Mauckingbird Theater Company

Unlike some of Philadelphia’s older, more established theaters, The Mauckingbird Theater Company bases their decision to continue producing on a show-by-show basis.

“We operate on such a tight budget margin that one flop would seriously impact our decision to do another show,” said Lindsay Mauck, Managing Director and co-founder of Mauckingbird, which was named Philadelphia’s Best Gay Theater Company by Philadelphia Weekly in 2011.

Perhaps to demonstrate just how tight the budget is, Mauck does everything from running the company’s website to contracting actors to managing the payroll all on her own time. She does not make any money from the company and works as the managing director in between her other paying jobs.

Walnut Street Theater

Ralph Weeks sits at a cluttered desk on the third floor of America’s oldest theater, The Walnut Street Theater, stuffing envelopes and printing brochures. This is just a normal day for the theater’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations, whose job has certainly changed in the last few years.

“We’re becoming a search-driven society,” said Weeks. “People have to look for things rather than turning the page of a newspaper. So it becomes much harder to people to find out or discover new things.”

While the 203-year-old theater is active on social media, with a Facebook page and Twitter account, Weeks stresses that he does not rely on those ways of communication.

“We make sure to focus on things that work rather than things that are fun,” he said. “An email blast works for us because it reaches the demographic of the theater-goer more effectively than Twitter does. Twitter would probably reach a younger clientele and the normal ticket buyer in any theater in town is probably a little older. So you want to communicate in the way that they communicate, not in the way that you communicate.”

Trouble Trumps Fun in Gaming

On the surface, nothing seems out of place or wrong with the gaming economy. According to the some blogs like Strategic Business Blog (1), the global industry is set to hit $64 billion in 2012 thanks to the high prices and sales of technology.

But underneath lies webs of controversy tangling gamers everywhere with doubt and frustration, and many gamers and experts say that the gaming businesses may suffer due to corporate practices used by companies like Capcom and Electronic Arts (EA) that are driving away most of their fan-base and causing controversy, such as withholding content already on the disc and then selling it.

While the economy of gaming may be improving according to those reports, some gamers are left unable to buy due to practices used by companies like Capcom and EA. Enrique Rodriguez, 21 and Biology major in college, is one of the gamers hurt by this, though not entirely discouraged.

However many gamers want to reminisce about the days of old when gaming was simple, some remain in the present, and are happy with the advances video games have achieved.

And pain knows not only consumers, as companies are actually suffering from these turn of events rather than being helped by them, according to reactions of press releases on the sides of Capcom and EA.

EA currently has problems with BioWare's latest game, Mass Effect 3, thanks to an ending many fans of the trilogy are considering horrible, rushed, comes from out of nowhere, and full of plot-holes. A movement called “Retake Mass Effect” has put EA into a tight spot.

Sales for Mass Effect 3 have slowed down by a large margin, despite it being at the top of the sales chart in March, according to an article at the International Business Times (2). And recently, a price-drop has been issued by Best Buy and Amazon to try to entice buyers all over again, cutting the game's price by a small amount. Gamestop did not do so until recently for its weekend sale during April 25 – May 1.

“There are other gaming companies that at least try to make up for their mistakes,” Enrique said. “The 3DS launch for instance. Nintendo gave original buyers of it before the price-drop 23 free games. $100 value right there!”

And Electronic Arts did address this problem in their latest press release (3).

"We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team," said Dr. Ray Muzyka , Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA's BioWare Label. "Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team's artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe."

However, fans on video game forums on websites such as Gamefaqs or Angry Joe Show were not satisfied entirely, as the Extended-Cut only explains the ending fans had despised, rather than give them the ending they want.

In fact, the entire ordeal has made the image of EA even worse. Fans are still pushing for the ending they were promised, as Bioware, the makers of the game, promised that all of the decisions made during the course of the three-part game would impact the ending in great detail, and not promise an ending that was a simple A, B, and C style, which was the final result of the game (4).

"A game company can decide to do what they want to do with their content, but not making a fresh game instead shelling out the same mass-produced garbage over and over again is disappointing," said Julie Dull, 22 and employee of a local game store and Temple University student.

EA's online passes have also received equal negative backlash, by forcing buyers of a used game to pay extra to gain online functionality for their game. The negative controversy from EA's actions has earned them an award from The Consumerist as “Worst Company in America.”

