Season Ticket Holders...What say you?

[TruBlu]

Being a season ticket holder, I've been faced with the decision as to whether I am going to renew my tickets or not. I'm ambivalent at the moment. I'd like to hear what some of you guys think?

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[HolyJumpin]

I'm not a season ticket holder but honestly, next year is going to be a much better team. Kyrou, Thomas, a possible huge UFA signing, Fabbri, possibly a trade for a top six forward, probably trying to rectify the Allen situation. I'm confident this is a much better team next year.

 

[542365]

All depends on the price for me. If they raise the prices by 20% like last season they will price us out. I would like to get tickets again, but I don’t see that as very likely. I’ll probably get a half season or 10 game pack or something.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

I've been back and forth for years about becoming a season ticket holder. I still go to about 4-5 games a year, but I have definitely thought of getting a 12 or higher game pack. I finally have the financial means to do so, but now I'm waiting to see what Armstrong does. If truly makes a decent number of moves to improve this team, I'll support it. If he gets rid of one guy, a la Oshie deal, then sorry, I will wait on purchasing season tickets.

That's how I'd view it if I had season tickets.

 

[67Blues]

I'm a sheep. I'll renew faithfully as always. Fun fact, my first season tickets back in the old barn in the 80s were less than $800 for two of them and they were good seats.

 

[GoBluz24]

I have been a partial game package season ticket holder since 90-91, but I did not renew for this past season - thank God.

 

[Majorityof1]

I would love to have the option to be a season ticket holder. Most years I spend as much going to see 5-6 games in terms of time, flights/mileage, hotels, etc as I would getting season tickets if I lived in the Lou. This year, I couldn't even see a single game due to work scheduling. Next year, I will hopefully get to see several again. If the Blues there was some time traveling magic where I could retroactively move the Blues to my town and buy season tickets for this past year, even knowing now how bad its been, I would do it in an second. Win, lose or shoot-out, I enjoy watching the team. Even when it frustrates the hell out of me, I enjoy watching the Blues more than the vast majority of things I could do with my time.

So keep that in mind while I ask three questions:

(1) Can you afford it comfortably without making major sacrifices to your future/family? If no, don't buy the tickets. If yes, go on to question 2.
(2) Are you a fair-weather fan? If yes, don't buy tickets, wait til we win, and then pretend you were a fan all along. If no, go onto question 3.
(3) Are you a casual fan or a hard-core fan? If you are a hard-core fan, buy the tickets. That is how the Blues will keep getting money to keep spending to the cap, to try to win a cup. If enough fans stop buying tickets, we will be resigned to mediocrity You'll get pissed at times, but will enjoy it when we win more than anything else you could do with the time and money. If you are a casual fan, or becoming a casual fan, then weigh the cost benefit of how much you enjoy the games vs how much you would enjoy an alternative activity you could use the time/money on.

 

[Shwabeal]

We're looking at moving up into the 300 level to save around 35-40% on the total bill. Like Majority said, as long as the cost doesn't force you to make sacrifices to your family/future, I would re-up. The cost of ours now are getting pretty close to putting us in that situation. We've considered going down to just 2 seats but none of the 4 of us wants to give up going 90-95% of the time so moving back is our only option to cut costs. The struggles this season don't make us want to renew anymore or less, we're doing anything we can to continue to afford them. I couldn't imagine giving them up.

 

[Note Worthy]

I plan on getting season tickets at some point in my lifetime. I currently have a 1 year old so it's not in the cards right now. All extra money goes to him

 

[TruBlu]

All depends on the price for me. If they raise the prices by 20% like last season they will price us out. I would like to get tickets again, but I don’t see that as very likely. I’ll probably get a half season or 10 game pack or something.

Does the seniority factor into that decision, or is it merely the cost? I'm at the point that I don't want to give up my seniority, but, like you, I got a massive increase in my season ticket cost last year. I think any increase in the ticket prices this year is going to push me out. I'll still support them, but I'm not going to buy ticket packages that increase more than my yearly salary percentage.

 

[542365]

Does the seniority factor into that decision, or is it merely the cost? I'm at the point that I don't want to give up my seniority, but, like you, I got a massive increase in my season ticket cost last year. I think any increase in the ticket prices this year is going to push me out. I'll still support them, but I'm not going to buy ticket packages that increase more than my yearly salary percentage.

This is only my second season having them, so I’m not too worried about losing seniority. I’ve gotten spoiled from going to so many games, so I would hate to give them up, but we honestly don’t make enough for this to be a lifetime thing. Just a treat before we have kids lol.

 

[Thallis]

I'm not a season ticket holder but honestly, next year is going to be a much better team. Kyrou, Thomas, a possible huge UFA signing, Fabbri, possibly a trade for a top six forward, probably trying to rectify the Allen situation. I'm confident this is a much better team next year.

