If you were one of the state’s major summer tourist attractions, would you close operations for the last week of summer?
Nah. Neither would I. Because if you did, boy would you be missing out on major revenue. Major.
My big plan for my last Monday at home with my daughter (August 25) before the start of kindergarten was to take her to Lake Compounce, the amusement park that’s much more manageable than Six Flags New England, but eons cooler than the rinky-dink Lake Quassy. I went to the website a few days before and found out that they were not open on Monday. Or Tuesday. Or any weekday from here on out. Weekends only. Summer over. Goodbye.
I wasn’t the only one who was upset about the closing. Just look on their Facebook page, and you’ll see comments like these, none of which have been addressed on the page:
I’m not sure what these ladies did, but I took my daughter to Six Flags instead. Everyone took their daughters to Six Flags. And their sons, sisters, and Great Aunt Idas. The parking lot was packed. There were lines for all the major rides. Some of the food vendors ran out of water. A kiddie ride attendant confided in me that she hadn’t anticipated so many visitors. And while these are not necessarily positive things in terms of happy customers for Six Flags, I can’t help but think that they stole a huge amount of market share from Lake Compounce that day. And Tuesday. And every weekday this week.
School may have begun in some cities, but families are out. They are ending the summer with a bang. It would be a shame for any summer tourist attraction to miss out.
Why did Lake Compounce miss out? Based on some of their defenders on Facebook, it seems too many of their employees are high school and college kids who had to go back. My advice: plan better. Hire a few grown-ups for the last week of summer, and watch the revenue come flowing in. If not, Bugs Bunny and company will be more than happy to take it from you.