ValidFill at Resorts

[mgf]

I mentioned this earlier, but if the system allows them to deploy drink machines in dinning areas as opposed to behind the counter there could be much bigger savings. Assuming the current FL minimum wage of $7.31 at 12hrs per day for 365 days, removing one beverage filler from behind the counter would save $32,017.80 in straight salary payments alone. Adding in benefits and other employee costs, this number only grows. Now, multiply that by say 3 workers per CS/QS location then the number of CS/QS restaurants and you are looking at millions in annual savings.

 

[fosse76]

As it has been pointed out, loos due to theft is not the only factor. Loss of revenue due to people not purchasing new mugs is a factor as well.

Yeah but that's the same specious argument that the music industry has made regarding illegal downloads. The truth is, the simple fact that people are using refillable mugs they purchased years ago doesn't mean they would purchase new mugs if Disney enforced the mug policy. I have no doubt that most people who bring back their mugs would NOT buy new ones, and the ones who would buy new mugs would be so minimal that Disney won't really notice any increase in profit.

I also think that the abuse of the fountains is completely overstated on these boards. There have been many times I've been at the resorts and not seen a single old mug. And the times I have seen people with old mugs they also had at least one or two people in their party with the new mugs.

Also, I wonder if the use of RFID would be a way for Disney to allow the re-use of older mugs so people don't have to keep buying mugs.

 

[Master Yoda]

Yeah but that's the same specious argument that the music industry has made regarding illegal downloads. The truth is, the simple fact that people are using refillable mugs they purchased years ago doesn't mean they would purchase new mugs if Disney enforced the mug policy. I have no doubt that most people who bring back their mugs would NOT buy new ones, and the ones who would buy new mugs would be so minimal that Disney won't really notice any increase in profit.

But some will. You and I have no clue how many, but I an sure Disney has a pretty good handle on a figure. Let us not forget that it is quite conceivable that Disney will be getting these machines for free and if that is the case it becomes a no brainer.

I also think that the abuse of the fountains is completely overstated on these boards. There have been many times I've been at the resorts and not seen a single old mug. And the times I have seen people with old mugs they also had at least one or two people in their party with the new mugs.

The simple fact is that we do not know how bad the problem is. You very well might be correct that it is nothing more than a blip on the radar. Like we have always said that once the cost of the solution is less than the cost of the problem, Disney will act.

Also, I wonder if the use of RFID would be a way for Disney to allow the re-use of older mugs so people don't have to keep buying mugs.

I don't see Disney doing a lifetime mug. Lifetime anythings are a good way for a new company to generate capital but if they run too long you end up with a store full on non-paying customers.

 

[dreamfinder]

I mentioned this earlier, but if the system allows them to deploy drink machines in dinning areas as opposed to behind the counter there could be much bigger savings. Assuming the current FL minimum wage of $7.31 at 12hrs per day for 365 days, removing one beverage filler from behind the counter would save $32,017.80 in straight salary payments alone. Adding in benefits and other employee costs, this number only grows. Now, multiply that by say 3 workers per CS/QS location then the number of CS/QS restaurants and you are looking at millions in annual savings.

I understand your logic behind this, but I think there is more to it than seems at first glance. Moving the fountains to the guest side will require a much greater number of fountains. I would wager 2-3x the number on the CM side. Why? Ever see someone try to work a FP machine? That has 3 steps. Insert ticket, take ticket, take FP. Can't get much easier. The fountains are more in line with a self checkout. You need to take your mug, scan/swipe it, get some ice, then fill with soda. But what happens if you take too much ice and have to dump it out? Well, then you dump out to much, add some more and suddenly your time on the swipe has expired. And now you need to wait 5 minutes for it to reset so you can get your soda. Just like with the FP machines, they would need to have someone staffed there to show how they work. And to help people work them. And explain to people that they cannot refill their 20oz bottle from the cart outside. And someone else to clean up after the people who spill their soda while trying to balance their tray in the other hand. Lets not even mention their half hearted attempt to use touch screen ordering. Disney does seem to recognize the trade off between savings, and ease of use/customer happiness.

