Cubs Offer Discounted Tickets To Selected April Games
From 3/1 through 3/3, get 10% off certain April games when you buy tickets with Mastercard.
And yes, Jessica, this one's for you. TOLD YOU SO.
almost 2 years ago
Al Yellon
74 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
"I told you so"?????
Um Al MY WHOLE POINT was they messed up and April games in particular were taking a HUGE hit. Not sure how that transforms into “I told you so”. In case you missed my 10,000 posts, the Cubs massively overemphasized charging more for the premium games that they could have raised the price on and STILL SOLD OUT and neglected the hard to sell games and that April games in particular would be down because even if they played well it was too late to make up for that mistake. FYI the 10% is not going to do much of anything. As I said, they should have EXPANDED the “9” pack instead of reducing it ( from 13 last year). The best way to sell the tough games is to package them with good ones but the Cubs do it in such a massively uneven way ( buy 5 crappy games and get 2 good ones and two half way decent ones) that it is tough sell. They also should have not made it seem like the “premium” sales were the way to do, utterly de-emphasizing the day the vast majority of tickets go on sale and almost ignoring the wristbands. Empty seats won’t buy beer and hot dogs and 15% more on White Sox Cubs game won’t make up for that.
So Al I told you so.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 27, 2010 6:40 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
You're absolutely right...
And I totally get your point about the emphasis on the pre-sale damaging sales for the other games.
10% doesn’t do jack…especially with the fact that you’re required to use a Mastercard to get the discount. In the end, the Cubs are going to do what they want to do. I suspect that you’ll see more discounts as we get closer to the season.
"...but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs. So it is ME who feels sorry for you." - Steve Goodman, "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request"
rec'd
very well said
Sunday Feb 28 at 7 PM CST free webcast of the live taping of The Austin Variety Show www.austinvarietyshow.com/
Just to play devils advocate-
what qualifies a game as “crappy”, “good” or “half way decent” if it hasn’t been played yet?
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
Day & TIme & opponant
April weekday games are always the hardest to sell. Short of playing the Cardinals on a Tuesday in April it is going to be a tough sell. Remember there are far more tickets available from the start to weekday games since there are still many combo packages. The next hardest to presell would be Sept weekday games. Unless you sell them one day one, you are going to have to reley on the Cubs being in the hunt, and then May for more or less the same reason as April. In the past the Cubs have sold many more tickets on the first day and while I don’t think they ever sold out many of April, May, Weekday games on the first day, they sold a lot more than they have now. As I mentioned the special “combo” packs of the last few years have been the most effective way to sell them. They basically make you buy a bunch of April, May & Sept games to get some in June, July & August but it has been pretty one sided. This year they reduced the pack from 13 games to 9. Personally I think they should have something like a 15 pack with a bit better selection than previous years.
Then they could sell a lot more of the “crappy” games. Overall though I think the big mistake was spending most of their time on the special premium pre-sales and ignoring the “big” day.
FYI if I am going to gloat I would also mention that Al was convinced that they were only selling a small amount of available tickets via the premium pre sale. He said maybe 10%. Obviously it was a LOT more considering the first big game ( Sox Saturday) sold out in FIVE MINUTES and others shortly after. In the past no game sold out in less than an hour with some lasting for a couple of hours. They should have held back more and they should have SAID they were holding back tickets so people did not feel that had no chance at the “big” games.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 11:38 AM CST up reply actions
As I have said before.
Until you have specific proof of your claims — exact numbers — I’ll defer to the Cubs statement that they are on target to sell 3 million tickets again.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
If they sell 3 million it would be a drop of 5% on top of last years drop of 2.5%
They need to sell MORE than last year, not less to be successful. April sales are clearly taking a hit. Selling the
most sought after games at mark up is child’s play, selling the hard games it was has always made the Cubs the envy of every other franchise. The Cubs needed to nurture regular fans instead of just going after rich ones. They can in fact do both, but they can’t spend most of their time on the premium tickets while ignoring the rest. I suspect they have realized the mistake and we will see other general discounts that the Cubs have not done in decades, but it is too late to make up for this year. Best they can do now is hope the Cubs are very good so the unsold games from
June- Sept can sell.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 2:18 PM CST up reply actions
We'll revisit this in a couple months.
In any case, I’m sure the Cubs aren’t losing any money.
