Visitors to the Phoenix Zoo have shared their frustrations on social media about recent changes made to the membership guest policy.
The flexible guest pass was a favorite of many members as it allowed to bring in an additional guest not directly named on their accounts. However, Rebecca Zandarski, the director of donor and member relations at the Phoenix Zoo, said the zoo is focused on improving membership benefits with changes like this.
"It was definitely not a decision we made lightly," Zandarski said. "It involved a significant amount of discussion and consideration of how our members are using their benefits and how we can be sustainable in the way that we provide benefits and value. I think the biggest thing, especially in that membership
arena, we really want to build stronger, meaningful relationships with our members, and you'll see a lot of the changes we're doing because a lot of that, and we're excited about that."
After the changes became public, many people on Reddit said that they would not renew their Phoenix Zoo membership due to the removal of the flex guest pass.
"The best part about the zoo was being able to bring a flex guest," @Jaded-Dig-1188 posted on Sept. 4 in r/phoenix. "Now all adults must be named. Im so upset!!!! I won’t be renewing anymore."
@cosmicallyliminal commented that they have a single-mom friend who used the flex guest option to bring a friend or family member with her to help with her kids. The flex guest option allowed her to bring a different adult with her each time, since no one was available every time she went to the zoo.
Others shared concerns about not being able to afford the regular ticket in addition to the refreshments once inside the zoo.
"A lot of these changes that we made were just really adding value to our members," Zandarski said.
Why did the Phoenix Zoo change the guest policy for members?
Zandarski said they took a look at the membership and did a serious deep dive on some of the benefits and the value that guests get out of it.
"Like a lot of organizations, the zoo's experiencing rising costs, and we're looking carefully how we could keep our membership valuable and sustainable while limiting the increase in our membership prices," Zandarski said. "We did go through a very modest increase, but adjusting some benefits allows us to balance those increases and then really make our investment in the experiences that the members value inside the zoo."
The change in guest tickets allows for more people to join the member at a cheaper rate, Zandarski said.
She said they have so many great benefits, including giving members 50% off on same-day guest tickets, getting six tickets for $10 to use on Member Mondays throughout ZooLights season and member-only events, including keeper talks.
She said a lot of people also had concerns about not being able to bring a caregiver for someone who may have a disability. Zandarski said the zoo has a caregiver program where the caregiver has free admission with a paid guest or member who has a disability.
Zandarski said that the zoo truly values its members. She said their support helps the Phoenix Zoo care for animals, including through the conservation programs that they're doing for SAFE, or Saving Animals From Extinction.
She said she knows every family uses its membership differently, so not every member will view the changes the same way. But Zandarski said they want to be able to work with each member individually and say, "Hey, what can we provide that makes sense for you specifically?"
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Zoo faces backlash after policy change. Why they did it
