Pens have variable pricing on tickets this season

[AjaxTelamon]

I bought tickets for a pre season game so I can check out some of the kids, and even those tickets were obnoxiously priced. I don't like Consol much, went to a ton of games in the Igloo which was awesome. But these price increases are insane.

I don't have an issue with them jacking up the big ticket games, I always used to like to go see Calgary on a Tuesday in December anyways just to see some players you don't see often. But the range of pricing is nuts. I'll watch from home after this one pre-season game.

 

[mrzeigler]

This is my tenth season as a STH

Originally had 2 seats in the Igloo. Section E29, row N (about 4 rows from the top). Paid $15/seat for 20 games.

By 2011, paying $35/seat. As my kids got older, got 2 additional seats.

This year, almost $50/seat for 4 seats.

I want to keep them, but with my kids activities, I rarely go anymore. Last year, I never had trouble moving them, but on ticket exchange, I might make $10 a ticket, when 3-4 seasons ago, I'd clear $40/ticket.

Mine rose from, I think $41 in C-level in the Civic Arena to now about ~$103 at CEC. As someone said, the share of my disposable income that has spent on Pens tickets (at least on the full-season invoice) has drastically increased ... and so has the number of tickets I sell off each year. I used to sell about 5 games a year. This year I plan to sell between 22 and 25.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I haven't been to more than 1 game in a season since student rush tickets were available every game for 20 bucks.

Hell, I went to the Winter Classic in Buffalo for $37 a seat.

Unless they are a gift, I doubt I go to a game this year. And I doubt anybody gets me a gift that expensive. Then again, I won't stop being a fan because I can't go to games. I expect to watch most of the games at home anyway.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I haven't been to more than 1 game in a season since student rush tickets were available every game for 20 bucks.

Hell, I went to the Winter Classic in Buffalo for $37 a seat.

Unless they are a gift, I doubt I go to a game this year. And I doubt anybody gets me a gift that expensive. Then again, I won't stop being a fan because I can't go to games. I expect to watch most of the games at home anyway.

I thought you were down in the Carolina's somewhere? Not sure why I have that in my head, but it would be great to live in a cheaper hockey market where you can see the Pens for a lot less.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I thought you were down in the Carolina's somewhere? Not sure why I have that in my head, but it would be great to live in a cheaper hockey market where you can see the Pens for a lot less.

I lived in Charleston for 2 years, but just moved back. Charleston is like 6 hours from Raleigh. Not even the right state I was just about as close to Miami actually. But I know people in Miami, so if I was going to see the Pens from there, it would have been there. If Atlanta was still around, that would have been a doable trip for a game.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I lived in Charleston for 2 years, but just moved back. Charleston is like 6 hours from Raleigh. Not even the right state I was just about as close to Miami actually. But I know people in Miami, so if I was going to see the Pens from there, it would have been there. If Atlanta was still around, that would have been a doable trip for a game.

Ahh ok, well welcome back brah

I vaca down in North Carolina, and with Carolina in our division now, that's my secret plan to see more Pens games live. I have not completed my calculations for how many Pens games at cheap prices it would take to cancel out the cost of a move. But it couldn't be over a few hundred.

I may need to rethink the plan.

 

[Whale Mingo]

I wouldn't be shocked if the sell-out streak ended unless they maintain student rush.

That would have happened last year.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I have to agree. I turned down tickets last year because it wasn't worth it to me, even at the season ticket rate. I'd rather sit at home or go to a pub to watch it. I also echo the sentiment about the atmosphere not being as enjoyable as at Civic/Mellon.

I'm not complaining about them, they are within their right to set the prices wherever they want. I just worry that they are going to over estimate demand. After all, you have high ticket prices, ridiculous concession prices, parking, and travel/traffic as major disincentives.

 

[cassius]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I fall into that category too.

I would much rather have a nice NY strip steak and a couple of grey gooses while I'm watching the game home than pay $100/seat. $60-70 is doable, but anything above that is where I draw the line.

 

[billybudd]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I fall into that category too.

I would much rather have a nice NY strip steak and a couple of grey gooses while I'm watching the game home than pay $100/seat. $60-70 is doable, but anything above that is where I draw the line.

