Values

 If you are returning here for the second or third time, you may already be familiar with my dogged allegiance to most everything Disney. I tend to look the other way when the House of Mouse does things that disappoint me with other vendors. I have carved out a place for myself and my family where I can deny the existence of corporate greed and hypocrisy.

Buy the ticket, take the ride. Try not to notice the strings attached. Or the price tag. 

My son and I dropped a thousand dollars on two days in the Happiest Place On Earth. This experience was enhanced by generous gifts of vouchers for food that would fuel us through the days' adventures. We did not stay "on campus." We walked a mile to and from the place where all that fun was kept. It was the value plan. 

And would I do it again? 

Yes. God help me. I would do it again. 

I am old enough to recognize when I am sacrificing a chunk of my ideals to shovel my hard-earned money into the pockets of a five foot tall rodent. I have made my peace with that. But it still burns a little on the edges.

Which is how I feel about the Ticketmaster imbroglio that is currently surrounding the upcoming tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. A friend has suggested that after attending a Springsteen show with me, "Now I know what it's like to go to church with Dave." Those closest to me understand that Bruce is a core belief I hold higher than most anything else. Which is why seeing the word "Ticketmaster" anywhere near the discussion of how I might gain access to this semi-major-demigod is chilling. We can begin with the terrifying phrase "convenience fee." This is the additional charge attached to the price of a ticket that allows you to buy it. Sure, it may be a five dollar ticket, but you're going to have to pay ninety-five dollars for all that "convenience." And let's just go ahead and flip all the cards and say that a one hundred dollar seat to a Bruce Springsteen concert would be cheap. 

So let's go ahead and figure in this new invention: Dynamic Pricing. Also known as "What The Market Will Bear" Pricing. A ticket to one of the Boss' upcoming shows could run you five thousand dollars. Each. For my purposes, that's five two-day trips to Disneyland with my son. Thanks, Ticketmaster, you just made the Magic Kingdom feel like a value vacation.