$3 soda = criminal

Pretty soon we'll need to get lockers for our wallets because they'll be too large to take on the rides if we try to accommodate the money needed to buy anything in line....

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   Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them?
Then be not too eager to deal ou death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety.
Even the wise cannot see all ends.
*** This post was edited by Shaharaim 5/8/2002 12:23:52 AM ***

I hope the ATM's have extra capacity.

Drinking water is much better for you anyway, especially on a hot day.

I don't mind the food prices, especially if they are going the the higher quality stuff. Of course I would rather not spend as much, but I accept the fact that parks do this. When we go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the food there is very good, and reasonably priced. I dont mind paying for good stuff.

I would have been pissed if I were eating a cruddy hot dog for twice the price.

BGW blows away the price/quality curve in a way that no other park does. Even the beer (from a bottle, mind you) is relatively inexpensive. I pig out every time I'm there, and I get far more (and better quality) food for the same money.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Chris Knight says:

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Man this is a violation of consumer protection laws. I think they should be fined for charging people $3 for a 20 oz bottle of Pepsi.

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Chapter and verse, please...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Screwing people is the American way. The only regulation we need is natural market forces, which will undoubtedly drive the price back down.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I know that we won't be doing the junk food at CP like we used to. two orders of cheese fries and two medium pepsi's was $11. Mind you, I LOVE cheese fries, but not at that price. I didn't even check out the price of the corn dogs. Leaving the park is a hassle, even though I'm a SP holder with the parking pass. I think we'll just pack a cooler with pop and Subway sandwiches. We are always there early enough to park close, so a walk to the car won't kill us.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

It is too bad that they will raise the price of a drink, yet not have all the rides operating at full capacity. It just goes to show you, no matter what, it is all about the money.

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...I will be more than happy to give you a cigarette...

Whoa... time out there... when have they ever sacrificed capacity to staff a food stand? I have in many cases seen a number of food establishments closed and fewer carts on the midways with all rides open, regardless of crowds. This was indeed the case Sunday, where the only capacity shortcoming was Millennium Force missing a train (and you can't attribute that to a shift in manpower... few people are qualified to rebuild a coaster train).

This ain't SFWoA, you know.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Here's my theory. Last year, as we all know, CP started the season with a $2.50 soda price. Later in the year, they dropped it down to $2.00. Now, did they do this because no body was buying, or because they knew more people than normal would buy at the $2.00 level because it was more of a "bargain"? This year, they've started at $3. During the year, will they drop down to last years opening price of $2.50, which, then in the minds of the GP, would be a bargain again, compared to the $3 price.

I think its working the same as the gas price roller coaster. Go from $1/gallon up to near $2/gal, then drop off the price to $1.50/gal. Hey, even now at $1.30/gal, we think we're getting a good deal. But in reality we're still getting screwed. Its all about our perception on what things cost...when we see something that's $9.99, in our subconscious mind, we don't see $10. Its all an illusion that we're saving money.
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Michael McCormack CP '02: 1
Magnum XL 200: 2
Millennium Force: 1
Wicked Twister: 2

Supply and demand doesn't work that way. Demand is high at a low price, Supply is high at a high price. Plot those two lines on a graph, you will get an X. The intersection of the two lines is the sweet spot where you maximize profit. That's where the price of soda will be if CP is smart, which I bet they are.

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It's very hard to drink all day...
Unless you start first thing in the morning.

Except that the supply curve for pop is pretty flat when you are selling in the quantities that Cedar Point does. Demand with respect to price, on the other hand, is quite elastic, and Cedar Point's task is to figure out what that demand curve looks like. I suspect that it's pretty steep as the price goes up.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I love how everyone here is a "Junior Economist" :) and can preach on the little nuances of MircoEconomics. What no one has yet said is what is the "shape" of the demand curve? If it's relatively steep, then you are right, this price increase will have dire consequences. If it is relatively flat, however, the decrease in the number of bottles sold *may* be small enough that an overall profit increase is realized.