"The game industry seems to be devolving as it's evolving," said Dull. "And with online play comes more downloadable content...Game companies virtually forcing online play is diabolically genius."

Experts in the field of reviewing games and company policies also suffer from these effects, no matter how many videos or articles they can come up with. And if no one buys the games anymore, making reviews of it will be pointless.

“If nobody is going to buy the new games, then there is hardly any point in doing a review," said Symon Goro, 21 and a game reviewer on Gamefaqs. "And I can't recommend a game with a bad DLC policy to somebody at full price."
The elimination of used games already has gamers being more cautious and distrustful, and if no money goes into the games, then everyone suffers as a result. And everyone in the world cannot afford full priced games, especially when content is also forced through DLC.

And Capcom has not made things better.

On February 2012, Capcom announced that sales for the 9 months in 2011 decreased 29%, though other sales that included Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record managed to fare well enough in the states.

On the other hand, fans are not pleased with results of some of the questionable things Capcom has done recently and in the past, such as the cancellation of Megaman Legends 3, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 expansion that gives the players very little and was released nine months ahead of time, and the latest news with Street Fighter X Tekken for home consoles.

The latest news with the game is that stored content that was already on the disc, and Capcom planned on selling those very characters as DLC. The PSP Vita version on the other hand included those very characters on the disc, leaving Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners angered.

Capcom responded to their complaints and stated in a reply message (5), “While Capcom is sorry that some of its fans are not happy about the chosen method of delivery for the DLC, we believe that this method will provide more flexible and efficient gameplay throughout the game's lifecycle. There is effectively no distinction between the DLC being ''locked'' behind the disc and available for unlocking at a later date, or being available through a full download at a later date, other than delivery mechanism.”

Others argue against Capcom's statement however.

"It's incredibly cheap and lazy to lock content on the disc and force us to pay extra and wait months for something that should be there from the beginning," Goro said. "That's like buying a sandwich and finding you have to pay extra for the toppings."

And the after effects of some of these practices are hurting stores in other countries. According to an article on IGN, in the UK, Gamestop and Best Buy stores are already closing from lack of sales. The digital age that is coming, where consumers can now go online, is also not helping matters for smaller stores.

Frank Stancheck Jr., 32, and as both an employee of Classic Game Junkie and as a gamer, does express concern with his customers.

“The customers are hurt more than retailers,” Stancheck said. “And they sometimes avoid the games those companies produce as much as possible.”

Stancheck remains optimistic however.

“We don't just stock new games,” Stancheck proudly said. “We also repair consoles, and technology is always going to need to get fixed. I also try to steer customers in games that may suit their interest, even if they are old and cheap. Even if you get a small sale, you may get a customer for life.”

And only time can tell what will happen in the future. Given the circumstances and reactions/opinions left unheard by companies, that future looks very bleak.

Many gamers want to reminisce about the days of old when gaming was simple, while are happy with the advances video games have achieved. While some wear smiles, and others make their voices known on the internet, there is a guarantee that change is coming.

References:

1. http://strategyplan1.blogspot.com/2012/03/video-game-statistics-and-industry.html
2. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/330140/20120418/mass-effect-3-ending-price-drop-slash.htm
3. BioWare Announces Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut: http://investor.ea.com/releases.cfm
4. http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/04/13/bioware-falsely-advertised-mass-effect-3-says-better-business-bureau/
5. http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2012/apr/02/capcoms-response-bbb-complaints-no-distinction-between-dlc-and-disc-locked-content-sound-patch-possibly-coming-april-10/

Leaving the Bank (Parts 2 & 3)

When Gerard Kreuzmann immigrated to the United States from Germany 6 years ago, he did not envision being caught in a major economic recession. Since then, he and his family have been struggling to pay loans and living costs. 

In the midst of his financial struggles, he had to deal with the increasing cost of dealing with his bank.

Since his immigration, Kreuzmann dealt with Abington Bank which was a local community bank in his area. 

In September, he received notice that Abington would be acquired by the much larger Susquehanna Bank in a merger. Kreuzmann was against it from the start because he preferred Abington’s smaller and more personal service.

“Susquehanna has over 300 branches, that’s like a national corporation,” Kreuzmann said. “I trusted Abington Bank because they were only around here.”

Susquehanna had policies which meant customers would receive lower interest rates on accounts and possibly pay more fees after the merger. 

