SDCFans - The Unofficial Fan Site For Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City & Celebration City Discussion => General Silver Dollar City Talk => Topic started by: Gilligan on September 19, 2018, 07:06:39 PM

Title: Refill Cups
Post by: Gilligan on September 19, 2018, 07:06:39 PM
Today I was told by two separate vendors that all refills regardless of year must pay the current refill price of !.75. I showed both vendors the $1.25 price on my cup and was told that price is no longer in effect.  I argued with the second vendor, so she pulled out the memo sent out through the park last week stating no more forever prices on older cups!  Flat $1.75 no matter the year of your mug!  >:(
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: chittlins on September 19, 2018, 07:28:40 PM
They are currently selling retired mugs for 8bucks with free refills for the rest of the year at certain places. It was a better deal for 4 of us to just do that considering we have at least two more visits left.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: pintrader on September 19, 2018, 07:30:37 PM
I think the writing has been on the wall for a long time.   I would imagine pretty soon all the older cups will be a thing of the past, and you will need to buy a new cup every year to get a discount.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Okiebenz on September 19, 2018, 08:35:31 PM
I am pretty sure that is how it has been for a while but the $1 mugs are still $1, but those are pretty darn rare.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Gilligan on September 19, 2018, 09:26:18 PM
I asked about that, too, and was told all refills $1.75 regardless of mug.  New policy...
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Swoosh on September 19, 2018, 09:40:23 PM
I’m going to be that guy... if 50¢ is going to break the bank for you, maybe SDC isn’t the place for you to visit?
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: sanddunerider on September 20, 2018, 07:51:41 AM
I’m going to be that guy... if 50¢ is going to break the bank for you, maybe SDC isn’t the place for you to visit?

LOL...  And I am the other guy..

1.25 refills for as long as have the refill mug...  SHOULD be just that.. 1.25.
Now is this going to break me.... No
Is this going to piss me off? I will never be back.....  No

But if you DIDNT want to refill them "forever", you should probably not have marketed them that way.  ::) ::)
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: pintrader on September 20, 2018, 09:13:35 AM
I will admit that I love going up and having my refillable mug honored for the price printed on it.  I kind of halfway collected mugs over the years, and have around 60 total.  Around 30 total for 2012 (year they started single year refill) to present, and around 30 from 2011 and before.   Every single mug I have from 2011 and before says on it "Refill offer subject to change or cancellation without notice" or "Refill offer subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice".  They did market at one time a mug that was supposedly forever, but I believe they were all made of glass.  I think because we were able to refill these older mugs at the price printed on them over the years we just started thinking they were forever.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Gilligan on September 20, 2018, 11:17:43 AM
I’m going to be that guy... if 50¢ is going to break the bank for you, maybe SDC isn’t the place for you to visit?

LOL...  And I am the other guy..

1.25 refills for as long as have the refill mug...  SHOULD be just that.. 1.25.
Now is this going to break me.... No
Is this going to piss me off? I will never be back.....  No

But if you DIDNT want to refill them "forever", you should probably not have marketed them that way.  ::) ::)

Exactly! And, I rarely use mine, and, I'm very certain I will always be able to afford to visit the city.  ::)
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Joy on September 20, 2018, 01:14:28 PM
I collect my SDC mugs, so after the first drink is gone, that mug is retired to my collection. I try my best to just drink water while at the park, 'cause soda can be dehydrating. And I've never had a problem with them filling up my one non-collection SDC mug with just ice and water for nothing.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Okiebenz on September 20, 2018, 07:09:32 PM
The $1 mugs are much smaller than the other grandfathered mugs, so if they are not honoring those anymore, that is pretty pathetic.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: U Smell Smoke on September 20, 2018, 08:41:55 PM
I agree with Sanddune on this one. SDC should honor what they said they would do. 50 cents will not break me; but it won't break SDC either. Now I realize in the overall scheme of things it adds up to real money for the park. It's just frustrating. Not surprising, but still frustrating. We have the dollar mugs. In the future, instead of getting a few dollars here and there from our refills the park won't get anything because we won't lug them with us anymore and we'll just drink water. Not really ticked off, just disappointed and frustrated. I realize it's all about making more money...even if it means backing out of a long ago deal!
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Swoosh on September 20, 2018, 09:01:04 PM
My oldest mug is from 2004 and every single one of them says

“Refill offer subject to change or cancellation without notice”