Not to mention, where the heck do you put this? Take a dozen tables out of Cosmic Rays to put in the fountains and have room for the lines? It is tough enough already to get seats in there during meals. CHH? Absolutely no room in the main area for anything like this. Flame Tree Barbeque? Gonna love the lines of ants crawling up the fountains sitting outside since there is no real inside there.

I can definitely see WDW thinking about this. And possibly even implementing it at the resorts. But at the parks? I doubt it. I don't think the cost savings would outweigh the changes needed at the locations, and the headaches for both CMs and guests.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Interesting. There seems to be a lot of apprehension and fear over something that is only rumored at this time. At this point we don't really know or understand how they're going to use this or where. But, I can see the possibility for it all over the resort, in all the parks and hotels. Will there be problems with it if it's rolled out everywhere, sure, but there always is with something new. People will adapt and change though, we've been doing it for thousands of years, this is no different.

I blogged a few ideas about how I think they could implement it, here's a summary:

1. 1-Day/1-park – this would be for guests who only wanted a refillable cup/mug for use on the day of purchase. With this option, they could refill their cup all day long, while in the park they purchased it from.
2. Multi-day/park – this would be the same as the first option, only it would allow usage for 7-14 days, in the parks only.
3. Resort only – this option would work the same as it does now. Mugs could only be refilled at the resort purchased.
4. Resort Plus – this option would allow the refills of the mug at any resort.
5. Premium – this option would allow the refill of the mug anywhere on property, at a resort or any of the parks.

The first two options would be for special cups purchased in the parks. Options 3-5 would be for resort guests, or DVC members or AP holders. There are other options that could be considered as well including an option that would only allow for a certain number of refills. This could be used for regular (paper) cups purchased at a restaurant and they could limit a guest to only 1 or 2 refills per purchase which would benefit the company in a small, but perhaps noticeable way when you consider how many drinks are purchased across WDW in a year’s time.

 

[mgf]

I understand your logic behind this, but I think there is more to it than seems at first glance.

There most certainly is and I agree with all of your points. Mainly, I was just trying to move the discussion past the "soda is cheap" and the "there isn't that much theft" phase. I find these cost/efficiency decisions to be really interesting.

On a positive note, I think most would agree that this is not directly a cut or decline in existing services (though it could be with poor implementation). Actually, if they implemented the Coke Free Style machines that would be an addition to the "magic" at the parks. I, for one, have never seen one of these machines and imagine they won't be widely deployed outside of major cities. When I first read about them last (?) year, I immediately thought it was a product Disney should showcase.

 

[Master Yoda]

There most certainly is and I agree with all of your points. Mainly, I was just trying to move the discussion past the "soda is cheap" and the "there isn't that much theft" phase. I find these cost/efficiency decisions to be really interesting.

On a positive note, I think most would agree that this is not directly a cut or decline in existing services (though it could be with poor implementation). Actually, if they implemented the Coke Free Style machines that would be an addition to the "magic" at the parks. I, for one, have never seen one of these machines and imagine they won't be widely deployed outside of major cities. When I first read about them last (?) year, I immediately thought it was a product Disney should showcase.

The freestyle machines are great for 2 reasons. First and foremost are all the options in a compact package. You have not lived until you have a lime coke or a vanilla root beer. Second, watching people vapor lock when trying to use these things is pure comedy gold.:lol:

 

[njDizFan]

Interesting. There seems to be a lot of apprehension and fear over something that is only rumored at this time. At this point we don't really know or understand how they're going to use this or where. But, I can see the possibility for it all over the resort, in all the parks and hotels. Will there be problems with it if it's rolled out everywhere, sure, but there always is with something new. People will adapt and change though, we've been doing it for thousands of years, this is no different.

