No Vendors

[strumdatjag]

Maybe I missed this thread (but I don’t think it’s been discussed).  
Part of the experience about being at the ballpark has been lost - No more vendors walking through the stands. From the beer guy with umbrella hat at the old Met (who would respond “Milk for you son” when my juvenile friends and I would order a beer in vain), to Wally the Beerman at the Dome to the hotdog guy with a flair at Target Field, and more, the vendors have been part of the experience.    But there is no more din of  “Hey Hot Dogs” to “Get Your Frosty Malts”.  All we have is some guy hustling raffle tickets.  Maybe the view of a big play won’t be blocked by a vendor, but I’ll still miss this part of the American baseball experience.   Hasta La vista. 

[Rosterman]

Part of it was COVID concerns and more exessive handling of food product.

[Shaitan]

I'll admit I haven't been to a game since COVID to notice.

But I will say that I know people who had worked this job and...they are not paid adequately.

[strumdatjag]

As COVID-mania wanes, I don’t think we will see a return of vendors to Target Field.  There are no more cash transactions (except side bets between fans), everything is by credit or debit card.  
It’s all part of the new cashless world. 

[lecroy24fan]

9 hours ago, strumdatjag said:

As COVID-mania wanes, I don’t think we will see a return of vendors to Target Field.  There are no more cash transactions (except side bets between fans), everything is by credit or debit card.  
It’s all part of the new cashless world. 

Split the Pot also takes cash.

[theBOMisthebomb]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:22 PM, Shaitan said:

I'll admit I haven't been to a game since COVID to notice.

But I will say that I know people who had worked this job and...they are not paid adequately.

My buddy hawked beers pre-COVID at Target Field and used to make hundreds in tips at a busy game. NFL games were even more lucrative. They even used to get a bunch of vendors together and car pool over to Lambeau when they had the chance so the money was so good. 

[DJL44]

I think with the difficulty finding help in food service jobs you are unlikely to see vendors return.

[bean5302]

I agree with @DJL44. I know quite a few people in or connected to the service industry including a close friend who bartends at Target Field. There's no staffing. Delaware North has a hard core training/intro video about all the rules, etc, but it goes totally un-enforced because they simply can't afford to lose staff.

It's also, undoubtedly impacted by being a "cashless" ballpark. I suppose there would be some hesitation to pass people's (always been horribly, disgustingly filthy) money down to a vendor at the aisle and have them pass change and food/beverages back. Wifi transactions are less stable and don't get me started on TwinsPay... so having vendors with only card readers might have been a logistics issue, but requiring vendors to pass their scanning devices through the stands for TwinsPay phone transactions would definitely present problems.

I do miss vendors in the stands and it's been commented on by many random folks (especially out of towners) in the seats next to mine when I'm at the game. 

[SwainZag]

With stadiums being built with much better access to concourses, it makes having mobile vendors a lot less beneficial.  In the older stadiums a far seat could mean a 15-20 walk to the nearest beer/dog stand.  I don't think there is a seat at Target Field where you are going to walk more than 7-8 minutes to get that now.  I use to work as a vendor at a minor league park in high school.  We did everything from fountain soda to cotton candy.  The pay was decent then, but man it was hard work trudging up and down those stairs in the sun for a couple hours every night with a full tray.

[ashbury]

So you expect to outbid everyone else on Stubhub for your down-low seats behind home plate, and then have some underling, who's probably living in a van down by the river, come and serve you your hot dog and beer and cotton candy right there at your seat, and then bitch about it if he provides mustard and ketchup but ran out of pickle relish packets?  WELL, LAH-DI-FRICKEN-DAH!

 

/ any resemblances to tracts concerning Class Struggle are purely coincidental

[chpettit19]

I mean there's still vendors yelling out to get your beer from them and whatnot, they just aren't having to walk up and down the stairs. There's a vendor at the top of at least every other staircase of the lower level and they all yell "beer here" or whatever if they don't have a line. I did notice earlier this year that there weren't any folks walking the stairs and commented that it was weird, but it's not like they've totally disappeared. They've just made it so the fans have to walk up the stairs to get their beers now. It does take a little away from the nostalgia, though.

[Unwinder]

I haven't tried this myself, but isn't it also now possible to put in an order for snacks or beer or whatever on some sort of app and they bring it straight to your seat? I feel like I saw this advertised somewhere.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

So you expect to outbid everyone else on Stubhub for your down-low seats behind home plate, and then have some underling, who's probably living in a van down by the river, come and serve you your hot dog and beer and cotton candy right there at your seat, and then bitch about it if he provides mustard and ketchup but ran out of pickle relish packets?  WELL, LAH-DI-FRICKEN-DAH!

 

/ any resemblance to tracts concerning Class Struggle are purely coincidental

Considering the Twins were offering tickets without fees, tickets directly through the Twins are cheaper than Stubhub

[lecroy24fan]

6 hours ago, Unwinder said:

I haven't tried this myself, but isn't it also now possible to put in an order for snacks or beer or whatever on some sort of app and they bring it straight to your seat? I feel like I saw this advertised somewhere.

