David Glass: Greedy Bastard

[gblowfish]

If you didn't think The Glass Family weren't in it just for the money, check out how he plans to spit in the face of his STH's.....IF, and its a long shot, IF, the Royals would happen to make the wild card. This guy is such a cheap prick, he makes the taxpayers of Jackson County pay his cable TV bill at Kauffman Stadium!

http://tinyurl.com/l84jfz3
Royals’ price markups for postseason tickets among highest in baseball

September 20
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

The sticker shock that accompanied the postseason pricing information sent earlier this month by the Royals to their season-ticketholders also jolted professional ticket brokers.

It’s tricky to compare pricing structures because stadium layouts vary widely from club to club. All markets are different, too. Even so, the prices on seats located behind the dugout offer a reasonable comparison.

For this chart, we selected the Royals, an opponent from the American League Central Division (Detroit), the AL opponent located closest to Kansas City (Texas) and a small-market team having its first winning season in a long time (Pittsburgh).

These prices are for season-ticketholders seeking to purchase their seats for postseason games.

Team
Reg. season
Wild Card/LDS (increase)
LCS (increase)
World Series (increase)
Detroit
$48
$85 (77.08%)
$125 (160.4%)
$250 (420.8%)
Texas
$50
$65 (30%)
$125 (150%)
$250 (400%)
Pittsburgh
$27
$43 (59.3%)
$68 (151.9%)
$225 (733.3%)
Royals
$39
$155 (297.4%)
$220 (464.1%)
$275 (605.1%)

“I’ve just never seen anything to this extreme,” one national broker said.

“Normally, it’s expensive, and there’s a little bit of backlash from fans who don’t understand that, hey, it is a big deal. I’ve just never seen it like this.”
Information obtained by The Kansas City Star regarding postseason prices set by several clubs shows the Royals’ markup percentage to be among the highest, if not the highest, in baseball for season-ticketholders.

Example:

Diamond Box seats located behind the dugout on the lower level normally sell for $39 in the regular season. That price jumps to $155 for a wild-card game or the divisional series, $220 for the championship series and $275 for the World Series.

That represents increases of 297.4 percent, 464.1 percent and 605.1 percent. Seem high? Several professionals in the field say they are among the sharpest increases they’ve ever seen for any event.

In contrast, consider this weekend’s opponent, the Texas Rangers, who are also the American League club located closest to Kansas City. The Rangers typically charge $50 for a seat behind the dugout.

Their postseason markup is to $65 for a wild-card game and the divisional series, $125 for the championship series and $250 for the World Series. Brokers say those markups are average to slightly below average.
This might all be a relatively moot point, of course.

The Royals remain a long shot to reach the postseason. They were three games behind Texas, with 10 games left, for the AL’s final wild-card berth before Friday’s game against the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.

Even so, the Royals, if they fail to reach the postseason, will apply money obtained from advance sales toward 2014 season tickets unless fans specifically request a refund.

Such a procedure is normal for all clubs.

All prices cited here are for season-ticketholders seeking to purchase their seats for postseason games. Those same seats often sell for higher prices when sold on a single-game basis in the regular season and postseason.

That’s part of the rub.

“When playoff tickets come out,” one broker said, “that’s a big benefit for season-ticketholders. You get playoff tickets normally at a reasonable price.
“Where you normally see capitalism is in areas where you don’t have a lot of season-ticketholders, areas where you see fair-weather fans or fans from out of town. Your upper deck. Your outfield seats.

“Charge what you can get for those tickets. Those guys aren’t going to the games during the week in April and May. You need to maximize your revenues from those people.”

The Royals are doing that, too. An Outfield Box seat that normally sells for $23 in the regular season will jump to $95 for the wild-card and divisional series, $110 for the LCS and $175 for the World Series.

Club officials chose to respond to questions regarding their postseason pricing by issuing a statement. It read in part:

“The postseason ticket pricing is determined from a study of both the primary and secondary market by each individual club, with Major League Baseball having final approval on the pricing structure.

“Factors include recent postseason participation by the club and last year’s All-Star events, which supplies the club with enough data to determine fair market pricing.

“Analysis of just one particular seating section for a portion of the entire postseason schedule can lead to false conclusions as some teams will price heavier in the early rounds and less in later rounds, which is the direction we chose to follow.”

The Royals contend their markup percentage is misleading because their regular-season prices are among the lowest in baseball. They also point to capacity at Kauffman Stadium (37,903) as a major factor.

“Kauffman Stadium has the fifth-lowest capacity of the 17 clubs who submitted pricing,” their statement said. “Essentially, the higher-capacity ballparks have lower average prices due to the larger volume of less-expensive tickets farther from the field.”

Something to keep in mind: A club doesn’t keep all of the money generated by postseason ticket sales. A sizable portion of the revenue from ticket sales funds the players’ share for participating in the postseason.

