pognoi Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Fury through the weekdays this season has been very quiet. Queue never escaping the station, and on good days (up until June where it starts getting busier) it would never ever go past the stairs. Probably got about 50 people before 11 on an average weekday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 No suprise, we made several after school trip this year and I was amazed to find on more than one occassion we were the only people in a particular part of the park, infact there was more staff than customers sometimes. But it does make for re-riding Fury until you are sick quiet an experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Won't this limit the amount of staff who can actually make a viable wage off being an employee though. That's a lot of hours cut. JoshuaA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Most people would be on zero hours though wouldn't they? I dunno, it's been a long time since I thought of anybody but my reflection as my boss. pognoi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Even so the potential for hours is significantly less. A person who had been working at the park a few years on zero hours could probably look at all the closure weeks and work out how much they stand to lose. Might be off putting for some, ideal for others I guess. Ian-S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Or maybe they'll just hire less staff? People that work five days are still going to be able to do that. Just maybe the days when they're not working, the park will actually be closed it self? But I don't know, I'm clueless about the staffing side of Chessington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraX Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 It's been done before at both southern parks, and managers have had to deal with staff complaints due to that very reason. It's really crappy for staff who aren't living at home, and need to survive, although Merlin will just tell you about your zero hour contract, and basically it's tough luck. They can cut your hours with no regard, or they can extend park opening expecting you to stay (without actually even asking). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Which then limits your hiring demographic to retirees and students. Not that those groups are incompetent but you'd really like some people in physical peak but also peak maturity. At least, I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraX Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 That's why the Merlin parks have such an enormous turn over. Good people leave, knowledge leaves with them, and the cycle continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Ain't it depressing when you ask a member of staff a question and you know more about the park then they do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Remember, it's just a job for these guys, often one that doesn't exactly require historical or factual knowledge to be efficient at... Basic knowledge sure, but I wouldn't expect all staff to know who manufactured Rattlesnake... pognoi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Ain't it depressing when you ask a member of staff a question and you know more about the park then they do? That's a pretty arrogant remark isn't it? Especially when it certainly depends who you ask, as a large amount of the staff load will know a great deal more than you will, but they are not necessarily the ones customer facing. The staffing team on the whole do a very good job, considering some of the circumstances they've had to deal with this year. Most staff you'll bump into on rides, etc won't have a clue about geekery stuff and that's not depressing, it's normal. pognoi and Adam P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I wouldn't expect staff members to have the knowledge that theme park geeks do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pognoi Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Exactly. But then again if you go in with that mindset you may be pleasantly surprised about how many people work at Chessington with a great bit of nerdy knowledge. But you can't go into it expecting everyone to know as much as you just because they work there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I worked at a historical London visitor attraction over the summer and knew next to nothing about it. I just sold tickets and earned money. pognoi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 That's a pretty arrogant remark isn't it? Especially when it certainly depends who you ask, as a large amount of the staff load will know a great deal more than you will, but they are not necessarily the ones customer facing. The staffing team on the whole do a very good job, considering some of the circumstances they've had to deal with this year. Most staff you'll bump into on rides, etc won't have a clue about geekery stuff and that's not depressing, it's normal. Thank goodness I have you here to yet again point out how wrong I have been. I'd be making blunder after blunder without your guidance and correction, so reliably I don't even have to ask for it. I shall try harder in the New Year to not embarrass myself and the community quite so frequently. Ian-S, OldFarmerDean and dk3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Good. pognoi and Kerfuffle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 It's not compulsory that ride staff are enthusiastic about rides, but it's nice if they do have at least some care for theme parks and rides. It's the difference between staff being enthusiastic about their job and just doing it "because it's their job", and the behaviour from staff at the end of the day today showed a complete disregard for the park and the paying customers there! Staff should know the manufacturers of rides if they work on them IMO, but then what do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Most customer-facing rides staff know