This.
We got a survey at the end of the season two or three years ago asking for general feedback on things like this. I think last year I got an email asking for feedback after every game (general "rate your overall experience" type of thing). I don't recall getting anything this year.
They need to treat fans better. Businesses with poor sub-rate customer service & or customer experiences usually fail & goes out of business. Fans are an asset not a liability. We need more Wifi.
Yes, and they have made improvements. There is a thread or two every season about this topic. I can literally count on one hand the number of times it taken me more than 5-10 minutes to get through and to my section. Just about every time it was basically my fault for getting to the stadium late or tailgating too long. Those who show up inside of an hour until kickoff and expect to park close and quickly and slip into the stadium with time to spare have a 50/50 chance of being disappointed.
Get better card readers! Two things will speed up the transaction. First get ones with wireless tap on the front, so the workers don't have to keep turning them around. Second, eliminate having to select the no-tip link. This isn't a restaurant! I don't tip at concession stands! And stay off my lawn!
I believe some staff the consessions as fundraisers...and it's almost no effort to hit the No Tip button. If we're down to that being something needing changing...
It's been called that for as long as I remember . . . like at least since the stadium opened on campus . . . We've probably had at least 2 if not 3 different generations of folks who have contributed to running this.
I think it's a nuanced situation. Cashless is more efficient because the people running concessions are volunteers who may not have practice entering a cash payment, and quickly counting out the change to give back to the customer. If you have an experienced cashier, the difference in efficiency goes away (and in the past sometimes you might have gotten lucky and the volunteer running the register had previous cashier experience). However, I would bet it was easier and cheaper to move to cashless than to either increase the training volunteers got or moving away from having volunteers run concessions.
The tipping thing isn't unique to the Gopher stadium, but it's still super annoying. It's happening at a lot of places. The worst is when places ask for tips before you even have the service. And then asking for tips for things that absolutely don't need a tip. The _automated_ car wash by my house even asks for a tip and at most there is just a guy hanging around the building. The tip thing is a pretty common complaint (https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone.../businesses-asking-for-more-tips/71428135007/)
Not everyone has the luxury of making a day of it. Some people have other things going on and devoting 5+ hours to a football game is a lot. I typically end up devoting 6-7 hours per game (commuting time included) and when I invite friends that aren't die hard Gopher fans and tell them the time involved, I sometimes get some very surprised reactions (although at this point I think I've realized which friends will put up with it and which ones won't).
It's no different of a time commitment than going to a Vikings game.
Yeah, I am hard pressed to think of a time where that tip option hasn't come up...
Probably not, but I don't go to Vikings games... But with the length of a college football game (3.5 hours) and the parking situation at the U, it is definitely the biggest time commitment of any sporting event I normally attend (Gopher football, Gopher hockey, Wild, MN United, or Twins).
McDonald's and Target haven't started asking for tips....yet.
Neither does the grocery store or gas stations. I don't eat at fast food places but that's a good point...have any started asking?
The effort of hitting the no tip button isn't the issue. I'm looking at time savings gained over many transactions.
Not exactly fast food but Starbucks asks for a tip before the service.
Starbucks must have high hiring standards & or great pay as their baristas usually have Masters & or PHDs.
Absolutely. Had aisle seats and was a constant issue. There’s too much down time in a game to have a jackass drunkenly stopping in the stairs during a play
I can't speak for the major sports other than the Twins. They have church groups, youth etc., doing many of the concessions. Some people clearly need to be a tad more patient when dealing with them. They are doing the best they can.
Back in the day (not that long ago), people never entered or left a row while play was going on. In fact I remember that you wouldn't and couldn't even enter the aisle at football and hockey games while play was on.
It would be many $millions to add just concession stands and restrooms without an expanded superstructure. It's not like just adding a couple of rooms with pipes. The expansion would be on the open end, not additions to the existing second deck.