That's a lot of maybes to hedge your bets on.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

I plan on getting season tickets at some point in my lifetime. I currently have a 1 year old so it's not in the cards right now. All extra money goes to him

Said the same thing when my kid was 1, now hes 10 and I have an 8 and 5 year old to go along with it, I do not plan on it anymore, maybe when the youngest is in college lol

 

[67Blues]

Just reserved my playoff rounds today. No money down, pay as you play, so I'm not really going to be out anything. All 4 rounds came to $4056 for my 2 seats. If I recall, my season tickets this year were $55xx for the two seats. I hope they don't go up like they did last year. I'll still buy them, but it is starting to get a bit painful to pay that and go sit and watch bad hockey. Right now, the mood at the games is starting to approach 2005-2006 levels minus the $7 seat offers. It isn't there yet, but there is a lot of doom and gloom and empty seats that I know are season ticket holders.

 

[Blanick]

That's a lot of maybes to hedge your bets on.

I prefer maybe's over the definite no's that currently make up the depth of our roster.

 

[Girth Butcher]

I'm planning to renew. I got relocated this year because of the theater seating section, but the Blues treated me quite fairly in finding me comparable seats.

One MAJOR concern I have is that the ticket contract says something like "buying season tickets shall not include tickets, or the right to purchase tickets, to any other event or game, including, but not limited to, any NHL Winter Classic, NHL Stadium Series, NHL All Star or NHL Draft event ("League Special Game") held in the St. Louis Blues market or hosted by the NHL at Scottrade Center or otherwise in which the St. Louis rules, operations and presentations of NHL games and events.

I'm kind of angry that my seniority does not assure me of the ability to buy tickets for those events. I think that's a crappy way to treat your most loyal customers and has me wanting to say something.

What do you think?

 

[mk80]

I don't have season tickets only because I'm not able to afford them and can get some good deals on Stubhub. But my approach would be: the Blues are like a bad car accident, you can't help but look.

 

[Girth Butcher]

I'm not a season ticket holder but honestly, next year is going to be a much better team. Kyrou, Thomas, a possible huge UFA signing, Fabbri, possibly a trade for a top six forward, probably trying to rectify the Allen situation. I'm confident this is a much better team next year.

I agree that they SHOULD be better next year, and this season was just doomed from the time Bergy got hurt, then Sandford, then Steen, then Fabbri, then Bo, then Eddy, then Bo again, etc., etc.

BUT, if they miss the playoffs again next year, I'm done! A man can only handle so much pain and abuse after 50 years.

 

[HolyJumpin]

That's a lot of maybes to hedge your bets on.

Does any sports team have anything more than a lot of maybes to go on?

 

[HolyJumpin]

Really this year is a lot different if Fabbri is healthy. Blues can roll two quality lines and Steen can play on the third. Tarasenko hasn't had a set up man all season and we've seen him struggle because of it.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Franchise needs to prove to me that they are dead serious about going after a Cup before I'd ever consider putting up money for season tickets.

 

[Renard]

I'm 70 years old, and I don't look forward to waiting out another rebuild. I'm not going to renew my 12 game package, which I've had for many years. I'll buy at ticket now and then for individual games

 

[Majorityof1]

I'm planning to renew. I got relocated this year because of the theater seating section, but the Blues treated me quite fairly in finding me comparable seats.

One MAJOR concern I have is that the ticket contract says something like "buying season tickets shall not include tickets, or the right to purchase tickets, to any other event or game, including, but not limited to, any NHL Winter Classic, NHL Stadium Series, NHL All Star or NHL Draft event ("League Special Game") held in the St. Louis Blues market or hosted by the NHL at Scottrade Center or otherwise in which the St. Louis rules, operations and presentations of NHL games and events.

I'm kind of angry that my seniority does not assure me of the ability to buy tickets for those events. I think that's a crappy way to treat your most loyal customers and has me wanting to say something.

What do you think?

I would assume that is just legal boilerplate to protect themselves. They can still offer priority to season ticket holders according to whatever system they deem fit. Some events, they may not have enough seats for season ticket holders, like the All-Star game, so they cannot guarantee a ticket for everyone. A season ticket holder who doesn't get seats for whatever reason cannot sue because they expressly have no right to the tickets and were merely given an opportunity. If the Blues always have given priority to season ticket holders in the past for the playoffs and the Winter Classic, I wouldn't expect that to change. Otherwise, they'd be pissing of their most loyal fans.

 

[67Blues]

I get all kinds of notifications either from my rep (who is great) or by email for offers of events that I can pre-buy as a STH. Like @Majorityof1 said, they can't afford to alienate their most loyal clients over petty things.

 

[TruBlu]

I re-upped my tickets. The new layout of seats, different ticket packages, and options for weekend games is a good upgrade. The organization definitely listens to their fanbase.