Sounds like they’re well within their rights and to me they’ve been clear from the start. 
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: U Smell Smoke on September 20, 2018, 09:36:38 PM
My dollar mug has the subject to change message on it too. I just didn't get to see it until after I had bought it. They kind of glossed over that detail in their sales pitch.  They focused more on the dollar refills for as long as I had the mug and what a great deal that would be.  Oh well, that was many years ago.  Maybe they had the subject to cancellation wording on their sign and I just missed it.  My bad.  I don't think anyone is saying they are not within their rights to backtrack on the various deals. They clearly are.  It is just frustrating and disappointing. Is the extra money worth some lost goodwill? The powers that be apparently say "yes".
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: runner1960 on September 21, 2018, 06:45:09 AM
My old glass mugs were pitched as .75 cent refills forever. Nothing at all written on them. They were sold at the saloon show way back in the early 80's. Never remember seeing a sign at all. Just the bartender guy hawking them. I never drink sweet drinks anyway so I never carry them except at Christmas. Ill just have the water please.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: pintrader on September 21, 2018, 02:17:29 PM
They are currently selling retired mugs for 8bucks with free refills for the rest of the year at certain places. It was a better deal for 4 of us to just do that considering we have at least two more visits left.


What retired mugs are they using?  So after the first 5 refills which would be $8.75, you would be getting free drink refills for the rest of the year?   I know there is only about 3 months left in the year but that seems a little generous even for SDC standards  :).
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: DianaGail on September 22, 2018, 09:13:11 AM
We bought the free refill mugs. It was a great deal. We earned half our money back on each in just one visit. The each have a sticker on them. If the sticker isn’t there, they will not refill it. It is good only for pop and water refills. Specialty drinks are regular refill prices. You can refill them through the end of the year.

Our group bought 4 total. We got 3 different years. I assume they have a warehouse full of them and that’s why they are doing the promo.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: sirwillow on September 22, 2018, 04:07:00 PM
Where are they selling the old cups at?  Wondering if they have ones that I don't have so I can add them to my collection.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: chittlins on September 22, 2018, 09:04:48 PM
We got ours at the coke  refill station between the new chicken place and the skillets across from Time Traveler.
They were 2012 Old Time Christmas cups.

We're leaving town next weekend as the bikes roll into.Fayetteville and plan to hit up the park at least once though we are going to Branson for the mountain coaster and other stuff.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: KBCraig on September 22, 2018, 10:30:41 PM
If the price difference would break them, the refillable cups wouldn't be offered in the first place.

They sell them knowing that the vast majority will only be used for one visit. Fans who hang onto theirs year after year for repeat visits are obviously worth a lot more than a nickel's worth of soda (which is all that 50 cent price difference costs them).
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: DianaGail on September 23, 2018, 08:14:14 AM
We got ours at the tater twist stand.

Mom was using an old one at the grilled cheese stand. They asked to see hers so they knew what to charge her. Most places don’t ask to see them anymore.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: pintrader on September 23, 2018, 08:44:06 AM
We got ours at the tater twist stand.

Mom was using an old one at the grilled cheese stand. They asked to see hers so they knew what to charge her. Most places don’t ask to see them anymore.

I would imagine corporate looked at the extra income, but also figured they could get a more consistent and universal pricing on drinks.   I mean you got to admit the pricing on the mugs was all over the place with $1, $1.50, $1.75...etc.   I have even brought older mugs with the pricing rubbed out, and they would ask me what year it was.   Being a young worker at the park and having all these different mugs shoved into your face would be quite an undertaking. 
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Duelist on September 23, 2018, 05:44:51 PM
I would think they'd be making a profit (at least with the older, smaller mugs like we have) by selling $1 refills.  Soda is not expensive and those mugs don't even hold a 12 oz. can's volume.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: palallin on September 24, 2018, 08:59:22 AM
I would think they'd be making a profit (at least with the older, smaller mugs like we have) by selling $1 refills.  Soda is not expensive and those mugs don't even hold a 12 oz. can's volume.

Indeed:  at $1.50, they're making about 90% profit.


Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Okiebenz on September 24, 2018, 01:42:13 PM
Just FYI they refilled our $1 mugs yesterday without any issues.
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: pintrader on September 24, 2018, 02:23:02 PM
Just FYI they refilled our $1 mugs yesterday without any issues.

So much for the memo  :)
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: sanddunerider on September 24, 2018, 02:56:54 PM
Just FYI they refilled our $1 mugs yesterday without any issues.

I guess I will be keeping my faded but legible Buzzsaw Falls mugs ;D
Title: Re: Refill Cups
Post by: Gilligan on September 24, 2018, 04:59:26 PM
Just FYI they refilled our $1 mugs yesterday without any issues.

So much for the memo  :)

Seriously!  I'll try mine at yet another vendor this week if I can drag the hubs away, and see what happens. We're finally moving into our new house!