| Met abandons online drawing for rush tickets | |
| Posted by: | bwayjoey 04:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| From an email I just received: We would like to inform you that the Rush Ticket program is changing for the 2014–15 season. In response to audience feedback, we are no longer offering tickets via online drawing. Instead, they will be sold on our website on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Friday, November 21 at noon. Tickets will go on sale for performances Monday–Friday at noon, matinees four hours before curtain, and Saturday evenings at 2pm. For complete rules and information, visit metopera.org/rush. Thank you for participating in the Rush Ticket program. We hope to see you at the Met soon! Sincerely, Metropolitan Opera | |
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| re: what changed ? | |
| Posted by: | Guillaume 11:38 am EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | Met abandons online drawing for rush tickets - bwayjoey 04:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Was it a lottery before, for that evening's performance? I'm surprised they let you buy a pair of tickets every seven days, that seems very generous. If you live in relative proximity to the Met and can sit by your computer every time at noon, you could see a lot of shows cheaply over the course of the season, and effectively block others from seats. I'd rather see them block a person from re-buying a seat this way until others who have not won a seat get to go first, to broaden the audience. I wonder if you will know where your seat is before you buy it? | |
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| re: what changed ? | |
| Posted by: | sirpupnyc 12:36 pm EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | re: what changed ? - Guillaume 11:38 am EST 11/21/14 |
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| Before this season, it was line up and wait at the box office, same-day, with a portion set aside for seniors, who could buy online. This season (until today) it's been a lottery like the weekend lottery: enter online starting the evening before, get an email at noon, purchase by two hours (I think) before curtain. There's no choice of seating, and I haven't used either version of this season's system yet. But with the weekend lottery a few years back, the specific seats went into my cart when I went to redeem my win, so I knew exactly what I was getting. | |
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| re: what changed ? | |
| Posted by: | Guillaume 01:33 pm EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | re: what changed ? - sirpupnyc 12:36 pm EST 11/21/14 |
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| hmm, thanks. i agree that the lottery seems more user friendly; you don't have to be by a computer at noon. | |
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| re: what changed ? | |
| Posted by: | sirpupnyc 03:05 pm EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | re: what changed ? - Guillaume 01:33 pm EST 11/21/14 |
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| The lottery seemed like a good idea in theory--at least in that it expanded the availability beyond those who were free to go sit in line for a chunk of the day and the aged--but the implementation worked against it, I think. The old weekend lottery had a waiting list, since it was drawing on Tuesday for purchase Wednesday for Friday and Saturday's performances. So if a winner didn't buy, someone else got in. The new system, since it was all same-day, didn't have that and if a winner didn't buy the tickets reverted to regular full-price tickets. I think they were seeing more of that than they expected, people entering who decided not to go, or couldn't. If the lottery seats are some of the less desirable ones that are harder to move at full price on average nights, they were probably ending up with empty seats and losing the donation that subsidized the lottery price. | |
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| I think this is a bad decision | |
| Posted by: | oddone 06:39 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | Met abandons online drawing for rush tickets - bwayjoey 04:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| They say it's based on audience feedback- but from my limited experience with it, I liked the lottery. You aren't tied to a computer at a specific time. | |
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| re: I think this is a bad decision | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 10:27 am EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | I think this is a bad decision - oddone 06:39 pm EST 11/20/14 |
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| Here's the dilemma I think - and I agree this is a bad option. If you ever joined the old line at the Met for Rush tickets, one would notice that a large number were tourists - this was not a bad thing. It gave anyone with time to wait in line - like Rush/Lottery tix at Broadway shows - a chance for a rush ticket. And there were a certain number of rush tickets that Seniors who were fast on their keyboards could buy on line. Curious to see if the Met site crashes at noon today! | |
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| re: I think this is a bad decision | |
| Posted by: | oddone 01:48 pm EST 11/21/14 |
| In reply to: | re: I think this is a bad decision - NewtonUK 10:27 am EST 11/21/14 |
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| I agree that both online versions are better than the live version, especially since I imagine they are trying to favor residents of NYC over tourists (one group has more free time but less reliable internet access? and the other vice versa? perhaps?). I knew about the old rush system and never used it because I couldn't be bothered to deal with that whole process. So I never went to the Met, since it is generally expensive otherwise. I'm betting that some people wanted the old live system back, and this is a way of sort of placating them. Perhaps they wanted the old assurance that if they got in line at a certain time, they'd definitely get tickets, vs the new system where it was left to chance. But I think the lotto is ultimately easier and more "fair." It doesn't favor those who happen to have time right at noon. And- without knowing how many people are trying right at noon- it also might favor those with super fast internet speeds. With the lotto, you might not know for sure if you'll win, but the time/energy you spend on the process is less. No stressing about being free at noon, etc. | |
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