Wanted to post this. Hoping someone who handles merch for the band sees it:
This is my 13th show on this tour and I've never encountered a merch experience like I had today. The merch people have always been so nice. But today as I was buying merch the person helping me had an attitude from the get go. Every time I asked him for something I needed (sighing and rolling his eyes.) I said to him "What is your problem?" He responded "You are my problem." I was in SHOCK. I wasn't doing anything but trying to buy merch.
I had my own poster tube and every time I tried to roll my posters up into my tube he would yell at me "You can't do that here!" When he gave me my total he refused to let me look at the screen to double check things which I have always done. When I again asked him why he had an attitude he yelled "Fuck off!" I could not believe it. I was looking around for some sort of authority because I could not believe this person was talking to me this way. Then what seemed to be his supervisor looking on said "Get your stuff and get out of here! And you better not come back tomorrow!" I was in SHOCK. I had no idea what I had done and the cashier behind the counter continued to tell me to "fuck off" and leave. It was literally one of the craziest experiences I have ever had at a Pearl Jam show.
AND THEN: After the show on Sunday I was walking past the merch table again. It was late, like almost midnight I think. No one was there. As I was walking past I saw this kid again. I didn't say anything and he looked at me from behind the merch table and said "Bitch motherfucker!" I confronted him and he literally ran away to the back.
Welcome to the East Coast….
Chicago 6/29/98, Alpine Valley(EV) 6/13/99, Alpine Valley 10/08/00, Chicago 10/09/00, Phoenix 10/20/00, Orlando 4/12/03, Tampa 4/13/03, San Diego 6/05/03, Vegas 6/06/03, Phoenix 6/07/03, Chicago 6/18/03, Alpine Valley 6/21/03, Orlando 10/08/04, D.C. 10/11/04, Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, LA 7/12/08, Chicago 8/23/09, Chicago 8/24/09, LA 10/07/09, San Diego 10/09/09 (Front Row Center, Finally), Phoenix(EV) 11/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Phoenix 11/19/13, Denver 10/22/14, Wrigley 8/20/16, Wrigley 8/22/16
Don't go to a merch stand expecting the price to be calculated correctly every time. Leakage. Get in, and get the F out. If your Large shirt fits like a Medium, get the F out. All part of the excitement that is merch.
Don't go to a merch stand expecting the price to be calculated correctly every time. Leakage. Get in, and get the F out. If your Large shirt fits like a Medium, get the F out. All part of the excitement that is merch.
Once one of them started swearing at you, you should have started recording it for proof. Otherwise, I have no reason to believe this story is completely accurate. Two sides to every story, and the merch people would probably tell this story very differently. Maybe you were cursing them out, and they were just trying to ask you to leave.
Don't go to a merch stand expecting the price to be calculated correctly every time. Leakage. Get in, and get the F out. If your Large shirt fits like a Medium, get the F out. All part of the excitement that is merch.
If you get the posters first and roll them up while they’re grabbing all of your other shit sometimes they don’t get rung up at all. Then if your shirt is the wrong size it’s not really a loss. Order of operations is important here.
Merch staff at big arena and stadium shows very rarely work directly for the band or even for the venue. The venue will go to an outside contractor to provide event staffing.
Whilst there's no excuse for being an asshole these guys are doing a job working unsociable hours for minimum wage and have most likely had to put up with hundreds of asshole customers before you got there. Unfortunately PJ fans are some of the worst to deal with when it comes to merch. Very few other bands have fans queuing up for merch hours before the event and buying up everything available meaning the merch staff spend a good portion of their shift apologising for the wait times and lack of availability. A few years back I was at a PJ show in London and overheard a couple of the merch stall staff talking saying that not one person had said please or thank you to them all day. So I am not surprised if every now and then one of them snaps at a customer.
2012 - Manchester (UK) 12 Jun - Manchester (UK) 13 Jun 2014 - Amsterdam (NL) 16 Jun - Amsterdam (NL) 17 Jun - Leeds (UK) 8 Jul - Milton Keynes (UK) 11 Jul 2017 - Rio de Janeiro (BR) 21 Mar 2018 - London (UK) 18 Jun - London (UK) 19 Jun - London (UK) 17 Jul 2022 - Vienna (AT) 20 July - Prague (CZ) 22 July - London (UK) 8 Jul - London (UK) 9 Jul 2024 - Manchester (UK) 25 Jun - London (UK) 29 Jun - Lisbon (PT) 13 Jul
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Once I went to the ocean and saw a fish. You went to Boston and met an asshole. Neither one of us should be surprised.
