4 ms·

This is a trending premium business model. Pay to avoid government regulation or for better services. It's the same with toll freeways here in Southern Californ

This is a trending premium business model. Pay to avoid government regulation or for better services. It's the same with toll freeways here in Southern California. Even Disneyland now, you can pay to avoid the ride lines.

notinfuriated 4y ago
It's incredible because the business model also implies they will always sell an inferior product alongside the upgraded premium one. It's like running a restaurant where I sell grilled "cheese" for $5 and you pay me an extra $5 to use actual cheese instead of dogshit. Re: Disneyland allowing you to pay to avoid lines, I remember visiting Universal Studios (Orlando) after Hurricane Charley in 2004. The lines were non-existent, but the fun part wasn't skipping the lines so much as the feeling of having the whole park to yourself. If they could find a way to offer that experience, I'd pay for it. I suspect VR might be one of the only ways to do it (and perhaps a rollercoaster in VR is just as good as the real experience, I don't know myself as I haven't messed around with VR). I'd feel like an asshole paying to skip lines that actual, real human beings were waiting in, but I don't doubt that plenty of people would have zero qualms about this.
- sidfthec 4y ago
  > The lines were non-existent, but the fun part wasn't skipping the lines so much as the feeling of having the whole park to yourself. If they could find a way to offer that experience, I'd pay for it. You can. Companies regularly rent out entire amusement parks for a day for company events. Tech companies have been doing it in the Bay Area at Great America for a long time: https://www.cagreatamerica.com/groups/corporate-events/park-buyouts https://www.cagreatamerica.com/groups/corporate-events/park-... Of course, I'm sure it costs an amount much higher than you're willing to pay.
  - deleted 4y ago
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  - bcrosby95 4y ago
    Yep! I grew up in San Jose, and back in the 1980s, each year the company my mom worked for rented out Great America for a day in September. It was pretty awesome being able to just go on any ride you wanted without waiting.

notinfuriated 4y ago

It's incredible because the business model also implies they will always sell an inferior product alongside the upgraded premium one. It's like running a restaurant where I sell grilled "cheese" for $5 and you pay me an extra $5 to use actual cheese instead of dogshit. Re: Disneyland allowing you to pay to avoid lines, I remember visiting Universal Studios (Orlando) after Hurricane Charley in 2004. The lines were non-existent, but the fun part wasn't skipping the lines so much as the feeling of having the whole park to yourself. If they could find a way to offer that experience, I'd pay for it. I suspect VR might be one of the only ways to do it (and perhaps a rollercoaster in VR is just as good as the real experience, I don't know myself as I haven't messed around with VR). I'd feel like an asshole paying to skip lines that actual, real human beings were waiting in, but I don't doubt that plenty of people would have zero qualms about this.

sidfthec 4y ago
> The lines were non-existent, but the fun part wasn't skipping the lines so much as the feeling of having the whole park to yourself. If they could find a way to offer that experience, I'd pay for it. You can. Companies regularly rent out entire amusement parks for a day for company events. Tech companies have been doing it in the Bay Area at Great America for a long time: https://www.cagreatamerica.com/groups/corporate-events/park-buyouts https://www.cagreatamerica.com/groups/corporate-events/park-... Of course, I'm sure it costs an amount much higher than you're willing to pay.
- deleted 4y ago
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- bcrosby95 4y ago
  Yep! I grew up in San Jose, and back in the 1980s, each year the company my mom worked for rented out Great America for a day in September. It was pretty awesome being able to just go on any ride you wanted without waiting.