I blogged a few ideas about how I think they could implement it, here's a summary:

1. 1-Day/1-park – this would be for guests who only wanted a refillable cup/mug for use on the day of purchase. With this option, they could refill their cup all day long, while in the park they purchased it from.
2. Multi-day/park – this would be the same as the first option, only it would allow usage for 7-14 days, in the parks only.
3. Resort only – this option would work the same as it does now. Mugs could only be refilled at the resort purchased.
4. Resort Plus – this option would allow the refills of the mug at any resort.
5. Premium – this option would allow the refill of the mug anywhere on property, at a resort or any of the parks.

The first two options would be for special cups purchased in the parks. Options 3-5 would be for resort guests, or DVC members or AP holders. There are other options that could be considered as well including an option that would only allow for a certain number of refills. This could be used for regular (paper) cups purchased at a restaurant and they could limit a guest to only 1 or 2 refills per purchase which would benefit the company in a small, but perhaps noticeable way when you consider how many drinks are purchased across WDW in a year’s time.

I think there is going to be a thin line between the monetary upside and guest satisfaction. If done correctly, not sure how that is possible yet, this is a no brainer for disney. they are getting the syrup(bag-in-a-box) and CO2 probably for little or no charge. The maintenance for the machines may also be handled by the vendor. So, for the extra pennies to implement the chip in the mug, the profit on additional mug sales could be sizable.

But this has to be streamlined a little for the customer.

"I want to by a mug"
"Sure, we have 6 different options available"
"err, umm, I don't know I just want to buy a soda, and refill it when I 'm thirsty"
" well for $15 you can use it here, and for $17 you can use it here and there......."

"And any time during the trip you want to upgrade to multi-day or multi-resort just stop by guest relations"

It could get ugly. On top of that the aggrivation it may cause some people to have to wait 5 minutes before refill. As the other poster said, many people like to top it off, I mean what does it hold after ice, 12 oz., goes fast in hot FLA.

 

[GrumpyFan]

I think there is going to be a thin line between the monetary upside and guest satisfaction. If done correctly, not sure how that is possible yet, this is a no brainer for disney. So, for the extra pennies to implement the chip in the mug, the profit on additional mug sales could be sizable.

But this has to be streamlined a little for the customer.

"I want to by a mug"
"Sure, we have 6 different options available"
"err, umm, I don't know I just want to buy a soda, and refill it when I 'm thirsty"
" well for $15 you can use it here, and for $17 you can use it here and there......."

"And any time during the trip you want to upgrade to multi-day or multi-resort just stop by guest relations"

It could get ugly. On top of that the aggrivation it may cause some people to have to wait 5 minutes before refill. As the other poster said, many people like to top it off, I mean what does it hold after ice, 12 oz., goes fast in hot FLA.

Indeed, too many options can be confusing and slow down the process. However, I think it's important to at least have a refillable mug for the resort guests, and then maybe just a plastic souvenir cup available for purchase in the parks for non-resort guest. They could both be streamlined into one option for each. If you buy the cup or mug, it's good for as many refills as you like for 14 days, like regular park tickets are.

A note about the 5 minute wait that everybody seems to keep missing. The time can be set by the owner (Disney), however, 5 minutes is the default. This prevents people from overfilling or abusing the system. Besides that, 5 minutes is not a long time. Also, I believe ice is dispensed in a preset amount. I know it is on the Freestyle machines, but not sure about the ValidFill machines.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

^^Bingo^^^

Profit on soda is in the hundreds of precent. Soda syrup and carbonated water is very cheap and of all cost savings measures to worry about this has to be pretty far down the list.

Especially when you consider the immense volume in which Disney purchases coke products. I assure you Disney pays pennies on the dollar given the volume at which the products are purchased. Not to mention the advertising Coke gets being the ONLY soft drink available on some 47 miles of property. And, not taking into account the nice contract Coke and Disney signed making Coke the ONLY soft drink available on WDW property.

Overall, the DIsney-Coke deal is much more complex than simple supply and demand. Alot of other factors play into this.

