Five Tips That Are Better Than Secondary Market & Scalpers
They are the most sought-after sports tickets of the whole year, bigger than the Super Bowl or even The Masters.
And probably the most desirable in the history of Chicago.
It is a World Series ticket to the Cubs games, which take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct, 28-30 at the best ballpark in America, Wrigley Field. The average price of a ticket on the secondary ticket market is $3,000 and one true-blue fan paid $17,500 each for four tickets behind the dugout along the first-base line.
It doesn’t help that Wrigley Field is one of the smallest major sports venues in the county with a capacity of just 41,268.
So how in the would one go about getting a ticket to a game, and how much would you expect to pay for one? Just follow these five tips from PubClub.com and you may be sitting in the stands.
1.) Avoid The Secondary Ticket Market – Use Boots On The Ground
The media has the mistaken notion that if they check StubHub, VividSeats or some of the other secondary ticket websites, they can get an accurate picture of ticket prices to events. Then again, maybe they are just lazy.
Anyway, you really don’t know the situation until you get to the stadium. Boots on the ground is always better. Arrive at least two hours early (heck, make it three, you won’t want to miss out on the atmosphere anyway), walk around and assess the situation.
Since the on-line price is around $3,000, the on-site price may be closer to $1,500.
2.) Go For The Saturday Or Sunday Game
Getting into the game on Friday will be the toughest of the three days. That’s because it’s the first game and the Cubs haven’t hosted a World Series game since 1945.. Go check out the scene and soak up the atmosphere, but don’t expect to find many tickets on this night.
3.) Ask People Off The El Train
Catch people as they are coming off the train. Look for families. The best to approach are fathers with a son; maybe the wife couldn’t come or just didn’t want to come and the guy bought her a ticket. Don’t be bashful, hold up a finger or two indicating how many tickets you are seeking and repeat “anybody have tickets? Anybody have tickets?”
Unless you come across a screaming deal immediately, walk away from the first few offers. See what else is out there, but be careful to judge the situation. If there are not many tickets available, as is likely to be the case, you may have to act quickly to get one.
Avoid the front of Wrigley if at all possible and the typical “scalper-looking” people. Also be on the lookout for cops who will be patrolling to bust scalpers.
Finally, check any tickets carefully; make sure they have the right date, look up on-line what the real tickets look like and compare, and even try and convince someone who isn’t selling just to show you their ticket by saying “hey, you mind if I look and see what a World Series ticket looks like,” so you have a close-up visual.
4.) Ask People In The Bars
This is actually your best chance of finding “reasonably-priced” tickets, period. Hit Murphy’s Bleachers and the Captain Morgan Bar. The Cubby Bear and/or Wrigleyille Tap (be sure and steal a pen from this place; it’s a cool and free souvenir!).
Why the bars? This is where you will find the most fun and friendly Cubs fans and they provide the best opportunity to find a ticket at the best price. Oh, and dress in a Cubs shirt.
Be aware, tho, that some of these bars have raised beer and drink prices and a few are actually charging a cover; the Cubby Bear (an old, established dive bar) is charging $100! And on Friday nite, there was a four-hour wait ti get into Murphy’s Bleachers.
But all of Chicago is going to Wrigleyville for the game so there’s plenty of prospects to ask for tickets.
5.) Get Single Tickets
If you’re looking for more than one ticket, you’re way better off going for single tickets rather than seats together; these are more readily available and they are going to be less expensive because people want to sit with their friends. So single tickets are the toughest to sell and are often more readily available; if you find one in your price range, jump on it and then start looking for another single ticket.
So what if you don’t sit together; talk about it later in the bars.
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