Parking: Pack 'em in or you'll pay
Rays to allow free spots to carloads of four or more only and hold the line on most tickets.
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 13, 2007
The Devil Rays said free parking wouldn't last forever. But in announcing the reinstatement of parking charges for next season, they unveiled a family and environmentally friendly compromise, allowing vehicles with four or more passengers to continue to park at no charge.
After finishing with the majors' worst record 66-96, the Rays also refrained from the standard ticket-price increase, making just two slight adjustments from last season's individual prime (Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees) and regular-game prices - raising upper deck seats $1 and cutting outfield seats $1 - while keeping season tickets the same.
But, joining a growing industry practice to stimulate advance sales, the Rays are implementing a surcharge ($2) on tickets sold within five hours of game time.
"We just feel like we're priced fairly, and it didn't make sense to do anything extreme," senior vice president Mark Fernandez said. "We think prices aren't the reason anyone wouldn't come to a game. A family can buy four tickets for $36, park for free and bring in their drinks and snacks, and that's what I'm really proud of."
Though they are switching their primary color to blue, the Rays are touting the new parking policy as the continued "greening" of the franchise by encouraging carpooling.
"We were talking about a lot of things and the idea got thrown out," Fernandez said. "We thought we'd walk the talk about being green, and it became a really cool thing for families."
For vehicles with less than four passengers, the cost will be $10 for the main lots and $5 for remote lots, the same as it was before Stuart Sternberg bought the team and made the free parking offer for the 2006 season, and extended it a second season, costing the team an estimated $2-million per year in revenue.
The day-of-game surcharge is the latest way teams are getting extra money out of fans, but the Rays also hope it helps in their somewhat unsuccessful efforts to get fans to buy tickets ahead of time, though it isn't high enough to discourage fans from making a last-minute decision to attend.
At least 10 other teams use it in some form, Fernandez said, with others considering it. The Rays' version is more liberal than some - the Yankees, for example, start charging at midnight the night before and add up to $100 depending on the ticket price.
Individual tickets won't be on sale until next year, but a three-game Holiday Pack (including the April 8 home opener) will be available starting Nov. 9.
Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@ tampabay.com. View his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/rays.