Not greed, just profit maximizing. It is easy to graph using price/quanity(demand)/cost. So if the ball park can sell 10,000 beers(cost .$50) at $8=$75,000 profit ($80,000 - $5,000 cost )
as opposed to selling 15,000 beers at $6 ($80,000 -$7,500)=$72,500. If they lower the price to $4 and sell 20,000 units then their profits decline to $70,000. However if they could sell 25,000 units at $4 then they would have $87,500 profit!
Both beer and baseball cards are totally discretionary purchase. It is no more greed than a worker or baseball player seeking a job that pays the most.
I would hate to guess how many cards/sets I have. And I would say 95% of them are Topps.
cumberlandreds (08-22-2021),KeefeCato (08-22-2021),Old school 1983 (08-21-2021),SteelSD (08-21-2021)
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
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cumberlandreds (08-22-2021),KeefeCato (08-22-2021),Old school 1983 (08-21-2021),westofyou (08-21-2021)
I suppose I come from a different world, because I still remember the neighborhood market in Winchester, Ky., where I could afford to buy one pack a week. The idea that it was possible to buy a whole set would be inconceivable.
I miss the cards I could buy with my tobacco. Those were the days. Cocaine in my Coca Cola was great too.
I had a choice with my allowance money. Buy the whole set sold from the back of the Sporting News in 1973 or buy my set of Marvel comics like the death of Gwen Stacy and then the Green Goblin and then the first appearance of Wolverine in the Incredible Hulk along with Black Panther #1 and Iron First #1.
I preferred buying a bunch of Marvel Comics, which there were a bunch to choose from plus back issues from almost a year ago that you could find. including the Giant Size ones then spending money on a box set of cards. I didn’t see the value of it then and I would have opened Up the Box. It was easier to buy an extra comic and put it in a bag for safe keeping.
westofyou (08-21-2021)
In the 1960's Topps would issue the cards in series so if the store you usually bought your cards from bought a large quantity of cards early in the year then they would still be selling cards numbered < 350 in August. It was big news if a friend found a store that had the current series cards. I was able to complete my 1961 set late in 1961 by ordering from a dealer that had cards for $.04 each. By 1970's there were numerous dealers such as Renata Glassco that sold sets or vendor packs that advertised in Sporting News.
Last edited by jimbroznan; 08-22-2021 at 07:58 AM.
KeefeCato (08-22-2021)
I didn't introduce the word, just responded to another post.
It's semantics.
Concession prices at the ball park are over the top. It's a monopoly, so they can. And furthermore, they need to to help pay for the product on the field. The players are making insane money. The market bears it. Players might pick a contract that's $150MM for 4 years instead of $140MM over the same timeframe. Wouldn't you? Sure. Couldn't that be greed? Sure.
Business and greed aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
...and as stated in my original comment, it's business.
757690 (08-22-2021)
In 1974 the Indians 2x their average attendance by offering $.10 'beer'(3.2%) Adjusted for inflation that would be $.55 today. As to making a profit it depends on how elastic is demand will a 50% price cut lead to > 50% increase in sales?
Amusing anecdote:
I went to a Dodger game with friends. Parking was $30, $7.5 a person. I was low on cash, so I offered to buy the driver a beer instead of paying my share of parking, which at the time seemed like a fair deal. The cheapest beer I could find was $12 for a bottle of Bud Light.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
Bob Sheed (08-22-2021),cumberlandreds (08-22-2021)
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