and still have a happy work place. My first job was at a packing/shipping place similar to Mailboxes Etc. It was minimum wage but we all got along, had fun, and did a good job. I made more at K-Mart but it wasn't worth the crappy management.

Employers tend to think that just because they are hiring teenagers or college kids that it means they don't have to treat them with respect. That very crappy attitude is why the turnaround is so high in that age group. I'm not talking about petting them and giving them awards for doing their job, I'm talking about treating them as human beings and not treating them like crap. I guarantee I worked harder than my department manager at K-Mart but made a lot less.

Frontier City can go a long way to the same philosophy. Yes the place operates on a seasonal basis. HOWEVER, if you treat your employees well, you will probably get more of them back next season which means less training time, which means cost savings. It's more beneficial to have happy employees. They are more likely to show up on time, with a good attitude, and be absent less. Unhappy employees cause the downfall of a company. Those employees are the face the public interact with, and if they aren't happy, then why would they care how the public sees the place? From the kid's POV, so they give an attitude to someone and get fired....ok, so they lost a low wage job that they had to drive a good distance to, where they were treated poorly. Firing was probably the better situation for them. Now they'll get a higher paying job closer to home that pays year round.






Originally Posted by oneforone: I beg to differ on the argument of pay. Amusement park jobs have never been intended to pave a path to financial stability. I have never known anyone to make more than a buck or two over minimum wage. The ground level jobs are do nothing non skill jobs that almost anyone can do. For every person that turns their nose up at a low wage there are ten people behind him who will. Besides a persons work ethic should not be based on their level of pay. What few people realize is that you have to start somewhere. Your not going to land a $18 an hour job without work experience and/or training. My first job paid $4.25 an hour. 8 months later I moved on. The key is not to stay in a low paying job. Stay for 6 months to a year (or in this case the season) and move on to something that pays better. Stay there for a little while if that job does not pay what you want. You move on and keep repeating the cycle until you make the big bucks.

Well bully for you. You've clearly never worked at Frontier City as a teen. When you ask a kid to work 12.5 hour days (14.5 on Friday and Saturday) with only 1.5 days off a week and NO overtime, you're going to get a LOT of turnover unless you make it worth these kids' time.

Actually, this ties back into what bombermwc was saying about treating your employees well. It's not really about pay, it's about treating people like people. That also includes reasonable hours (and if you were working 12.5 hour days with only 1.5 days off per week with no overtime paid, your employer was violating labor laws). Good pay does not equate to good customer service, believe me. Good customer service usually comes from a happy work environment. It comes from people who like their jobs and from people who like working with people. People like their jobs because the work is rewarding. Money is sometimes helpful, but people who make tons of money often hate their jobs. Think about that. More pay will not make the "expendable teenagers" who work the rides and other areas at Frontier City treat the park-goers any better. That has to come from a change in "corporate culture" (so to speak).

SoonerDave
03-27-2009, 11:55 AM
Good customer service usually comes from a happy work environment.
Good customer service comes from the heart of the person doing the serving,, regardless of pay, regardless of social stature, regardless of <fill in the blank>. It is as much a definition of character as whether you run a red light if no one else is around - its what you do when no one is looking (or, in the case of retail, if no one is paying you and your employer "treats you like crap.")

There has to come a time when you look at the mirror and recognize that whatever effort the person in the mirror gives is 100% dependent upon....the person in the mirror. It is a choice. You may hate your boss, you may hate your pay, you may hate the job, you may hate the environment, your boss may have delusions of grandeur, you may hate the company, but what you do in service to others is your choice.

It is sad to me to hear the position in this thread opined by some to amount to "Screw me, screw you." And then we wonder what's happened to the very notion of being in service one to another....

hoya
03-27-2009, 12:20 PM
I used to work at Frontier City, when I was 16. I remember what it was like. The managers didn't care. They were grumpy and apathetic and hated their jobs. They treated the employees like dirt. I was a temp there, and at $4.25 an hour I was making more than the regular employees (some exception about seasonal employees being paid less than minimum wage). Managers expected everyone to be dumber than dirt, and treated you like you were as well.

