Front Gate Memories

[JStroop]

There used to be some putz who called in to the pay phones in the canteen and would do it over and over and over... to the annoyance of everyone who was trying to eat and/or watch TV. It was probably you, wasn't it? ;-)

[Christin Garrett]

For a couple of months I worked up at the front gate taking surveys on what looked like a huge walkie talkie. It bothered me back then, but I laugh at it now. I use to get quite a few costume characters that you come up behind me, while I was surveying (back in 1997) and steal my hair click or pony tail rubber band. A girl that walked with one of the characters told me they had a bet to see who could get to my hair first. Silly guys!!

[Greg Pogue]

Wasn't me, I promise. Didn't even think about it. I was enough of a sadist by then that it only thrilled me if I could observe the victim. To my knowledge, that wasn't possible in the canteen, since there were not any nearby phones to call from. I do seem to remember a big, black phone on the wall, but I think it only called other SFOT extensions. To be honest, lunches at the canteen were enough of a social event for me that I took a break from being a jerk. (Had the whole rest of the shift to scheme and carry out maniacal plans!) I and a few of my friends used to spend all morning manipulating break schedules so that certain persons could be present. It was sort of like having dinner on a cruise ship.

[rdtravis]

The ones by the flume entrances were a pain. In the 95-96 season and in the 2003-2005 season we had some jerks that would call and actually get graphic as soon as you picked up the reciever wanting to know what color undies we were wearing. Sometimes id try to ignore it other times i would just pick it up and hang it up others i would answer it Arlington Police Department how may i direct your call or 911 whats your emergancy. That usually got them to hang up.

There is a good one for those of ya still working at the park to deal with payphone jerks or possible pedo's out there.

[DFW333]

I love trying to see what I can get guests to believe as Im going through their bags. So far the most commonly believed stories (actually had 5 or more people turn to leave the park to comply with my instructions) are:

No Nike - Sir, we don't allow Nike products in the park anymore. Im sorry for the inconvenience, but this is a family oriented park and Nike is endorsed by Tiger Woods who is clearly not in line with our philosophy.

No Car Keys - Sorry ma'am, but we no longer allow car keys in the park due to a rash of incidents in which they were lost or stolen. The best thing for you to do to guarantee they are not lost/stolen would be to go lock them in your vehicle.

Bad Comb - Ma'am we only allow combs with 25 or fewer prongs, yours has (just make up a number).

No X-Brand Gum - Sir/Ma'am, I'm sorry but Six Flags has signed an agreement with Stride Gum. They've had a bit of a slump in sales because no one has even started their second piece and, in an effort to help them out, we dont allow any other brand of gum in the park.


Then there's the fun things to do at the metal detector:

Have the guests turn around and walk through backwards. For some reason four is the magic number on this, once you get four to do it the entire line will do it without being told. But if you stop at three, everyone else will come through walking forward.

When people ask "Can I have this?" as they hold up a map, tell them:
A) No, only people 21 and up can take it (only works on kids obviously)
B) Yes, but only if you swear to keep it out of the hands of the enemy
C) Maybe, just dont turn it upside down

As someone pushes an empty stroller up, tell them we dont allow invisible children into the park due to the impossibility of locating them if they become lost, and SF will not open itself up to that kind of liability. (Ive actually had at least two people say 'Well yeah that makes sense...')

[Twisted]

Originally Posted by DFW333

I love trying to see what I can get guests to believe as Im going through their bags. So far the most commonly believed stories (actually had 5 or more people turn to leave the park to comply with my instructions) are:

No Nike - Sir, we don't allow Nike products in the park anymore. Im sorry for the inconvenience, but this is a family oriented park and Nike is endorsed by Tiger Woods who is clearly not in line with our philosophy.

No Car Keys - Sorry ma'am, but we no longer allow car keys in the park due to a rash of incidents in which they were lost or stolen. The best thing for you to do to guarantee they are not lost/stolen would be to go lock them in your vehicle.

Bad Comb - Ma'am we only allow combs with 25 or fewer prongs, yours has (just make up a number).

No X-Brand Gum - Sir/Ma'am, I'm sorry but Six Flags has signed an agreement with Stride Gum. They've had a bit of a slump in sales because no one has even started their second piece and, in an effort to help them out, we dont allow any other brand of gum in the park.


Then there's the fun things to do at the metal detector:

Have the guests turn around and walk through backwards. For some reason four is the magic number on this, once you get four to do it the entire line will do it without being told. But if you stop at three, everyone else will come through walking forward.

When people ask "Can I have this?" as they hold up a map, tell them:
A) No, only people 21 and up can take it (only works on kids obviously)
B) Yes, but only if you swear to keep it out of the hands of the enemy
C) Maybe, just dont turn it upside down

As someone pushes an empty stroller up, tell them we dont allow invisible children into the park due to the impossibility of locating them if they become lost, and SF will not open itself up to that kind of liability. (Ive actually had at least two people say 'Well yeah that makes sense...')

I love 'em! A sense of humor makes an annoying (but necessary) wait go by a little quicker and helps put a smile on a guest's face. Unless they don't have a sense of humor to begin with.

[paulahulcy]

My first job was as a ticket taker but just for a few weeks and then I moved to rides. But I remember Kris Inge and I pretended to be from London and when we would take tickets we would speak with a British accent. That was so much fun and we had sooo many date offers. Great memories! Then I worked security and have a lot of stories from that. Six Flags was my favorite job, too.

[Twisted]

Keep on sharing! We love to hear the fun tales of working there. Stories of confused guests keep us quite amused!

And welcome to the forums!