Universal Studios Hollywood increases ticket prices as much as 20%

Universal hates poor people.

If Trump was on the board, they'd build a much taller wall around the place. ;)

And it would be the best wall, the greatest wall, because he has a very good brain.

Plus, Hollywood would pay for it.

Only because he's going to make them pay for it.

Universal swears by the JK Rowlings business manifesto "The Magic of the Deal."

TIME is again playing the theme parks hate poor people card. That's sad. Remember when that magazine had actual news?

I like how the article goes from lamenting how horribly visitors are being treated: "...tourists are being gouged for hitting the attractions on peak days..." to that last paragraph that acknowledges for-profit businesses are, well, looking to earn more money.

slithernoggin said:

I like how the article goes from lamenting how horribly visitors are being treated: "...tourists are being gouged for hitting the attractions on peak days..."

I see that same sentiment weekly in my industry (transportation engineering/planning] in the form of "auto drivers are being gouged for driving during rush hour", as if that's the only variable/option. Just buy your tickets in advance, travel during off peaks if you can, or be willing to pay for your perception of convenience. I say perception, because being at a park during a peak day isn't as enjoyable for me anyways, so there's an element of pre-warning in the pricing here.

You have to stop and ask yourself "am I actually willing to pay MORE to go to a park when it's busier than usual?" To some people, the answer to that is yes. If price is the constraint and you want the most bang for your buck, Universal is also (indirectly) informing of when the park is less busy, so... I don't know. As a consumer, I think there are ways to use this to your advantage from a trip planning perspective.

Jeff said:

Remember when that magazine had actual news?

Not really.

The pricing changes are part of a larger trend in the theme park world, in which tourists are being gouged for hitting the attractions on peak visitation days—and for visiting on the spur of the moment rather than booking tickets in advance.

How can a writer in the Money section of a magazine have such a horrid understanding of basic economics. But then there seems to be a revelation:

When taken as a whole, the new pricing strategies have a win-win-win effect for theme parks: They milk more money out of short-term and peak-day visitors, while boosting visitation on slower days and encouraging guests to stay longer—serving as crowd control and maximizing revenues at the same time.

You would think after having written that last paragraph that the author would have revisited everything else before it. I suppose of the goal was news that would have happened. But not if you have an agenda.

A common first-blush reaction is "Wait a durned minute. They already got a bazillion people in here and they need 25 more dollars out of me?" I can see how it spells greed to the customer (and this writer, apparently), but most people walking around aren't economists and don't get it.

Anyway, the jokes on them, silly Universal. Don't they know that (even at 20%) three weeks isn't long enough to pay for that new ride? Jeez....

I don't think you need to be an economist to understand supply and demand. I remember them teaching it in grade six, in crappy Cleveland public schools no less.

They can teach all they like. Who's remembering and then applying? Clearly, not everyone.

Next you'll tell me that the grammar on the Internet is by default terrible.

Ha! You got me there. I don't know how that happened, but it did.

I look forward to Mr Martin's forthcoming articles on how Steak n Shake, McCormick & Schmick and Fleming's are also gouging customers by letting they pay less at certain times.