The other thing you have to take in to account is what are the alternatives. Now you all advocate getting "free water". Well, to the best of my knowledge, this is not available in the queue. If you had the foresight to know that you would be thirsty, you'd have likely gotten a soda at a food stand before entering the line (I assume the food stand sodas are a better value because you all arent bytching and moaning about them). But once you are in the queue you have three options: 1) Leave the line and get a drink elsewhere (usually undesirable as you lose your place in line. 2) Delay satitating your thrist until after you've ridden (desireablity varies depending on wait time) or 3) Purchase the drink at the offered price.

If CP believes that the number of people who choose option 3 will not change much whether they charge 3bucks or two and a half, why *wouldnt* they charge the higher price? Of course, if they've overestimated the static nature of the soda demand curve, then they will start to lose money and will adjust accordingly. This is a calculated risk. With all of you being so confident in the Cedar Fair managerial staff as a whole, I'm suprised that you would believe that your expose's of economic theroy would be something they had not already considered.

I say leave the economy to the economists!

To BirdofPrey: Are most of CPs guests in a given season repeat guests that visit in different parts of the season? I was under the impression that because of the "resort" nature of the park, most of the guests there visit once a season, perhaps spending multiple days. If the *bulk* of their guests are like this, most would be unaware of a price change from one part of the season to another. And it is becoming my belief, primarily, that season passholders, who are *very* frequent visitors (10+ times per season) spend little on such accoutrements compared to other guests.

lata,

jeremy

--who words to CP are "You dont tell me anything about granting patents and I wont tell you anything about running a park" (..not until you hire me anyway :)..)

BirdOfPrey00: I think you're really over-estimating the number of people who return to the park more than once, and you really over-estimate what people are willing to pay. None of us here are going to settle for $2.50 either just because 365 days have past.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

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What no one has yet said is what is the "shape" of the demand curve? If it's relatively steep, then you are right, this price increase will have dire consequences. If it is relatively flat, however, the decrease in the number of bottles sold *may* be small enough that an overall profit increase is realized.

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I would have to think that the curve is relatively steep and the demand for pop is quite elastic. Increasing the prices a mear $0.50 last summer caused enough of a descrease in sales that the prices were quickly lowered again.

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But once you are in the queue you have three options: 1) Leave the line and get a drink elsewhere (usually undesirable as you lose your place in line. 2) Delay satitating your thrist until after you've ridden (desireablity varies depending on wait time) or 3) Purchase the drink at the offered price.

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Exactly...It's all about the opportunity costs my friends.

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James Draeger
-not an economist yet, but working toward a degree in it.
*** This post was edited by ACEerCG 5/8/2002 3:37:40 PM ***

I'm a little surprised that they didn't stay with the set up they use to have in the queue for Magnum. That being, serving fountain soda. That's where the money is as the profit is off the Richter Scale when comparing to bottled soda. Convenience must be the key as soda machines run themselves and plus you don't need to pay an extra employee. Still though, I just don't see there being that much of a difference in the hassle of refilling machines every night, or having to change the post-mix bag in a box that goes with fountain soda. They need to go back to fountain soda in the lines, that way they make more money and they can keep the prices down.

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I was super before Superstew was cool
*** This post was edited by Superstew 5/8/2002 5:57:30 PM **
*** This post was edited by Superstew 5/8/2002 5:59:37 PM ***

Its "The Great Soda Boycott of '02"

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its the ride, not the records
CoasterFan14@hotmail.com

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Now, about the pop...three words: Chet and Matt's.

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Mmm I know exactly what you mean. After opening day my group of friends went there for reasonable priced food that is awsome.

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Troika/Chaos Triangle Crew 2002
http://www.msu.edu/~kemppai8/ --- My stupid website
*** This post was edited by Sapman 5/8/2002 7:07:11 PM ***

By the way, $1.30 a gallon for gas is "getting screwed"? Adjusted for inflation that's cheaper than it's ever been, still cheaper than bottled water. And compare that to the rest of the world - like the U.K., which I just got back from, where "petrol" runs nearly six bucks per gallon ...
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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

When you compare it to gas is almost funny. Pop at CP cost $19.20 a gallon! I'm never going to complain about gas prices again ;).

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They need to go back to fountain soda in the lines, that way they make more money and they can keep the prices down.

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Plus, they charge less for the fountain soda, and I like it better because it has ice in it. On a hot day, you're paying $3.00 for something that'll be warm by the time you finish it.
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It's very hard to drink all day...
Unless you start first thing in the morning.