And it’s not “too late” to make up for this year, considering the home opener is still 43 days away.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
i hope the concessions have the tax broken out the same way
as tickets, just so I can see Jessica post about it.
Sunday Feb 28 at 7 PM CST free webcast of the live taping of The Austin Variety Show www.austinvarietyshow.com/
No concessions are not subject to the "entertainment tax"
Though I am sure some of the idiots in the bleachers find buying & drinking 10 beers per game
entertaining.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 4:15 PM CST up reply actions
The April games will be down
I believe that is the gist of our bet.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 4:16 PM CST up reply actions
43 days.
Actually, 45, since Opening Day is sold out. I assume you think the Cubs won’t sell a single ticket in the next six weeks?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
They will sell many tickets
but they are way too far behind last year to make up for April and they had better hope for very good weather and very good play. If they come out of he gate gangbusters and there is warm sunny weather in April & May than they can make it back, but the point is they would never want to have to rely on that to sell tickets. I mean personally I think it is great that you can probably just go down and pick up good seats for dozens of games this year and there are lots and lots of unsold games in the bleachers, I just don’t think the Cubs are too thrilled about that since for every year since 2003 that has not been the case.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 4:54 PM CST up reply actions
Why should I?
They have clearly sold far fewer tickets, they clearly downplayed the main day of ticket sales and they clearly sold a huge number of tickets to the hardest to get games at a mark up that won’t offset the lack of sales to hard to sell games. They are in danger of losing the golden goose. The reason the Cubs have always been a cash cow is people going to the games regardless to a large degree of how they play, they are losing that and it has a domino effect. Since everyone now sees they can get decent seats in the summer why do they want to go to those cold games in April Vs the Nats etc. It is not just one little thing, it is the combination of things that will cost them dearly. If the Cubs win early and often , it will make up for much but not all of the damage, but they definately need to rethink how they do this next year. If they raise prices on the truly BIG games ( Opening Day, White Sox Cardinals and perhaps a big interleague series) they will make MORE money and not upset as many folks. It also made no sense to reduce the number of tickets in “prepacks”. The way to sell he April May & Sept weekday game is to package them up.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 6:04 PM CST up reply actions
We differ on the definition of "far fewer".
And whether it matters on March 1. I say it doesn’t.
Further, if they return to the playoffs this year, the demand returns.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
As I have said hopefully we will never know the answer
It will be 75 degrees and sunny for all the April, May & Sept games, The Cubs will win their first 15 straight and finish 12 games ahead of the Cardinals to take the division. However the point I keep making , over and over and over, is that the Cubs have never had to rely on that to sell out most of their games, and they certainly have never sold this few tickets at the start of the year for at least 7 years. The terrible season last year sent ticket tales down 2.5%, and they need to sell more tickets this year , not less.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 9:01 AM CST up reply actions
As I have said...
… it’s more than the terrible season.
It’s the economy, too.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
It sounds like you have it covered both ways
If April-May games have sold same amount of tickets as previous years there are a whole bunch of potential reasons – weather is good, Cubs are good, tickets were discounted to these games, enough people bought the ‘crappy’ nine game packages, etc. etc. And if ticket sales are down for April-May games then it was all because of the Cubs bad marketing and has nothing to do with any other factors (like the economy or the team coming off a non-playoff year without making major changes). So let me be there first to admit it – you are right!
No I will bet on the April May games
Excluding Opening Day and the Cardinals series I don’t really believe there is any way they will not be down. My whole point was that April in particular is too late to salvage. I would need to look at the 09 schedule so see if there was anything comparable to the Dodgers series in May but I don’t want to have it both ways, I just don’t want Al to either. I just feel guilty “betting” against the Cubs. I don’t actually believe April will be filled with sunny days of 75 degrees and the Cubs will start the season winning 12 in a row.
I am sure the economy is a factor, which is why I think the marketing which emphasized the premium sales at the expense of more “ordinary” games was a big mistake
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 4:50 PM CST up reply actions
You're missing the point.
The Cubs are into revenue. They obviously got some with the premium sales. Somehow, I think their sales and marketing people know more about ticket sales than you do.
Now please do yourself a favor. Go see a movie or a play or a concert and stop thinking about this for a while!
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Further, you are incorrect.
“April is too late to salvage”.
