After 13 months of Aquamaids Bingo being shut down, punctuated by only a brief 6-week open window in October and November of 2020, Aquamaids Bingo is happy to announce that we are finally open once more! We have been getting a lot of questions about how Aquamaids Bingo is doing our part to deliver all the excitement and action our loyal bingo players crave while still helping to check the spread of COVID-19. There’s no better time than now to address some of the more frequently asked questions, so let’s get started!
“Why did the price to play bingo go up?”
Generally speaking, the cost of goods has gone up in every industry. Sadly, bingo is no exception. For example, bingo product manufacturers are having difficulty making bingo products because the supplies of raw materials like cardboard are limited. Also, shipping costs have increased, due to the pandemic and more immediately in the wake of the recent incident in the Suez Canal, when 12% of the global shipping trade was effectively blocked for over a week. The increased cost to play bingo helps offset the higher cost of the raw materials and supplies needed to play, as well as increased overhead due to the need to obtain extra but essential supplies like hand sanitizer for the health and safety of our players, so we can continue with our mission of sponsoring the Santa Clara Aquamaids YOUR local legacy for more than 50 years.
“My favorite bingo staff volunteers are not with Aquamaids Bingo anymore. What happened?”
Like nearly every other business, we’ve had to make changes to how we operate to satisfy health compliance at every level and ensure the highest level of safety for both our guests and our staff. These changes include decreased seating capacity and fewer staff to allow more players in. When we planned and implemented these changes, we had to rigorously evaluate tradeoffs and compromises to continue giving our dedicated bingo players the absolute best experience while keeping the health and safety of everyone front and center in our minds.
Just like many people our staff are volunteer’s lives have changed in response to the pandemic. Some have taken jobs that don’t allow them to continue to help out. Others have been forced to relocate to other places. Unfortunately, a few have even suffered or been diagnosed with illnesses that prevent them from returning to Aquamaids Bingo at this time. We wish them all the best, and we’re confident our new volunteer staff will continue to deliver the same great bingo action you’ve come to expect from Aquamaids!
“I’ve heard other places are doing Parking Lot Bingo. Why not Aquamaids?”
To be honest, we simply don’t have a large enough parking lot to accommodate Parking Lot Bingo. The size of the lot we have doesn’t meet the minimum vehicle occupancy necessary to allow us to break even on operations and continue to offer the great high-dollar prizes you’ve come to expect from us. This is another example of the compromises we had to make in order to balance a terrific bingo experience with the operational cost and more importantly, keep our patrons and staff safe and healthy!
Aquamaids Bingo values all our players and we are so grateful that you have returned to our big, beautiful Bingo Hall. We hope that you will be patient with us as we get our BINGO GROOVE back. Just like you, we’re working hard to navigate the new restrictions and broader changes the pandemic and related events have forced upon us. We’re going to get there. We’re going to get through this. It’s just going to take a little time, some hard work, and a fair amount of patience and cooperation from everyone concerned.
Please feel free to address any and all questions and concerns you may have to our friendly, helpful bingo staff. However, if you have more complicated or detailed questions or concerns about any aspect of our new operations, or you’re not satisfied with the answers you receive onsite, we invite you to email us at bingo@aquamaids.org. We will get back to you ASAP with straight talk and honest answers.
Thank you for your patience, patronage, and continued support of Aquamaids Bingo—and welcome back!
Sincerely,
Aquamaids Bingo Management
Victor Carrasco, Operations Manager
Mary Keeler, COO