Going Totally Cashless !
Cash is out at Cliff’s Amusement Park! Since opening on the 5th of April 2009 - cash is no longer accepted inside the popular Albuquerque amusement park. Instead, guests load up “Cliff’s Fun Cards” to make purchases for everything and anything inside the facility - - food, games, rides, and retail.
Park owners Linda and Gary Hays converted their park to cashless operation beginning with the 2009 season. “We’d been thinking about going cashless for several years”, says owner Linda Hays, “and now we are online, open, and we are working great”.
Loss Prevention and Cash Control were two of the major benefits in deciding to deploy the park wide cashless payment system. At Cliff’s, cash is now only handled at ticket windows and automated kiosks, where guests purchase their Cliff’s Fun Cards and load them up with “Cliff’s Cash” (the park’s internal e-currency). Guests can also purchase Fun Cards online using their credit card, with print-at-home confirmation that can be redeemed at any ticket window. Guests can use either their Fun Card, or a debit or credit card to make additional purchases in the park. No cash is handled by food cashiers, midway game staff, ride attendants, or mobile cart vendors. When needed, guests can quickly recharge their Fun Cards at any ticket window or strategically-located self service kiosk. The automated kiosks accept debit cards, credit cards, and cash.
“We were surprised how quickly the guests accepted the cashless system”, says Tracy Hays, Operations Manager at Cliff’s. “We had a few complaints from some folks - but the reception has really been terrific. For those guests who were hesitant, we approached the issue the same way airlines introduced ticketless travel and cashless cabins with staff instructed on how to inform the guest of the benefits of the cashless system.”
Benefits to Cliff’s guests abound, starting with the security of not having to carry cash around the park, or giving cash to younger family members. And, Cliff’s Cash never expires, so guests never lose value on their Fun Card. Another benefit to guests is shorter lines and wait times at food stands, games, and any location where cash or ride tickets were formerly handled. A quick scan of the Fun Card is truly “faster than cash”.
A huge benefit to the park is also a benefit to the guest: registration of Fun Cards. Each guest can choose to easily register their card, which will help protect them in the event of loss. If the guest loses their card, Guest Services can quickly identify the lost card, remotely deactivate the lost card, and automatically transfer all the value to a new card.
“We know guests will be asking us ‘what if I lose my Fun Card?’” says owner Gary Hays. “The great thing about the CORE system is that we can help a guest who may have misplaced their card. We can’t do that with a lost credit card or lost cash. And, we’ll have basic demographic information and spending trends on all our guests, so our marketing team can analyze the data and use the results to make the best use of our limited marketing budget.”
Another budget enhancer for Cliff’s is the cashless system’s ability to bonus guests for greater spend, instead of lowering prices by discounting. Bonus instead of discount for online purchases or group purchases can have dramatic impact on per/cap spending. Providing an electronic “entitlement” allows Cliff’s to offer guests exciting bonus deals, such as bonus play at midway games or a bonus beverage item at specific stands for a coupon offer.
The CORE system also allows for Membership, Loyalty & Rewards programs, which can be structured to foster repeat visits, increase spend, or both. “We’re looking forward to offering new incentive programs to encourage and reward Cliff’s customers,” says Linda. “In this economy, people are looking for real value, and parks are looking for new revenue streams. These incentive programs satisfy both needs.”
“2009 was not an easy year for amusement parks,” Linda concludes. “These difficult financial times require strategic moves, and we were glad we made the move to cashless with CORE. We know that going cashless is a win-win for our business and our guests.”
The new wireless handheld S-3 (third generation Stingray) performs gating into the park as well as ride control on Cliff’s coasters such as the Galaxy and the Rattler.
Cliff’s is the first to deploy this technology in a park-wide cashless environment where all sales, entires and gating is on the network. The sturdy S-3 can take hundreds of 4’ foot drops and can run a coaster all day while charging between loads. “After a season of use we are happy to report that not a single hardware failure occurred with the S-3 handheld readers,” says Gary Hays.
