Bills help the wrong fans

[G. Host]

This Buffalo News Letter to Editor (http://buffalonews.com/editorial/20030720/1019863.asp) was written by a friend of mne. It echos my sentiment that the Bills are hurting their fan base selling to group sales to fans from other teams before Bills fans can buy theirs.



As someone who already has his seats, it would be easy to just let this pass. Yet I believe the Bills need to review their policy of ticket distribution outside of season tickets. The recent announcement of having only single game tickets left for three of the first four home games shows poor public relations. When Bills fans who aren't season ticket holders got their first crack at tickets, most of their choices were already reduced. Thousands were sold to the visiting teams fans prior to Bills fans having any shot.

[standingbuffalo43]

Kudos G...


I am one of those fans whose "first crack" at Tix was a single seat...
wise up OBD...

[Ð]

Guess what ? The reason the Bills didn't sell out over the last few years is because they didn't concentrate hard enough on the group sales/travel agent aspect. I would hazard a guess that at least 50% of the crowd in the stands at any given Bills game is from outside of Buffalo/EC.

The reality of selling block seats is that travel agencies/sports tour promoters, etc. are not gonna touch you if you can't sell them seats in blocks of 40 (enough for a busload) as would be the case if you opened sales to the general public first.

[G. Host]

They could still give fans who only want 2-6 tickets to buy tickets to games before they open it up to group sales which ae largely just scalpers who sell to others not to groups.

Just sell in certain sections allowing large blocks to be available for selling to groups later.

It is called "seat management" which professional management companies do all of time.

If you required the group sales purchasers to buy for all games that is different but they are just skimming the cream from the milk leaving regular fans skim.

[Dozerdog]

Just give joe sixpack a week to get first crack.

[Michael82]

Great piece! I totally agree! As a 21 year old fan, who is usually broke...I can't afford season tickets. However, I still usually go to 4 games a season and love to go to the home opener. Luckily a friend of mine is a season ticket holder and got me one...or else I would be really angry. It's not right. I was at the Patriots game last year and it was like a freaking Patriots home game. It was brutal. What happened to home field advantage? If you are the Bills...your first goal should be get tickets to the local BILLS fans first, then the opponents. I know you might not agree with this one also...but they should limit the number of tickets each season ticket holder can buy to each game. That will also help with the non season ticket holder fans and help expand the fan base more.

[wbat27]

I bought two sets of tickets for 80 dollars a seat. Eagles and redskins games. I would not be surprised if it was a away fan. I am tempted to call and let them no thats bull****

[Michael82]

Originally posted by wbat27
I bought two sets of tickets for 80 dollars a seat. Eagles and redskins games. I would not be surprised if it was a away fan. I am tempted to call and let them no thats bull****

You got screwed! Probably by another team's fan...or one of the many scalpers that the Bills sell group tickets to. :shakeno:

I got a pair of 2 for $110 to the Colts game.

[R. Rich]

Even though I live in the Baltimore area, I intend to buy season tickets just to avoid such crap. I was ready to buy a pair this year, but plans fell through at the last minute. Oh well. Next year, I will get season ticket for sure. Luckily for me this year, I know some people that give me tickets at a reasonable price (one person even sold me a pair of tickets this season at FACE VALUE!!).

[Ð]

Oh yeah, there's always someone wanting to unload tix at the Ralph & I've never had to pay more than face value, and have gotten them at 25%, 50% off even in their super bowl run years.

[Judge]

Maybe b/c I'm a season ticket owner I'm missing why I should feel sympathetic.

No offense guys, but the bottom line is to sell tickets. The more sold the better for the team's profitability and longterm health. If they're sold out, everyone is happy b/c they're all on local TV, too.

The only thing I can think of is to start selling single seats earlier, at the same time the groups start trying to line up tickets, or when the Bills start marketing to the groups. Otherwise, that's the break.

[SABURZFAN]

Originally posted by Dozerdog
Just give joe sixpack a week to get first crack.

:up:

that's all he needs to cash in his beer cans.

