Ticket price increase [merged]

[Tunescribe]

Re: Ticket price increase

Like it or not, scalpers do a great job of showing what the market will bear for these tickets. The buying public are the ones setting the standard for season ticket prices.

Suppose you made 100,000 widgets this year and sold them all for $10 each. Then you saw many of your widgets easily being sold on line for $20 each. How much you going to charge for your widgets next year...? You going to keep it at $10 or are you going to raise prices a bit...? I think we both know the answer to that...

No, no, no! First of all, the Patriots forbid re-selling of their tickets. Secondly, only a few hundred out of 68,000-plus tickets ever find their way into the hands of online scalpers. That's hardly a market test, by your suggestion. It's hard for me to believe ticket revenue is THAT significant a revenue stream to the team that the Krafts get great benefit from gouging season ticket holders like this. Most of us have been with the team now for YEARS (15 for me) -- why is a hike of some 30 percent in ONE SEASON suddenly necessary? The speculation here is it has more to do with financing Patriot Place than with the Patriots, and that's disturbing.

 

[QuiGon]

Re: Ticket price increase

No, no, no! First of all, the Patriots forbid re-selling of their tickets. Secondly, only a few hundred out of 68,000-plus tickets ever find their way into the hands of online scalpers. That's hardly a market test, by your suggestion.

Dude... calm down... I wrote "Just a hunch, but I think such-and-such..." Why is that getting you so riled up..?

Bottom line is this: We're not talking about heating oil or health care or food or clean water here... Tickets are a luxury good and not a single person on the planet is forced to buy 'em. I've seen a lot of complaining, but one thing I haven't seen is anyone saying they are actually giving up their season tickets. Guess that kinda proves the Patriots haven't exceeded what the market will bear... Maybe in the long run, when the glory days are over, the prices will come back down. But for now, all they are doing is what any good business does and that is maximizing revenue.

 

[JDSal45]

Re: Ticket price increase

I've seen a lot of complaining, but one thing I haven't seen is anyone saying they are actually giving up their season tickets.

I am seriously thinking about it. And I guarantee I will in 2-3 years at the latest if I don't this season, barring a megabucks win. It just isn't worth it anymore. Its crazy what the Krafts are doing to long time fans. I have missed one home game since 1996, traveled to 2 Super Bowls and approximately 10 away games. And I am not alone in saying see ya later in the next few seasons. It'll be a gradual thing, but at the expense of gouging some extra cash into a franchise that is already the most valuable in sports (valued at a BILLION dollars) the Krafts are literally cleaning the clocks of the most loyal customers they have. Pathetic.

It won't be a one season affect, though there will be some affect this season, but we'll see what happens over the next 5 seasons if this keeps up.

J D Sal

 

[Tunescribe]

Re: Ticket price increase

Dude... calm down... I wrote "Just a hunch, but I think such-and-such..." Why is that getting you so riled up..?

Bottom line is this: We're not talking about heating oil or health care or food or clean water here... Tickets are a luxury good and not a single person on the planet is forced to buy 'em. I've seen a lot of complaining, but one thing I haven't seen is anyone saying they are actually giving up their season tickets. Guess that kinda proves the Patriots haven't exceeded what the market will bear... Maybe in the long run, when the glory days are over, the prices will come back down. But for now, all they are doing is what any good business does and that is maximizing revenue.

Of course you are correct about season tickets being far from a necessity. But going to the games is a passionate hobby that's close to my heart, so a 30-percent price jump without explanation is disconcerting, to say the least. My tix are now $2,340 for the pair, up from $1,780. Add another $400-$500 for parking over a season (not including playoffs) plus gas, food, etc., and the breaking point for an average joe like me is in sight. The Krafts have suddenly made me uncomfortable after 14 years as a season ticket holder.

 

[pheenix11]

Re: Ticket price increase

The only problem is that if you want to watch professional football in New England the Patriots are the only ticket in town. They have a monopoly, that is why prices are so high, artificially so I would say.

I'd like to see a second football team in Boston. The competition would cause Kraft to scramble fast to start kissing fans asses again.

The Patriots are pricing tickets like they are a once a year event at the expense of their season ticket holders. That is a bad strategy I think because if they run off their loyal season ticket holders and fall on hard times the bottom will fall out because there will be no loyal customers to pick up the slack at $169 a ticket.

The entire NFL is getting greedy beyond belief. I hope they enjoy it now because they are going to pay a hard price for that greed either in the form of another professional football league or a mass exodus of loyal fans.

You don't shyt on customers who support you in good times or bad because the fans who are replacing them will be gone in an instant once they have a losing season.

Just like the housing crash, eventually the greedy get what is coming to them.

 

[mcsully]

Re: Ticket price increase

Just a hunch, but I think NFL teams are sick of charging $75 for their tickets and seeing them be resold on eBay for $100... I am well established as being someone that supports legalized scalping, but I also have no problem with the teams themselves raising prices up to what the market will bear, thus making the scalpers unneccessary.

I dont' understand where u are coming from. The tickets are limited and don't have a price ceiling. As long as the team does well, the scalpers will always be there, no matter what the price of the tkt is. Teams raising the price doesn't hurt the black market at all.

Perfect example is the celtics, last year there was a handfull of scalpers at the gate, now there are a ton of them.

