Come to the Mall, Don't Park at LEGOLAND: Ethical?
Every time a person goes to a theme park, the parking seems to offer some quite a controversial issues... Is it right to pay $12-$15 just to leave our vehicle in a bare parking spot? Shouldn't the parks lower the price, since our car is actually not receiving any service worth that much? Yes, it is true, here in Florida most of the parking lots of the theme parks are under surveillance, but... is it really worth it?
A shopping mall near LEGOLAND Florida doesn't think so. Paying $12 to park at LEGOLAND is too much, according to their billboards. Indeed, they have placed a huge advertisement just outside the park gates, saying " Why pay $12 to park at a theme park? - Free Park and Ride at Eagle Ridge Mall (Discounts at Select retailers)"
Here you are some photos of the billboard in question:
Remember that this is located almost in front of the entrance to LEGOLAND's parking lot:
Some of our readers explained that there are no copyright issues in this case. Read more in the comments.
Now, it is absolutely understandable that all the retailers in the area want to take advantage of the fact that LEGOLAND has come to Winter Haven, so that their businesses can once again flourish. But, is that the right way? Is this an ethical move?
The Mall not only offers free parking; it also offers a free shuttle to the park (of course), and discounts in the shops for those using the free transportation they provide.
There's a quite major downside of the story: every car that goes to the mall and parks there means $12 less for LEGOLAND; so while their aiding their own business, they are actually hurting the real sources of many of their new costumers - LEGOLAND and the Merlin Entertainment Company.
The Mall not only offers free parking; it also offers a free shuttle to the park (of course), and discounts in the shops for those using the free transportation they provide.
There's a quite major downside of the story: every car that goes to the mall and parks there means $12 less for LEGOLAND; so while their aiding their own business, they are actually hurting the real sources of many of their new costumers - LEGOLAND and the Merlin Entertainment Company.
Now, it is your turn. Do you think that there's nothing wrong in attracting customers using this method? Or do you think that there are other, more ethical, ways to make people come to your business? Please, share your opinion with us!
how is this possibly in any way shape or form an ethical issue? people have a right to advertise for their business and this mall is merely attempting to be competitive with legoland's parking and draw business to their retailers. Its not copyright infringement as lego has no 'likeness' licensing. dont see any problem with this at all.
ReplyDeleteI don't see a problem with this either. It may take some money out of the parking coffers for Lego, but, speaking for myself here, I'd be more apt to spend my money in the park and justify it by saying, "well I didn't pay for parking..." You are giving up some convenience of quicker access to your car and waiting on shuttle to save that $12 and depending on the ages and general health of the guests this access could be a big deal not worth saving the money. Of course there will be people who abuse this, but overall I see no issue with this.
ReplyDeleteThis is moderately common. There are places all over around major attractions that compete for parking and people. Baseball crowds are drawn to various "non official" parking lots that are not controlled by the teams. There is a mall in suburban DC that actually allows you to park and provides shuttles to the Metro station next door. This is part of the reason Disney is so large, it is impractical to do something like this there.
ReplyDeleteAs for copyright. No, as long as they are not using the name Lego. The block themselves are marketed by several different manufacturers.
24 years ago, when I was just 21 I went to the USA from the Netherlands, worked in a boyscout camp and then toured Florida.
ReplyDeleteI stayed at a downtown hotel (cheap) and got a almost free shuttle (1$) to Disney World. So it was commen in Orlando to.
I would think that unlike Disney which gets visitors of all ages, Legoland will mostly be families with small children (they even advertise that the park is geared from ages 2-12). If you have ever spent the whole day at a park with children, trust me when i tell you that the ONLY thing you want to do the second the day is over is get back to the car and go back to your hotel/lodgings as quick as possible. It is not worth it just to save the $12. AND this is assuming a shuttle is there to pick you up when you want to leave.
ReplyDeleteLego isn't the only company to make plastic interlocking blocks. In fact they were unsuccessful in their lawsuit to prevent Mega-Bloks from making toys that are compatable with Lego.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this falls under copyright infringement. In fact, it's even okay to use the name "Lego" so long as you 1. Do not make any money from it, 2. Don't confuse people into thinking it's an officially product, 3. Have no other way/name to convey your product except for using the name. This is called "Nominative Fair Use." This page describes it in easy terms.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't see anything wrong with it. If people can save $12 in parking, they may spend it elsewhere in the park. ;-)
Thank you for your comments. With this post, I was in NO WAY trying to say that the Mall that is doing this offer is doing something illegal. I just wanted to share with our readers our opinion about the subject. Personally, I would have first tried other strategies before doing something like this. Why not giving out discounts for people who bought tickets to the park? LEGOLAND Florida is not like Walt Disney World, Universal, or SeaWorld. They already have fewer people coming through their gates (they plan on welcoming only 2 million people in the first year. Magic Kingdom has more than 17 million guests each year, and parking there is a nightmare). If they make less money through parking, they are going to suffer a lot. But, as I stated before, that's just a personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this is a no brainer. When I and I also imagine thousands more UK visitors who flock to Orlando to visit you many parks, we mostly purchase in advance a selection of park tickets at great cost. We then have the choice to either hire a car to travel to the Parks for the duration or not, and rely on public transport and taxi's (costly).
ReplyDeleteIf we were to visit a different park each day of our visit (avg 14 days), that mounts up to at least $168 bucks!!!
If we can save some money, sounds good to me.
Are you kidding me!!! They already make 100s of dollars off of park admission. I say the shuttle is a great thing.
ReplyDelete