Towers' Pricing

Wed May 30, 2012 11:03 pm

Just... Wow. After the season is in full swing too...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wed May 30, 2012 11:15 pm

Well they want to get the money back for reopening the skyride somehow ...

Dormiens-Dave · Wed May 30, 2012 11:41 pm

It seems Merlin have forgotten we are in a RECESSION!!!!!

When every other business is dropping prices Merlin (and it has to be said many other theme parks) are increasing them.... and then they wonder why their parks are devoid of guests this year.

I'm seriously wondering if any economists actually work for Merlin!

AstroDan · Thu May 31, 2012 1:12 am

It's a very expensive price for a park that has no major show, nor does it open late.

Those 4.00pm closes at that price are a joke.

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk

Thu May 31, 2012 1:23 am

You don't honestly think they were going to waive the money raised through booking fees completely now did you?

Any proposed VAT cuts would go back on the admission price in time as well no doubt.

They claim to be second only to Disney, but they most certainly couldn't be any further from Disney's philosophy.

"Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money." Walt Disney

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dormiens-Dave · Thu May 31, 2012 7:40 am

Its worrying that this isn't just a Merlin trend though, Drayton have added parking costs this year and PBB have increased prices (though their last price hyke was a while ago). I really hope we wont see a self destructing industry.

I think they are now completely relying on BOGOFS which has long been there model due to the advertising factor associated with them (brand placement on other products) But 50% off tickets is now £21.75 which is to quote a friend of mine "a lot of money when you havn't had a pay rise in 3 years".

I would have thought more people through the gates potentially spending on F&B and merch would be better but then again i'm not business man. Merlin to my mind are definately going to float on the stock exchange soon as they are money mad at the moment!

....and i bet the Annual Pass gets attacked next!

Thu May 31, 2012 9:09 am

I still consider BPB to be much better value for money than Alton though, generally its open later and as its in a much smaller area you do get a very high ride count on your normal days. Alton putting up their prices again is just absolutely unbelieveable.

I wonder if the car parking has gone up as well. If they continue on the path they are, shortly it will be £50 to enter and a tenner to park the car. Bet all the pot holes will still be on the entrance and exit roads too.

I am actually beginning to wonder if someone working for the Ropers has managed to get a top spot in Merlin and is hell bent on ruining the park to the point where it is forced to close down due to lack of custom in a few years time.

I would really like to see Alton gate numbers over the past few years.....

The sooner Merlin get their grubby mitts of Alton the better. Can we not all chip in and buy it off them? Lol

Thu May 31, 2012 9:12 am

Hmmm, Waterpark "On the Day" ticket prices are blank - expect these to go up too maybe they are updating the page http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/#Waterpark

Thu May 31, 2012 9:24 am

garyh wrote: Hmmm, Waterpark "On the Day" ticket prices are blank - expect these to go up too maybe they are updating the page http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/#Waterpark

As if by magic, the following has also appeared on that page:

To visit Alton Towers Waterpark, tickets must be booked in advance online or by telephone - 0871 222 3330. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras.

Bad news if there is now no on-the-day option at all - perhaps a way to cut reception staff?

Thu May 31, 2012 10:39 am

I doubt they will remove "on the day" tickets given they can charge more for them, my guess is that they are updating the pages - increased prices to appear shortly!

Thu May 31, 2012 11:07 am

No chance I'd pay over £40 for a day ticket, unless it included fast passes! Stupid prices.

Thu May 31, 2012 12:08 pm

I really wouldn't be surprised to see at this point next year the tickets price to be around £46 - £47 after the increase at the start of the season no doubt and then another just before the main season kicks in. SW7 will be opening so I am assuming the increases will be a bit larger.
Ticket prices of £50+ are not that far away ...

Thu May 31, 2012 4:28 pm

Unless I am missing something if I bought an online ticket today for tomorrow, I would not get any discount and it would be the same price as on the gate...

AstroDan · Thu May 31, 2012 4:39 pm

Correct. You save nothing the day before. I feel sorry for people who do not massively pre plan!

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk

Thu May 31, 2012 4:41 pm

Just look for The Sun tickets on eBay - i've seen 4 tickets go for less than £20.

Jordan · Thu May 31, 2012 5:10 pm

AstroDan wrote:I feel sorry for people who do not massively pre plan!

I don't feel sorry for people who don't pre-plan - they'll just choose to go a different day or they'll go elsewhere. I actually feel sorry for Towers for losing out on those sales.

Skumfidus · Thu May 31, 2012 7:23 pm

Dormiens-Dave wrote: It seems Merlin have forgotten we are in a RECESSION!!!!!

I don't really get this comment...the only reason why general members of the public are bothered about a recession is because we have less money to spend on ourselves....why is this? Have our wages decreased? No. The answer is that everything is more expensive! Everyone is charging more and more for services and products! No-one is reducing prices, they are increasing their profit through other, more underhand schemes which prey on peoples fascination with 'recession'.

Alton Towers pricing strategies are by no means unique to the attraction, Merlin, or the industry - it's a very common style of pricing. It's a mixture of loss-leading and high-lowing, two pricing strategies which are very popular.

It works by
a) making Alton Towers look like a premium attraction; when shopping at a supermarket most people would go for the £5 item at half price over the £2.50 item at full price - high price equals high quality in most consumers mind, think about British snobbery towards Aldi despite the fact that the chain continually wins awards for the quality of their products. Another (pretty weird but well known) example is John West Tuna....are those 'barrels' of tuna ever not on offer??
b) it also means that guests feel like they have got a bargain at the gates, so will feel like they have money to spare for F&B, merchandise, etc.

Thu May 31, 2012 8:02 pm

Skumfidus wrote:
Dormiens-Dave wrote: It seems Merlin have forgotten we are in a RECESSION!!!!!
Have our wages decreased? No.

Well that's not true. A lot of people have had wage cuts.

Skumfidus · Thu May 31, 2012 8:37 pm

LukeJ wrote: Well that's not true. A lot of people have had wage cuts.

That is a good point, but still outgoings are increasing for all, which is a problem that effects everyone, not just the people who have had their salaries cut.

£21.75 is very cheap for a minimum of 6 hours of entertainment in this country. £3.60 per hour. Nick Varney has a very strong argument there!

Thu May 31, 2012 8:48 pm

A lot of people have had wage cuts, while not directly, but take public sector for example, pay increases frozen until 2014, pension increases, inflation so yes there have been wage cuts, quite significant in certain job areas. Also take the millions out of work. The huge increases in fuel prices, food prices etc, there isn't anyone who hasn't had their disposable income cut. This price increase is just another two fingers up to the general public.