Re: senior discounts
> Robert A. Book wrote: > > First, for off-peak movies and the like, the idea is to fill > > the seats that would otherwise go empty; in other words, convince > > the seniors to see movies int he afternoon, so seats are available > > for full-price customers at night. . . . > > So why do movie theaters have *both* an off-peak discount, > available to all comers, and a senior discount at all times? To get both effects at once -- fill the seats with people who can come off-peak, not all of whom are seniors, and also give a break to seniors who are more likely to be price-shopping. (How many teenagers call movie theaters to ask their prices?)
Re: senior discounts
In a message dated 2/8/05 2:24:37 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Robert A. Book wrote: > First, for off-peak movies and the like, the idea is to fill > the seats that would otherwise go empty; in other words, convince > the seniors to see movies int he afternoon, so seats are available > for full-price customers at night. . . . So why do movie theaters have *both* an off-peak discount, available to all comers, and a senior discount at all times? I'd guess the standard reason for price discrimination--differing price elasticities of demand and difficulty arbitraging among them. You can't buy a ticket for a matinee and then resell it to someone wanting to go to an evening show. You could use your senior discount to buy a cheaper ticket to whatever show and resell it for a price between yours and the full price, but the physical environment would tend to limit such arbitrage. How many elderly people want to stand around waiting to catch someone who's willing to buy tickets from a stranger for a couple of bucks less than full price right under the watchful eye of theater personel? My father (age 81) can't stand in wait in line for anything! And as frugal as he is, and as much time as he has to spend on medical care (starting with dialysis for hours each of three times per week) he's not going to spend much of that time standing around trying to earn a couple of bucks reselling movie tickets. He's rather just stay home and watch tv or read a book. David
Re: senior discounts
obsolete since 21 December 2001 Robert A. Book wrote: Huh? Work has been embarrassingly sporadic since that date, though Necessity has not yet bitten me hard enough to inspire me to think of a skill I have that might still be marketable. -- Anton Sherwood, http://www.ogre.nu/ obsolete since 21 December 2001
Re: senior discounts
Robert A. Book wrote: > First, for off-peak movies and the like, the idea is to fill > the seats that would otherwise go empty; in other words, convince > the seniors to see movies int he afternoon, so seats are available > for full-price customers at night. . . . So why do movie theaters have *both* an off-peak discount, available to all comers, and a senior discount at all times? -- Anton Sherwood, http://www.ogre.nu/ obsolete since 21 December 2001
Re: senior discounts
Talking about age discriminaton: Social security is anomalous in that it steals from the youngest, poorest, most unskilled workers and delivers the stolen funds to wealthy retired people who are financially better off then the poor youngsters will ever be. It is a wonder that it hasn't led to violence (yet?). But that is because government schools (socialist schools) make the youngsters too stupid to realize what is happening. - Original Message - From: "Anton Sherwood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 1:09 AM Subject: senior discounts I was chatting just now with my dad (age 66) about discriminatory pricing, and he remarked that senior discounts are anomalous: why should a class with more than average wealth *and* leisure need extra tempting to go to the movies? He suggested cultural lag: once upon a time the elderly were poorer than average, and nobody wants to be the first to stop giving them a break. -- Anton Sherwood, http://www.ogre.nu/ obsolete since 21 December 2001
Re: senior discounts
> I was chatting just now with my dad (age 66) about discriminatory > pricing, and he remarked that senior discounts are anomalous: why should > a class with more than average wealth *and* leisure need extra tempting > to go to the movies? He suggested cultural lag: once upon a time the > elderly were poorer than average, and nobody wants to be the first to > stop giving them a break. As Steven Landsburg explains in "The Armchair Economist" (namesake of this mailing list), it's the leisure time. There are two ideas here. First, for off-peak movies and the like, the idea is to fill the seats that would otherwise go empty; in other words, convince the seniors to see movies int he afternoon, so seats are available for full-price customers at night. If everyone wants to go at night, you can only sell X tickets and make P*X dollars. But if you get the seniors to go in the afternoon for (say) .75*P, then you can make (.75*P)*S + P*X dollars, where S is the number of seniors. This is, of course, assuming you can fill the theater completely with non-seniors at night. Change that assumption and the numbers change a bit, but not the basic idea. Same story for senior discounts at off-peak times for restaurants, etc. For goods that aren't sold off-peak like that -- say, physical goods -- the idea is that people with more leisure time are more likely to spend time looking for a better price. So, just give it too them anyway to keep them from going to another seller. Thus, a non-senior might not have time to call every hotel or grocery store for the cheapest price, but a senior might spend a lot of time before the trip doing so. So, to keep the seniors without giving lower prices to everyone else, given seniors discounts. > obsolete since 21 December 2001 Huh? --Robert
