Sandcastle charging for parking this year (waterpark, how much, option to buy) - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

hkrn44 · 03-10-2010, 05:29 PM

Does anyone have a clue as to why they are doing this? I'm getting a season pass like I've been doing for the past few years. You have the option of buying a season parking pass for $25, but its a sticker that must be put on your Sandcastle waterpark season pass and is only valid if YOU are in the car. What a ripoff! I wonder how much they are going to charge to park per day....

raubre · 03-10-2010, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkrn44

Does anyone have a clue as to why they are doing this? I'm getting a season pass like I've been doing for the past few years. You have the option of buying a season parking pass for $25, but its a sticker that must be put on your Sandcastle waterpark season pass and is only valid if YOU are in the car. What a ripoff! I wonder how much they are going to charge to park per day....

Greed. Parking doesn't even cost that much downtown!

hkrn44 · 03-21-2010, 10:18 AM

Anyone else have any thoughts on this ..

Hopes · 03-21-2010, 03:13 PM

This is the first I've heard about it. Doesn't make sense. They could have just increased admission. Sounds like they are really targetting the season pass holders.

RedBall · 03-21-2010, 08:31 PM

Why is Sandcastle charging for parking? Who knows. Talk to the CFO. Someone from within the Sandcastle organization can answer that question. A bunch of chuckleheads on city data forums can't.

Oh sure - we could sit here and opine about different scenarios on why any company would charge for parking. But because we aren't privy to the inner workings of Sandcastle's business, we still wouldn't know if any of them are true in particular to Sandcastle's situation. And unless we have some posters whom are also waterpark industry insiders our conversation is going to be pretty damn academic.

But, for the hell of it, maybe the recession has decreased attendance so dramatically that charging for parking is their last effort to make up revenue before they have to reduce their workforce.

Or maybe they've recently consulted with a market research firm and found that enough people would be willing to pay for parking that any revenue lost from customers angry about the parking would be wholly offset.

Or maybe they've just identified an additional revenue stream opportunity after looking at similar parks which also charge for parking succesfully.

The reasons could be endless. Seriously. Who knows. There is no answer here. The answer is within Sandcastle's finance department.

I understand your frustration - but the "why" doesn't even matter. For whatever reason Sandcastle is charging for parking now. As a patron, if this is unacceptable, vote with your dollar and skip Sandcastle this year. If enough people find paying for parking unacceptable then Sandcastle will stop charging. And if Sandcastle can't provide their services at a cost which is palatable to the consumer, then Sandcastle will fail and go away (barring any government bail out - excuse me while I stifle my vomit). And if a market does in fact exist for Sandcastle's services, then another more efficient company will take its place.

This is the magic of free markets. The "invisable hand".

bbrian12 · 03-22-2010, 05:49 AM

and they wonder why attendence is on the decline. 20$+ for a day and 5$ to park WTF??? kennywood is 35$ this year and im sure the price of everything in the park went up. greed...ever since the new company took over the prices have went throught the roof

hkrn44 · 03-22-2010, 10:06 AM

Every day I was at Sandcastle last year it was packed. You had to wait in line an hour to get food. And if you didn't get there before 11 then good luck finding a chair to lay out on. So I really don't know how they are hurting in the financial department...

onepoint · 03-22-2010, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedBall

Why is Sandcastle charging for parking? Who knows. Talk to the CFO. Someone from within the Sandcastle organization can answer that question. A bunch of chuckleheads on city data forums can't.

Oh sure - we could sit here and opine about different scenarios on why any company would charge for parking. But because we aren't privy to the inner workings of Sandcastle's business, we still wouldn't know if any of them are true in particular to Sandcastle's situation. And unless we have some posters whom are also waterpark industry insiders our conversation is going to be pretty damn academic.

But, for the hell of it, maybe the recession has decreased attendance so dramatically that charging for parking is their last effort to make up revenue before they have to reduce their workforce.

Or maybe they've recently consulted with a market research firm and found that enough people would be willing to pay for parking that any revenue lost from customers angry about the parking would be wholly offset.

Or maybe they've just identified an additional revenue stream opportunity after looking at similar parks which also charge for parking succesfully.

The reasons could be endless. Seriously. Who knows. There is no answer here. The answer is within Sandcastle's finance department.

I understand your frustration - but the "why" doesn't even matter. For whatever reason Sandcastle is charging for parking now. As a patron, if this is unacceptable, vote with your dollar and skip Sandcastle this year. If enough people find paying for parking unacceptable then Sandcastle will stop charging. And if Sandcastle can't provide their services at a cost which is palatable to the consumer, then Sandcastle will fail and go away (barring any government bail out - excuse me while I stifle my vomit). And if a market does in fact exist for Sandcastle's services, then another more efficient company will take its place.

This is the magic of free markets. The "invisable hand".

I'm sure you may find this astonishing, but there is in fact an outside chance that a member of this forum may be somehow associated with Sandcastle in a manner allowing the passage of this elusive "inside information." Time will tell, chucklehead.

Little Mizz Pittsburgh · 03-22-2010, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbrian12

and they wonder why attendence is on the decline. 20$+ for a day and 5$ to park WTF??? kennywood is 35$ this year and im sure the price of everything in the park went up. greed...ever since the new company took over the prices have went throught the roof

Thanks for this information. Just plain ole RIDICULOUS. Guess the only time you'll see me at Kennywood, this year, is at my job picnic when I can get a ride all day for 10 bucks.

neurodistortion · 03-22-2010, 03:59 PM

Well, Kennywood's getting a new coaster, how do you think they are going to pay for it? Raising admission is one way to do it. Besides, you still have the option to buy a discount ticket from Giant Eagle for $25 or from your local school district for a dollar less.