Am I just too cheap? Or too principled? Or... [read on]

[Sherlock77]

Calgary hosts an annual science geekery event called Beakerhead for five or six years now... It's a whole bunch of events over several days, culminating in a large event on Saturday evening

At the beginning it was a free event, and I never missed a year of it, just lots of fun to photograph, I know a lot of their funding is through gov't and corporate sponsorship...

It was always very spontaneous, come and go as you please, wander in and out, etc... Last year they fenced the event off and charged $5, I know $5 isn't much but I just refused to go, on the principle of them charging money for the event

This year? I was prepared to pay $5 for it, looked on their website, they had jacked up the price to $27 Immediately I decided I simply would not pay the ticket price, from free to $27 in three years was just too much for me

Yes, I can afford $27, I just simply refuse to pay... Looking at a post tonight asking people if they were going (to take photos), I said as much, that I refuse to pay that much... Are people (are photographers) like sheep with something like this? I can be very principled with things like this, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, what people will think of me, or do I really care that much... I just feel very alone in saying what I feel, as if I'm the only person who thinks that, or maybe other people feel the same way but don't say a thing...

 

[Xerces Blue]

hmm
The World Fair in 1939 cost 75 cents per person 15+ years and 25 cents for 14-3 and 10 cents for children once per week.
accounting for inflation (1745.7%) that's $13.84 for an adult.
Per day.

The world fair was supposed to showcase the science and engineering around the world.
Showcases from year to year include the Eiffel Tower, the Space Needle and other triumphs/feats.

Just putting things in perspective.

 

[Sherlock77]

hmm
The World Fair in 1939 cost 75 cents per person 15+ years and 25 cents for 14-3 and 10 cents for children once per week.
accounting for inflation (1745.7%) that's $13.84 for an adult.
Per day.

The world fair was supposed to showcase the science and engineering around the world.
Showcases from year to year include the Eiffel Tower, the Space Needle and other triumphs/feats.

Just putting things in perspective.

I do know about inflation, but the inflation to increase from $5 to $27 in one year, rather enormous

 

[Fino]

Is the reason you feel it should be free because it was free at one point? And so if it cost money in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem? Or is there some other reason it should be free?

 

[Sherlock77]

Is the reason you feel it should be free because it was free at one point? And so if it cost money in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem? Or is there some other reason it should be free?

Talking with a friend and fellow photographer, who also would not pay that much to go... I said that if the bar had been set early on for that much money (and not free) I would have less issue with that much of a price increase... Having said that, I do realize events like this are expensive to run... It's more the way they have gone about it...

 

[Bolletje]

I guess it depends on how much you want to take those photographs. I pretty much stopped going to the annual local outdoor cultural week because when I was a kid a lot of the shows were free and those that weren’t sold affordable tickets at the door. Nowadays you have to order online weeks, sometimes months in advance, and the festival has become too crowded.
I’ve also been skipping a lot of concerts lately because I feel ticket prices have become too steep, so I only go to concerts from artists I feel really strongly about. It’s not that I can’t afford to pay, but I won’t shell our 50 euros a piece for an artist I think “might be fun”.

 

[Progster]

I think I would have a similar reaction and that it's not so much about the money, but more about the sudden change... don't like sudden changes.

Edit: Lol, only just realised why people are rating this funny. Pun not intended!

 

[George Newman]

I can relate to your scenario in a real way. To be restrained, guarded, and wise in how we spend our resources is a positive quality. I think you can be proud that you take-pause when considering the entry price of this event and its increase over the previous year.

In this scenario one might ask, do I feel the events’ value increased from $0 to $27 in two years? Is what’s gained from the experience worth $27? What additional information might I not have? Has the event locations price for using the space gone up? Has the government and community funds dried up? Are the event managers greedy? Did the event managers add significant give-always that require a fee increase? Did the size of the event double? The answers to these and more like them may shed light on the circumstance.

