How To Save Money At The Park, Vol. 1: Tickets

Introduction:  Don’t misunderstand:  I want the IronPigs to make money.  I want them to be successful so that they will stay and so that new and exciting things can happen (see also: Tiki Bar).  However, some of us are at the park every night.  Or it feels like it.  Some of this stuff adds up, and while I’ll spare you the math, I wanted to share some ideas of mine as well as some that came through email discussions with Dan and DiPro and Decal.  Most ideas are geared toward season ticket holders, but the first one is more for the casual fan: 

Tickets

Tickets aren’t a big expense for minor league baseball, compared with a Phillies game or, goodness, NFL football.  In fact, I went to the movies the other day.  I noted that a night at the movies for 3D-IMAX, family of four, a couple snacks and sodas–we spent more than an evening at the IronPigs.  And, it only lasted an hour and a half and we had no conversation or interaction the whole time.  If you stop for dessert and a beer at Red Robin on the way home, you’re WAY over.

 But you can save some money on the tickets.  Here are some of the ways:

1. You can win ticket vouchers by listening to the radio broadcasts.  Brush up on your trivia (and change your entry name from time to time…).  There are other contests around which can yield free tickets as well.  I have a friend who’s been to many, many games and has never ever paid for a ticket.  Not once.  He’s always able to win them or get a giveaway or from friends with corporate connections or whatever.
2. Local businesses have tickets to give away.  Which ones?  Just look at the big advertisers, if you patronize those businesses or know someone who works there, ask if there are tickets available.  I can tell you that many of the corporate seats in the club level go empty on a nightly basis.
3. Come as part of a group:  the tickets might not be free, but they’ll have at least $2 of added concession value.  And, if you’re organizing a group yourself, you’ll get voucher to come back another night as well as free parking for the group night.  Communities (mine, Lower Macungie, has organized a group), churches, kid’s groups (I’ve done the Field of Dreams group three times, but Scouts and karate and other organizations do as well), alumni, and others, all have groups that come. 
4. Remember to use your credits.  If you have a rain check or an unused season ticket, you can exchange for equal or lesser Monday through Thursday.  If you don’t need them, think about cashing them in anyway and giving them to a friend.  Donating them is another way to use the excess tickets.
5. If you know a season ticket holder who can’t always go, offer to fill in even at a moment’s notice if the tickets become available.  I’ve got a couple friends “on call” to take my tickets (I never ask for money…but perhaps I should) if I can’t make it on any given night.  OK, etiquette requires that you offer to pay for the tickets, but you might be able to work something out barter-wise or at a discount.  Plus, these seats might be better than what you can buy at the ticket window.
6. Make a long-term commitment on your season tickets to save money on the price increase.  I wasn’t going to do this (the math or the commitment), initially, and then a little math got in the way.  I have four seats, times 72 games, times a dollar a game price increase, times three years.  That’s $864.  Or, 157 Bud Light bottles.