Really, the only time I'll go to Consol is when I get guilt tripped into it. "I've got these tickets and no one will go" sort of thing. Consol reminds me of a Doctor's office, not a hockey venue. Even at "free" I still don't like the deal anywhere near as much as comfy chair+large tv+Liquor+ability to change channels during tv timeouts. With Mellon, the drunk hecklers and general rowdiness made up for not being able to do those things.

Strangely, the couple Jackets home games I've been to in the last handful of years are way more enjoyable than Pens games at CEC.

 

[SirBrad]

ticket prices are out of control.

My wife and I do pretty good for ourselves and don't have the expense of kids yet, but when I had 4 of the absolute cheapest tickets (for us and whoever we decided to invite with us) to a Saturday night game in October in my cart and I saw a total over $360 I canceled and said screw it. Will not be seeing them in Pittsburgh this year.

I have better opportunities to see them out where I am in NJ/NY for less.

Ironically the people that are comfortable paying that (or even much more to sit in much better seats) are the same people that leave with 5-10 minutes left, no matter the score.

Frustrating and disappointing.

 

[Shaftception]

While I can relate to a lot of what is said in this thread, personally I'll be satisfied being able to watch a team able to spend to the cap with star players at the cost of empty seats and no crowd noise because of all the suits if the realistic alternative is the same empty seats but with a few more Rico Fata's instead of Sidney Crosby's.

If this market isn't big enough to sustain the ever increasing salary cap even with a proper arena lease now compared to back then without eventually pricing out the hardcore fan, I think I can live with the trade off. Sure it sucks for those who used to be able to afford it, but this is probably going to be the cost of keeping them competitive from now on, Pittsburgh just isn't that big. They don't have the luxury of being owned by Comcast in a metro area of 5 million people for instance.

 

[Til the End of Time]

i think the declining interest in the team/tickets is a reminder that the penguins wont be spending to the cap indefinitely.

pens have been lucky enough hang with the big boys like boston, la, philly, ny since the lockout, but thats probably not realistic long term. it took a perfect confluence of events for the pens to be amongst the leagues biggest spenders--new arena, new favorable cba, 2 generational stars in their prime-- a situation that is difficult to replicate/sustain.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

With ticket prices being this insane you'd think we were like LA or Chicago and had 2 (or more) Cups with our current stars now.

Pretty ridiculously steep price to pay since we haven't had any real success since 2009.

 

[Ogrezilla]

With ticket prices being this insane you'd think we were like LA or Chicago and had 2 (or more) Cups with our current stars now.

Pretty ridiculously steep price to pay since we haven't had any real success since 2009.

We've sold all the tickets though. To the people selling the tickets, we have been incredibly successful.

 

[SuburbanRhythm]

I have to agree. I turned down tickets last year because it wasn't worth it to me, even at the season ticket rate. I'd rather sit at home or go to a pub to watch it. I also echo the sentiment about the atmosphere not being as enjoyable as at Civic/Mellon.

I'm not complaining about them, they are within their right to set the prices wherever they want. I just worry that they are going to over estimate demand. After all, you have high ticket prices, ridiculous concession prices, parking, and travel/traffic as major disincentives.

ticket prices are out of control.

My wife and I do pretty good for ourselves and don't have the expense of kids yet, but when I had 4 of the absolute cheapest tickets (for us and whoever we decided to invite with us) to a Saturday night game in October in my cart and I saw a total over $360 I canceled and said screw it. Will not be seeing them in Pittsburgh this year.

I have better opportunities to see them out where I am in NJ/NY for less.

Ironically the people that are comfortable paying that (or even much more to sit in much better seats) are the same people that leave with 5-10 minutes left, no matter the score.

Frustrating and disappointing.

Somewhere between the Cup in 2009 and new building in 2011, Penguin games became the cool event in town, displacing being seen at Heinz Field. (And I think we're seeing this with PNC a little with the Pirates playoff berth last year).

I know it's selfish, but I sometimes miss 2003 Tuesday nights vs the Isles in the old building, when it was 8,000 people there, but 8,000 people who wanted to be there.

I also understand if things had stayed that way, the team would no longer be here.

