Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
greygarden
Swing Joined: 11/9/15
#1Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 4:41pm
Bought tickets for DEH at the box office last week and was surprised that a team of buyers was lining up to buy tickets and then immediately rejoining the queue to buy more. They had lists of ticket requirements and had obviously been given the money with which to buy the tickets. They seemed to be being controlled by an organised group and they were obviously not buying the tickets for themselves. The same thing also seemed to be happening at the Shubert with tickets for Hello Dolly. The box office staff must be aware they are buying on behalf of someone else. Are theatres powerless to stop this blatant abuse or are they just happy to sell tickets?
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 4:46pm
What exactly would you like them to do? It's not illegal to re sell tickets (even for a profit) in NY.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#3Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 4:54pm
greygarden said: "Bought tickets for DEH at the box office last week and was surprised that a team of buyers was lining up to buy tickets and then immediately rejoining the queue to buy more. They had lists of ticket requirements and had obviously been given the money with which to buy the tickets. They seemed to be being controlled by an organised group and they were obviously not buying the tickets for themselves. The same thing also seemed to be happening at the Shubert with tickets for Hello Dolly. The box office staff must be aware they are buying on behalf of someone else. Are theatres powerless to stop this blatant abuse or are they just happy to sell tickets?
"
It's sad, but it happens everywhere. When I worked at Apple we sold iPhones on launch day to scalpers all day. It was a revolving door of people coming in with cash and buying us out. What's the company supposed to do? As long as they're selling, they're making a profit.
What would you do as a producer?
VintageSnarker
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
#4Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 4:55pm
Did they seem like scalpers (buying 2 tickets one day, 1 ticket another day, etc.) or were they doing big group sales? I'm just curious.
greygarden
Swing Joined: 11/9/15
#5Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 5:09pm
They weren't the scalpers themselves but people buying on their behalf. There were about seven people in the queue as well as ourselves and they just kept rejoining the queue. They were buying for different dates and didn't seem to be disguising what they were doing.
UncleCharlie
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/26/16
#6Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 5:35pm
If they are buying them at the box office, maybe they are ticket brokers or hotel staff fulfilling guest requirements. Hard copy tickets from the box office are a much bigger pain to resell on line cause you can't just transfer them electronically so I would think true scalpers would try to avoid that (though I don't know if some shows like DEH are now prohibiting that). And it's not like they're using computer programs to lock out any one else from buying. DEH has been open a while now. If anyone wants tickets, they can do the same thing these guys are doing and just get in line. No one is being prevented from doing that. I'm really not sure what the problem is.
Updated On: 1/23/17 at 05:35 PM
Cupid Boy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/5/13
#7Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 5:57pm
I saw the show Saturday, and scalpers were even working the line as we walked in trying to find patrons who had unneeded tickets. I imagine it'll only get worse.
#8Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/23/17 at 6:06pm
greygarden said: "They weren't the scalpers themselves but people buying on their behalf. There were about seven people in the queue as well as ourselves and they just kept rejoining the queue. They were buying for different dates and didn't seem to be disguising what they were doing.
So!? Why should they be disguising what they were doing?
"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new."
Sunday in the Park with George
#9Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 9:25am
You can tell they are buying tickets for scalpers. They look almost homeless, speak almost no English and have no idea how to answer basic ticket-seller questions when asked. That was my experience as I waited in line.
It must be frustrating for the box office, but I do have to say that the one woman working the box office when I was there was one of the most miserable people I've ever dealt with. I was buying 3 sets of 2 tickets each as presents and she muttered under her breath when I bought them that these would probably end up on Stubhub. When I asked her why she said that, she indicated that she was only kidding - she wasn't. She was absolutely miserable.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#10Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 9:48am
which is proof enough the box office staff KNOWS what's going on, but have not been given instructions to respond in any way.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
LarryD2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/1/14
#11Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 10:00am
dramamama611 said: "which is proof enough the box office staff KNOWS what's going on, but have not been given instructions to respond in any way.
"
In what way could they respond, aside from enforcing the ticket limit rules? As others have pointed out, it isn't illegal to resell tickets for a profit.
boonanas
Featured Actor Joined: 9/25/08
#12Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 10:05am
I think they should implement a sniff test for scalpers, as every time I've been around the area and these scalper types line up, it reeks of weed.
#13Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 10:28am
boonanas said: "I think they should implement a sniff test for scalpers, as every time I've been around the area and these scalper types line up, it reeks of weed."
Good to know! So if I don't need DEH tix and I can still possibly get weed! Thanks for the tip!
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#14Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 10:40am
LarryD2 said: "dramamama611 said: "which is proof enough the box office staff KNOWS what's going on, but have not been given instructions to respond in any way.