Why, is April over? No, in fact, it’s almost six weeks until some of those games! Horrors! The Cubs won’t sell a single ticket in the next six weeks!
Seriously, do you even believe what you’re posting?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ok so figure out a fair bet.
They brought in new marketing people who this year at least did not see the forest for the trees. Take a look at the schedule. When is the last time you could buy Friday & Sunday bleacher tickets in the summer at this time.I think THOSE will eventually sell out or mostly, but since people can easily buy summer games, they will skip the early ones in larger numbers. I mean I liked the old days when you could show up and buy a bleacher day of the game in July, but I just don’t think that is what the Cubs want because weather at the least will effect that.
Last year the weather in Aprl& May was BAD but the Cubs still averaged over 39.000. Let’s see how it goes this year.
39,000
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 5:12 PM CST up reply actions
FWIW...
… I just checked. Saturday, April 17, which did NOT sell out bleachers on the first day of sales, now has no bleachers available.
Also, comparing this year to last is unfair, because last year the Cardinals were at Wrigley for the first home weekend. This year, it’s the Astros, Big difference.
There was one rainout in April (vs. the Cardinals) and Opening Day was cold. Apart from that, ISTR the April weather as being pretty good.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Also...
… your assumption that people will “skip” early games to buy summer dates is fallacious.
If people can go to games in April, they will. Availability of summer tickets is irrelevant to April sales.
And — contrary to your prediction that “it’s too late to salvage April”, you can see that tickets have been selling slowly but steadily, judging from that April 17 bleacher sellout.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ok so you have no problem
making a Big Gulp bet that attendence in April /May or just April if you want will be down. Exluding Opening Day, Cardinals & Dodgers ( there was no comprabable series last year).
Whoopee they sold out bleachers for a SATURDAY game. FYI they also finally sold out bleachers for Sunday July 4. Let me know when they sell out any M-Thursday game in the bleachers let alone the whole park.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 6:24 PM CST up reply actions
Excluding Opening Day, Cardinals & Dodgers?
Geez, that doesn’t leave much, does it?
In any case, I agree with you. Attendance will probably be down. However, your position appears to be:
“OMG THE CUBS MADE A HORRIFIC MISTAKE THEY WILL BE LOSING MONEY FOR DECADES TO COME”
On that, I think you’re wrong.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ok leave them in
they basically cancel each other out. I keep saying attendence will be down in April and May because of the Cubs focusing almost exclusively on the “Big” games in their marketing. You said I was crazy. You also assured us that at most 10% of the tickets would be held for the premium sale when clearly the vast majority of what they had was made available.
Now you agree with me? thanks.
I thought we were supposed to make a bet on my claim that attendence would be down but hey if you don’t want to fine with me. I am cutting back on Big Gulps anyway.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 8:55 PM CST up reply actions
You really can't stand not having the last word, can you?
My position continues to be: you are not privy to the Cubs ticket inventory. Thus your pronouncements that “the vast majority” of tickets were made available in the presale cannot be true.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Really?
Than how did the Sat White Sox game sell out FIVE minutes after going on line? How is that possible ifthey had not sold a HUGEnumber before the sale. All the other “big games” sold out faster than before while sales overall where down?
I am suppossed to believe the Cubs were only going to allow
10%( your claim) of the available tickets to sell at the premium. That would only be about 1600 tickets.
per weekend game.
This time Al you are drinking Cub
(marketing) Kool-Aid
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 2, 2010 9:05 AM CST up reply actions
Why don't you two call it a "draw"?
-meaning the “tie” definiton, not the “attracting customers or spectators” definition.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
Sorry
I really didn’t mean to get you started again. I understand your point. I was just being silly and it was unsuccessful. I was just trying to point out that some of those games you consider “crappy” might be awesome-possibly history making like the Kerry Wood 20K or something. You just never know. Personally, I consider a pitchers duel a “good” game.