For all that, the Pittsburgh Pirates offer a stark contrast.

The Pirates are a small-market club who endured 20 consecutive losing seasons prior to this year and play in a similar-sized stadium (PNC Park lists capacity as 38,362), but they have more modest hikes for early rounds.

An upper infield seat behind the dugouts typically sells for $27 in the regular season. It will cost $43 for the divisional series, $68 for the league championship series before jumping to $225 for the World Series.

That jump for the World Series represents a 733.3 percent increase over the regular-season price, which is higher than the Royals’ markup percentage from the regular season to the World Series.

Major League Baseball confirmed that it approved the Royals’ pricing — as it did for all 17 clubs permitted to collect money for possible participation in postseason play.

“The Royals sent us a pricing structure,” said Pat Courtney, MLB’s senior vice president for public relations, “and we signed off on it.”

Using seats behind the dugouts is the best basis for comparison on pricing structures because stadium layouts vary widely from club to club. Behind the dugout is, after all, behind the dugout in any ballpark.

Even so, it isn’t a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. Some clubs, including the Pirates, sub-divide those seats into lower and upper areas behind the dugout.

A further complication in comparisons: Some clubs, including St. Louis, plan to use dynamic pricing, which enables the market to set the price — and those prices can jump sharply if demand increases.

Royals officials, privately, say brokers are upset because the club’s pricing approach maximizes the club’s profit potential primarily at the expense of those brokers.

Those same officials say their pricing generated few complaints from fans, and that renewals on season tickets are brisk, although they chose not to supply any figures.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by teedubya

The Royals won't make the playoffs... my guess is well end up 1 game back in WC.

I think they'll finish about where they are, anywhere from 2 to 4 games back. They'll have a winning record. But you think back to the crappy May, and playing Frenchy all those games, and getting swept by Cleveland before the All Star Break, and losing to the Miami Marlins......

So many opportunities wasted.

But, that's baseball, right?

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

Easy to say when you are fan of a team that is routinely in the post season. St. Louis has earned the credibility to charge as much they want.

A 28 year post season draught leaves the Kansas City franchise a little light in the credibility department. Show us you are going to contend with the big boys on a constant basis, and then charge big boy prices.

So based on this lack of "credibility", you don't want to see an increase in team revenue after they finally start to turn things around, just to make sure they slide right back down to the bottom due to a lack of funds to go after big name players or hang onto their own home-grown talent...makes sense...

[HonestChieffan]

Good for Glass. If the tarriff is set right people will bitch and still buy. Charge whatever the customers will pay. Greed? No. good business, yes.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

So based on this lack of "credibility", you don't want to see an increase in team revenue after they finally start to turn things around, just to make sure they slide right back down to the bottom due to a lack of funds to go after big name players or hang onto their own home-grown talent...makes sense...

I don't mind if they increase revenue, I just think they owe it to the fans not to go all out on the price increase this year.

And just because they bring in more money this year does not garauntee that they will spend it next year. If I had that garauntee, different ball game then. But we do not have it, we don't even have a positive track record to look at. We have this year, and this year alone from a positive stand point. Everything else about the track record is pretty damned negative. I need more than a single season of we may or may not make the wild card before I can start building some long term faith in is franchise.

[bevischief]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

That stuff about using the All Star Game as a model really pisses me off. MLB throws us a bone because we haven't had squat to cheer about here in 30 years. ASG tickets were outrageously priced, and that's a national event. So using that as the "model" for a wild card game just sucks.

I agree and since the last strike I don't give a damn no more.

[threebag]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

A little story about Glass-

Back in the 90's when I was going to college I worked at Sams Club in Grandview. Glass came in for our monthy "town meeting" rah rah bullshit.

There were rumors that they were going to move the store. He stood in front of everyone and said how valuable we were and our jobs were safe- the WALMART WAY!!

Three days later I came to work with cigars for my friends as I had just found out we were having our first kid. I got called into the office thinking I am going to get congratulated- but I was fired. 90 days from being a 7 year fully vested employee- they fired me. Perfect attendance and just worked mega over time the week before for inventory. They fired everyone in the store, moved the club accross the parking lot and hired all new people at minimum wage. They saved 200,000 in vesting money at least and gave 7-30 year employees no notice at all. You came to work and you cleaned your locker out. Since I was soo "valuable" as Glass had stated- they offered me a minimum wage cart pushing job at the Super Center. Of course I was still Fired and lost many thousands in vesting.

The manager had a full cup of hot coffee sitting in front of him- I said I don't think I am strong enough to push carts-lets see-and lifted the desk up slightly spilling the coffee in his crotch. Then politely said F you and Glass!

Glass is a heartless liar- he cares about nothing but money. Glass kissed Sam Waltons ass while he was alive and quickly reversed everything he built the company on when he died. Good customer service, return policies and taking care of your workers.

Worst owner in baseball and a terrible human being period.

**** your ass was Glassed