"
In what way could they respond, aside from enforcing the ticket limit rules? As others have pointed out, it isn't illegal to resell tickets for a profit.
"
Yes, I said that. Well, they could be instructed to enforce the ticket rules....obviously they could recognize the same people, over and over again. They have not been told to enforce that, it would seem.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#15Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 1:11pm
dramamama611 said: "LarryD2 said: "dramamama611 said: "which is proof enough the box office staff KNOWS what's going on, but have not been given instructions to respond in any way.
"
In what way could they respond, aside from enforcing the ticket limit rules? As others have pointed out, it isn't illegal to resell tickets for a profit.
"
Yes, I said that. Well, they could be instructed to enforce the ticket rules....obviously they could recognize the same people, over and over again. They have not been told to enforce that, it would seem.
"
Imagine telling the police "They came to the window 3x today to buy 5 tickets each time! Take them away!!!"
I'm sure the box office staff is doing their job to assume positive intent, not judge someone by what they smell like or look like, and sell tickets to customers.
Cupid Boy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/5/13
#16Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 2:37pm
Anshel2 said: "They look almost homeless, speak almost no English and have no idea how to answer basic ticket-seller questions when asked."
It's not enough to simply state that they're buying copious amounts of tickets? What does any of have that have to do with scalping?
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#17Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 2:39pm
PopAria said: "dramamama611 said: "LarryD2 said: "dramamama611 said: "which is proof enough the box office staff KNOWS what's going on, but have not been given instructions to respond in any way.
"
In what way could they respond, aside from enforcing the ticket limit rules? As others have pointed out, it isn't illegal to resell tickets for a profit.
"
Yes, I said that. Well, they could be instructed to enforce the ticket rules....obviously they could recognize the same people, over and over again. They have not been told to enforce that, it would seem.
"
Imagine telling the police "They came to the window 3x today to buy 5 tickets each time! Take them away!!!"
I'm sure the box office staff is doing their job to assume positive intent, not judge someone by what they smell like or look like, and sell tickets to customers.
"
I never meant to imply that. At all. However, IF there are ticket limits, the box office has the right to refuse to sell. They don't have to and the management of each show determines whether to enforce or not. I never mentioned the police, at all.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#18Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 2:44pm
There is an 8-ticket limit per person/credit card/address/IP address, per 7-day period, limit. In another thread someone mentioned that they witness the box office enforcing this (multiple people trying to buy with the same credit card). Obviously there are ways for people to slip through the cracks--someone can come back after a shift change, pay cash, etc.--but it sounds like the box office is enforcing what they can to the best of their abilities.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
boonanas
Featured Actor Joined: 9/25/08
#19Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 3:12pm
A lot of these jerks are given envelopes of cash to purchase and jump into a running car outside. They come by the carful, it's very disgusting. They all generally smell.
#20Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/24/17 at 6:41pm
Lowest forms of life there are, not their smelly selves but the people they work for.
Stephanatic
#21Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/25/17 at 5:16am
AC126748 said: "There is an 8-ticket limit per person/credit card/address/IP address, per 7-day period, limit. In another thread someone mentioned that they witness the box office enforcing this (multiple people trying to buy with the same credit card). Obviously there are ways for people to slip through the cracks--someone can come back after a shift change, pay cash, etc.--but it sounds like the box office is enforcing what they can to the best of their abilities."
That's if you buy from Telecharge.com online. At the box office, the rules and ticket inventory are different. Outside the box office window it states 4 tickets per day if paid by cash and 7 or 8 tickets per day on same credit card.
As I've grown older I have mixed feelings with scalpers. It all depends on whether the show will be a hit or not. If other competing shows causes demand for DEH to fall, then we'll see some great prices from stubhub come 1-2 hours before the show starts.
#22Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/25/17 at 2:17pm
You guys, what if the producers themselves are buying the shows out themselves?
They could then sell the tickets to brokers and other luxury concierge companies at 3x the price and the get even more $$... And those poor people who smell like weed are probably making $40 to stand in that line where you just spent $300.
just another thought.
#23Scalpers at Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 1/25/17 at 3:44pm
PopAria said: "You guys, what if the producers themselves are buying the shows out themselves?
They could then sell the tickets to brokers and other luxury concierge companies at 3x the price and the get even more $$... And those poor people who smell like weed are probably making $40 to stand in that line where you just spent $300.
just another thought."
I wouldn't be surprised. There's a market especially those who stay in the 5* hotels like Waldorf Astoria, St. Regis, Park Hyatt, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, etc. where guests will just ask the concierge for tickets to Hamilton or Lion King or Wicked or DEH and voila! ---- the concierge gets them (for a sweet price of course but to these people price is not an issue.)
