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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
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I fear that I’ve become my old man. I’ve morphed into a grumpy (but loveable) curmudgeon who wonders what our world is coming to. And it wasn’t just the $12 snow cones that sent me over the edge. It was the snow cones and the $10 cotton candy and the $6 bags of popcorn.
Last week our family experienced our first “on ice” extravaganza at Sprint Center with Disney’s Toy Story 3. Totally fabulous! Over-the-top talent and costumes and lights and set design. Characters doing flips on skates, others lowered in on cables from the rafters, pyrotechnics, great music and dancing. A stunning sensory extravaganza! My girls’ squeals of excitement were priceless.
What else could a kid or a parent want!!??
Apparently more. Lots more. As in lots more indecently priced plastic objects paired with valueless sugary snacks.
OK, I get the souvenir thing. My heart isn't two sizes too small (maybe only one). And I’m in the kids’ entertainment business. I sell CDs and t-shirts at my shows. I get it. But I’ve got to draw the line at outrageous.
The fact that the $12 snow cones came in “commemorative” “collectible” plastic mugs in the shape of Buzz Lightyear’s head (or Woody, or Jessie) didn’t make it any less ridiculous. And the $10 cotton candy came with a wearable foam Buzz helmet. So, I fully understand the concept of getting an edible treat and a souvenir all in one. But, still I ask, “Why?” Others may answer, “Why not?” I answer, “No way.” It's a matter of principle.
My girls walked away with great memories that day and no souvenirs, even though the marketing juggernaut was overwhelming. I’m not exaggerating (those of you who were there, back me up), as we came up off the escalator into the mezzanine, there was a souvenir stand about every 30 feet. And they weren’t different – all were selling the same stuff.
And then there were the vendors walking around inside the arena like over-aggressive panhandlers. One of them actually walked up to my girls and held one of those spinning lighted gizmos right in front of their noses. As they stared dazzled by the lights, he said, “Wouldn’t you girls like one of these?” My wife politely told him to stop hypnotizing our children and move along. Had I seen the interaction, I probably wouldn’t have been so gracious. They wanted $20 for the twirly gizmo.
We were fortunate to get great seats and cheap tickets to this event through a group discount, but it’s not an inexpensive outing for a family when tickets range from $20 to $80. And then to add souvenirs and treats on top of that – holy smokes! You’ve blown through the monthly entertainment budget in a couple of hours.
The day care group we were with provided snack bags for each of us and a bottle of water. Smart thinking. And one mom said she snuck out the day before the show to the Dollar Tree and purchased a light up sword and a light up fairy wand for her kids and pulled them out when they settled into their seats. The kids were none-the-wiser. But she was. I’ll remember that for next time.
My dad used to take my siblings and me to Royals games when I was a kid. We’d always pick up a large bag of peanuts at the grocery store to snack on during the game. That was the ritual. If we wanted a drink, there were water fountains. He didn’t make a big stink about it and neither did we. I never really cared about getting a souvenir. Frankly, it rarely, if ever, crossed my mind. The event was the treat. Hanging out with my dad at the ballpark was what made it special.
At the risk of sounding like a crotchety, old dude, why isn’t the event itself enough?
It isn't just you. I remember the first On Ice experience we had several years ago. I was lucky that a friend took us, because the tickets themselves were too much for my limited budget and I certainly didn't have much for anything else. The kids were thirsty and I tood them to get a drink from the water founntain, but they were blocked by all of the vendors and of course the vendors wouldn't let us through. The concessions were too expensive, so we waited and afterwards had a frosty at Wendy's, for less than $10 total. Those are definetely fun gigs if you can say no to the extra stuff.I about choked when my husband asked me for a few extra bucks for the snow cones because he only had $22 on him. However, I will say that the mugs the snow cones came in were pretty nice and unique, and have seen a lot of use since we got them home, and will probably be around for a long time. I was really surprised at the prices of everything that entire night, starting with the tickets. It's cost-prohibitive for so many! There's a lot of wonderful, high quality kid entertainment in town that sometimes is showcased at libraries and events at no cost. Those events are just as fun as this was. Have you heard of any of them, Jim? ;-)I agree that the prices are a little steep. I am also one who doesn't buy concessions at the movie's. I tell my kids from the start no toys or food. Last year at the princess/disney ice show I found some neat light up princess necklaces at target for a few bucks. As my girls looks and the mounds of toys I pulled out the necklaces and they were thrilled. This year I found some toy story figures at wal-mart and treated them with a fast food meal on the way there. A treat for them and % of the cost.From the presenters side, the event itself isn't enough because there's money to be made on all the side items (like over-priced food and trinkets). I think the correct term is "corporate greed." Disney Co. didn't get as big as it is by underpricing things. Have you seen the admission prices for Disney Land or Disney World? It'd make you cry. So no, I'm not surprised they're doing this at their ice shows. Disgusted, yes. Surprised, no. There are ways around this, like buying trinkets for your kids BEFORE you walk into the event (as others said). My sister got us free tickets to Disney Land because one of her friends works there, and employees are given free passes. I'm glad you had great times at the ball games with your dad, and were smart enough to appreciate the time you had together. That was priceless.
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