I got to BGT at 9 am Sunday for a 10 am park opening, and parking was already open! So preferred was probably filled by 10 am that morning.
2021 Hiring Blitz
- Thread starter BGW Family
- Start date
I honestly don't necessarily disagree with this, but the issue is when you are bringing back previously full time employees and doing this. I honestly hope that they aren't but the ACA line of what makes someone part time or full time is really funky. It wasn't really couched in weekly hours, it was based on hours over the year, hence the way some of this help right now is working huge hours over 6 months then getting cut, as opposed to having 2 people working 25 hours a week. Of course some of that is coming back to the fact they can't get enough people hired.
I mean...EVERY industry is struggling to hire people right now and this is one of the few things getting even a few people in the door. There's so many reasons that there's a struggle that it's hard to pin down a single thing, from people not wanting public facing jobs, people working from home, finding new jobs, finding other streams of income, and parents not wanting their kids working with an ongoing pandemic. If this were a unique to BGW thing, it's a more understandable complaint, but it really isn't.
If they are trying to screw over full time people, then that is a completely different issue and I that isn't cool. I worked seasonal jobs when I was younger. Once was for an amusement park. I didn't work there to earn tons of money, I worked there because I wanted to. If I were closer to BGW I'd certainly apply to earn some extra money. There is the legit covid fear for some and there are also just too many lazy people today (certainly my own opinion that can't be proven).
I know every industry is struggling to get bodies to work. This higher new starting wage that BGW and others offer may have to be the starting point going forward. Some people got their wish of having a much higher min wage. Everyone that thinks that a higher min wage is the answer to the poverty problem really needs to go back to school, but I digress.
There have been people on other forums stating that BGW is just far too slow at sifting through applications, maybe this is a lie, who knows. Also supposedly people that previously worked there haven't been called back. I personally think that SEAS is just walking a tightrope between guest satisfaction with operations at the bare min. While I was there during the week last week for 3 days, operations weren't "bad" given the things that were open. I have a bit of sympathy for employees and I think many others do as well. How long will the public continue to give a business like BGW that sympathy is anyone's guess. I don't fault BGW and other companies looking for cheap labor.
The fact remains that very often : you get what you pay for.
And before you know, a single day ticket will be close to Disney/universal costs
I'm willing to pay more if it means I don't have to wait 30+ minutes in line just to get a tray of fries at Les Frites
A lot of these shortages have to do with predatory business practices backfiring on companies in the wake of the pandemic. SEAS has essentially been relying on cheap seasonal employees and foreign workers with visas that can work for a lower cost, and now it's costing them. We're seeing the same issues in my line of work. Our parent company strategically built their distribution hub in an area of the country where there is low cost of living and high poverty so they could take advantage of a cheap labor pool. Now they can't find workers because they can make just as much money staying home and don't have to pay for child care, which of course is a huge burden for many families. And until there are fundamental changes in how businesses operate and treat their employees, I can't say I blame them. In some circles making money at the government's expense makes you a smart businessman, in others it makes you lazy - it all depends on whether the collar on your shirt is white or blue.
I find it kind of interesting to see if the so-called Kings Dominion law of when schools start and end in Virginia may change given that the whole purpose was to be able to provide relatively cheap summer labor to businesses (mainly pushed by the large summer-season oriented theme parks at the time, hence the law's nickname), and it seems that's no longer a valid opportunity for the demographic the law is designed for.
When one could work almost any other retail or food-service job right away for the same or better pay rate and maybe benefits, and be guaranteed hours through an entire year instead of 6 on 6 off with no guarantees they will be able to come back without jumping through hoops, plus may even be able to pay rent (or for non-emancipated high schoolers, pay for a car and/or other expenses) with digital opportunities that work with their lifestyle, it's really a no-brainer as to what's business has to do to catch up.
Additionally, like I mentioned before - it's not hard to imagine most park staff treat it as another job option, not part of their overall lifestyle as enthusiasts may consider it to be. Therefore, there's a good possibility that the existing staff isn't really all that concerned with going to work somewhere else if there's better opportunities available.
When one could work almost any other retail or food-service job right away for the same or better pay rate and maybe benefits, and be guaranteed hours through an entire year instead of 6 on 6 off with no guarantees they will be able to come back without jumping through hoops, plus may even be able to pay rent (or for non-emancipated high schoolers, pay for a car and/or other expenses) with digital opportunities that work with their lifestyle, it's really a no-brainer as to what's business has to do to catch up.
Additionally, like I mentioned before - it's not hard to imagine most park staff treat it as another job option, not part of their overall lifestyle as enthusiasts may consider it to be. Therefore, there's a good possibility that the existing staff isn't really all that concerned with going to work somewhere else if there's better opportunities available.
The idea that people will pay for a superior experience has literally been the story of BGW's success. People have always paid (way) more for BGW because it was clean, pleasant, charming, relaxing, etc—everything the lower priced competition wasn't. The local market has demonstrated time and time again that it can support a high end theme park experience. Market pressures aren't pushing BGW in this direction.
SEAS has happily filled the void to become the budget park operator in FL. It's very possible that was the right choice for the FL market. That said, SEAS needs to realize that VA ain't FL and the SEAS parks here aren't the cheap, budget-friendly option—that void is already filled. BGW's and WCUSA's place in the VA market is literally built on their reputation for delivering a quality guest experience. It's why people pay BGW's astronomical prices to begin with.
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As of 2019, the park was concerned about the Kings Dominion law being revoked less due to employees, and more due to the loss of a week of summer for kids. It's amazing how context can change things, because now you're right the primary impact would be losing the high school student workers.
That makes sense. I don't recall having such a job surplus since I was a kid in the 80s. Does BGW pay competitive wages?
they been advertising 14 an hr for food related jobs which is pretty much in line with just about every fast food place in town at the moment. The food service industry in the Williamsburg area right now is crazy short handed just about every place hiring.