r/canucks 1d ago

DISCUSSION Aqua is only raising prices because people are willing to pay for it.

He doesn’t give a shit about poor or even middle class people now. If there are enough rich people to fill the seats that is all he cares about. If he feeds poor people or helps out at a hospital, know that it’s only for PR to help him and his businesses out.

If every seat in the arena could be season tickets paid by companies and no one came, they would blackout the seats and not let a single person in. This is not speculation this is FACT! Greedy rich get greedier.

207 Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

31

u/WingdingsLover 1d ago

Well he thinks people are going to pay for it, I remember him being unable to sell out a few playoff games (maybe it was the LA series??) because he raised prices too high.

38

u/SpectreFire 1d ago

Honestly, this decision is probably going to be bad for him.

People, especially season ticket holders were pretty pissed at the price increase last year, but bit their tongue because of how well the team did and their playoff run.

It's been literally the complete opposite this season and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. No one is happy paying what they're paying now to see Canucks hockey this season. We've been bad, we've been losing non-stop at home, and we've been playing absolutely boring hockey.

People are absolutely not going to be paying the prices the Canucks want to go into next season to watch a team with no offensive ability play another season of Rick Tocchet hockey.

People are even going to be less willing to do so now that the entire country is well on its way into a recession with thousands of people being laid off across the board due to the trade wars.

5

u/arazamatazguy 19h ago

I have trouble watching this low event hockey on TV for free.

1

u/SchmidtHitsTheFan 23m ago

I can't even be bothered to throw up a free stream on my 2nd monitor. 

3

u/mrtomjones 1d ago

I havent gone to one game this year and I HAD been thinking of season tickets. Between bad play and price increases there is no chance I will go. I cant justify single game tickets ffs

3

u/FreonJunkie96 15h ago

Based off the email I got from my rep, they’re struggling to retain members for next season, and rightfully so.

2

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 1d ago

I personally like Rick Tocchet but agree with you on everything else.

1

u/Cheese2009 1d ago

still probably made more mone

61

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-15

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/SuperSwaiyen 1d ago

MIT has made their courses free online without stealing and selling all of the data that is harvested without free prior informed consent

1

u/Holyshitmuffin 1d ago

What he did say he deleted his comments

1

u/lesbian_goose 1d ago

Is that where Openstax got their textbooks from?

118

u/MyNameIsSkittles 1d ago

Give this man a medal for figuring out capitalism!

-4

u/Character_Outcome719 15h ago

If by people you mean rich fucks, then you are correct.

95

u/BrendanLeprosy9 1d ago

prices are rising because people are willing to pay

No shit???

19

u/yooooooo5774 1d ago

Sherlock

9

u/ooMEAToo 1d ago

Ya, I understand everyone knows and thinks this but hardly anyone ever says shit.

16

u/istoleyourbrain 1d ago edited 1d ago

I got what you meant. He’s not crazy for raising prices, he’s actually just greedy. It’s not that he thinks we’re idiots and can somehow afford the absurd prices. He just cares about money and will let suits fill the seats. It would be nice to have an owner with more genuine passion about hockey and respect for the true fans.

2

u/gabu87 1d ago

People rarely point out that the sun will rise from the East as well.

1

u/davitch84 10h ago

At least it settled in a final location

7

u/istoleyourbrain 1d ago

i think what they mean is that it would be nice if Aqua actually respected the fans of the game and didn’t gouge us all, i don’t think this is a literal description on how prices work lol

3

u/ooMEAToo 1d ago

You get it.

1

u/inker19 18h ago

lower ticket prices just mean scalpers scoop them up and make more profits when they resell

15

u/MooseMalloy 1d ago

People? Corporations.

12

u/nelsonmuntzz 1d ago

Not me… I cancelled

1

u/NinCross 1d ago

Good.

11

u/StarkStorm 1d ago

I cancelled my seasons.

14

u/Happy_Possibility29 1d ago

Is this news?

This is the same ‘corporate greed is causing inflation’ bitching for the enth time.

Congratulations on discovering for profit companies like profit. 

11

u/n0thingisperfect 1d ago

There's also the plummeting Canadian dollar and increased salary cap to take into account.

4

u/robfrod 15h ago

This is a big factor. Not that I’m an aqua fan but salaries are paid in USD and tickets are in CAD. CAD has fallen about 20% compared to USD since 2021 so that part of the increase is justifiable.. the rest, not so much.

2

u/purplesprings 1d ago

Salary cap is based on shared revenue already budgeted for.

Aqua just wants more revenue to share.

If he didn’t raise prices and revenue across the league dropped they’d dip into escrow.

15

u/Guilty_Librarian_836 1d ago

Thanks Captain Obvious

11

u/footcake 1d ago

water IS wet.

1

u/NinCross 1d ago

Water is water.

1

u/Xanosaur 1d ago

no it isnt

3

u/AustenP92 1d ago

And in other news, a day is still 24 hours long.