Back to the cups, this does nothing to address the paper cups which, I am sure, get filled up, daily, far more often than returning cups. I would imagine, given that, as i have read, the majority of WDW guests are not frequent visitors that the returning DIsney refillable mugs are not the problem many of us would think they are. Since many cups are purchased by infrequent guests, they don't return. So, I would imagine this is speculative.

What next, a digital system to determine if guests are "really" using the MIckey bars of soap before the maid leaves more? Not hardly.:lol:

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Indeed, too many options can be confusing and slow down the process. However, I think it's important to at least have a refillable mug for the resort guests, and then maybe just a plastic souvenir cup available for purchase in the parks for non-resort guest. They could both be streamlined into one option for each. If you buy the cup or mug, it's good for as many refills as you like for 14 days, like regular park tickets are.

A note about the 5 minute wait that everybody seems to keep missing. The time can be set by the owner (Disney), however, 5 minutes is the default. This prevents people from overfilling or abusing the system. Besides that, 5 minutes is not a long time. Also, I believe ice is dispensed in a preset amount. I know it is on the Freestyle machines, but not sure about the ValidFill machines.

I have a hard time believing Disney is paying people to calculate costs concerning soft drinks.
And, I think we are overblowing this, as well.

I look at it like this. You think Disney believe they are losing money on refillable mugs? Think about this. A Disney quick service burger combo is 8 bucks. Now, in this 8 bucks, you are getting a burger that costs, to Disney, probably 75 cents, and fries that amount to 25 cents, a bun worth 25 cents. So, for 1.50, you are paying 8 or 8.50. Rest assured, Disney is not taking any financial hits in ANY product it markets and sells. That place is a money making machine. And, I see nothing wrong with that.

Don't worry about your drinks folks. Nothing is going to change.

Have you ever noticed how small the drink chamber is in the refillable mugs? It is, probably, a 6 ounce reservoir. Imagine how many times you have to fill that up to equal 12 bucks. Think about this, a 2 liter, at our cost, is a dollar 50, in that you have, roughly, 68 ounces of soft drink. Now, if you don't even take into account the space the ice takes up, it would take 11 fill ups to equal a 2 liter, which costs us 1.50. That same 2 liter costs Disney, maybe 50 cents because of the volume they purchase at. So, you would have to, in a 6 day trip, fill your cup 264 times, each, to equal 12 dollars. How many of you fill that cup up 264 times in a trip? How many of you, even the ones who have returned with a cup from a previous trip, filled it up 264 times, at all? And, if you did, you still paid a 700% mark up on the food you ordered. Guys, this was all figured out long before they offered the refillable mugs for sale. We worry about it. It is not even on WDW's radar.

 

[GrumpyFan]

I have a hard time believing Disney is paying people to calculate costs concerning soft drinks.

I wouldn't put it past them. Every little penny adds up, especially when you look at the average attendance of over 47 million visitors annually. Just think, if they could glean 1 more penny from every visitor, it adds up to almost half a million dollars. Now, I know that's an extreme example, and half a million is a really small amount for Disney, but if I'm a big company like Disney in tight economic times like these, I just might be looking at that.

I look at it like this. You think Disney believe they are losing money on refillable mugs? Think about this. A Disney quick service burger combo is 8 bucks. Now, in this 8 bucks, you are getting a burger that costs, to Disney, probably 75 cents, and fries that amount to 25 cents, a bun worth 25 cents. So, for 1.50, you are paying 8 or 8.50. Rest assured, Disney is not taking any financial hits in ANY product it markets and sells. That place is a money making machine. And, I see nothing wrong with that.

