A Word On Merchandise

pjl44 · August 2018

cincybearcat said:

know1 said:

I've never bought any Pearl Jam merchandise other than music and videos, but the whining about making things fair is pretty pathetic. They are doing what they can. It will be far from perfect. People will always try to game the system. Nothing will ever be fair, though, so why even try? If you like merchandise and it's a priority for you, then act accordingly. If not, then don't worry about it.

Yeah I hear you. But it's a bit disappointing considering the lengths they go to to stop ticket scalping and they overall stance on it. With merch it's like they want the scalping to occur. They can control it more than they do for sure, but they like the hysteria and the sense of scarcity (which is funny considering they sold outside the stadium for like what 4-5 days? I guess nothing is really that scarce then is it?).

But it is how it is, and you are right. Either you determine it's worth it and you stand in line or you don't and you do something else. Still under your control.

I'd argue that the performance is the most sacred aspect of the whole thing. I appreciate that they do everything in their power to get tickets in the hands of fans at a reasonable price. Merch is the commercial side so if that's a priority for anyone, get in the ring.

MedozK · August 2018

cp3iverson said:

Im in week 3 of my PJ poster retirement. It feels great not checking ebay or Lost Dogs every six hours

I feel the same way. Let a lot of my stuff go earlier this year and have really not looked back,

helplessdancer · August 2018

D-Rod said:

If everyone stopped purchasing from flippers then their would be no flippers. I have never purchased anything from a flipper and I never will.

i am proud buyer from a flipper. i paid 3x face for a emek telluride poster. it was awesome! it showed up delivered to my door.
there was no way i was going to wait in that merch line while in god's personal paradise....
the fact that i bought from a flipper is not the problem. waiting in line 3 hours is.

Gern Blansten · August 2018

They had port-o-squats for the merch area for Wrigley '16....I plan on taking a cooler and some beers and dealing with it on Friday so I don't have to worry about it the rest of the time.

know1 · August 2018

Gern Blansten said:

cincybearcat said:

know1 said:

I've never bought any Pearl Jam merchandise other than music and videos, but the whining about making things fair is pretty pathetic. They are doing what they can. It will be far from perfect. People will always try to game the system. Nothing will ever be fair, though, so why even try? If you like merchandise and it's a priority for you, then act accordingly. If not, then don't worry about it.

Yeah I hear you. But it's a bit disappointing considering the lengths they go to to stop ticket scalping and they overall stance on it. With merch it's like they want the scalping to occur. They can control it more than they do for sure, but they like the hysteria and the sense of scarcity (which is funny considering they sold outside the stadium for like what 4-5 days? I guess nothing is really that scarce then is it?).

But it is how it is, and you are right. Either you determine it's worth it and you stand in line or you don't and you do something else. Still under your control.

Exactly....they most certainly aren't "doing everything the can"...they might be doing what they want but that's a different story.

As a businessman I can't fathom PJ leaving all this money in the hands of others.

"Everything they can" is all relevant, though. Sure, they could make more money (likely at our expense) to afford more resources to do things differently, but again, it's relative.

The merchandise stands were open for days. If you want merchandise so badly you'll be upset if you don't get any, then do what's necessary.

IGotId13 · August 2018

mpedone said:

No more merch outside the venue. Purchase limits will cause that one person buy 10 shirts to become 5 people buying 2 each. Sell merch inside, only (and, yes, with firm limits). Sure, there will still be flippers willing to buy a ticket to get stuff, but given how quickly these shows sell out, I'm willing to bet the amount being flipped on eBay would plummet.

I've never understood the merch being outside the venue. I mean, I understand it because I'm not naive, but you know what I mean. You got a ticket? Great, you get access to merch. No ticket? No merch I guess. So it goes. I'd spend more on a ticket package that guaranteed a poster. It's almost always the only merch I really want. I would have grabbed a setlist shirt in a heartbeat but 2+ hour wait on Saturday and Salumi was calling my name. Passed.

IGotId13 · August 2018

Again, they went above and beyond to ensure tickets weren't scalped and that's appreciated. I'd rather deal with some elaborate process like the mobile ticket thing to get a poster and shirt than spend 5 of my 48 hours in town waiting in line.