senior discounts
I was chatting just now with my dad (age 66) about discriminatory pricing, and he remarked that senior discounts are anomalous: why should a class with more than average wealth *and* leisure need extra tempting to go to the movies? He suggested cultural lag: once upon a time the elderly were poorer than average, and nobody wants to be the first to stop giving them a break. -- Anton Sherwood, http://www.ogre.nu/ obsolete since 21 December 2001
Senior discounts cut at amusement parks
From the article, it seems that this chain feels that there is some change in demand curve for senior citizens. But not all parks are getting rid of their discounts. Amusement Park Chain Ends Senior Discounts By PATRICK WALTERS PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Roller coasters that go upside down don't faze 66-year-old Olga Schmitt. What makes her scream is having to pay more for season passes to Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom now that the owners are eliminating senior discounts at their parks nationwide, bucking an industry trend of increased marketing toward seniors. Schmitt and her husband have had season passes to the park near Allentown for years. She loved the rides, especially the roller coasters, and they both enjoy cooling off at the water park in the summer. But the couple is on a fixed income and will likely not go when the price increases next season. (This story continues below the company news) ``That would be the same as taking away your bread at our age,'' said John Schmitt, 72, adding that the couple's two season passes would cost almost twice as much next year. Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP said the change will affect all its parks - Cedar Point, in Sandusky; Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif.; Valleyfair, near Minneapolis, Minn.; Worlds of Fun, in Kansas City, Mo.; and Michigan's Adventure near Muskegon, Mich. Cedar Fair officials said they eliminated the discounts because seniors were becoming more active and no longer needed an incentive to visit their attractions. ``In the past the policy was because we felt there was less at the park for them to do,'' said Brian Witherow, director of investor relations for Cedar Fair. ``We see more of them doing more than they were doing before.'' The decision was made in the last month, Witherow said. He also said that Cedar Fair has done more than $90 million in improvements since it bought Dorney Park in 1992, including the addition of more slow-paced rides and areas for seniors. He said 50-and-over customers represent about 2 percent to 3 percent of park attendees. The cut in senior discounts means people over 4 feet tall will have to pay $98 for season passes after the Dorney Park season opens next year, although that rate would be somewhat lower if tickets are bought in advance, spokesman Chris Ozimek said. Other major amusement park chains, however, said they expect to maintain their senior discounts and in some cases increase them. Beth Robertson, a spokeswoman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, which represents about 450 parks in the United States, said 4 percent to 5 percent of park attendees nationwide are seniors and that most parks have discounts for them. The number of seniors going to parks increases every year, especially in Florida and on the West Coast, Robertson said. Gerard Hoeppner, a spokesman for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, said his park is working to intensify marketing toward seniors. The park has discounts for AARP members, as well as certain discounts for anyone who is 50 or older. ``The active older adult of today is not the senior of 1950 and frankly not even 1960,'' Hoeppner said. ``It's everyone from Mick Jagger to Bill Clinton. That's the new face of aging in America.'' Oklahoma City-based Six Flags Inc., which owns and operates 39 amusement parks in North America and Europe, also has no plans to halt discounts for senior citizens, spokeswoman Debbie Nauser said. Cedar Fair's policy is an aberration as opposed to the rule in an amusement park industry that is increasingly catering to seniors, especially as baby boomers grow older, according to Laura Rossman, vice president of lifestage products and integrated marketing for AARP Services. And since seniors such as the Scmitts are becoming a more active and mobile c