“I had lower interest on my savings account,” Kreuzmann said. “It’s like losing money if I keep it there.”

With his family struggling financially, Kreuzmann decided to switch to American Heritage Federal Credit Union which offered better rates and fees policies.

Kreuzmann prefers his business with American Heritage over what he would have gotten had he stayed at Susquehanna. But, he said, for the past year he and his family have contemplated a move back to Germany due to their deteriorating financial situation among other factors.

Sue Stanley works a bank manager at an Abington Bank branch in Huntingdon Valley, where she stayed at her position after the merger with Susquehanna Bank.

Since the merger she has seen a rise in complaints among customers about Susquehanna charging higher and more frequent fees than Abington, and having lower interest rates on savings accounts.

“The main reasons are the fees and interest rates,” Stanley said. “A lot of people complained about lower rates after the switch. Most people who leave go to credit unions because they generally have higher rates.”

Though Stanley witnessed a higher amount of customers switching away, most customers stayed after the merger. 

“Most of the customers who left were the businesses and some churches too,” Stanley said.

Despite a number of customers switching away from Susquehanna, many have also come from other banks. 

“A lot of people come from Bank of America, that’s the big one,” Stanley said.

Though Susquehanna is a larger business than Abington, Stanley said they have stressed building a long-standing relationship with each customer. 

Landscapers business affected by seasons

Roger Donaldson, owner of Donaldson Services, sees a difference in business during the winter months, but finds ways to deal with it.

The spring and fall are the busiest times for the company, and in the winter it slows down, Donaldson said.

"I don't have another job, but I find ways to deal with the slow business during the winter," Donaldson said. "I save up my money during that time, and the employees have pay differences."

Donaldson has three employees and started the business three years ago. His family owned business in the construction field, so he got started with it when he was just a kid. Almost all of their customers are reoccurring, Donaldson said.

Donaldson has a positive outlook on the recent changes in the economy.

"I've only been in business for about three years now, so I'm not really sure what business was like before then," Donaldson said. "it really seems like it's getting better now though."

Landscapers business affected by seasons

Marcy Smith, the manager of Avant Gardens, said their company absolutely sees an affect from different seasons.

"Our on seasons are the warmer months," said Smith, who has been the manager since 2007. "There isn't a whole lot to do in the winter."

Their work tends to start decreasing in October, and they normally finish off any regular maintenance by December. By the end of March, they start to get calls and in April it gets busy, Smith said.

"Our company is like a skeleton, because we don't have active full-time employees,"said Smith, who does not have another job for off seasons. "Only part of our crew stays around for every month."

Smith explained that there are unique challenges of having a landscaping business in a city. They have to worry about if there is a back entrance to the house so they can bring equipment in, if not they have to carry it through the house. They have to make sure they find a parking space for their truck too.

"We have always been a city-based company, so our actual expertise is urban landscapes," Smith said. "There are more yards in the city than you would think. Many of the row homes in center city have backyards that could easily be the length of the house."

The company has returning customers, but also definitely sees a level of all new work because many of their businesses are one shot deals, Smith said.

Avant Gardens has absolutely seen an affect from the downturn of the economy.

"We're considered a luxury item, so it's hard not to be affected," Smith said. "If a family is struggling with mortgages, do you think they're going to want to get a patio?"

Landscapers business affected by seasons

Anthony Cicoeelli, president of AMC Nursery and Landscaping Inc., explains that business is not necessarily worse for his company during the winter seasons, just very different.

Their peak season for business is from March 15th-June 30th. For the rest of the year, they average around 20 people from June to December, and then maybe a dozen throughout the winter, Cicoeelli said.

"There are different aspects of the business during different times,"said Cicoeelli, who is a graduate from Temple University and started the business in 1991 right out of college. "During the winter we do snow removal and sell top soil."

The company does not have pay differences between seasons and doesn't migrate between seasons for this very reason, Cicoeelli said.

Something that has actually affected the company is the downturn of the economy.


When the economy was good, the company did a lot of developer work and construction work. When that died off, they started focusing more on the maintenance aspect of the work for homes. That is what they've been really focused on for the last four years, Cicoeelli said.

"Since the recession, we've grown as a business but our profits have stayed the same," Cicoeelli said. "Now we're just doing more work, but for less money."