| Why is it better to let 100 seats or more a night sit empty, rather than selling them at a reduced price? I'm seriously asking, because I'm no expert on theater economics. But my family has been in the hotel industry for sixty years, and when we have rooms that are unsold, we offer incentives (discounts, flash sales, etc) to fill them rather than leaving them empty. I've always viewed theater tickets as commodities with a fixed shelf life, like hotel rooms or airplane seats -- if they aren't sold by the time the curtain goes up or the plane takes off, they've lost their value. Why not sell empty seats for $40 cash starting an hour before curtain -- isn't some money better than none? |
