[gabed]

Not just teens. I asked a female employee, at least in her early twenties if I could have a cup of water.

"I don't know, can you?"

She wasn't kidding.

I left.

[tinotoot]

Yikes! I did notice the last time I was at Carowinds (last Friday) most employees seemed like they were having the worst day of their lives. It did storm later that day but, we rode the Hurler and there were so many employees just standing around miserably. Fury 325 workers always knock it out of the park. They are quick and efficient and cool! It's a shame that so many of the employees act so rudely. I can understand that heat makes one cranky (I work outside sometimes in 90+ degree weather, I get it) but I see so many negative guest responses because workers are allegedly rude and not helpful. I might apply for a ride attendant job next summer because I want guests to have a great, happy time!

[cadi40]

I think the main reason nobody stops the employees is because the all of the managers are in their twenties and become friends with the younger and more rude employees so they never yell at them.

[kirkgun]

It's kinda funny how my praise of good employees quickly gets changed into a discussion of how bad the employees are.

The problem (as already mentioned) is the seasonal aspect of Carowinds operating schedule. Most everybody is temp, basically. This includes most managers. And truthfully, there isn't much immediate benefit to the employee busting their ***. Whether they work hard or not, they're going to be out of a job shortly.

But it's nice to see the folks who work hard anyway. Those folks are going to do well at their next job. And their next job. And sooner or later they're going to be working someplace where they get rewarded for it. And it was nice to see a couple young people like that, and it made my night at Carowinds better.

[Jonathan]

As people have pointed out, it's not easy to motivate a seasonal workforce that gets paid peanuts, has to deal with difficult customers in a hot work environment, and in many cases are working their first job.

But, it can be done. It might be the exception more than the rule, but parks like Knoebels, Holiday World, Dollywood, etc. deal with most of the same challenges as Carowinds and produce different results. I doubt it's easy for them to pull that off, and it takes strategy from the top down that understands human behavior, but it is possible to implement a culture of fun and pride in your work that translates to better customer service. Some companies pull it off, most don't.

When I worked at Cedar Point, in my area there was very little emphasis placed on actual customer engagement. It was mainly a focus on liability and arbitrary needling staff for things that had nothing to do with the customer experience. That said, Cedar Point is a corporate park that generally seems to have great and friendly operations, probably in large part because the park is a destination workplace, attracting people from the region and country who specifically go there because they are excited about working in a park.

[tylerSC]

Tomorrow is WBTV Day at Carowinds and there will be a $20 discount on admission to the park. The morning show will broadcast live from the park and news anchors will make appearances throughout the day.

[cadi40]

When I lived in Florida I got a job at Publix at age 14. I took out groceries in 90+ Weather. I got payed minimum wage for the first 6 Months. I had to deal with a handful of rude customers. I had to deal with it. It's not the employees, It Carowinds, I think they need to establish a system where getting a job at Carowinds is harder to do then it is now. That will automatically filter out the unenthusiastic ones, By training employees Better it will also establish a Dominant figure. If employees are rude to customers now the managers do little to nothing and Customer Service will just recover a complaint.

[tarheel1231]

I don't know if it's comparable to a grocery store. An amusement park needs thousands of employees each year. It's hard to weed out the less enthusiastic applicants when the demand for labor is so high.

[Chris]

I don't know if it's comparable to a grocery store. An amusement park needs thousands of employees each year. It's hard to weed out the less enthusiastic applicants when the demand for labor is so high.

this

[tylerSC]

When I lived in Florida I got a job at Publix at age 14. I took out groceries in 90+ Weather. I got payed minimum wage for the first 6 Months. I had to deal with a handful of rude customers. I had to deal with it. It's not the employees, It Carowinds, I think they need to establish a system where getting a job at Carowinds is harder to do then it is now. That will automatically filter out the unenthusiastic ones, By training employees Better it will also establish a Dominant figure. If employees are rude to customers now the managers do little to nothing and Customer Service will just recover a complaint.

Publix trains there employees very well and emphasizes excellent customer service. They are a very nice clean supermarket. Much better than Bi-Lo or Food Lion. Harris Teeter is also very nice, but the customer service may be a bit better at Publix. Perhaps Cedar Fair needs to implement better customer focus training at their parks. Disney does this very well if I recall. And Dollywood. Haven't been to Six Flags recently.

[tylerSC]

WBTV was broadcasting live from Carowinds today during all of the news programs and the morning show. And the news anchors made personal appearances in the park. It was good publicity to showcase Carowinds.

[cadi40]

I agree, If Carowinds took time over there off season to emphasize customer service and train there employees on it more then Carowinds would be one of Americas best Amusement Park, But that is something holding it back.

[Edwardo]

They can't train people during the off season because the employees are seasonal...

[RollerBee]

They can't train people during the off season because the employees are seasonal...

Seasonal employment means 120 roughly days of employment per year for a employee at Carowinds, but it can also be measured in hours instead of days. It doesn't mean they can't train during the offseason.

[Chris]

They can't train people during the off season because the employees are seasonal...

Seasonal employment means 120 roughly days of employment per year for a employee at Carowinds, but it can also be measured in hours instead of days. It doesn't mean they can't train during the offseason.

How do you expect them to train while they are still in school, sometimes hundreds of miles away?