Overall, I hated that job. The only part I liked was that if you had the slightest bit of competence they'd stick you out in the middle of the park by yourself and let you operate a ride or run a food stand. That was nice, because it meant I got to stay away from all the unhappy people in their 30s who were depressed because they were still working at Frontier City.

My experience with the other teenagers was that most were doing this as their first job, and kids that normally would have been happy and friendly could get dragged down and embittered by managers that seemed to have learned people skills from a New York cabbie.

Overall, it falls on management. If it's a bad corporate culture, it's management's fault. If it's employees who just don't care, then it's management's fault for not firing those people and hiring ones who do care. You can't expect a 16 or 17 year old kid to care about the overall company image when you pay him pennies and don't give him the power or authority to do anything. Management is the one that is supposed to craft an enjoyable experience for the customer -- that's why the park is there in the first place.

I think customer service declines because it's easy to overlook. It doesn't show up on a balance sheet. It's difficult to quantify. And a lot of the expenditures that keep up company morale and make customer service easier end up looking like wasted expenses.

OKCMallen
03-27-2009, 12:23 PM
Actually, this ties back into what bombermwc was saying about treating your employees well. It's not really about pay, it's about treating people like people. That also includes reasonable hours (and if you were working 12.5 hour days with only 1.5 days off per week with no overtime paid, your employer was violating labor laws). Good pay does not equate to good customer service, believe me. Good customer service usually comes from a happy work environment. It comes from people who like their jobs and from people who like working with people. People like their jobs because the work is rewarding. Money is sometimes helpful, but people who make tons of money often hate their jobs. Think about that. More pay will not make the "expendable teenagers" who work the rides and other areas at Frontier City treat the park-goers any better. That has to come from a change in "corporate culture" (so to speak).

They claimed that because the job was seasonal, there was no requirement for overtime. I never checked the veracity of that.

Jesseda
03-27-2009, 12:47 PM
there is people that will work for minimum wage, and do a great job, it all falls down to how the employees are treated, maybe the new owners need to look into this

SoonerDave
03-27-2009, 01:54 PM
They claimed that because the job was seasonal, there was no requirement for overtime. I never checked the veracity of that.

The US Labor Department has a variety of job classifications that ultimately govern which type of wage laws apply to a given worker. As an example, most white-collar jobs are broken into two broad categories, called "Exempt" and "Non-Exempt." Exempt employees are typically salaried, full-time workers and generally do not have to be paid overtime. Non-exempt are usually hourly workers, and must be paid overtime if their scheduled workload exceeds a certain number of hours per week. I don't know the exact number.

There's an entirely separate group of classifications for part-time, seasonal employees, or even temporary employees, and unless I'm mistaken I don't think any of them have to be paid overtime as I understand it. Some of the classes were specifically created to allow small business the opportunity to hire temporary, college-age employees for inherently temporary work, such as lawn care companies and amusement parks.

There are a bunch of other rules and classifications that I don't begin to know in detail, but I am all-but certain summer workers at amusement parks are among those that can be scheduled very liberally by the employer.

-sd

bombermwc
03-27-2009, 01:55 PM
SoonerDave, you're so full of it. So you expect that sunshine is going to come gleaming out my rear if I make $4 an hour, have a mean boss, a corporation that doesnt care if I live or die, work 15 hours a day, don't get sick leave, etc.

Oh yeah I can totally see why I should overcome all of that so that some person that wants to ride the ejection seat breaks the straps and I have to apease all the people in line who get pissed about it while it take 2 hours for repairmen to come by and fix the strap because they get treated poorly as well and don't exactlly hustle.

I should totally have freaking rainbows flying out my ass while that's going on! All so I can say I've provided good customer service.....

Excuse me but screw that.

Jesseda
03-27-2009, 02:10 PM
bombermwc, if it is true that sunshine is going to come out of your rear, can you shine it over the metro, i dont want any of this white stuff staying around. But I wouldnt recommend a rainbow coming out your ass, last time that happen to me, two ruby slippers fell out, and a tin man

metro
03-27-2009, 02:13 PM
Wow, and who was that said this was not a slow news cycle. The only thread getting discussion on regular rotation is about Frontier City management and old memories....

bombermwc
03-27-2009, 02:36 PM
Now that was funny Jessseda. :)

oneforone
03-27-2009, 05:02 PM
I have worked my fair share of S**t jobs over the years but, I always made the effort move on when it got the point that I hated going to work.