I've bought from a flipper. Wasn't happy about it but didn't seem like there was much in the way of choice. Wrigley '13 merchandise was nuts. Lines around the stadium for days. I enjoy collecting the posters from the shows I go to and I'm proud of the relatively modest collection I have. There has to be some way to streamline the process.

JB56195 · August 2018

I'd be curious how many people would preorder merch sight unseen? I like to get posters for the shows i attend. I'd preorder a poster pack without seeing them. I'm not a fan of the Shuss poster but I wouldn't care if I bought and was disappointed. The 35 bucks is fine compared to the time it took to wait in line.

Biggest issue is efficiency. I bet 25% of the line on Wed morning was people coming back through to get things that sold out the day before. Why is the system so screwed up those people cant get what they want first time through.

Also why hold stuff back to sell at the venue? Keep putting it out until it's gone. As long as limits are enforced and you must have a ticket to attend the show fine.

RoleModelsinBlood31 · August 2018

Hey bro! You hittin’ the merch line?

cincybearcat · August 2018

pjl44 said:

cincybearcat said:

know1 said:

I've never bought any Pearl Jam merchandise other than music and videos, but the whining about making things fair is pretty pathetic. They are doing what they can. It will be far from perfect. People will always try to game the system. Nothing will ever be fair, though, so why even try? If you like merchandise and it's a priority for you, then act accordingly. If not, then don't worry about it.

Yeah I hear you. But it's a bit disappointing considering the lengths they go to to stop ticket scalping and they overall stance on it. With merch it's like they want the scalping to occur. They can control it more than they do for sure, but they like the hysteria and the sense of scarcity (which is funny considering they sold outside the stadium for like what 4-5 days? I guess nothing is really that scarce then is it?).

But it is how it is, and you are right. Either you determine it's worth it and you stand in line or you don't and you do something else. Still under your control.

I'd argue that the performance is the most sacred aspect of the whole thing. I appreciate that they do everything in their power to get tickets in the hands of fans at a reasonable price. Merch is the commercial side so if that's a priority for anyone, get in the ring.

Well I certainly like the performance most.

But is it the "most sacred". How long were the concerts? How long was the merch stand opened....not counting the stands inside the venue?

Gern Blansten · August 2018

JB56195 said:

I'd be curious how many people would preorder merch sight unseen? I like to get posters for the shows i attend. I'd preorder a poster pack without seeing them. I'm not a fan of the Shuss poster but I wouldn't care if I bought and was disappointed. The 35 bucks is fine compared to the time it took to wait in line.

Biggest issue is efficiency. I bet 25% of the line on Wed morning was people coming back through to get things that sold out the day before. Why is the system so screwed up those people cant get what they want first time through.

Also why hold stuff back to sell at the venue? Keep putting it out until it's gone. As long as limits are enforced and you must have a ticket to attend the show fine.

yeah that's a good point....how awful to wait 2-3 hours and then they don't have what you want? But 20 minutes later they probably restock.

That's like being waterboarded

sgtppr67 · August 2018

xjoshfromworkx said:

For the merch being sold outside days in advance, it would be nice if you had to be a ticketholder to purchase posters or something. Granted, not everyone is getting a ticket that may want a shirt or something small, that's fine, but to buy something SHOW specific, it should be for ticketholders. The lines move slow enough, they might as well add 30 more seconds to have the buyer prove they are going to the show.

Wrigley 2016, I just kept seeing hoards of people walk by with 5+ tubes, arms and bags loaded, and I couldn't tell if they're just flippers that were in line or actual ticketholders. Yes, ticketholders will flip too, but for someone that lives in the city and didn't pay to travel or get a ticket is going to make a monster profit if they can buy whatever they want.

How are ensure those are legit tickets? A second QR/bar code and database created for merch sales? The merch attendants aren't going to be versed enough to detect fake or duplicate ticket. A flipper makes his living on this shit, he will find a way to get around whatever system you put in place. The long lines create a desired effect, FOMO drives sales "well i already waited in line for hours i better by the shirt i didn't want since the one i did is sold out".

pjl44 · August 2018

JB56195 said:

I'd be curious how many people would preorder merch sight unseen?

They did that for the Spectrum shows and people howled about the Tom Tomorrow prints. Not sure if that factored at all into not doing it again, but it was something to behold.