 

[QuiGon]

Re: Ticket price increase

The entire NFL is getting greedy beyond belief. I hope they enjoy it now because they are going to pay a hard price for that greed either in the form of another professional football league or a mass exodus of loyal fans.

You don't shyt on customers who support you in good times or bad because the fans who are replacing them will be gone in an instant once they have a losing season.

Just like the housing crash, eventually the greedy get what is coming to them.

Well you just may get your wish... I have a nasty feeling that the whispers we are hearing about potential CBA/labor difficulties are going to be a bit more serious this time around. There is a lot of internal strife amongst ownership, and the players certainly aren't going to want to give back their gains. I foresee a very messed up period for the league around the corner. But I've been known to be wrong...

 

[QuiGon]

Re: Ticket price increase

I dont' understand where u are coming from. The tickets are limited and don't have a price ceiling. As long as the team does well, the scalpers will always be there, no matter what the price of the tkt is. Teams raising the price doesn't hurt the black market at all.

If a scalper's inventory cost (face value) rises 40%, but the street resale value rises (for example) 10%, the scalper's profit margin has gotten smaller.

Perfect example is the celtics, last year there was a handfull of scalpers at the gate, now there are a ton of them.

That's because the cost of Celtics tickets didn't rise since last year, but the resale value has risen tremendously due to the fact that they have gone from one of the worst teams to one of the best teams overnight.

 

[The Dog]

Re: Ticket price increase

This sucks. I have had season tickets since the Tuna's debut. My seats suck and I feel guilty charging people face value when I can't go to a game.

 

[Davzabigpatsfan]

Dear first in line for season tickets....

I'm Done ......you get to pay

 

[Miguel]

Re: Ticket price increase

I'm sure that I am not the only season ticket holder who will be asking his or her family and friends if they want to take over the tickets. I am just not sure that seeing the 2008 home schedule is worth what it will cost me.

 

[mikiemo83]

Re: Ticket price increase

Doh! U gave Mr. Kraft an idea. I can see it now: "test your scout team skills & become tackling dummies for our coverage teams in training camp for only $$!"

then I'll pay for two tickets One for me to watch the other for my Mother-in-law to be Jacked up as a tackling dummy

 

[mikiemo83]

Re: Ticket price increase

I'm sure that I am not the only season ticket holder who will be asking his or her family and friends if they want to take over the tickets. I am just not sure that seeing the 2008 home schedule is worth what it will cost me.

my son will start football in 2009 so I was going to be missing a bunch of games early because of Sunday games...all this is doing is making me seriously think about splitting a season with my brother as he asked yesterday taking the "a" preseason game and last 4 games of the season.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Re: Ticket price increase

Talked to my Dad today about the increase. I was all set to dump the seats. Honestly I thought it was beginning to be a hassle for him to attend games. Especially since I can only make a few every season. Believe it or not it has been getting tougher to get others to go with him the last 2-seasons. Ticket Exchange is a joke.

But we decided to pay for another season. Our seats went up from $75 to $89. It would have been easier to take if the Pats actually showed up and won the Super Bowl. I was looking forward to the raising of the banner game.

By this fall I'll be ready to go again.

 

[Gainzo]

Re: Ticket price increase

I'm sure that I am not the only season ticket holder who will be asking his or her family and friends if they want to take over the tickets. I am just not sure that seeing the 2008 home schedule is worth what it will cost me.

I asked my friends and family the same thing and they all declined because of the cost (I can't blame them).

My 16 years as a season ticket holder are over. I just hope that the people who sit in my seats next season will be as loud and proud as I was over the last decade and a half.

 

[Tunescribe]

Re: Ticket price increase

My 16 years as a season ticket holder are over. I just hope that the people who sit in my seats next season will be as loud and proud as I was over the last decade and a half.

Wow, that must not feel very good. Where are/were your seats?

 

[DaveW]

Re: Ticket price increase

I'm pretty surprised/impressed by some of you long time season ticket holders.
It can't be an easy decision, especially after many years.
I give you credit for knowing your own limits, financially or otherwise.

I understand the supply-and-demand business side, but it's a shame your loyalty through all the bad weather and traffic battles is rewarded with price increase after price increase......

 

[Gainzo]

Re: Ticket price increase

At Foxboro Stadium I sat in Section 111, row 5, seats 23-25. Great section and even better people. Most of us were 21 or 22 back in 1992. We took care of each other for 10 seasons.

When Gillette opened a lot of the people who sat with me at Foxboro Stadium moved to the 200's or 300's because of the cost. There were only 2 guys who I knew from the Section 111 days that ended up in my section at Gillette.

Sorry to go down memory road. The business of pro football beat me over the head on Wednesday when the price increases were announced.

At Gillette my tickets are in Section 135, Row 9, seats 4-6 (10 yard line).

The funny, or not so funny, thing is that seats 1-3 in my section have been owned by a Ticket Agency since the Gillette opened.

 

[Patjew]

Re: Ticket price increase

I asked my friends and family the same thing and they all declined because of the cost (I can't blame them).

My 16 years as a season ticket holder are over. I just hope that the people who sit in my seats next season will be as loud and proud as I was over the last decade and a half.

Sorry to hear that. If this was 2 years from now I'd take them off your hands. I've been thinking about it, and I just cannot justify 3 more season tix (I already have 2). Money is not the issue for me, the fact that I'm 9000 miles away is.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Re: Ticket price increase

I could care less ... high definition for me is good enough.