Regardless of your work environment or pay you should not take it out on the customers. You should make every effort to treat every customer with respect and find solutions to their complaints.

The problem with workplace abuse is the fact that nobody ever reports it. Sure everyone complains but, nobody has the courage to confront all levels of management and voice their concerns. You always here the typical line "This place sucks but, I am not saying anything. I have got kids to feed and bills to pay." Millions of people are more than willing to complain, but only a few are willing to act to initiate change.

BomberMWC did you any of your fellow employees make a complaint to people above that manager who told you that you could all be replaced. If he was the store manager, did you got to District, Regional or Corporate. I know I would have. Somebody on up in the chain would have come down on that type of behavior because it is represents a hostile work environment.

Few people realize they cannot fire you for making a legitimate and tactful complaint. If they do, you can probably sue them for hostile work environment or wrongful termination.

dismayed
03-28-2009, 09:48 AM
For anyone that has been to Frontier City lately, I'm wondering if they have finally painted the place. One thing that really aggravates me about OKC amusement parks, such as Frontier City, White Water, and that other place off of I-40 whose name I can't remember, is that they all look so run down. Why anyone would want to go to a park where we are depending on the park to maintain the rides for our safety, when they can't even manage to do basic maintenance such as paint, is beyond me.

Jon27
03-28-2009, 11:21 AM
and that other place off of I-40 whose name I can't remember.

Celebration Station

Thunder
03-28-2009, 03:19 PM
All I know was that they spent last year repainting rides and buildings. They also replaced light bulbs.

MrBojangles
03-28-2009, 03:59 PM
What they should have done before all the housing developments started being built in that area, FC should have bought land and expanded. I say build a larger/better theme park, and quit giving all of our money to SF in Texas and St. Louis. Generate some tourist revenue for Oklahoma.

jsibelius
03-28-2009, 05:34 PM
Good customer service comes from the heart of the person doing the serving,, regardless of pay, regardless of social stature, regardless of <fill in the blank>. It is as much a definition of character as whether you run a red light if no one else is around - its what you do when no one is looking (or, in the case of retail, if no one is paying you and your employer "treats you like crap.")

There has to come a time when you look at the mirror and recognize that whatever effort the person in the mirror gives is 100% dependent upon....the person in the mirror. It is a choice. You may hate your boss, you may hate your pay, you may hate the job, you may hate the environment, your boss may have delusions of grandeur, you may hate the company, but what you do in service to others is your choice.

It is sad to me to hear the position in this thread opined by some to amount to "Screw me, screw you." And then we wonder what's happened to the very notion of being in service one to another....

All I'm saying is when all of your employees are unhappy, it shows. Even when they're trying to do a good job, it STILL shows. And it also says something about the moral character of those in management when they treat employees like they're no better than the trash that gets carried out at the end of the day. It goes BOTH ways. What is it about this board that puts people on this high moral authority anyway?


They claimed that because the job was seasonal, there was no requirement for overtime. I never checked the veracity of that.

Well, maybe there is a separate category for seasonal. I've never dealt with that before. But it sounds like a cop-out to me. A lot of employers tell their employees lies about not owing overtime, knowing full well their employees will believe it. I had a company put me on salary several years ago and then put me on a 45-hour weekly schedule. Because I was on a salary, it never occurred to me they owed me overtime for the extra five hours I was working every week. Unfortunately, by the time I found out, the statute of limitations had passed me by and it was too late to go back and collect. Salary is how a lot employers get out of paying overtime.

And now...congrats to Frontier City for making some needed changes. Just don't be breaking any labor laws. Somebody could be watching! And do keep up the good work. Because we are all watching.

jbrown84
03-28-2009, 08:31 PM
What they should have done before all the housing developments started being built in that area, FC should have bought land and expanded.

