$6 Yuengling?

[Urbansprite]

Originally posted by squidpants:
  Sarcasm or not, you can't say $6 for Yuengling is fair, dude.

it was sarcasm, and actually i do think it's fair.  as a general principle, you don't get more anti-consumer than price-fixing.  moreover, regulation of business pricing is only necessary where there is market failure, and once you start regulating, well, that opens up a whole can of worms that ultimately takes the control out of your hands.  
 
 in other words, it is fair because the consumer decides whether the price will function or fail.  consumers stop buying beer, consumers eventually will pay less for beer.  consumers keep buying beer, then they have deemed the prices to be acceptable.  the supply/demand model may not be representative of you, your values, or those of the people around you.  but it isn't meant to be.  think about all the crap that gets played on the radio.  we (a lot of us) listen to it and think, "are you f*cking kidding me?"  but they are playing it because people are consuming it, and so long as they do (whoever they are), advertisers will pay the price for spots to reach them.  if the advertisers stopped paying because the audience wasn't there, radio would be forced to adjust its programming.  right now, people are listening, so ladies and gentlemen, we have good charlotte.
 
 economics isn't sexy, but it is usually pretty logical, and our system allows the consumer-at-large to set the pace.  what is more fair than that?

[Urbansprite]

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by sonickteam, forum nice guy:
   

Originally posted by Seth Hurwitz:
 
 
 if a ticket is too much money, don't go
 
 if a drink is too much, don't buy it
 
 we will notice, believe me
 

have you noticed that i stopped coming? [/b]

And so did I...even before I moved away.

[squidpants]

Originally posted by Urbansprite:
 
 ...economics isn't sexy, but it is usually pretty logical, and our system allows the consumer-at-large to set the pace.  what is more fair than that?

Thanks for the lecture, Adam Smith, but I have attended economics class before, and that's not my definition of fair. I want to drink beer at  concerts, and at these prices, I refuse to. I don't care to wait for the market to reach equilibrium. John Stuart Mill can come back to life and do a spoken word show at the 9:30 Club discussing why Yuengling was $6, and I'd still think it was too expensive.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I noticed Yuengling was $4.50 from the tap at the Black Cat last night. Maybe they have a distibutor who sells it to them for 25% less?

[Arlette]

Originally posted by Seth Hurwitz:
   

Originally posted by Arlette:
  Why doesn't the club have a surcharge for those under 21?  Most clubs do these days.  Seth, you're missing a capitalistic opportunity.

being a capitalist does not mean that making money takes the place of right & wrong
 
 I just think that charging people extra because of their age is wrong, and offensive
 
 on the business side of that, we are trying to develop our future customers, not discourage them [/b]

That's one way to look at it, but the people who are old enough to drink are adding much more to your profits than those who are not.  In fact, if your venue is like most in the country, ticket sales barely cover the band guarantees and your profits come from alcohol sales.  So, by increasing drink prices and not charging extra to those who cannot drink you are penalizing the people who contribute the most  to your financial success.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

You assume that everyone who is 21+ is idiot enough to pay 5 or 6 bucks for a cup of beer. Not true.
 
 

Originally posted by Arlette:
   

Originally posted by Seth Hurwitz:
   

Originally posted by Arlette:
  Why doesn't the club have a surcharge for those under 21?  Most clubs do these days.  Seth, you're missing a capitalistic opportunity.

being a capitalist does not mean that making money takes the place of right & wrong
 
 I just think that charging people extra because of their age is wrong, and offensive
 
 on the business side of that, we are trying to develop our future customers, not discourage them [/b]

That's one way to look at it, but the people who are old enough to drink are adding much more to your profits than those who are not.  In fact, if your venue is like most in the country, ticket sales barely cover the band guarantees and your profits come from alcohol sales.  So, by increasing drink prices and not charging extra to those who cannot drink you are penalizing the people who contribute the most  to your financial success. [/b]

[Urbansprite]

Originally posted by squidpants:
   

Originally posted by Urbansprite:
 
 ...economics isn't sexy, but it is usually pretty logical, and our system allows the consumer-at-large to set the pace.  what is more fair than that?

I want to drink beer at  concerts, and at these prices, I refuse to. I don't care to wait for the market to reach equilibrium. [/b]

well, i'd like to own a penthouse, marry george clooney and stay 27 (ahem) for the rest of my life.  what can i say.  reality is a bitch.

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
  You assume that everyone who is 21+ is idiot enough to pay 5 or 6 bucks for a cup of beer. Not true.
 

yeah, i personally go for the $7 mini-shots of SoCo.

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by Arlette:
  That's one way to look at it, but the people who are old enough to drink are adding much more to your profits than those who are not.  In fact, if your venue is like most in the country, ticket sales barely cover the band guarantees and your profits come from alcohol sales.  So, by increasing drink prices and not charging extra to those who cannot drink you are penalizing the people who contribute the most  to your financial success.

Didn't you hear all bands play at the 9:30 club play for free and box of yummie cookies...

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Is free food the pitch they'll make to try to get the Magic Numbers?
 
 

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
   

Originally posted by Arlette:
  That's one way to look at it, but the people who are old enough to drink are adding much more to your profits than those who are not.  In fact, if your venue is like most in the country, ticket sales barely cover the band guarantees and your profits come from alcohol sales.  So, by increasing drink prices and not charging extra to those who cannot drink you are penalizing the people who contribute the most  to your financial success.

Didn't you hear all bands play at the 9:30 club play for free and box of yummie cookies... [/b]

[edbert]

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
   

Originally posted by sonickteam, forum nice guy:
   have you noticed that i stopped coming?

And so did I...even before I moved away. [/b]

But I'll guess that it isn't primarily because of the prices... maybe you're just getting into middle age like me and don't want to stay up as late, and you realize that the hassle/enjoyment ratio for you isn't favorable or whatever

[Arlette]

Nope, not assuming that at all.  Just stating that those who are old enough to drink and who are "idiots" (count me among them) enough to pay that much for beer are most responsible for the success of the club.  Those who only buy tickets contribute the least.  It's never a good business model to not favor your best customers.  
 
 I respect Seth's philosophy of not charging more because of age, but I think  your best customers should be given the most consideration.  
 
 

Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
  You assume that everyone who is 21+ is idiot enough to pay 5 or 6 bucks for a cup of beer. Not true.
 
   

Originally posted by Arlette:
   

Originally posted by Seth Hurwitz:
     

Originally posted by Arlette:
  Why doesn't the club have a surcharge for those under 21?  Most clubs do these days.  Seth, you're missing a capitalistic opportunity.

being a capitalist does not mean that making money takes the place of right & wrong
 
 I just think that charging people extra because of their age is wrong, and offensive
 
 on the business side of that, we are trying to develop our future customers, not discourage them [/b]

That's one way to look at it, but the people who are old enough to drink are adding much more to your profits than those who are not.  In fact, if your venue is like most in the country, ticket sales barely cover the band guarantees and your profits come from alcohol sales.  So, by increasing drink prices and not charging extra to those who cannot drink you are penalizing the people who contribute the most  to your financial success. [/b]

[/b]

[Bags]

Originally posted by Arlette:
  I respect Seth's philosophy of not charging more because of age, but I think  your best customers should be given the most consideration.  

I have to respectfully disagree with your whole premise.  That's not a reasonable business model on any level.  A frequent drinker card -- now that could be a way to benefit regular and dedicated customers.  But charging kids more for tickets does not make sense.  I mean, I know why you've thought of it, but it's not reasonable as an overall business approach.  
 
 If it is, then I should pay more for every show I attend Monday - Wednesday, as I usually drink only free water at those.  Next step up would be Sunday -- I may have two beers, but that'll be all.  But for those Friday and Saturday shows, $5 a ticket for every show for me!!!
 
 And, as Seth pointed out, like the cigarette companies, he is developing his customer base going forward.

[Arlette]

I didn't think of it, many, many clubs are doing it because you're almost forced to you financially.  I used to run a club, here's an example:
 
 I was trying forever to get Death Cab.  Finally booked them (couple of years ago), and the price was  very reasonable.  However, the club made very little money from the show.  Why?  Because a lot of the crowd was underage and alcohol sales were extremely low.  The club owner was like, "Nice try, but we can't afford these shows with so many underage people."  
 
 That same week we had Chris Robinson of the Crowes when he was doing his solo thing.  Very high guarantee.  We had fewer in attendance than we did for DCFC but we made a ton more money!  Why?  Because of the alcohol sales.
 
 That week I started charging underagers $2.00 extra.  It helped us cover our costs and break even on shows we otherwise would not have been able to afford.  
 
 I'm just saying, when a business needs to increase its profits don't always try to get more money out of the pockets of your best customers.  Try to spread around the monetary damage, especially to those who are contributing the least.