Flippers is Dead. Long Live The Flippers.

Nobody who goes regularly to Flippers is gonna wanna hear this. But I'm gonna say it. Balls to the walls in your face the Truth about why it failed and closed.

Blame on the other theater down the street is crap. For as long as I can remember, while there's been a Flippers, there's been a theater NEXT to it, and a rival theater less than 0.2 miles down the street. The fact that the theater is new doesn't really change anything, since AMC and Regal have different releases as dictated by the Movie Companies' distribution deals with both. Universal movies go here, Disney goes there, etc. etc. They've got upscale stores there... but, honestly, if the parents are going out to a nice dinner at Bahama Breeze, they're not dragging their teen children along, and probably not dropping them off at Chuck-E-Cheeze. All Regal really has to offer is movies and DDR... say, just like T&C, except Flippers has MORE games... so... why did it fail?

Flippers has started to suck for the past two years. It just has. I can point fingers at people, but I'll just wave my hands in their general directions. Let's just sit back for a moment. Back in the day there was one guy who worked there by the name of Brad. He had a daunting look to him, sure. Punk haircut, piercings, tattoos, all the stuff that makes mothers coddle their children. But he was friendly. He knew to walk around and cultivate the relationships with the customers. Now, I'm the sort of guy that if the staff knows me already I feel uncomfortable... I don't want to get labelled in their mind as The Creepy Guy or The Dude with the Hair or whatever. Normally I don't like being recognized because in any transaction or negotiation with the business: if it goes well, it's because they KNOW me and they're doing a pal-sy favor (which makes me feel uncomfortable because I'm getting special treatment, which I guess subconsciously makes me feel like they're trying to appease me because I'm a "problem customer"... which is exactly what I did to the problem customers in the jobs I had that required public contact), and if it goes badly, it's because they KNOW me and I'm a trouble maker not to be trusted, and I take things personally. Keeping the distance keeps it legit, keeps it from feeling personal, keeps it "business casual."

So if guys like Brad and the other people who used to work there could peg me as a regular and NOT make me feel uncomfortable, that was a Good Thing. It's because it's a not-too-shabby place to work. Nobody really hassles you as long as you're on your game. Fish out stuck tokens, keep the machines in working order, make change, keep the soda machine stocked, things like that. You don't get a medal for what you're supposed to do, but you can't get a medal if you don't do what you're supposed to.
I'm not saying this just because Juan reads here, either, but they let go the wrong people sometimes.

On the other hand, look at the last waking months of Flippers. 100% of the staff is sitting on the wall where they can mooch off the neighboring shops' WiFi, face buried in laptops. And when 100% of the staff isn't there, then 50% is there with the other 50% pumping free service credits into machines for their friends (who are all other regulars who would otherwise SPEND SOME MONEY THAT KEEPS THE PLACE AFLOAT) and playing Marvel vs. Capcom. They didn't wander around. They weren't approachable. I don't count in my dealings with them being a regular myself (although a pretty piss poor regular since it depends on who I think might be there), but they did nothing to cultivate NEW regulars. People came and went, opportunities came by and left.

Look at Brandon. I'm convinced that the only reason why he bugged his father to take him there was not only the play, but the people that he befriended. Non staff. Hell, the girls love him. Point is, I'd never seen any of the staff try to cultivate anything for his business. They were behaving, *gasp* like exclusive frat boys.

Sorry kids, but nerds can't play the frat boy game and come out the winner. For their complacency, for their lack of devotion and attention, for allowing Flippers and its equipment to fall into disrepair without concern for the business, for handing out freebies to those most likely to pay, they are now unemployed. Some cush job, huh?

THIS is WHY we can't have nice things.

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