Now I will also share that I find myself refusing to pay some of the prices for goods and services these days simply out of principle. In many instances I am simply being stubborn. “Damn it! I remember when that item was $1 and the quantity was twice as much.” God bless capitalism.

I feel your frugalness is a virtue and a quality that is lacking these days in our immediate-gratification, western culture where we spend impulsively and pay for it later. Many times we are just as empty as we were prior to the spend.

Cool post, thanks.

 

[Pats]

I agree with you. Why such a drastic increase? I get irritated with stuff like this anyway. Even our national parks, that get billions each year from the government, also charge each person to go in, which could be up to 3,000 cars in one day. That's 60,000 $ in one day. And our taxes are paying for the park - they really don't need both, do they?

 

[Mia]

I'm quite similar when it comes to that sort of thing. Recently a grocery store began using carts that you had to rent. You put a toonie in, to unlock the cart. I stopped shopping at that particular store for good. As, all the other groceries do not charge for carts, the store is a market which is selling food and they wished to charge me to buy their goods? Not going to happen. If it were for a charity, I might pay the extra two dollars.

In several instances, where people were selling things be it an farmer's market, a flea market, or a fall antique or a local artisan sale they charged an entry fee. It was simply a way for the venue to make more income. As I've sold art by renting a table at some of these places, I can attest to the fact that I had to give a quarter of my profits to the owner/ organizer. So they made income both from the rented tables and the entry fee. It's more about greed than anything else.

 

[GadAbout]

Any recurring event that grows in popularity will probably also grow in size. This means space rental and security become more expensive, as well. It's not necessary to feel indignant about this. The event has just changed in nature, and it's fine to look for other start-up (and smaller) events.

I'm also pretty thoughtful about whether I want to spend money to attend a mega-event. Usually the answer is no.

 

[Sherlock77]

Postlude: One of my friends went down to simply observe the festivities from the outside, I was convinced no one would pay that much, but according to the website they sold out the event... He talked to one person who came out from it, she wasn't aware of the previous years, and how much/little they cost to attend...

 

[Judge]

I would have essentially reacted with the same response. But there's more in play than what your personal uptake is.

With these sort of scenarios, the first thing that comes to mind are those who have a mentality of assessing primarily what people are willing to pay, as opposed to what the real value of goods or services might actually be.

Especially for one-time or even annual events. Or when you pull up to a gas pump. Sometimes robbery is a crime. Other times, not so much.

So...is it that you're too cheap, or perhaps that someone else is too greedy?

 

[Tom]

Idk. Science can be expensive. 10 days on the International Space Station (where is the bathroom and how do I use it?) cost 35 Million USD.

 

[Wolfnox]

Greed and fools. Both walk hand in hand.

 

[Misery]

I'm gonna do my devil's advocate thing again.

Simple fact: Stuff like that, any "event", aint cheap to make or set up. The more popular it gets... the more people come... the harder it is to do and the more it costs (particularly when it comes to security!). There is *alot* that goes on behind the scene of any major event that you, the visitor, never have any idea about, as it's usually kept from your view for a reason. And the people that run them dont exactly get a choice when it comes to paying for those things, nor do they get a choice about incoming funding from other sources. If they dont get the money needed... they cant produce future events.

Unfortunately, the aspect of things like corporate funding is also an issue. When you do that... get corporate funding... it's a deal with the devil. Corporations dont do that out of the goodness of their non-existent hearts. Whether or not that specific bit is the case here is impossible to say, but... hoboy there sure are alot of different companies/groups listed on that site. There's no way in hell they're all playing the part of the "good guys".

But not just that... Just looking at the site for this Beakerhead thing, this looks like an incredibly expensive logistical nightmare. The conventions I'm used to do some freaking crazy things... but it's nothing like the bloody lunacy I'm seeing just on that site. I dont for a second envy those that actually have to set this up or work there.

The idea that this was free before, or somehow costing just $5, absolutely baffles me. Hell, $27 seems cheap to me, with something like this. The price hike on this one isnt just a matter of greed. It's a matter of inevitability. Hell, even the site itself must have cost a lot of money.