It's not about them losing money. I don't think any of us feel like Disney is losing money on soda. But, I do think there is the possibility that they're leaving money on the table and not taking the extra buck or two or more, when it might be there. Consider if they had a refillable cup available for the daily (non-resort) visitor they could sell at maybe 6 or 7 dollars, that's extra revenue they could recognize. On the one hand, I hate to make these kinds of suggestions, but on the other, I am also a shareholder, and if Disney makes more money, then their stock goes up. Now, all I need to do is buy enough stock so the dividends will pay for my trip... :ROFLOL:

A good example of this might be at the movie theater. When I go see a movie, I usually buy the large drink and popcorn because it's refillable. I know its more expensive and not necessarily worth it, but because I like eating popcorn and sipping on my drink thru the movie, the perception is that it is a good value. And, in truth, it is (to me) if I enjoy the experience. The same principle could be applied to Disney guests. If they perceive that its a good value to have a refillable cup or mug that they can use whenever, they'll buy it and they'll believe it was a good value because it fulfilled their desire to have access to a drink when they want a refill.

 

[Biff215]

I have a hard time believing Disney is paying people to calculate costs concerning soft drinks.
And, I think we are overblowing this, as well.

I look at it like this. You think Disney believe they are losing money on refillable mugs? Think about this. A Disney quick service burger combo is 8 bucks. Now, in this 8 bucks, you are getting a burger that costs, to Disney, probably 75 cents, and fries that amount to 25 cents, a bun worth 25 cents. So, for 1.50, you are paying 8 or 8.50. Rest assured, Disney is not taking any financial hits in ANY product it markets and sells. That place is a money making machine. And, I see nothing wrong with that.

Don't worry about your drinks folks. Nothing is going to change.

Have you ever noticed how small the drink chamber is in the refillable mugs? It is, probably, a 6 ounce reservoir. Imagine how many times you have to fill that up to equal 12 bucks. Think about this, a 2 liter, at our cost, is a dollar 50, in that you have, roughly, 68 ounces of soft drink. Now, if you don't even take into account the space the ice takes up, it would take 11 fill ups to equal a 2 liter, which costs us 1.50. That same 2 liter costs Disney, maybe 50 cents because of the volume they purchase at. So, you would have to, in a 6 day trip, fill your cup 264 times, each, to equal 12 dollars. How many of you fill that cup up 264 times in a trip? How many of you, even the ones who have returned with a cup from a previous trip, filled it up 264 times, at all? And, if you did, you still paid a 700% mark up on the food you ordered. Guys, this was all figured out long before they offered the refillable mugs for sale. We worry about it. It is not even on WDW's radar.

I like your reasoning above, but I just measured one of my mugs and it is a solid 16 ounces without ice. Not trying to be difficult, especially since it will still probably be a good argument even with the adjustment on size.

To be honest, your analysis makes me doubt my assumption that the mug is a good value for me, especially since I am DVC in a villa with a refrigerator!

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I like your reasoning above, but I just measured one of my mugs and it is a solid 16 ounces without ice. Not trying to be difficult, especially since it will still probably be a good argument even with the adjustment on size.

To be honest, your analysis makes me doubt my assumption that the mug is a good value for me, especially since I am DVC in a villa with a refrigerator!

My mistake, leave it to me to see the glass half empty...lol

I think everyone has a good point. It is certainly possible Disney is looking at this.

Grumpyfan, You have it right. If they do this, buy up Disney stock.....You will pay for your trip..lol:wave:

 

[AEfx]

Guys, this was all figured out long before they offered the refillable mugs for sale. We worry about it. It is not even on WDW's radar.

I concur.

It makes no sense, unless they are going to RFID the disposable cups as well (which would probably, what, triple the cost per unit?). If they don't, then they have to open separate "mug" and "non-mug" filling stations, and somehow police that (otherwise, why not fill up a mug at the non-locked station instead).

It just makes no sense whatsoever logistically, way too much effort for what likely really isn't seen as a problem for them in the first place.

 

[WhatJaneSays]

(As I've been staring at spreadsheets and budgets all week I'm still a bit "number-happy" at the moment. So please forgive me throwing around any figures in this post.)

I've chimed in on mugs many times and watched these boards pick apart about every mug related issue you could think of ... so I might as well keep it up with this one!