Also, I’m the type that is thrilled to get tickets to ANY game. Actually, if anything I’d prefer those games that are generally thought of as less desirable. For instance I’d rather stay away from the craziness of a Cubs/Sox game that I’d possibly find tense and aggravating. I wouldn’t want to be around any possible confrontations between fans and would be much happier in the comfort of my own home. So I guess what I’m saying is maybe you shouldn’t worry so much because there may be other goofs like me who are so excited to have baseball again after a long long winter that they won’t mind freezing their keisters off and those games will sell better than you think.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
Oh you don't have to apologize for getting her started again
It doesn’t take much to get her going into full tin-foil hat windmill crusade mode. She loves it. She’s the Energizer Lemming – she keeps going and going and going… right off the cliff. And then while all the other lemmings drown, she pops a couple sticks of oxy-gum into her mouth and keeps going and going and going…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Oh some of my favorite games were "crappy"
Obviously I just meant less popular.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 8:54 AM CST up reply actions
As I have said hopefuly we will never know
It will be 75 degrees and sunny for all the April, May & Sept games, The Cubs will win their first 15 straight and finish 12 games ahead of the Cardinals to take the division. However the point I keep making , over and over and over, is that the Cubs have never had to rely on that to sell out most of their games, and they certainly have never sold this few tickets at the start of the year for at least 7 years. The terrible season last year sent ticket tales down 2.5%, and they need to sell more tickets this year , not less.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 8:59 AM CST up reply actions
You do know that they had a winning season
and came in second place last year, don’t you? I’m getting sooooo sick of that “terrible season last year” talk. They really weren’t THAT bad. With all that kind of negative talk, no wonder they are selling less tickets (if in fact they did sell less).
I suppose that attitude could be a good thing though if people won’t settle for anything less than winning it all now. I don’t know.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
The problem was they were out of the race in Sept.
and that caused a huge dip in sales.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 10:14 AM CST up reply actions
Yeah I know.
Being one of those sillyhearts that truly did not think they were out of it until they were mathematically eliminated I was a very happy camper. I got to go to lots of games in Sept. for next to nothing because everyone else gave up. It was the only way I could afford getting there. :)
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
These were part of the 9-pack choices
Actually, the Cubs already did what you said – they packaged most if not all of these games with the 9-packs. You were forced to buy 2 or 3 of them with the package along with the Sox game and a few pretty good Friday afternoon games.
Except last year they had 13 packs and I think they should package MORE games this way not less
They should also make it tad more even to make them more desirable.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 28, 2010 9:51 PM CST up reply actions
You mean me or Al?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Feb 27, 2010 11:19 PM CST up reply actions
Thanks for not understanding the meaning of a "joke"...
… between friends.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Now for the more serious question:
ballhawk: does THIS qualify as “CUBS LOWER PRICES ON SOME TICKETS” in your contest?
(rubbing hands together with a smile and a hopeful look…)
"Look, what do you want me to do?"
My initial reaction is to say "no"...
…but at some point, I will go back and look at how the original fanpost was worded and then try to analyze and review all the Cubs ticket pricing information compared to last year.
Again though, at first glance a Mastercard only 10% discount on a handful of games doesn’t strike me as meeting the spirit of the criteria. For example, I was thinking more like 2010 Silver bleachers would be less than 2009 Silver bleachers. And no, removing the 12% entertainment tax doesn’t count…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Gahhhhh! It looks like Lenny's 'going fishing'...
BCB Bonus points for knowing the movie reference…
"Look, what do you want me to do?"
What about
the potential revenue in advertising Mastercard is paying the Cubs, nobody has mentioned that. It could be enough to offset the lost revenue in tickets sales for the April games.
by Cubsfan Waveland on Mar 1, 2010 9:32 AM CST reply actions
Right.
The presale and this “post-sale” are both sponsored — that indeed could make up for some or all of that lost revenue.
Waiting for Jessica’s response to this.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I think there are
some bad April games and the Cubs are coming off a disappointing season with no major off season moves. April ticket sales and ticket sales in general were going to be down this year. So why not make a premimum on the high demand games, especially if the Cubs anticipated a lower demand this year in general.
by Cubsfan Waveland on Mar 1, 2010 10:44 AM CST up reply actions
Why not just raise the price for them.
They could easily have raised the price across the board for the really big games. Had they merely raised them 5% they would have made far more than the special premium sale and they would not have left a sour taste for many fans. Again the issue I have been posting on endlessly is that the Cubs focused on “special” ways of paying more and buying early which was largely for the 10 biggest games, while largely ignoring the sale of the vast majority of the tickets. I don’t think anything was better proof of this than the wristbands. Roughly 1/3 of last year and ANYONE could come by 11.30 Vs the madness of last year.