Besides.... you think THAT is expensive? The sorts of events I'm used to cost about $60 to get in.... and that's before counting the fact that a hotel stay is almost always mandatory (and that the hotels take advantage of that... the jerks). I'm used to dumping around $300 on the conventions I go to. ....That's before food, too. Having seen some of the "backside" of those conventions though... $60 almost seems too cheap to me for that entry ticket, and the utter hell the organizers go through. The hotel owners can go take a long walk off a short pier though.

$27... as far as I'm concerned... is nothing, for an event like this. Nothing at all.

 

[GadAbout]

I'm gonna do my devil's advocate thing again.

Simple fact: Stuff like that, any "event", aint cheap to make or set up. The more popular it gets... the more people come... the harder it is to do and the more it costs (particularly when it comes to security!). There is *alot* that goes on behind the scene of any major event that you, the visitor, never have any idea about, as it's usually kept from your view for a reason. And the people that run them dont exactly get a choice when it comes to paying for those things, nor do they get a choice about incoming funding from other sources. If they dont get the money needed... they cant produce future events.

Unfortunately, the aspect of things like corporate funding is also an issue. When you do that... get corporate funding... it's a deal with the devil. Corporations dont do that out of the goodness of their non-existent hearts. Whether or not that specific bit is the case here is impossible to say, but... hoboy there sure are alot of different companies/groups listed on that site. There's no way in hell they're all playing the part of the "good guys".

But not just that... Just looking at the site for this Beakerhead thing, this looks like an incredibly expensive logistical nightmare. The conventions I'm used to do some freaking crazy things... but it's nothing like the bloody lunacy I'm seeing just on that site. I dont for a second envy those that actually have to set this up or work there.

The idea that this was free before, or somehow costing just $5, absolutely baffles me. Hell, $27 seems cheap to me, with something like this. The price hike on this one isnt just a matter of greed. It's a matter of inevitability. Hell, even the site itself must have cost a lot of money.

Besides.... you think THAT is expensive? The sorts of events I'm used to cost about $60 to get in.... and that's before counting the fact that a hotel stay is almost always mandatory (and that the hotels take advantage of that... the jerks). I'm used to dumping around $300 on the conventions I go to. ....That's before food, too. Having seen some of the "backside" of those conventions though... $60 almost seems too cheap to me for that entry ticket, and the utter hell the organizers go through. The hotel owners can go take a long walk off a short pier though.

$27... as far as I'm concerned... is nothing, for an event like this. Nothing at all.

@Misery you've just expanded on the point I was making, and I agree with everything you said.

 

[Streetwise]

Calgary hosts an annual science geekery event called Beakerhead for five or six years now... It's a whole bunch of events over several days, culminating in a large event on Saturday evening

At the beginning it was a free event, and I never missed a year of it, just lots of fun to photograph, I know a lot of their funding is through gov't and corporate sponsorship...

It was always very spontaneous, come and go as you please, wander in and out, etc... Last year they fenced the event off and charged $5, I know $5 isn't much but I just refused to go, on the principle of them charging money for the event

This year? I was prepared to pay $5 for it, looked on their website, they had jacked up the price to $27 Immediately I decided I simply would not pay the ticket price, from free to $27 in three years was just too much for me

Yes, I can afford $27, I just simply refuse to pay... Looking at a post tonight asking people if they were going (to take photos), I said as much, that I refuse to pay that much... Are people (are photographers) like sheep with something like this? I can be very principled with things like this, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, what people will think of me, or do I really care that much... I just feel very alone in saying what I feel, as if I'm the only person who thinks that, or maybe other people feel the same way but don't say a thing...

neither

 

[Mary Terry]

I view the admission fee is the price of entertainment. If I think some event is going to be sufficiently interesting and entertaining, then I'm willing to pay the price.

 

[Wolfnox]

If its unique like a movie. Or one and only time to do it thing. Then i dont mind. But im broke all the time anyway.