![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Kristoffer Garin’s _Devils on the Deep Blue Sea_ may be 10 years out of date, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn from it. It’s a laugh out loud look back at the history of the cruise industry (alas, DCL barely figures in it — 10 years out of date, means, DCL barely existed back then).
From page 109 (no kindle edition, alas!): “When all the cocktails, cigars, shore excursions, bingo cards and souvenirs sold aboard were added up, the take on a good cruise could run into the millions of dollars — all of it flowing through the cruise director’s hands. There was only so much oversight that could be done from Miami; record keeping was minimal, and shipboard workers in the right positions were able to take unbelievable advantage.”
I worked concessions and box in a movie theatre in the mid 1980s. We did some credit cards, but not very many; it was primarily a cash operation. Let me just say, “unbelievable advantage” is something I have zero trouble believing in.
“Years later, when the cruise lines finally moved to cashless, computerized payment systems on most of their ships, shoreside executives would be stunned at the amounts they were suddenly recapturing. As much as 3 percent of the gross onboard sales had been being diverted”.
Really makes you rethink that 3% gouge that small merchants are stuck with for credit card transactions. Seems like a terrible deal. Until you realize the alternatives might actually be worse.
From page 109 (no kindle edition, alas!): “When all the cocktails, cigars, shore excursions, bingo cards and souvenirs sold aboard were added up, the take on a good cruise could run into the millions of dollars — all of it flowing through the cruise director’s hands. There was only so much oversight that could be done from Miami; record keeping was minimal, and shipboard workers in the right positions were able to take unbelievable advantage.”
I worked concessions and box in a movie theatre in the mid 1980s. We did some credit cards, but not very many; it was primarily a cash operation. Let me just say, “unbelievable advantage” is something I have zero trouble believing in.
“Years later, when the cruise lines finally moved to cashless, computerized payment systems on most of their ships, shoreside executives would be stunned at the amounts they were suddenly recapturing. As much as 3 percent of the gross onboard sales had been being diverted”.
Really makes you rethink that 3% gouge that small merchants are stuck with for credit card transactions. Seems like a terrible deal. Until you realize the alternatives might actually be worse.