The Cubs need to balance both how they sell the tickets and the image they project doing it. Again it takes NO skill to
sell a Cubs/White Sox game at a premium, but it takes great skill to sell a Nats game in April.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 11:15 AM CST up reply actions
Any chance the "madness of last year"
is what caused people to shy away from doing the wrist bands this year? Maybe they opted to try other methods if it was crazy before. I don’t know. Never tried it myself because I live a bit too far for it to be practical. It sounded so easy this time that it’s making me reconsider whether I should give it a whirl next year.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
Unless you are the auditor
it is pure speculation if the “presales” hurt or helped things. I guess they could have required a purchaser of Cubs /WhiteSox to purchase equal # of tickets to Cubs /Nats at half price or something like that. I view the Nats ticekts in April as a very hard sell for the Cubs, they may have viewed that as a sunk cost almost and focused on other methods for revenue with the plan of highly discounting those tickets as we got closer to April.
by Cubsfan Waveland on Mar 1, 2010 11:29 AM CST up reply actions
Because this accomplishes the same thing without the bad press of a ticket price increase
I’m sure they’ve done the math on this one. With ticket sales you essentially have two markets – one smaller market is willing to pay higher prices to get the tickets they want. Their demand tends to not be elastic – prices go up they’ll just pay more. Most of that extra money is lost to the Cubs though – the scalpers make off with it.
The Cubs can’t sell out the stadium – especially the crappy April games no one wants to go to. So they need to appeal to the second set of consumers out there who are more sensitive to ticket prices.
What they’re doing is ultimately better for consumers than a flat out ticket price increase, and it’s better for the team since they’re getting additional revenue. I’m not sure why that’s so hard to understand.
Whoops, missed a sentence
The Cubs can’t sell out the stadium – especially the crappy April games no one wants to go to – just by selling to those consumers. So they need to appeal to the second set of consumers out there who are more sensitive to ticket prices.
No it does the opposite. It upsets people into believing if they don't get in
and pay extra they can’t get any good games. Either they pay 15% and get some Sox Cardinals games and SKIP other games they have bought in the past or they just skip it entirely. Keep in mind nearly 2/3rds of the tickets for most of the “big” games are held by season ticket holders. Charging them (me actually) 5% more for a the White Sox games makes more money and gets less bad press then having a “premium” pre sale.
As for the wristbands. No they had been steady for years but certainly down or up a bit but nothing like this year. When you don’t put it on the web site except buried in a press release, you are definitely downplaying it.
Re "requiring you to buy an "equal " number of Nats tickets for Sox. In your dreams. The Cubs prepacks make you buy 5 Nats type games for one Sox game, one other decent summer game and 2 not terrible games. This is
EXACTLY what they should do but on a broader scale. As I mentioned last year it was a 13 pack. You are MUCH, MUCH better off financially getting someone to buy tickets to a game you would not otherwise sell in order to get games they want, than charging a premium on games that sell out anyway. I think they should offer more and better prepacks.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 11:58 AM CST up reply actions
Your argument is almost entirely conjecture
I have no idea whether or not it “upsets” people into thinking they can’t get high-demand games but you know what? They couldn’t anyway. Virtual waiting rooms are nothing but technological torture devices that always result in disappointment; making people wait around all night for box office sales rewards people whose time isn’t valuable. So in previous years, it didn’t really matter whether you wanted Cardinals tickets or not, getting them was either pure luck or cost you a half day or more in time.
What you’re suggesting is worse in every way. An across the board price increase just maintains the status quo – not only is my cost higher as a fan, but it doesn’t do anything to the lecherous secondhand market. Charging a presale premium effectively cuts them out because they’re by far the most cost-conscious of all the ticket-buying market segments.
I’m also not sure how charging a 15% premium to get the good tickets is bad, but forcing consumers who want those games to buy tickets for 5 crappy games no one wants is somehow better for them.
The idea that buying tickets is a level playing field is a myth that people need to get over.
The prepacks are very good but they should be a bit better
As above the games themselves are not “crappy” just hard to sell. Why not go to some April & May games to get tickets in June-August. This is what the Cubs should be pushing. All games at Wrigley are fun. Take an afternoon off. Paying 15% extra for a Sox game is way to easy and only steers fans towards a small number of games.
