The soaring cost of having fun
Manchester Evening News|September 17, 2024
£10 PINTS, £350 GIGS AND £120 FOOTBALL MATCHES ARE PRICING US OUT OF 'LIFE'S SMALL LUXURIES'
JENNA CAMPBELL
The soaring cost of having fun

I'VE spent a lot of time in queues recently. Mostly virtual queues.

Earlier this month, I, like millions others attempted to obtain tickets for the much-hyped Oasis reunion tour.

During the five-hour wait I encountered ticket sites that crashed under the level of demand, accusations of being a ticket-fleecing bot and a grim figure constantly reminding me just how back in the queue I was.

And then something else happened. Dynamic pricing came into play. The process by which the price of something adjusts in response to demand has become commonplace for services like taxis and holidays. Crucially though, the consumer is made aware of this well before purchase.

The model is now also in action for gigs. In December, those after tickets for Paul McCartney at Co-op Live ended up paying close to £600 for tickets originally thought to be available for £182.95.

And yet, for many trying to secure their spot at the 'biblical' Oasis comeback, this was the first time they had encountered the practice.

In the case of the Oasis gigs, a proportion of the tickets were adjusted to reflect the 'market-price' value of tickets seen on resale sites. On September 1, this saw some tickets go from the standard but still very pricey £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster.

When the spinning wheel of doom 'confirming availability' gave way to 'In demand' standing tickets priced at this eye-watering figure, I knew the game was over. It confirmed something to me about the cost of going out right now.

It's simply too expensive.

In this case you could argue that pricing structures such as this allow devoted fans to see their wish list artists, but in some cases those £355 tickets will have simply been bought by those who have the means, or perhaps panicked. Many of us cannot justify or afford that kind of spending we're being priced out.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 17, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 17, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS MANCHESTER EVENING NEWSAlle anzeigen
ANT AND TY ARE 'READY TO COPE' WITH DEMANDS
Manchester Evening News

ANT AND TY ARE 'READY TO COPE' WITH DEMANDS

RUBEN Amorim believes Antony and Tyrell Malacia are 'ready to cope' with the demands after starting for United against Bodo/Glimt.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Irwin would surely approve of United's new unsung hero at heart of defence
Manchester Evening News

Irwin would surely approve of United's new unsung hero at heart of defence

DENIS Irwin sat behind Sir Alex Ferguson on Thursday night.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 30, 2024
VIK HAPPY TO STICK WITH RU AT UNITED
Manchester Evening News

VIK HAPPY TO STICK WITH RU AT UNITED

SUPERSTAR striker Viktor Gyokeres would be happy to join United and work with Ruben Amorim once again.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Title not over if we lose at Anfield, says City manager
Manchester Evening News

Title not over if we lose at Anfield, says City manager

PEP Guardiola has backtracked on his assertion that City's title chances could be over this weekend.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Manchester Evening News

State ban blow for City’s ownership

A LABOUR peer has called for football clubs to be banned from being owned by states - which if passed would force City's Sheikh Mansour to sell.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Manchester Evening News

BOWLER ANDERSON RETURNS TO LANCS

LANCASHIRE Cricket have announced the return of Anderson Phillip on an overseas contract for the 2025 Rothesay County Championship.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Pope's top form is down to Stew!
Manchester Evening News

Pope's top form is down to Stew!

OLLIE Pope revealed a heart to heart with his mentor Alec Stewart helped pave the way for his timely return to form against New Zealand.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 30, 2024
Thieves raid supermarket parcel locker
Manchester Evening News

Thieves raid supermarket parcel locker

AN investigation is underway after a number of parcel lockers outside supermarket were ransacked and left empty.

time-read
1 min  |
November 30, 2024
Food banks should never be the norm
Manchester Evening News

Food banks should never be the norm

BUT FOR NOW, THEY REMAIN VITAL TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN BRITAIN

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 30, 2024
Finance adviser conned pensioner out of £50k
Manchester Evening News

Finance adviser conned pensioner out of £50k

A FINANCIAL adviser who stole more than £50,000 from a vulnerable, elderly woman has been jailed.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 30, 2024