The only places they bring it to you is in the champions club or delta club. If you order from your seat elsewhere you still have to get up and go pick it up.

[KirbyDome89]

9 hours ago, SwainZag said:

With stadiums being built with much better access to concourses, it makes having mobile vendors a lot less beneficial.  In the older stadiums a far seat could mean a 15-20 walk to the nearest beer/dog stand.  I don't think there is a seat at Target Field where you are going to walk more than 7-8 minutes to get that now.  I use to work as a vendor at a minor league park in high school.  We did everything from fountain soda to cotton candy.  The pay was decent then, but man it was hard work trudging up and down those stairs in the sun for a couple hours every night with a full tray.

Maybe an unintended consequence of this, but the last game I was at this summer there were people up and down ALL GAME LONG. I had an aisle seat, and missed entire chunks of the game because there was a steady stream. Idk if the ushers aren't holding people because of the lack of vendors, maybe there's just a total lack of game etiquette, or some combination of both, but whatever the case it got old. Fast.

[lecroy24fan]

1 hour ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Maybe an unintended consequence of this, but the last game I was at this summer there were people up and down ALL GAME LONG. I had an aisle seat, and missed entire chunks of the game because there was a steady stream. Idk if the ushers aren't holding people because of the lack of vendors, maybe there's just a total lack of game etiquette, or some combination of both, but whatever the case it got old. Fast.

Been my experience all season. It's frustrating. 

The night of the Cole Swindell concert the aisle I was on was clearly the meeting area for field access as from the 6th inning on it was non-stop people coming down the aisle. Felt like 30,000 came down the aisle.

[bean5302]

Ushers are definitely NOT holding fans in most instances for non-premium seats. They rarely enforced the rule in upper level seats, but they always used to enforce it for lowers.

They definitely enforce it well for Club Level based on my personal experience. I'd be shocked if they didn't for Dugout Box, Home Plate Box and Champions Club as well.

Diamond Box and Field Box? maaaaayyybe. Left Field Bleachers, almost never. Even when fans are voluntarily standing. It's really annoying.

[Nine of twelve]

I saw this somewhere and I try to remind myself of it when I start to get frustrated about a service issue:

Everywhere is short-staffed. Please be patient.

[lecroy24fan]

4 hours ago, Nine of twelve said:

I saw this somewhere and I try to remind myself of it when I start to get frustrated about a service issue:

Everywhere is short-staffed. Please be patient.

I don't think this is much of a shortage issue, but really the cashless stuff is the issue. 

 

I'm still wondering why they got rid of the pop vendors years ago, maybe 10 years now. Not everyone wants to drink beer.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, lecroy24fan said:

I don't think this is much of a shortage issue, but really the cashless stuff is the issue. 

 

I'm still wondering why they got rid of the pop vendors years ago, maybe 10 years now. Not everyone wants to drink beer.

It’s all about profit maximization. I’m sure they kept track of who spends the most on what and determined it’s ‘More beer, more money’ and not so much the other stuff. I don’t drink beer so when I get to the stadium, (or used to, haven’t been to a game in a couple years), I buy a beverage or two (water, pop, Gatorade), depending on the heat and/or sun, and that’s that. Most venues now seem to have places to fill a water bottle … does Target Field? I’d actually prefer not to spend at all on these things.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, Squirrel said:

It’s all about profit maximization. I’m sure they kept track of who spends the most on what and determined it’s ‘More beer, more money’ and not so much the other stuff. I don’t drink beer so when I get to the stadium, (or used to, haven’t been to a game in a couple years), I buy a beverage or two (water, pop, Gatorade), depending on the heat and/or sun, and that’s that. Most venues now seem to have places to fill a water bottle … does Target Field? I’d actually prefer not to spend at all on these things.

Target Field does offer free water and you can bring empty water bottles into the game. I'm not sure what is meant by "pop vendors" if they were talking about the walking vendors or just in general. You can get soft drinks, sports drinks and water at virtually every single vendor at the stadium.

[Squirrel]

13 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Target Field does offer free water and you can bring empty water bottles into the game. I'm not sure what is meant by "pop vendors" if they were talking about the walking vendors or just in general. You can get soft drinks, sports drinks and water at virtually every single vendor at the stadium.

I think they meant ‘soda pop’ … sellers of non-alcoholic beverages

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

I think they meant ‘soda pop’ … sellers of non-alcoholic beverages

That part I got. Just didn't know if they were still talking about the aisle/walking vendors still haha. Or if they were talking about dedicated, like, "Pepsi" kiosks.

[lecroy24fan]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

That part I got. Just didn't know if they were still talking about the aisle/walking vendors still haha. Or if they were talking about dedicated, like, "Pepsi" kiosks.

Aisle vendors

[lecroy24fan]

Also I think another factor into the cashless issue is that they charge tax on everything on top of the cost now. It used to be preadded into the cost and made to be an even dollar amount.