They actually have tons of land surrounding the park--to the north as well as the west across Coltrane. There's room to at least double the size of the park and still have plenty of parking.

bunchakids
03-28-2009, 10:20 PM
Want to take the family to a real theme park try Worlds of Fun in KC. It was between Silver DOllar City and Worlds of Fun and we chose Worlds of FUn. We took our 5 kids there last year and had a blast, And it was just for a weekend. We have a problem with hotels due to how many kids we have, So we rented a little cabin right there on the park grounds! Very cool. Quick little 5hr drive and your in Kansas City.

They have great food, Lots of shade (which six flags texas lacks big time) reasonable prices and tons of stuff the kids can enjoy. All of our kids were 10 and under at the time. Also met very many friendly employees. We will be returning.

Frontier City is okay, But sometimes we like to travel and see new things.

bombermwc
03-30-2009, 02:20 PM
I have worked my fair share of S**t jobs over the years but, I always made the effort move on when it got the point that I hated going to work.

Regardless of your work environment or pay you should not take it out on the customers. You should make every effort to treat every customer with respect and find solutions to their complaints.

The problem with workplace abuse is the fact that nobody ever reports it. Sure everyone complains but, nobody has the courage to confront all levels of management and voice their concerns. You always here the typical line "This place sucks but, I am not saying anything. I have got kids to feed and bills to pay." Millions of people are more than willing to complain, but only a few are willing to act to initiate change.

BomberMWC did you any of your fellow employees make a complaint to people above that manager who told you that you could all be replaced. If he was the store manager, did you got to District, Regional or Corporate. I know I would have. Somebody on up in the chain would have come down on that type of behavior because it is represents a hostile work environment.

Few people realize they cannot fire you for making a legitimate and tactful complaint. If they do, you can probably sue them for hostile work environment or wrongful termination.


Actually because of complaints from that day, that particular manager was fired. Many of the other managers at that location were sent to other stores as well. Did it make a difference? No, because they just shuffled crappy managers from other stores to ours until they went bankrupt and close the place. What made that place interesting is that the head store manager wasn't bad. She really did try, but the corporation wouldn't give her the manpower to do what needed to be done on the floor...which is what makes or breaks retail. All that "assistant" manager level crap is what killed the environment at the store....the power trip folks.

Taggart
03-30-2009, 03:29 PM
What they should have done before all the housing developments started being built in that area, FC should have bought land and expanded. I say build a larger/better theme park, and quit giving all of our money to SF in Texas and St. Louis. Generate some tourist revenue for Oklahoma.

That's just like the people making 20k a year and buying a 350k house.

It's in the cards, my friend. BUT they do have to make money with what they currently have before spending a good $100 mil or more. But they currently own PLENTY of land.

As for the work ethic/treatment issue, I think it's somewhere in between. The whole machine has to work together. The payment issue isn't as bad as the management. I do think that it is up to the employee to take pride in his work and not just take a paycheck every week, but an environment that supports such practice is essential.

I also think many of Frontier City's problems stem from the fact that the OKC public has such a negative view of the place. Working there isn't considered a "real" job.

adrian30
03-31-2009, 02:53 PM
they need to get more rides and they need to move it to down town okc on the river and make the park bigger and with more stuff to do get a very big furis weel to make the park a tourist place to be and maybe put a hotel in the park to keep guest hapy and spending money im very glad that six flags dosent own frontier city they sucked we always got the left overs rides and acts

jbrown84
03-31-2009, 03:06 PM
Longest run-on sentence ever?

It's not practical to move the park. They already have plenty of land for growth where they are, along with mature trees for shade and good infrastructure for the most part. They are right on a major interstate with high visibility. It would cost millions to move downtown, not to mention the cost of land and the cost of adding any rides on top of what they already have. Many (most) theme parks are in the suburbs and do fine. Worlds of Fun, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Fiesta Texas... all are on the edge of the city on a major interstate.

metro
03-31-2009, 03:09 PM
Not to mention, it would not make sense downtown. Do you go to Six Flags of Texas in downtown Dallas. Sorry but I'll pass on having a theme park downtown. Now, maybe on the river somewhere east or west of downtown, perhaps closer to the fairgrounds might be a good idea if someone wanted to open a new theme park.