At least in past years you had some chance in the VWR for any game. This year the Sox Saturday game sold out in FIVE minutes. Also an across the board increase on ONLY the top 10 games is entirely fair. These are the ones being scalped because their value is MUCH higher. A Sox game should NOT have the same face value as a game against the Reds, but that is how it is now.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 12:33 PM CST up reply actions
Hey, Jessica....
… you really need something to do.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
What you did not like the photo I sent this morning?
Should I post it on BCB just to show I do have interest in other “Cub” related items.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 1:17 PM CST up reply actions
Oh yes, absolutely. Because of course, we all know...
…that raising ticket prices across the board has never “left a sour taste for many fans”.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
and buying tickets for games I don't want to go to
so I can buy tickets to games I do want to go to doesn’t leave a sour taste either.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
I don't know about a sour taste
but I have no problem getting folks to see games in April, May & Sept. They might actually enjoy them. Again the packs should be a little fairer and perhaps a smaller and a larger one would be a good idea, but they are far and away the best leverage the Cubs have for selling tickets to tough games and making more money.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 2:17 PM CST up reply actions
Again, how is that better for consumers than just charging a 15% premium?
If all I want is Sox tickets, making me buy 4 crap games that no one wants is essentially equivalent to raising the opportunity cost for the Sox game by 400%.
At least a 15% increase on presale tickets is honest about what it is. All you’re doing by bundling the tickets is making sure that a lot of tickets will go unused in April, May and September.
It’s the kind of dirty trick a minor league team like the Iowa Cubs or the Kansas City Royals would need to pull just to increase their gross revenue, without regard to the package’s impact on attendance.
I don't think it's a "dirty trick"...
… it’s the Cubs trying to sell tickets any way they can. In any case, Jessica definitely needs something else to do.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
It is not a dirty trick
It is very effective way to market tickets and get people to go to more games. The packages are VERY upfront and have existed prior to both the Marquees Club and Premium Presale which I suspect hurt their sales ( well the Marquees Club anyway, Premium can’t effect them till next year). You are absolutely correct it is not as good in straight financial terms because you are trying to get fans to buy the tougher to sell games, but it is not deceptive and you know where you stand from the start. As I said I think the packages could be made a little less one sided, but per above I think they will be a much harder sell next year when people will be expecting the “premium” sale and that is NOT a good thing for the Cubs.
I don’t see why it is so hard to grasp that it is a mistake to focus the bulk of preseason marketing on premium pricing which is really going to effect only the top 10-18 games most of which you should have raised the price on anyway. The reason the Cubs have been the envy of nearly all other teams was that they could fill up the park, ALL season and more or less regardless of how they played. This was their marketing genius (much of it frankly in selling the bleachers as an attractive & expensive place to sit).
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 4:59 PM CST up reply actions
"across the board" for the top 10 games
Again why should a Reds game cost the same as a White Sox game? We all know the Sox & Cards tickets go sky high. I thought I was the one who did not believe in maximizing profits?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 1, 2010 2:13 PM CST up reply actions
I think the Cubs
have done nothing wrong and I think it hasn’t hurt their pocket book any at all(only time will tell). You are right all games are fun at Wrigley, I have never had a bad time.
by Cubsfan Waveland on Mar 1, 2010 12:39 PM CST reply actions
Funny how worked up people get about seeing certain games...
… when the difference in quality between even the best and worst MLB teams is negligible over the course of single game.
And the importance of each game is pretty much a wash, too, aside from the emotional importance of the Sox game (for some). It’s a 162 game season, after all.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Cubs By The Numbers
Cubs By The Numbers is a history of the ballclub by uniform number, but the biographies help trace the history of our beloved team in a new way. For everyone who's a Cubs fan, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs By The Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even ones they think they already know.
Click here to order your copy, available now!
Recent Stories in Ticket Exchanges
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Marlins agree to unretire No. 5 for Logan Morrison, who will honor his father’s favorite player
- Weatherman Derek Holland does Dallas TV
- Ask Alex: Will Julio Teheran or Matt Moore win rookie of the year?
- Ku Klux Klan, umpires and bowling: Why the minor leagues tossed out Jim Evans academy
- The Cardinals Hall of Fame can now be found at Bill Clinton’s library in Arkansas (Huh?)
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