Daron Oshay · August 2018

Merch is no longer a priority for me. Will always want t-shirts and will get things here and there if it’s easy, just not spending all my money and time on it anymore

faithful2you · August 2018

Daron Oshay said:

Merch is no longer a priority for me. Will always want t-shirts and will get things here and there if it’s easy, just not spending all my money and time on it anymore

Same....it's become more of a pain in the ass than what it's worth. I have a totes full of shit from the past 20 yrs and 95% of it is worthless; including posters that will never be framed and boxes full of tshirts. Waste of time and $. Knowing that half the people in the merch line at shows are flippers (and a lot of them are "fans" that buy extra to sell, you know who you are) makes it even more frustrating. The old limit rules of one poster per person should've never went away.

RC242143 · August 2018

Seattle was nuts. I have bern to Fenway and Wrigley and Fenway had the best setup. I waited maybe 1.5 to 2 hours. I already got my stuff outside, but there appeared to be a multitude of stands with stuff that had small lines. Safeco was a mess. The lines were everywhere for food and it seemed like there was not as many Merch stands as there should be.

If the merch gods heed prayers, here are my suggestions:

limits: why do you allow people to get 2 shirts of each size? It should be limit of 2 total per design. Beyond that I don’t see an issue with the rest. If given the choice I would vote for 1 poster, but I don’t think that system is broken. Maybe set a total poster limit of whatever is offered. So if they have 5 designs the limit is 5 with no more than 2 of a single design.

What about some type of VIP line? Either go with Analog members or perhaps creating a new tier of 10 club that allows you to go into a quicker line. Other ideas are to allow those people to preorder some stuff or maybe get access to setlist shirts online after the show.

Speaking of setlist shirts, please figure out a way to sell them online. I know Wrigley 13 was a special situation, because of the show going late, but selling them online in a limited fashion is a great way to allow people who are out of town to have a chance at getting them. If nothing else a great charitable opportunity as I would gladly pay 40-50 with extra going to a good cause.

Another idea that may work better inside is to have smaller stands with alongside the larger stands with everything. Smaller stands could sell just a fewof the main T-shirts and smaller stuff like patches, pins, cards and stickers but no posters.

Had a blast in Seattle with two amazing shows. See you at Wrigley!

jacquelynca · August 2018

Well said. I got my shirt and poster inside on Friday and waited in line maybe 45 min max (got there at 5:30) so got lucky they were selling the shirt and poster i wanted. But, like you i’d Love the set list short, makes me sick what people are selling them for on eBay

ForceofNature101 · August 2018

For me, I just cannot do the hardcore merch stuff like some people do lol. It just seems to stressful and so much of a commitment to get every item you want from every show

I would rather casually stroll in, wait in the line stress free to get a normal cool looking tour shirt, and enjoy the show. Different strokes though!

ForceofNature101 · August 2018

I think definitely maybe imposing a purchase limit and strictly enforcing it on the setlist shirts and other highly desired items may help. It won't stop someone from putting it on Ebay but at least you wouldn't get people buying 50 only to resell

hobowithagrin · August 2018

I got in on Thursday, checked the line that day and Friday and didn't take a chance. Too nuts, too hot and first time in Seattle so didn't want to waste tourist time... Went Saturday in hopes of getting a setlist shirt. Total wait to walk out was about 90 minutes not bad... especially since I got everything I wanted (excluding a setlist shirt).

Suggestions: 1. update the line on the status of items. Example: a lot of folks were waiting just to get the setlist shirt only to find out it had sold out an hour earlier. Also, I talked to some dudes who waited in line only to find out there was no LARGE t shirts left of show specific gear. 2. snake the line inside, like out, so that they take the next person in line and you don't get stuck behind a flipper, super fan, or a shirt-trier-on-er... Super frustrating watching people who were behind you on the outside line walk away with their stuff while you're still 3 deep in your assigned line. 3. have an express line like the grocery store, 5-10 items or less.

Also, I don't think just selling merch inside is a solution, the lines there stretched multiple sections on Friday, even with the outside merch being available already for days, so I couldn't imagine if inside was the only option.

Far as stuff being available on website... I don't think everything should be because of site crashes etc. but an option for ten club ticket lottery winners to add a poster or setlist shirt on to their order would be a simple and welcomed fix.

A Word On Merchandise

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