IS CEC building too many new locations

[CEC3066]

<FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2>Results (total votes = 18):</FONT><table bgcolor=#FFFFFF border=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width="75%">
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<FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2>Yes </FONT>&nbsp</td>
<td height><FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2>12&nbsp;/&nbsp;66.7%</FONT>&nbsp</td><td><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/bar.gif width=200 height=10 hspace=3>&nbsp;</td></tr>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2>No</FONT>&nbsp</td>
<td height><FONT FACE="Verdana,Arial" SIZE=2>6&nbsp;/&nbsp;33.3%</FONT>&nbsp</td><td><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/bar.gif width=100 height=10 hspace=3>&nbsp;</td></tr>
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[Shiney Happy Jenn]

The answer is H*** YES!!!!!

It's insane, but i understand WHY they have to do it.

[thatsmilingface]

Jenn, care to elaborate as to why CEC is building so many locations?

~ thatsmilingface.

(Web server temporarily down)

[CEC Kid Check]

Jenn, care to elaborate as to why CEC is building so many locations?
Jenn has differen't stories to tell from mine!!! But I would say that if you go to some states, there is CEC's around the corner from each other, and thats why its so insane...I think CECE should moving around Cities and States that DO NOT have CEC's in them...

[ChuckEZone]

Plus, if you have too many locations in close proximity, they'll be cutting into each-other's attendance. I mean, unless the "old" store had some great attraction, why not just visit the one right down the block?

Also, I believe they should re-invest in existing stores rather than trying to build as many as possible. There's many things that could use improvement.

There's a reason why stores are popping up everywhere. The company isn't doing as well as they expected, so it makes sense to have, say, 200 stores losing money rather than 20 stores losing money. Sorry if this didn't make any sense- I'm pretty tired. :lol

[Aaron]

What looks better- two stores with a $20,000 a week sales
or 6 stores with $10,000 a week sales? It's all in the location.
Two of my stores both used to do almost $30,000 a week
with them being separated by an hours way. They added one location in between the two stores, and both store now do somewhere around $10,000-$15,000 a week on a good week.
Sucks, both store used to have waits... now all three are
equally slow, or busy- all at the same times.

Chuck E. Cheese of NJ

[YoungCaliHottie]

san bernardino has two stores that are about 5 mins apart. lol. one is very new with studio c. everyone goes there. its insanely busy when i go. the other has a 1 or 2 stage. cant remember. but i go there more cuz i hate studio c. but its always empty. literally. most theres ever been is 2 other families in there the same time as me. i wonder why they even keep it open. its not even visible from the street (new one is off the freeway). you would have to know the old one was there to find it.

[Rapid T Rabbit]

Indeed that original CEC in San Bernadino has been there a long time, I remember visiting there once in the late 1980's.

Immediate economics and investor shareholder values aside, isn't the present-day CEC Entertainment company with its wholly-owned sales units now making the same mistake as their predecessor Pizza Time Theater Inc. and the old system of franchises? The only difference ironically is that Pizza Time Theater back then had competition, and today's CECE *was* that competition...with none today (having seemingly vanquished all other competitors, such as Discovery Zone).

[thatsmilingface]

I believe CEC is building too many locations; I think we may see another hemorrhage just like the one that killed PTT in the 80s.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

CEC is definately opening too many locations a year. It's insane..yes,,,as my previous post stated...insane in these parts. We have locations within 20 mins of each other and the RM's complain because this district can't make it's sales quota per location! Maybe if there WAS'NT another location 20 mins down the road, it would'nt be that way??

Years ago Danvers had huge sales...long waits to get in....mucho money being raked in every week. It was awesome from a profit standpoint. They made a absolute killing! Worcester was the same way, and still is somewhat. The reason why was because these were the ONLY locations in MA for many years, Danvers being the first that i know of. Nobody could come close. Now over the years multiple locations have been built nearby ( Burlington, Everett) and Danvers has now sunk into obilvian and is considered a "low volume" location today. Sad but true. Worcester has retained it's high volume status primarily because there are no other CEC's near it....the exception now being a Smalltown location that opened literally down the road ( WHY??).

I know one of the reasons why the company opens so many locations a year is for stock appeal reasons....makes them look good to the shareholders, etc. The other reason may also be to spend some of the Company's money so it won't be taxed. Many companys do this..."invest" in building or buying things just to spend a few million so it won't get a huge tax bill. I'm sure there is a little of that to it as well....some of these crappy little new locations make you wonder.

Seriously now...I understand the need to expand and reach new potential Guests but it's getting ridiculous now!

The Company should be re-investing the the locations it has ( particually the older locations that still have good business) and should be using it's $$$ on hiring entertainment talent! No...instead they blow it opening another 30+ locations a year. I suppose in the end, when CEC finally folds up, the Company will have all the hundreds of old ex-CEC buildings they can sell off and make a mint. I can't seriously see how the concept can go on as it's becoming even more pointless to your average soccar mom to go. As stated in another thread, CEC caters to this crowd particually well...the parents who want to go somewhere and hold others responsible for watching there kids. Lazy parenting is in style, and there is a crapload of money to be made by anyone who knows how to exploit this angle in today's society.

Cec knows how to do this, and does....this is why they have a audience with your average Guests. The target auidience has now been downgraded to toddlers...is it any wonder why? Toddlers could care less about "quality entertainment". Maybe this has been done on purprose? Think about it...if CEC still targeted older kids and young adults as it once did, we surely would be seeing better material being used for the shows and entertainment concept aspects in general.

Another thing i think that has been lost as mentioned above...CEC no longer has a 'competitor". I think this is another reason why CEC is suffering in our eyes. Compitition is good in a business sense as it usually brings out the best between two companys. They have to "work" to get the Guests to visit. Look at the war Showbiz ( which is now CEC ironically) had with PTT Inc. back in the day. Classic example. Both competed fiercely for the hearts and dollars of the Guests. They both tried out numerous entertainment techniques and concepts to try to convince and lure folks to THERE location instead of that "other place". It was good times! Now that CEC has grown into this huge monstrosity, it has been able to take the shortcut and just buy out it's competitors. Monopoly complete. Conform or die!

Sorry for the rant....but this topic really irks me sometimes.

[porkcurtain]

The #1 complaint of guests is they don't like coming when its crowded... 3 or 4 stores doing 15k is always better than 1 store doing 60k.

I'm excited they're finally building another store in my area so I can transfer out of the 30 year old piece of crap I work in.

[YoungCaliHottie]

that is a good point. when i went yesterday afternoon to the rancho cucamonga, ca cec it was soooo crowded and it was a big turn off. i still stayed. but it sucked to wait forever for food, to play games, etc. i guess im really spoiled with it usually not being busy when i go.

and that is also the reason i once left the new san bernardino location and immediately went over to the old one. the new one was packed. had to place an order for them to give you a seat. and still had a wait time to sit. only guarantee was that they would have a seat for you by the time the food was ready. forget that! the old chuck e cheese in san bernardino was literally empty! i was the only one there!lol

[dheineCECfan]

But if CEC builds too many new locations a year? Why couldn't they expand to England/UK, Austrailia, Japan, Mexico, France, and/or Germany if CEC has foreign locations in Canada, Guam, and Saudi Arabia?

[sungun12]

i say keep building them....id be thrilled if they built another one around here cause maybe it would be mine!!! i say build build build!!!

when i get my own store guys, were gonna have a big ass party, it will be super sweet.

[YoungCaliHottie]

australia had one. dont know about now? last time my grandfather was in japan he said they had one. mexico has. dont know about saudi. i know they have a rae! :)

(oh...and guam isnt foreign :P)