My office retreated to Six Flags last week, where we ate funnel cakes, played carney games, and rode rollercoasters.
And we rode a lot of them.
Why so many?
Because we had the "Flash Pass", the premium-option ticket that cuts your wait time in line by like 90%. It's an expensive option, but honestly? And don't tell the Six Flags people this . . . but I'd pay twice the rate, rather than roast in a two hour line for Kingda Ka.
And I don't think I'm alone.
Because in addition to the "Decade of Busy-ness" that I talked about yesterday, we also are in the Decade of Impatience.
We can never just sit idle. We gotta be doing twenty things, and we're willing to pay anything to shorten our wait so we can jam more action into our busy lives. Sometimes I think the modern "man" lives life like they've been given six months to live, even though our lifespans are getting longer and longer each year.
But the Flash Pass is a stroke of genius as its a win on both sides of the equation: Business makes more money by providing something that costs them nothing. Customer is happy because their experience at the business is that much better.
My new intern, Doug, came in to my office today and told me he thought Starbucks should have a Flash Pass.
Ahhh . . . obviously we are blessed with smart interns. Cuz I'd pay extra to skip that line, and I don't even drink coffee! Maybe at a place like Starbucks, it's not an extra fee, but just for their "gold card" members.
And that's when I started thinking . . . is there speedier service or "cut to the front of the line" access we could give our theatergoers?
Do premium ticket buyers get seated first? Do full price buyers get bathroom access first (yes, there's a bit of a fascist Urinetown feel to this idea, I know)? Is there an option for people who wait at stage doors for autographs?
I'm not sure exactly what the theater equivalent of a Flash Pass is, because we don't have the same type of lines . . . but I do know this . . .
If you can come up with a price tag for time, the modern consumer will pay for it.
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