While the idea of the RFID mugs is a pretty interesting idea and as an abstract idea would eliminate questions of theft I think that the potential implementation might leave much to be desired. Disney would be faced with two issues immediately at the surface.

The first would be handling the "active state" setting for the mugs. RFIDs can be active in two ways, either they are active indefinitely (unless removed from the system) or set to expire after a set amount of time or uses. Disney would obviously opt for the expiring method. Otherwise what would be the point? They could simply set an automatic expiration of two weeks or a month from the time the chip is activated. That still leaves room for issues like giving cups away that are still "good" at the end of a trip or guests staying longer that the expiration time. So the other option is to program the system to only recognize the chip for the length of stay. It's not a long process but it's not instantaneous; more time is added if there are options.

Secondly it would all be moot if the entire beverage system was not controlled via RFID. So the paper cups would also need a chip, activation and settings as well.

Beyond any of that is the cost effectiveness of it. Here's where we get into the numbers game.

There are just over 25,000 rooms on the Disney property. Lets say there's an average of 3 guests per room with a stay of 5 days at about 80% capacity over the course of a year. That gives us about 4.4 million guests a year. Not all buy mugs but I'd say about 70% so that gives us 3 million mugs get sold per year. For the 1.4 million that DON'T buy mugs, they go through about 8-10 paper cups each, I'll call it 9 per person. That gives us 11.8 million paper cups a year. Round that up to 15 million chips total to cover errors.

In that kind of bulk the chips would likely be around 10 cents, that's a million and a half dollars in chips. Double that cost the first year for new machines, scanners, training, the computers and servers to back it up and installation. But that's all mostly one time costs so I'll stick with the $1.5 million for just the chips because that's really the only added cost. And that's not a lot considering that WDW's revenue is about 40% of the 11 BILLION dollars the parks across the world bring in every year. However Disney would have to "lose" $1.5 million in soda to break even.

5 gallons of Coca-Cola syrup cost the average restaurant $40, Disney obviously pays a lot less so lets say for them it's $10. That makes 25 to 30 gallons of soda. $1.5 million in syrup would be between 6 million and 7 million 16oz servings of Coca-Cola. (That would be 5 about cents a serving if you're interested.) But that's just raw product cost so it's not a fair representation of lost sales.

$2.50 will get you a cup and $15 a mug. That's 180,000 cups and 70,000 mugs not sold to get to that same amount. Much more realistic numbers there.

It still strikes me as a lot; that's 1% of cup and 2% of mug sales. I don't see 2% of the guests walking around with old mugs, and I'd think the majority of guests don't go often enough to have the current mug. I may see one family in the course of my weekend trip with old mugs and there's likely others with current mugs and those I don't see. It could be 2% but it seems unlikely just by my observations at the All-Stars and Pop, I haven't noticed any more in my few moderate hotel trips and I've never stayed at a one of the biggies.

Disney's got financial analysis down to a science. If they aren't going to make (or save) at least $2 for every $1 they spend it might not be worth it.

Personally I'd like this if I can get a truly reusable cup out of it. I want to buy ONE cup when the new design comes out and "recharge" it when I come back. If I did buy a new mug for every individual "trip" I'd have about 12-15 mugs a year because all but 1 or 2 of my trips are one night stays. So yes I'm a horrible, despicable, lower than a whale's belly mug-reuser. As it is I end up with about 4 or 5 a year. I'd love to just pay for x amount of days on my old mug than have to buy a new one.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Disney's got financial analysis down to a science. If they aren't going to make (or save) at least $2 for every $1 they spend it might not be worth it.

Personally I'd like this if I can get a truly reusable cup out of it. I want to buy ONE cup when the new design comes out and "recharge" it when I come back. If I did buy a new mug for every individual "trip" I'd have about 12-15 mugs a year because all but 1 or 2 of my trips are one night stays. So yes I'm a horrible, despicable, lower than a whale's belly mug-reuser. As it is I end up with about 4 or 5 a year. I'd love to just pay for x amount of days on my old mug than have to buy a new one.

