Hershey Park deleted a social media post touting its ticket prices over Dollywood's just hours after Dolly Parton's death, and the internet made sure the Pennsylvania theme park heard about it.
On August 25, the same day the 80-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer died following a battle with cancer, a fan took to X to praise Parton and Dollywood for keeping ticket prices "reasonable in this economy," pledging to "support the estate." Hershey Park's official account jumped into the thread with a reply boasting that "our summer tickets are just $49.99", nearly half of Dollywood's $94.99 one-day pass, the New York Post reported.
The timing could hardly have been worse. A grieving fan base was honoring one of America's most beloved entertainers, and a corporate social media account saw a marketing opening. The post was deleted, but not before screenshots spread across the platform.
An X user posting under the handle @TheConnorWeb captured and reposted the exchange. That post racked up more than 1.7 million views, turning a deleted reply into a full-blown brand embarrassment for the Hershey, Pennsylvania, theme park.
The backlash was swift and blunt. "That was a big NO-NO!" one user wrote. Another posted, "Not right now Hershey... not right now..." A third said simply, "I'm genuinely shocked they did that."
Parton's death had prompted an outpouring of grief across the country. She had disclosed ongoing health struggles in her final weeks, and her passing hit fans hard. Inserting a price comparison into that conversation was the kind of misstep that no algorithm can fix.
One user demanded Hershey Park issue a formal apology for what they called a "TACTLESS post." Others joked darkly about the fate of whoever ran the brand's account. "They're gonna skin that intern alive," one wrote. Another quipped that the person responsible had been "put on the euthanasia coaster."
Hershey Park eventually responded on X, offering an explanation that raised as many questions as it answered. The park's official account replied to the user who had demanded an apology:
"We certainly respect your concern. A reply clarifying our ticket price in another conversation was posted without seeing the context of the chain so we removed quickly to avoid any confusion or insensitivity over intent. We absolutely apologize for the error."
The statement suggested the social media team had replied without realizing the thread was part of a conversation mourning Parton's death. Whether that explanation holds up depends on how much context a brand account needs before jumping into someone else's conversation to undercut a competitor on price.
Parton's family had already begun gathering privately to mourn. Her brother Denver Parton had died just weeks earlier at 82, compounding the loss for the tight-knit Parton family.
While Hershey Park scrambled to delete and apologize, Dollywood's management struck a tone that matched the moment. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Tennessee theme park announced it would remain open the following day, honoring Parton's own wishes.
"In her spirit, Dollywood will be open Wednesday as Dolly wanted, always reminding everyone with her signature sparkle, 'the show must go on.'"
Dollywood's statement continued: "Dolly's heartfelt wish was that Dollywood always remain a place of joy, hope and togetherness, a space where families and friends could honor her memory, not with silence, but with laughter, music and shared dreams."
The contrast between the two parks told its own story. One honored its founder's legacy by keeping its doors open and its message graceful. The other tried to poach customers from a mourning thread and got caught.
In the hours after her death, Parton became the most streamed artist on the planet, a testament to the deep affection millions of Americans held for her. That kind of cultural moment is not a marketing opportunity. It is a moment to stay quiet or say something worthy of the occasion.
The Dollywood incident is not the only headache for the Hershey brand this year. Brad Reese, grandson of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups inventor H.B. Reese, has publicly accused the company of quietly replacing key ingredients like milk chocolate and peanut butter with cheaper alternatives, compound coatings made with vegetable oils and peanut crème, across multiple Reese's products. In a February 14 letter to Hershey's corporate brand manager, Reese asked how the company could "continue to position Reese's as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients that built Reese's trust in the first place," AP News reported.
Hershey acknowledged some recipe changes but defended them as necessary for product innovation amid high cocoa prices. Brad Reese was not persuaded. When Hershey announced plans to transition certain compound-coated products back to traditional chocolate by 2027, he dismissed the timeline as "a PR stunt," insisting the switch could happen in three days, Fox News reported.
The Reese family issued a statement distancing themselves from Brad's claims, saying his opinions did not reflect the family's views. But the controversy had already gone viral, with widespread consumer complaints about the taste and quality of the products.
A pattern emerges when a company cuts corners on ingredients and then cuts corners on basic human decency in its social media. Both reflect the same instinct: prioritize the margin over the relationship. Customers notice.
Parton's family gathered at her Nashville gravesite in the days after her passing, a private moment for a woman who had spent a lifetime giving to the public. She built Dollywood not just as a business but as a gift to the Smoky Mountain communities she came from. That legacy deserved better than a coupon code in a condolence thread.
Some moments call for silence, not a sales pitch. Hershey Park learned that lesson the hard way, and at $49.99, it was the most expensive discount the park ever offered.