a lot more detail about the daily operation and functioning of the rides they work on, to the point at which trivia and facts like knowing the manufacturer, etc, becomes the most pointless thing to know. Why does knowing the manufacturer matter when you have to deal with the ride's operation every minute? Such things seem to only matter if you're trying to qualify as a theme park geek (or if you're an engineer actually having to contact and liaise with said manufacturer). And if you do try ask them any details about the functioning of a ride they're probably not allowed to tell you. I've seen that all the casual staff this year have had a very difficult job, and had to put up with a huge amount of extra stress and longer hours without needing to be slagged off because they supposedly "don't know as much as you" about rides. HermanTheGerman and pognoi 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 It's not compulsory that ride staff are enthusiastic about rides, but it's nice if they do have at least some care for theme parks and rides. It's the difference between staff being enthusiastic about their job and just doing it "because it's their job", and the behaviour from staff at the end of the day today showed a complete disregard for the park and the paying customers there! Staff should know the manufacturers of rides if they work on them IMO, but then what do I know? -Don't forget that your experience today is still only a minority of staff. -When you talk about the ride staff knowing the manufacturers of the rides they work on, who do you mean exactly? The dispatchers? The operators? The Team Leaders? The engineers? All of the above? Let's face it, it's not exactly something the dispatchers and operators need to know is it - it's not going to help them do their job, and anyone interested enough will probably find out that information online. They may well have heard it from somewhere, but it's not essential to their job in any way. The Team Leaders and engineers likely need to know it just in case, but again, not something which I think is essential, 'off-the-top-of-their heads' knowledge that they need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 -When you talk about the ride staff knowing the manufacturers of the rides they work on, who do you mean exactly? The dispatchers? The operators? The Team Leaders? The engineers? All of the above? Let's face it, it's not exactly something the dispatchers and operators need to know is it - it's not going to help them do their job, and anyone interested enough will probably find out that information online. They may well have heard it from somewhere, but it's not essential to their job in any way. The Team Leaders and engineers likely need to know it just in case, but again, not something which I think is essential, 'off-the-top-of-their heads' knowledge that they need to know. I guess it's not essential, but it probably says the manufacturer's name in the ride manuals, and on the restraints of some coasters etc... I would guess that all operators/dispatchers know the manufacturers of the ride(s) they work on to be honest. And if you do try ask them any details about the functioning of a ride they're probably not allowed to tell you. I've seen that all the casual staff this year have had a very difficult job, and had to put up with a huge amount of extra stress and longer hours without needing to be slagged off because they supposedly "don't know as much as you" about rides. Find me anywhere where I have "slagged off" staff for "not knowing as much as me about rides". I have never claimed to know lots about rides, and obviously ride staff are going to know more about how they work as they operate them, but where did I say that they don't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Han30 Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I remember years ago telling my sister that she should go on Peeking Heights as she had technically already been on it when it was Eclipse at TP. She didn't believe me so when we got nearer to riding I went up to the host and asked if it was the Ferris wheel from Thorpe Park and she turned around and said no. I felt like a wally even though I knew it was from Thorpe and had to prove it to my sister with assistance from Google Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I guess it's not essential, but it probably says the manufacturer's name in the ride manuals, and on the restraints of some coasters etc... I would guess that all operators/dispatchers know the manufacturers of the ride(s) they work on to be honest. Find me anywhere where I have "slagged off" staff for "not knowing as much as me about rides". I have never claimed to know lots about rides, and obviously ride staff are going to know more about how they work as they operate them, but where did I say that they don't? I'm not quoting you, I'm referring to the comments that happened beforehand. And yes all technical details are listed in all the ride manuals, there's a lot more to know about the rides than that though. Talk to any engineers about it if they're not busy, they might be interested that others also think about that kind of thing. Or just weirded out (depending on which one)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted November 9, 2015 Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 I guess it's not essential, but it probably says the manufacturer's name in the ride manuals, and on the restraints of some coasters etc... I would guess that all operators/dispatchers know the manufacturers of the ride(s) they work on to be honest. It does vary. Operators have it in the ride manual and it can come up on operator tests as to who built a ride. Dispatchers such as the Fury buttons really don't need to know the manufacturer, it's not relevant to the position and the people that do care about such things (ride geeks for example) probably know anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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