Good stuff! I like your detailed breakdown. And, I have to agree with you. If they are doing this, it's because they see some potential financial gain of significance.

I also like your idea of the re-chargeable cup. We've been many times over the years and bought mugs on almost every trip. Now they all sit on a shelf at home, rarely used. In fact, we donated a bunch of them to charity a while back, and just kept the ones that were unique.

What do you think about the idea for an in-park refillable souvenir cup for the non-resort/day visitor? I think this is a potential untapped market they could also take advantage of with RFID chips.

 

[WhatJaneSays]

Good stuff! I like your detailed breakdown. And, I have to agree with you. If they are doing this, it's because they see some potential financial gain of significance.

I also like your idea of the re-chargeable cup. We've been many times over the years and bought mugs on almost every trip. Now they all sit on a shelf at home, rarely used. In fact, we donated a bunch of them to charity a while back, and just kept the ones that were unique.

What do you think about the idea for an in-park refillable souvenir cup for the non-resort/day visitor? I think this is a potential untapped market they could also take advantage of with RFID chips.

Thanks! Mom was an accountant, Dad was and engineer ... detailed breakdowns is kind of in the blood. You should see me budget a vacation!

I have thought about park mugs. But beyond making the existing resort mugs refillable at the parks, either as an up charge or included, I really cannot see it happening.

(Here we go with the numbers again!)

The attendance rate at all 4 parks at WDW is nearly 48 million a year, most people do at least 2 parks so it's closer to 20 million unique guests. I'll go back to the average trip being 5 days long and the average guest using up 2 cups of soda a day. That's 200 million cups per year.

A cup of soda cost $2.50, minus 50 cents for taxes, syrup, soda water, the cup itself, the time involved to cast members, and other assorted costs. $2 of every soda is profit. It's really easy to see why percentage wise fountain soda is the money maker it is ... it's $400 MILLION that's almost a gimmie.

I think they'd end up having to change to much per cup to make it sound for them to do so.

I'd like them to do it and have be a combined resort/park mug. $15 for the mug and $5 to make it good at the park for the duration of your stay; $2 a day to reactivate it for the resort and $2 a day to reactivate it for the park.

I'd be on that so fast it would the Teacups look like a quiet ride!

 

[GrumpyFan]

I have thought about park mugs. But beyond making the existing resort mugs refillable at the parks, either as an up charge or included, I really cannot see it happening.

No, no, not a mug, a cup. A plastic cup like you might get at the (in)convenience store. They're usually, 24oz or more. We actually have a few souvenir cups we bought several years ago at MK, they were white with various images and logos on them and held maybe 16-20oz of product. (I'll have to find a picture). But, they were just plastic cups. I think it sold for maybe $3 or $4, and I don't think they offered refills, unless maybe you wanted to pay for it.

The idea would be to offer these in the parks, and they would only be refillable at the park in which it was purchased for that day. They could also have the option of a 14-day refill in any park for another $2.

I'd like them to do it and have be a combined resort/park mug. $15 for the mug and $5 to make it good at the park for the duration of your stay; $2 a day to reactivate it for the resort and $2 a day to reactivate it for the park.

I'd be on that so fast it would the Teacups look like a quiet ride!

I like this idea too, except for the pricing. Seems a bit much.

 

[njDizFan]

I think there may be some serious over-estimates, although I like the logic.

Of the 20 million visitors I doubt if they drank 200 million cups of soda. Some people actually like water, or bring drinks into the park.

Also 400 million in net sales on soda? In the the 4th quarter of 2010, net income was 316 million, down 8%. multiply that by 4 and add 10% for an increase,lets call it 1.4 billion a year in net park earnings (I know we had a thread about exact numbers recently, so sorry if these numbers are off). But based on those numbers and your numbers more than 25% of P&R earnings would come from fountain soda. Something doesn't add up.