Why Can't People Learn To Stay In Their ASSIGNED Seats???

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

So, I work at a performing arts theater, like for plays and concerts and stuff. At my theater, there is a price difference between levels, but you wouldn't know because the last two levels are connected by stairs. On evenings when a performance doesn't sell very well, you have empty seats between the break in price. At times, people would move from the cheap seats to a more expensive seats, about $10+ difference. Some are good about it and move back, but then there are some that complain and whine that there are nobody are sitting there. They even try and say that people are kicking their seats so that's why they want to move up. I mean, if you want to move closer, they could of fork out the extra cash to sit there.

Why can't people stay in their seats??

[GaTechGal]

Just to play devil's advocate here, if the seats aren't sold, then after the performance starts what does it matter as long as they aren't creating a disturbance?

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

Just to play devil's advocate here, if the seats aren't sold, then after the performance starts what does it matter as long as they aren't creating a disturbance?

Would it be fair for you if someone from the nosebleed secttion move to the more expensive seats that you paid $20 more to get??

[Amphigorey]

I don't see a problem if they're not disturbing anybody and the seats are empty anyway.

[Shios]

Would it be fair for you if someone from the nosebleed secttion move to the more expensive seats that you paid $20 more to get??

This is the problem with express tickets. When people have the ExpressPLUS passes, they can only use them on each attraction, ONCE. Every now and again, I'll scan the tickets and it will come up with the error message "Exceeded usage" meaning they have already been through the express line. They'll stand there and argue with me for 3-4 minutes about why they can't just go ONE MORE TIME through the express, and I just tell them "Well look, if I let you through one more time, then I will have to let everybody else behind you that has listened to this conversation through again as well, because you paid the same money that they did, and it wouldn't be fair if you got to use it more then intended and they didn't, and I really can't allow that."

[Ms. Matterhorn]

Assigned seats? I think the problem begins in High School...

On the other hand, don't the performers prefer to look out and see a full house? At the Academy Awards, they have people who are "seat fillers" who fill in the empty seats in front if somebody goes to the restroom.

Try looking at it this way...those seat jumpers are performing a service!

[DisneyMom]

When we were at the Rush concert in Irvine, the seats in front of us were empty until the start of the concert, after which we had no less than 4 or 5 different groups come and go.....guess the seats (although stolen) weren't good enough for them...

[ktulu]

When I was younger and attended concerts on a regular basis, my friends and I often upgraded ourselves to better seats. When we got caught and escorted back to the lawn (aka the cheap seats), we'd wait for the next band to start and a group of us would upgrade once again. Ah, good times...

[Disneyguy85]

Why can't people stay in their seats??

Eh, because they are people, that's why. ;)

For the same reason why people will go to a movie theater and pay for a ticket for a certain movie, then sneak into the auditorium for a completely different movie.

I guess people just like to cheat the system and dance with danger.

[Syndrome]

I don't have a strong feeling on this one way or another, but I guess the main unfairness would like in the fact that a certain number of people paid $X extra for their good seats, while the others get the same type of seat for significantly less. Would it be fair to refund the difference to the poor devils who didn't think of buying the crummy seats and hoping for a free upgrade? And what if there are more self-upgraders than there are available empties? Do they fight it out in a cage match?

On the flipside, Mr. Syndrome and my brother went to see "On the Record" in Chicago (only true Disney fans remember that colossal flop). My nephew and niece were at the same performance, but in the nosebleeds where their season tickets were located. An usher actually gave them permission to sit near bro and the mister since there were empty seats.

This brings to mind an only vaguely connected story: One day Mr. Syndrome and I showed up to see Evita in Chicago, only to discover that our view was totally obscured by a hastily-installed soundboard. We were moved to the second row...pretty sweet. Dunno if the people around us resented having paid more, but hey, not my problem in that case.