 

[Iffyiffiffer]

Cool, stubbornly try the same boggling method to win for years and then blow up the team and then charge us more for the privilege of watching your screwups.

 

[member 51464]

Hockey streams for under $100 is the best investment I made last year. All games with whichever announcers I want and no blackouts.Even if I lived in Pittsburgh I wouldn't go to many games in person. It is hard to beat that price when I have a huge plasma TV at home.

Though, I was debating going to the Caps/Habs opener here in DC.

 

[Shady Machine]

Hockey streams for under $100 is the best investment I made last year. All games with whichever announcers I want and no blackouts.Even if I lived in Pittsburgh I wouldn't go to many games in person. It is hard to beat that price when I have a huge plasma TV at home.

Though, I was debating going to the Caps/Habs opener here in DC.

How is the quality for hockey streams?

 

[Bumpus]

Yep. The prices have become insane.

I used to make the drive from Wheeling between 8-10 times a season for games. Then it became 5-6. Then it was roughly 3.

Last year, I drove to Columbus instead.

I may attend a game this season, I may not.

 

[member 51464]

How is the quality for hockey streams?

Amazing. It runs a variable stream that optimizes to your connection. I always top out and it looks great. I run through my Roku or sometimes on my laptop and connect by HDMI.Both look like crystal clear HD.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I haven't been in here much this summer, but I don't recall seeing mention that the Penguins have variable pricing (at least on gate sales) this year. I haven't seen anything official from the team on this, but this appears to the be the case based on browsing the available nonresale tickets for games.

Let's use a single unsold seat in my section — Section 109, Row V, seat 20 109 — to see the per-ticket cost of games this year:

• 10/9 Anaheim: $174.20
• 10/16 Dallas: $167.05
• 10/18 NYI: $184.40
• 10:22 PHI: $174.20
• 10/28 NJ: $167.05
• 11/01 BUF: $184:40
• 11/26 TOR: $174.20
• 12/27 WAS: $184.40

Basically, if you want to go to the game on a Saturday night (even to see the Sabres on 11/01), you're going to pay a premium to do so. You'll pay less to see a much more interesting team such as Dallas on a Thursday night or even Toronto on Thanksgiving eve than you will for the Sabres.


If that doesn't piss you off, then maybe this will: Last season, the gate price for tickets in this section was $127.

I have to say, I'm surprised they're that high. Here in Montreal, for season or gate tickets, they have had variable pricing for some time now. The so-called "prestige" tickets are any games involving Toronto, Pittsburgh, one of the two Boston games, the LA game, the Chicago game, the home opener, the last game of the regular season and three others that I fail to recall. I think one against Washington, the Rangers game maybe and one more.

The cost of a non-prestige game is $157 for season-ticket holders, while the prestige games are almost $100 more ($251).

Gotta say those Penguins ticket prices look a bit too steep. Now, I'm not suggesting it isn't a better ticket to be watching the Pens at home than it is to watch the Habs at home. But I know people here. They sell out the Bell Centre for all the preseason games, too. And all of those games cost $157. They sell out the building for the intrasquad scrimmage (I think they charge people $10 for that 'game'). The market here is absolutely nuts.

I'll be curious to see whether the Pens can sustain those prices over the long haul. I suppose as long as Crosby/Malkin are in the lineup, they have a chance.

 

[td_ice]

My buddy just became a season ticket holder. He was automatically enrolled in the "paperless" ticket program. So no hard tickets, just print up at home. He called to see if he could get a a booklet of hard tickets, and they said no. Also that in two years or so, that will be the norm.There won't be any more hard tickets. All season ticket holders will be going "paperless".

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

My buddy just became a season ticket holder. He was automatically enrolled in the "paperless" ticket program. So no hard tickets, just print up at home. He called to see if he could get a a booklet of hard tickets, and they said no. Also that in two years or so, that will be the norm.There won't be any more hard tickets. All season ticket holders will be going "paperless".

It might not seem like a big deal to some. But this makes me sad.

 

[td_ice]

It might not seem like a big deal to some. But this makes me sad.

Who knows if that is the case. The rep. might have just been saying that to get my buddy off the phone, haha, and shut down his request. We shall see.