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So this year, my SO and I decided to try out the Royal Easter Agricultural Show since we wanted to see if it was better or worse than our hometown's show (we reckon that our hometown does it a little bit better 
). While we didn't have much suck directly, here are the sightings I spotted from today's run:
Please go back to letting people buy them here!
Apparently in previous years, you could buy your show ticket from the train station, since all the tickets included free travel on public transport, so you could get to and from the show safely. Well, this year they didn't.
On top of that, they opted to release some to yon local supermarket-key word being SOME. They did not make it an option for you to just buy your ticket there instead of having to compete for a show pass. >.>
So end result? You could buy your ticket at the gate, or you could buy it online (and get a couple of fees tacked onto it, since it was being done through a 3rd-party agency). My partner and I wound up buying them at the gate (we get free travel on weekends due to the way that the smartcard ticketing system works over here-make 8 trips and the rest of your week is free). BIG. MISTAKE.
The line was MASSIVE. To their credit, ticketmaster managed to keep the line flowing really well, except that I encountered the following:
-Way too many people deciding to try and buy them online (since you didn't even need to print them, just have the barcode and scan away), causing hold-ups in the queue when they didn't realise the line moved.
-Some jackass kept pushing his pram into the ass of this other woman and then mock-apologising. It wasn't a hard tap, but I was not pleased.
-Someone else started trying to cut the line partway through as their family was already there. Cue several death glares and eventually that person just leaving.
-The number of people who did not get what "CASH ONLY" meant and got annoyed when we were able to cut the line (partially) because the crowd control lady kept calling out for those who were doing cash.
Dude, it's not going to run away!
So you are parents, pushing a pram with a very infant child in it and lining up for this particular attraction. Your child starts squawking very very loudly despite having a fan in their face to keep them cool and the shade is drawn down. Do you:
A) move one of the gates aside so you can take your baby elsewhere and see what he/she needs?
B) Start trying to figure out what he/she needs in the line and then move out of the way until bubs calms down?
C) Move bubs up (in the pram), cover the front of the pram with a lightweight drape and continue pushing through, despite bubs squawking louder?
If you guessed C, you'd be correct. I do believe that she did eventually get the attendant to move her out the way though so she could see what the problem was, but seriously!
Did you REALLY think this was a good idea?
Parents, if your child is afraid of the dark and/or big scary animatronic things, why do you think dragging them through the exhibit is a good idea?! I encountered at least 3 parents who were doing just that. (there were exit doors dotted all around the place)
Food fun!
This was more a crowd control suck fail, but they had chips-on-a-stick there with at least 3-4 stalls devoted to the potato goodness. Their idea of crowd control was to stick 1-2 barrier gates up and expect everyone else to just "line up." Cue at least 2-3 people waltzing up to the open end (where people were collecting their potato goodness on a stick) and asking for their food! Grrr...
Train fail
This was funny.
We'd finished at the show and went to the station, ready to get onto the train. Now this particular station is designed as thus:
Typically platforms 1 and 4 are closed, 2 and 3 are more commonly used since it's easier to get up and out of the station there.
Trains come in one side, can open their doors on either side, can shut their doors and then trot off to their destination. My SO and I were waiting on Platform 2 for our train, when the train pulls up...the announcer starts doing his spiel about going up the stairs/escalator for platform 2...then the train doors open on the platform 1 side. Cue mass
looks from the platform 2 passengers.
The announcer starts his spiel up again, this time apologising and stating that they weren't MEANT to open up the doors on platform 1's side and that the driver had used the wrong side. Once he closed his doors, he opened up on our side.
Either way, I came home with a good haul: a great haul of Bertie Beetles, around $100 of skincare products for $25, around $50 of stationery for $15 and some slightly sore legs.
I also started having a very fun panic attack on the ferris wheel out of nowhere. Go me! >.<
). While we didn't have much suck directly, here are the sightings I spotted from today's run: Please go back to letting people buy them here!
Apparently in previous years, you could buy your show ticket from the train station, since all the tickets included free travel on public transport, so you could get to and from the show safely. Well, this year they didn't.
On top of that, they opted to release some to yon local supermarket-key word being SOME. They did not make it an option for you to just buy your ticket there instead of having to compete for a show pass. >.>
So end result? You could buy your ticket at the gate, or you could buy it online (and get a couple of fees tacked onto it, since it was being done through a 3rd-party agency). My partner and I wound up buying them at the gate (we get free travel on weekends due to the way that the smartcard ticketing system works over here-make 8 trips and the rest of your week is free). BIG. MISTAKE.
The line was MASSIVE. To their credit, ticketmaster managed to keep the line flowing really well, except that I encountered the following:
-Way too many people deciding to try and buy them online (since you didn't even need to print them, just have the barcode and scan away), causing hold-ups in the queue when they didn't realise the line moved.
-Some jackass kept pushing his pram into the ass of this other woman and then mock-apologising. It wasn't a hard tap, but I was not pleased.
-Someone else started trying to cut the line partway through as their family was already there. Cue several death glares and eventually that person just leaving.
-The number of people who did not get what "CASH ONLY" meant and got annoyed when we were able to cut the line (partially) because the crowd control lady kept calling out for those who were doing cash.
Dude, it's not going to run away!
So you are parents, pushing a pram with a very infant child in it and lining up for this particular attraction. Your child starts squawking very very loudly despite having a fan in their face to keep them cool and the shade is drawn down. Do you:
A) move one of the gates aside so you can take your baby elsewhere and see what he/she needs?
B) Start trying to figure out what he/she needs in the line and then move out of the way until bubs calms down?
C) Move bubs up (in the pram), cover the front of the pram with a lightweight drape and continue pushing through, despite bubs squawking louder?
If you guessed C, you'd be correct. I do believe that she did eventually get the attendant to move her out the way though so she could see what the problem was, but seriously!
Did you REALLY think this was a good idea?
Parents, if your child is afraid of the dark and/or big scary animatronic things, why do you think dragging them through the exhibit is a good idea?! I encountered at least 3 parents who were doing just that. (there were exit doors dotted all around the place)
Food fun!
This was more a crowd control suck fail, but they had chips-on-a-stick there with at least 3-4 stalls devoted to the potato goodness. Their idea of crowd control was to stick 1-2 barrier gates up and expect everyone else to just "line up." Cue at least 2-3 people waltzing up to the open end (where people were collecting their potato goodness on a stick) and asking for their food! Grrr...
Train fail
This was funny.
We'd finished at the show and went to the station, ready to get onto the train. Now this particular station is designed as thus:
Typically platforms 1 and 4 are closed, 2 and 3 are more commonly used since it's easier to get up and out of the station there.
Trains come in one side, can open their doors on either side, can shut their doors and then trot off to their destination. My SO and I were waiting on Platform 2 for our train, when the train pulls up...the announcer starts doing his spiel about going up the stairs/escalator for platform 2...then the train doors open on the platform 1 side. Cue mass
looks from the platform 2 passengers. The announcer starts his spiel up again, this time apologising and stating that they weren't MEANT to open up the doors on platform 1's side and that the driver had used the wrong side. Once he closed his doors, he opened up on our side.
Either way, I came home with a good haul: a great haul of Bertie Beetles, around $100 of skincare products for $25, around $50 of stationery for $15 and some slightly sore legs.
I also started having a very fun panic attack on the ferris wheel out of nowhere. Go me! >.<