I believe they prefer Masshole.
Soldier Field 7-11-95, Alpine Valley 6-26-98, United Center 6-29-98, Riverport Amphitheater (St. Louis)7-2-98, MGM Grand Arena 10-22-00, Sprint Center (Kansas City)5-3-10, Adams Event Center (Missoula)9-30-12, Wrigley Field 7-19-13, Jobing.com Arena (Phoenix)11-19-13, Moda Center (Portland)11-29-13, Spokane Arena 11-30-13, Pepsi Center (Denver)10-22-14, Gila River Arena (Phoenix)5-9-22, Moody Center (Austin)9-18-23, Moody Center 9-19-23, Rogers Arena (Vancouver)5-4-24, Rogers Arena 5-6-24, MGM Grand 5-16-24, MGM Grand 5-18-24, Wrigley Field 8-29-24, Wrigley Field 8-31-24
Don't go to a merch stand expecting the price to be calculated correctly every time. Leakage. Get in, and get the F out. If your Large shirt fits like a Medium, get the F out. All part of the excitement that is merch.
Haha, that's how it's supposed to be. Now people want to check it out, try it on, and lineup moves super slow. I miss the days where I want this and this, here's the cash, peace out.
Comments
Two sides to every story, and the merch people would probably tell this story very differently. Maybe you were cursing them out, and they were just trying to ask you to leave.
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
Whilst there's no excuse for being an asshole these guys are doing a job working unsociable hours for minimum wage and have most likely had to put up with hundreds of asshole customers before you got there. Unfortunately PJ fans are some of the worst to deal with when it comes to merch. Very few other bands have fans queuing up for merch hours before the event and buying up everything available meaning the merch staff spend a good portion of their shift apologising for the wait times and lack of availability. A few years back I was at a PJ show in London and overheard a couple of the merch stall staff talking saying that not one person had said please or thank you to them all day. So I am not surprised if every now and then one of them snaps at a customer.
2014 - Amsterdam (NL) 16 Jun - Amsterdam (NL) 17 Jun - Leeds (UK) 8 Jul - Milton Keynes (UK) 11 Jul
2017 - Rio de Janeiro (BR) 21 Mar
2018 - London (UK) 18 Jun - London (UK) 19 Jun - London (UK) 17 Jul
2022 - Vienna (AT) 20 July - Prague (CZ) 22 July - London (UK) 8 Jul - London (UK) 9 Jul
2024 - Manchester (UK) 25 Jun - London (UK) 29 Jun - Lisbon (PT) 13 Jul
Ohana (USA) 27 Sep 2024
Ohana (USA) 29 Sep 2024
The op seemed targeted to even get a snarked up comment after the show.
Out of line. Someone was being uncool. Not really surprising, but a little saddening.
Oh well.
Take care of each other.
2018: Fenway 1
2021: Sea.Hear.Now
2022: San Diego, MSG, Camden
2023: Ft. Worth 1, Ft. Worth 2, Austin 1, Austin 2
2024: Las Vegas 1, Las Vegas 2, Wrigley 1, Wrigley 2, MSG 1, MSG 2, Philly 2, Fenway 1, Fenway 2
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Haha, that's how it's supposed to be. Now people want to check it out, try it on, and lineup moves super slow. I miss the days where I want this and this, here's the cash, peace out.
Hartford 10.02.96 | Mansfield 2 09.16.98 | Mansfield 1 08.29.00 | Mansfield 1 07.02.03 | Mansfield 3 07.11.03 | Boston 2 05.25.06 | Tampa 04.11.16 | Fenway 1 08.05.16 | Fenway 2 08.07.16 | Fenway 1 09.02.18 | Fenway 2 09.04.18 | Baltimore 03.28.20 | Hamilton 09.06.22 | Toronto 09.08.22 | Nashville 09.16.22 | St Louis 09.18.22 | Baltimore 09.12.24 | Fenway 1 09.15.24 | Fenway 2 09.17.24
"He made the deal with the devil, we get to play with him.
He goes to hell, of course. We're going to heaven."
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
”Here you go sir.”