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View Full Version : Well guys, it's been fun..



LionHeart
04-17-2009, 02:06 AM
So I had a totally awesome job to occupy the majority of my teen years. I started working for CEC Inc. August 2006, and stayed put for the next three years.

...But the end of the line comes somewhere. I finished my last day a little while ago and that's the end of it..I love working at that place with near every fiber of my being, so leaving that place obviously was bad, but I have had it. When I started working at that place, it was awesome. I'd go to work having the time of my life making awesome friends, playing with the kids and doing my job well. Then, as time goes on, everything just starts to go downhill. We suddenly start getting hit by guests by the boatload, which is perfectly fine, and we managed it well, but then the corporate office hands down this new wait system that removes the stand and has one man dealing with dozens of guests lining up out the door, people who never turn over there tables, people trying more and more often to cheat the games and us out of things, and things breaking so much more often because my tech manager would never do preventive maintenance. (Or at least, that's how it seemed.) I mean, come on. Token jams I can fix. I can't fix software component failures on SkeeBall on the fly, but the only guy who would fix it wouldn't. Then, corporate offices change the birthday format and kill live shows all toghther. Some like it yes, but the live shows were probably the favorite part of my day, as I was the most awesome Chuck E ever. Doing the dances we did (Like Jivin) were so incredibly fun I put my all into it, and wouldn't care that I'd take off that costume sweating like crazy and gasping for breath. It was awesome. Then, it changed to a new song and a dance that wasn't that well thought out, but we weren't allowed to change it. It became boring and repetitive. Then, new and more strict rules keep coming down, and it becomes to the point where all that matters is keeping things absolutely clean and always doing busy work. Apparently, interacting with guests and playing with kids doesn't count as that, as I got yelled at by a mananger for not keeping busy when I was playing with a kid. I also got yelled at for staying in the Chuck E suit too long (23 minutes. Wow. Big deal.) And it became to the point where we weren't allowed to have fun at work anymore. The friends that worked there became eventually too stressed out to have any fun while working even when the rare small opportunity presented itself. So, when I found myself so stressed out I was getting incredibly angry at children who had game calls for me, I knew it was time to leave.
Anyway, long story short, jobs not fun anymore, gotta go. Thanks for the memories!
MW

MechaCory
04-17-2009, 02:53 AM
Apparently, interacting with guests and playing with kids doesn't count as that, as I got yelled at by a mananger for not keeping busy when I was playing with a kid. I also got yelled at for staying in the Chuck E suit too long (23 minutes. Wow. Big deal.) And it became to the point where we weren't allowed to have fun at work anymore.

Man this is absolutely heart breaking to hear, and it really further highlights how *absolutely* anathema CEC corporate has gotten from their roots.
CEC in Irving truly does have absolutely no connection to Nolan Bushnell's Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Theater OR Bob Brock and Aaron Fechter's Showbiz Pizza Place. I think the curtains were finally sealed with CEC when Dick Frank brought in of all people, President Bush's top war general to help head of Chuck E Cheese corporate and create the new direction. How does one bring in someone who just orchestrated two major wars to head up a children's entertainment franchise? Then we hear how CEC corporate destroyed any trace of the Pizza Time Theater bots, or really anything relating to that *or* their own Showbiz history. (a lot of people dont know that CEC corporate is actually Showbiz Pizza Place)

I had heard how CEC walkaround time had been dramatically cut as well as the interaction he could have with children. I had heard they made the decision to pull the Hellen Henny walkaround. And man, they made you guys keep guests OUTSIDE? This is why I always thought "kid check" was utterly ridiculous. When I was like 8 years old and younger, I got dropped off at PTT and Showbiz all day long.



The friends that worked there became eventually too stressed out to have any fun while working even when the rare small opportunity presented itself. So, when I found myself so stressed out I was getting incredibly angry at children who had game calls for me, I knew it was time to leave.

Again, this just seems so strikingly against everything CEC's origins used to be about. Our own "Rapid T Rabbit" on here experienced similar stuff, to the point where his own CEC wouldnt allow anyone who looked like they were out of high school into the store without a kid. And where CEC walkaround time was pretty much nixed.

I look back at 80's PTT/CEC and Showbiz, and those were frickin' shows!
Now its all about how many financially struggling inner city families can be taken for a ride.
You know, kids *still* believe in Chuck. The few minutes the walkaround is allowed to roam around, kids stop what theyre doing to have a chance to talk to or hug Chuck. Often times however, he has to leave almost as soon as he came in leaving kid's disappointed.

I applaud the one token a ride thing, and I understand costs for food/parties/etc has had to go up because of the trucking fees/economy/etc.
But it's almost more assembly line, soulless "entertainment", and you highlight EXACTLY what people I know who work in lower and middle positions at CEC stores say.

Anyways, all I can say is Im glad ya at least had good experiences in the beginning and that you can bet you personally helped make MANY kid's days as either the walkaround or with your help and just being there.

NickRyder
04-17-2009, 09:23 AM
Yeah and I'm listenin' to an old PTT era "Kids" song, and you hear Chuck saying "Hey everyone is a kid, even those of you with grey hairs! Everyone's welcome at Pizza Time Theater."

My how they have fallen from their roots...

I have to applaud you Lionheart, you knew when to get out. How many people stay in that job, hate it with every fibre of their being and then it just kills the entire business. I felt the same way when I quit my job at Target after 5 years, when it became a dread and was making me sick, it was time to say "its time to go."

I wish you all the best of luck and that you find a great new job somewhere that gives you the satisfaction you need in a job.!

CEC_Tech
04-17-2009, 11:50 AM
Sorry to see you go, and good luck in all your future endeavors.

raebigc
04-17-2009, 01:04 PM
You did well, lionheart... you did well. good luck in your future endeavors

MechaCory
04-17-2009, 03:11 PM
Yeah and I'm listenin' to an old PTT era "Kids" song, and you hear Chuck saying "Hey everyone is a kid, even those of you with grey hairs! Everyone's welcome at Pizza Time Theater."

That's so surreal to hear! If you look a hair over high school age, and you dont have some out of wedlock kid with you; a lot of CEC's will ask you to leave. (I remember Rapid T Rabbit posted his experience, haven worked 9 years at a local New Jersey CEC)

I never go to CEC without my mom(because she's lot of random ninja fun), and thankfully I can still pass for 19ish...but man, sometimes it feels like you have to just tell them youre there for a birthday to be let through.

Another funny thing about show tapes Nick: In the recent January CEC showtape,
they had a minute long sketch between CEC, Jasper, Pasqually and Munch making fun of Showbiz and the Rockafire Explosion totally clowning on them.
I thought "hmm, that's ironic given Chuck E Cheese corporate IS Showbiz Pizza Time Inc, lol"

raebigc
04-17-2009, 03:58 PM
I always go to my good ol 403 because everyone knows me and I used to work there.