What is with the price of food at the ball park?

idk about that i have never gone to a baseball game

Supply and demand (sort of). They are the only vendors of the product, meaning no competition. This means that they have a monopoly on the market (within the stadium). When you are the only one who has the desired item, you can charge as much as you like because you know people will come to you.

Yea, what Eambos said.

People are willing to pay $4, so they charge $4.

You can’t exactly buy a package of hot dogs when you are trapped in a ball park. You want a hot dog and have no where else to go. That’s how they justify it.

Why would they charge $1 when they could charge $4? I’m not saying they are right, but they are in the business to make money. I would love to make that much money off something that cost me so little. As long as they can, they will. Just like the oil companies! =)

hey but arent ball park hot dogs bigger then usual.. like the dodger dog or something like that

remember ive never gone but ive heard that they are really good

Overpriced! Its crazy how much normal stuff costs at ball games. Sometimes a normal bottled water will cost 3 or 4 bucks. If you can take in your own stuff, its much cheeper.

@ melly6708-Mine wasnt any bigger but it did taste good. i think thats psycological.

@ all. First, because they can doesn’t make me as simple as the tone of some of your responses imply. It costs $.002 to make a medicinal pill they will end up charging you $4 for and I bet all of you who just basically said suck it up don’t care for that. Now we are only talking about hot dogs here, but there was a time when a family of four could go to a game and have a hot dog and a drink and maybe pick up a pennant or a shirt to remember the game by for the kids. Something to get them excited about the game. That is becoming a fiscal impossibility at the major league level.

What are the costs where you are if you know them? Who gets a cut?

its not just at a ball park you know.. other places charge exaggerated amounts for food

like at the movie theaters the regular candy is like 2.50 thats why i sneak in my own food.. hehehehe

Think the British and Boston in the eighteenth century.
You have everybody cooped up in a contained environment — there’s nowhere else to go. They can’t leave and get food. You are their only source.
You can charge almost anything you want; they will still buy the food.

@ melly6708 – that is another great example of a place you used to be able to take the family for a fun time. But wow the prices.

PS what is “idk”?

I guess I was just steamed having been raked. At least the Brewers swept with a 10–1 victory.

I guess that is why I am not in that. To much guilt for my taste.

@lefteh i totally agree.. i once payed 2 bux for a regular caned soda!

@melly6708 what is “idk”?

go on a carnival cruise. domestic beer is $5.75 as of last october. i drank $300 or more easy in four nights.

haha its I DONT KNOW.. in internet talk

sry i get too caught up on these conversations so i use the short way

@ melly6708 heheh oh, thanks. That makes sense.

@buster – eeeep

$4?! At Yankee Stadium a hotdog will set you back $6.50 easy. Maybe more.

At the warped tour last year, they charged $4 for a bottle of water. $6 for a lemonaid! What was worse was that it was in august up near Kansas City. It was so hot and there was almost no relief. The bands rocked though!

My wild guess tells me that “idk” means I would like
Cost per hot dog to the company selling them would be in the ballpark of $1 buck, this includes the bun, hot dog, mayonnaise, mustard, packing materials, transportation, storage, etc. The Stadium owner gets a cut, then the manager, then the guys who employ those guys selling hot dogs, then these guys must earn some bucks, so is a big line of middle man here. Now if you could get up of your lazy seat and say buy the hot dog from a vending machine then you could cut down costs, but logistically speaking it wouldn’t work.

i dont know about baseball, but in hockey, beer is the prefferred beverage, and canadian beer is the preferred of the prefferred beverage, especially in quebec. the bell center in montreal charges $9.95 for a beer. AND its only a crappy molson export. its the most expensive beer in north america, as of this past season. what really grinds my gears is that some people have like 5 beers in one night and puke a little. maybe they have a “frequent beer buyers card” or something. i should look into that.

wow. so $4 isn’t even as bad as it gets. wel. there you go. Thanks all for your input! Next time I shall engorge beforehand.

@Bri: You mention the Brewers. Why pay for food at the ballpark when you have the best tailgateing venue in major league sports in Milwaukee? Bring your food, your grill and eat cheap. Forget the food inside.

i agree.. people should bring their own food.. do they allow you to bring outside food????

@ Sueanne and Melly _ good point anyone?

I love how entertainment will always be prioritized above education…

The fact is, people are willing to pay it.

To All, ballparks at least Dodger stadium doesn’t even allow bottle water, forget food. So that’s why they know they can get you good once you are in. Just bring plenty of chewing gum and pretend you are not hungry for as long as the game last then as soon as you can get out go to a Tommy’s burger stand, they’re open 24/7 and usually are near baseball stadiums.

@ shockvalue – I understand the “fact”. The “Fact” is also that in marketing, if properly applied in the right environment, you can sometimes achieve, through both higher prices than normal and good will, better results than just gouging. I was just wondering if there was a point where that might be a good idea. But here is a hot dog from the people who brought litigation to little league.

It is clear to everyone as it has been stated before by others and I should have put in the question, people are willing to pay, so they charge. My mistake for not including it in the question. It gave to many people an easy out.

Ooh I really want a hot dog right now after reading this question. And I would pay $4 for it right now.

@Edmartin: I know in Milwaukee at Miller Park (at least the last time I was there) you are welcome to bring in food and non-boozy drink as long as it fits into a grocery bag. No coolers and such. Most people bring snack items and soda pop/water. Gotta love the simple living in the midwest….

Because the venue gets a cut….its the price of overhead

@ sueanne – that is were I live and the park I saw them at. I am going to look into that. I never even considered that they may let me bring food in.