[StillLurkin]

judge,

i totally hear what you are saying. bottom line, fill the seats. still, it's the regular joe fans that are getting the shaft. like the guy ahead of me in line when single games went on sale. he was there since 4 am, and just wanted 2 tickets for the opener. and he didn't get them. now thats not right. especially when you go to the internet ticket brokers and they are getting 300 bucks for a single lower level ticket. after group sales went on sale eBay was flooded.

tell me ralph doesn't want kids in the stands, you know he does. if they become fans, and go to games at an early age, they're gonna want to go again. now you got a dad that has a couple of kids that really want to go, and they can't because of this crap.


i, like mike was planning on buying season tickets. i had the cash saved up for the select a seat day. i was all ready to buy 2, but then i broke both upper and lower ball joints on my truck. guess what no more season tickets. so i had no choice but to pay out my eyeball for bills home opener tickets ($95 a pop!)

next year i am buying 2 season tickets no matter what, so i'll never have to pay scalpers again, but i will still feel for the everyday fan that can only make a game or 2.

[JefftheBillsfan]

the problem is, if joe six pack buys packages of 2-6 seats for a game, and so dont a hundred more joe six packs, then there will be a hard time grouping say those 30 or so people from out of town for group tickets. I guess they could just assign a group ticket area, and not allow the average joe to buy there? It pisses me off as well, I would have loved to go to the Pats game.

[Ð]

Let joe six pack get first crack at the tickets & you'd sell out the Miami game and maybe the Pats game, but not the others. By letting group sales get first crack at it, the Bills have a much better chance of selling out every game because Joe six pack has the other games only to choose from.

It's a business. I'd much rather be sold out a month in advance of the season than having to worry about unpredictable single-fan sales, especially with the cash-flow realities
(i.e. 5-10 million dollar player contracts) that are today's NFL.

It's no longer 1976.

[R. Rich]

Originally posted by Ð
Let joe six pack get first crack at the tickets & you'd sell out the Miami game and maybe the Pats game, but not the others. By letting group sales get first crack at it, the Bills have a much better chance of selling out every game because Joe six pack has the other games only to choose from.

It's a business. I'd much rather be sold out a month in advance of the season than having to worry about unpredictable single-fan sales, especially with the cash-flow realities
(i.e. 5-10 million dollar player contracts) that are today's NFL.

It's no longer 1976.

If they were to give the fans a week before the group sales began, how does that mean there would be no sellouts, or only a game or two? I don't think anyone is saying no group sales at all; I think they just want the fans who don't have the season tickets and who will spend the money to get a shot at them. Are they saying that groups won't buy tickets if they don't get first shot at them? Nonsense. They'll still be able to buy up tickets and sell them for more money.

[Ð]

If you had a choice between an early-season divisional game vs a December game vs the Bengals in Dec, then what would you choose ? We naturally "cherry pick," it's only human nature.

If the Bills don't go with group sales first, and allow them to "cherry pick" the primo games, then I'll guarantee you the late season games against crummy teams won't be sellouts, especially if the team is not contending down the stretch.

[eyedog]

Do you really think the Bills ticket office cares who they sell the tickets too. Their job is to sellout as many seats as possible and as quickly as possible.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by Mike32282
Great piece! I totally agree! As a 21 year old fan, who is usually broke...I can't afford season tickets. However, I still usually go to 4 games a season and love to go to the home opener. Luckily a friend of mine is a season ticket holder and got me one...or else I would be really angry. It's not right. I was at the Patriots game last year and it was like a freaking Patriots home game. It was brutal. What happened to home field advantage? If you are the Bills...your first goal should be get tickets to the local BILLS fans first, then the opponents. I know you might not agree with this one also...but they should limit the number of tickets each season ticket holder can buy to each game. That will also help with the non season ticket holder fans and help expand the fan base more.

Who can't save up 300 bones?? You have all year to do it!!!

[THATHURMANATOR]

I throw all my loose change into a jar when I get home and I turned it in last week and I had 250 bucks and that was like 6 or 7 months worth.

[JefftheBillsfan]

some of us have to save all of that extra change up for things like paying bills thurm. personally, ive gotta save for college. $300+ is a lot of money to some of us. others have families to feed etc.

[wbat27]

they should offer bills fans tickets first not the other way around. I think they would sell just as many tics if not more. It is discuriging to year after year miss all the games. I would buy season tics but I would use all of my vac days because I work every sunday.

[Voltron]

Offer everyone the seats on the same day BUT make a certian area the "Out of town/group area. Than Joe six pack has a chance and so do the group people. Now give the Group people the discout that groups get and everything is fair.

As far as *****ing about the number of seats left and all that I am sorry if you were unable to get Season Tix. I personaly believe that season ticet people should get first crack. Personaly I advertised on this site that I was looking to share a season with some one and a member of this board offered me exactly what I was looking for. Check here first because the folks here are more apt to offer you tix at face value as the person I bought mine from did for me. If you paid over face value for your tickets sorry to hear that. I though that was against the law? :huh: