Fedorov Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 They are now charging $3 to tour REA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 I just read that also, I really can't believe it. Are they charging for taking a drink out of the drinking fountains yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Boy Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 The entitlement society speaks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 I'm sure the tour guide has no other job responsibilities but to lead rubber-necking gawkers around on granite floors to look at cherry cabinetry and finish work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 The entitlement society speaks again. I don't question it so much out of sense of entitlement as I find it an interesting business question. Is REA really better off charging for tours than giving free tours as a way to build excitement among visitors and stay connected to the community? (Think of those people who bring every out-of-town guest to see REA and how this may change their behavior). Expand that question to a few different instances in which die-hard fans have questioned whether REA was nickel-and-diming them. It makes me wonder what will happen as the initial excitement continues to die down or if (God-forbid) the team has a down stretch. I find it entirely plausible that doing what you can to build the fanbase and create goodwill (even if it involves some incidental expense) could actually increase total revenue by increasing sales of the core products (tickets/concessions/tv contract). Don't get me wrong, it's $3 and probably wouldn't affect my behavior much, I'm just speculating on the overall business philosophy of charging to cover the costs of individual services vs. covering the costs of incidentals with sales of the core product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 (edited) The entitlement society speaks again. I agree with TAZ, Now on to my Soap Box back in the 1990's when the Clinton (Juvenile Deliquents) occuppied the White House our coutry adopted this entitlement attitude and since then we have never shaken it. Its the me, me, me mind set. Never thinking about others, just whats in it for me. That why most today are referred to as the me generation. Now we have people standing around with their hands out expecting something like they were entitled to it. I mean honestly; we have people complaining about spending $50.00-$75.00 season tickets. Most college kids drop that in the bar on the weekend. The REA is an awesome facility, three dollars is a very small ammount of money. It costs money to hire someone to take people on tours. The people that complain about this are the same people that are going to drop $5.50 for a beer during the game. Also probably the same people that hit $12.00 sleeves of golf balls. Entitlement people get over yourself. Get up get a job and go to work, your not entitled to anything free in life. Don't expect others to do it for you. Edited April 29, 2004 by Goon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 From the "details matter" department: Starting May 3, tours for the magnificent Ralph Engelstad Arena will be $3.00 per visitor. Complete with a tour guide, your visit will include the facts & figures of this great structure, the tradition of a historic hockey program and even a gift bag from the Sioux Shop. That's from here. I've toured the place. I don't remember getting any gifts on my tour. I believe that gift is a new thing. (This is where someone begins to complain either (a) they don't want the gift so they shouldn't pay or (b) it's a rip-off-crappy gift.) However, I will admit "jimdahl" raises a more than fair point from the "community relations" point of view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 From the "details matter" department: That's from here. I've toured the place. I don't remember getting any gifts on my tour. I believe that gift is a new thing. (This is where someone begins to complain either (a) they don't want the gift so they shouldn't pay or (b) it's a rip-off-crappy gift.) However, I will admit "jimdahl" raises a more than fair point from the "community relations" point of view. Jim brings up some great points, however, the brutal reality is that the USA is a capitalist society and everything cost money, there is no free lunch. If you think I am off the mark, go and visit NYC. They 5 and 10 dollar you to death. A local phone call cost .99 cents to conect at your hotel, cigaretts cost $9.00 at JFK airport. Besides, REA can use the money to do maintance/cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxjoy Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 I would like to see the gift bag before I make a decision on whether it's a bonus or not. I work every day with students interested in attending UND, and the fact that: Guest on campus: "So, what is cool to see in Grand Forks? Is the hockey arena open to check out?" Me: "Sure! for a fee" I just hate telling guests they have to spend money. If it is necessary for operation to charge for tours, then by all means, rock on and charge $3. If it is just another way to make money off of the community, then there is a serious problem, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZSIOUX Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 come on people. look at the arena. big deal if they want to charge 3.00 to look around. it was free for a while and that was nice but oh well!! i do understand coming from a student perspective as i just graduated but i don't think its that big of a deal. maybe it should be included in a students tour of campus!!!5.50 for a beer 32 oz is a great price also. best deal i have run into for beer at a game. usually 5.00 gets you a 16 oz.. and a 32 oz is 8.00 easy. i'm sure this won't turn people away from touring the arena. i guess you can tell its not october when this is a interesting topic on the board..keep the months rolling through the summer!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmail Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 Maybe there are getting to be too many tours going on, and this is a way of cutting down on them or something. I can't see REA not being able to absorb the cost of a tour guide though... What do work study students make? 7-8 bucks/hr? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 They are now charging $3 to tour REA. 3 $$ isnt bad for a tour of the best arena in the country eh? the person running the tour shouldnt be expected to do it for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedorov Posted April 30, 2004 Author Share Posted April 30, 2004 I stand by my comment that it is a new low for the arena. I wonder how bad things would be if we weren't given the arena for free? Next year they will sell passes for you to cut in line at the concession stands and restrooms. People that buy a season pass will get a free solar-powered flashlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 come on people. look at the arena. big deal if they want to charge 3.00 to look around. it was free for a while and that was nice but oh well!! i do understand coming from a student perspective as i just graduated but i don't think its that big of a deal. maybe it should be included in a students tour of campus!!!5.50 for a beer 32 oz is a great price also. best deal i have run into for beer at a game. usually 5.00 gets you a 16 oz.. and a 32 oz is 8.00 easy. i'm sure this won't turn people away from touring the arena. i guess you can tell its not october when this is a interesting topic on the board..keep the months rolling through the summer!!!!!!!!!!! I like this guys line of thinking. The ecomonics of beer drinking. Your right 32oz of beer for 5.50 is a bargin in any rink/arena. Like I said earlier, $3.00 is a small amount of money for a tour of an awesome facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxMeNow Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I stand by my comment that it is a new low for the arena. I wonder how bad things would be if we weren't given the arena for free? You're absolutely right Federov...the free tours were a chance to show off the arena and entice people to want to pay to go to a game there. It's called public relations! Now that they're charging, they'll piss people off BEFORE they consider coming to a game there...it great but it's not Disneyland!! (although after a couple of those $5.50 beers the escalators can seem like Space Mountain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxMeNow Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 and yeah the Ralph is nickel and diming everyone to death...my father-in-law has been a general season ticket holder since the new Ralph opened. Now with upping the price, the gun to his head to join the FS club AND pay a $10.00 "service charge" for his season tickets - he's decided to give it up. He figures, short of the Gophers, he can get into pretty much any game he wants anyway - and probably for less than the regular price of admission by getting a ticket from a scalper in front of the Ralph before pretty much any given game. I know Ralph didn't get to be a millionaire by giving things away but I don't think this is what he intended with his gift to UND. Someone is trying to make their name to move up in the "management" business...it's a shame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVCL Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 and yeah the Ralph is nickel and diming everyone to death...my father-in-law has been a general season ticket holder since the new Ralph opened. Now with upping the price, the gun to his head to join the FS club AND pay a $10.00 "service charge" for his season tickets - he's decided to give it up. He figures, short of the Gophers, he can get into pretty much any game he wants anyway - and probably for less than the regular price of admission by getting a ticket from a scalper in front of the Ralph before pretty much any given game. I know Ralph didn't get to be a millionaire by giving things away but I don't think this is what he intended with his gift to UND. Someone is trying to make their name to move up in the "management" business...it's a shame! hey, good luck with that whole thing man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 They are now charging $3 to tour REA. Bad PR decision, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmitzzz Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Jim brings up some great points, however, the brutal reality is that the USA is a capitalist society and everything cost money, there is no free lunch. If you think I am off the mark, go and visit NYC. They 5 and 10 dollar you to death. A local phone call cost .99 cents to conect at your hotel, cigaretts cost $9.00 at JFK airport. Besides, REA can use the money to do maintance/cleaning. I think that was Jim's point... from a capitalist perspective, is the Ralph better off in the long run doing the tours for free in hopes of generating additional revenues down the road from ticket and merchandise sales? Drug company reps take doctors out for lunch and dinner all the time... not becuase they're simply nice people, but because they are trying to generate some downstream benefit. Certainly the Ralph needs to cover their operating expenses and we all want to see that the buliding is maintained in top condition so that it is not a $100M pile of junk in 20 years. But this is a bad move by the Ralph IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I wonder how bad things would be if we weren't given the arena for free? Things would be great! The team would be in the oldest arena in the WCHA. The facility would need serious structural upgrades. There'd be half the seats and they'd be plastic. There'd be no replay boards at center ice. You wouldn't be able to have a beer. There'd be no Dippin' Dots. Zach Parise would have been a Gopher. The basketball and volleyball teams would still be in Hyslop for another 50 years. The only concert venue in Grand Forks would be the acoustically-challenged Alerus. I'm sure I'm missing some. But still, things would be most excellent if Ralph hadn't given us the best venue in the country. I hope your cynicism detectors picked all that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supertrex Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I stand by my comment that it is a new low for the arena. I wonder how bad things would be if we weren't given the arena for free? Next year they will sell passes for you to cut in line at the concession stands and restrooms. People that buy a season pass will get a free solar-powered flashlight.    Things wouldn't be so bad...the arena just wouldn't be there... Sorry Sic...I didn't read your post before I posted this...I agree with you 100 percent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxjoy Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 There'd be no Dippin' Dots. The only concert venue in Grand Forks would be the acoustically-challenged Alerus. There were Dippin' Dots at the old Arena The acoustics aren't that great at the Ralph (at least in the main bowl) too, and what about the Chester Fritz? No, I know that everyone should be grateful for the gift Ralph Engelstad gave the University, and believe me I am, I love the new facilities But it just seems like a lot of asking for money in a short amount of time has made me crabby. P.S. You aren't biased at all, Sic, are you,given your work location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 P.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmail Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 The only concert venue in Grand Forks would be the acoustically-challenged Alerus. As far as acoustics, unless you're on the main floor of REA... I think the sound is overall better at the Alerus. Of course I love the sound of a dobro, so maybe the resonating tin is what's appealing to my ears. A volunteer tour guide would do the trick, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I don't think "eating the tour-guide's wages" is a big financial burden at REA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Where exactly do you think I work? I do not work for REA or UND. There are posters here who can confirm that. (They can confirm I don't work much at all! ) I heard you are the maintenance engineer at the ABC bookstore. From Clerks Randal: [reading magazine] Have you ever wondered how much the average jizz-mopper makes per hour? Dante: What's a jizz-mopper? Randal: He's the guy that cleans up the nudie booth after each guy jerks off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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