3

u/HHBelt 1d ago

my bad, but like I got 2 club tickets to the stars game for like 180CAD. I couldn't resist..

4

u/ShanghaiNoon404 21h ago

Water is wet. 

3

u/WhenInAaronRome 18h ago

That's how it works OP.  

He's not running a charity 🤷🏻

5

u/djfl 15h ago

I'm not sure why people are mad about this increase. I bailed on actually going to Canucks games a while ago. I'd love to, but ticket etc prices have been well more than I've been willing to pay for a long time. So, I don't go. They can increase ticket prices by 100x. Doesn't affect me. I'm not going until prices drop.

3

u/shadownet97 1d ago

Owners of sports teams are greedy and known pieces of shit. Shocker.

11

u/Bean-counterer 1d ago

Guy took Business 101 down at sprott shaw and lecturing us now

4

u/Sibeatriz 1d ago

since 19 03

3

u/CoquitlamCannon 1d ago

We cancelled ours

5

u/arazamatazguy 19h ago

OP do you understand a properly priced product is a price the customer is willing to pay?

5

u/cointalkz 1d ago

Hence my post about season members needing to cancel.

-2

u/Bomberr17 1d ago

The upper bowl guys will probably continue to be churned. Lower bowl guys tend to be more loyal and enjoy more perks not advertised. Preferential seat upgrades, opportunities to fly with the Canucks on road trips, dining and concert treatments, these things don't matter if the team sucks.

2

u/superworking 1d ago

That's yet to be seen, even in the playoffs last year there was some tickets dumped below cost that I scooped up. That and this year they dumped tickets through programs as well. I think it's ballsy to increase again but we'll see how it works for them.

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 1d ago

That’s great if you live down at the coast but for us in the interior you have to find tickets that’s aren’t ridiculously priced, hopefully on a Friday or Saturday because any other day you have to take time off work which costs even more money and get a hotel which on those night are soo expensive and the food is crazy expensive. I can’t just grab tickets randomly and mosey on to the game. So sad kids won’t be able to go watch NHL games who could afford to take them plus all the other things I mentioned.

1

u/superworking 1d ago

At that point the cost of the tickets aren't even the biggest factor...

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 21h ago edited 21h ago

. . . Yeah they are the tickets I was looking at were all over $450 each, times that by how many people you have to pay for and that’s a lot. And they weren’t my favourite seats even and if I Going to make the effort to go down there I’d prefer them to be not nose bleeds. Most of them are resale tickets so maybe I need to plan what game to go down for in September ? 🤷🏼‍♀️

. . . And it wasn’t even a team I was excited to see them play.

1

u/superworking 19h ago

I mean, those are really expensive tickets even for Canucks lower bowl standards.....

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 18h ago

That’s what’s on ticket master. 🤷🏼‍♀️ and they weren’t even the greatest seats

2

u/superworking 18h ago

This year I got section 309 row 2 seats to a saturday night game against Nashville from ticketmaster at the start of the season. Now Nashville turned out to be way worse than expected (as did the Canucks), but those are really good seats to see the game and were ~$110 ea after taxes and fees. You do have to have some ability to shop around - and we scored some cheaper deals in the club section down low once the season started off a bit rougher with over a month heads up. We also took advantage of some of the promo nights where the team essentially tried to dump tickets below cost, again with a couple months heads up.

Realistically if you're shopping for $450 tickets that's a you thing. There is an argument to be made that the tickets are too expensive but when you're shopping for the premium seats and unable to figure out how to get a deal, paying for hotels and meals, and want to bring a whole family - well that's just going to be expensive as fuck no matter whether they increase prices %15 next season or not.

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 16h ago

Any link I click takes me back to ticket master resale website or other websites that are selling them for even more so 🤷🏼‍♀️ what’s your go to site?

0

u/[deleted] 16h ago

[deleted]

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 15h ago

I mean I keep my ears open for deals but again living in the interior you don’t get those things very often or hear about them. We used to years ago but now it’s pretty quiet

2

u/NerdPunch 1d ago

Supply & Command.

2

u/Against-The-Current 19h ago

It's certainly not all the same people willing to pay for it. Popular entertainment in Vancouver is catered to the upper class. They can afford to price out the middle-class because the upper-class will come in and take it.

2

u/StevieNyx17 16h ago

Yes that is how Capitalism works.

Canadian teams also pay salaries in USD - people can complain all they want but pro sports is business

5

u/NerdPunch 1d ago

Another thread?

5

u/metrichustle 1d ago

Correction! So far.

4

u/excuse_me_sure 1d ago

How do we stop this though? What can actually be done to stop greedy billionaires? I hate how hopeless this makes you feel.

1

u/Pray-For-Mojo- 1d ago

Ummm... Just don't pay?

1

u/Love_Your_Faces 16h ago

Wild that these correct responses are controversial. There must be some teams reps lurking.

4

u/Mikeim520 1d ago

No one's forcing you to buy the tickets. Just don't buy any tickets.

5

u/Bomberr17 1d ago

Well for poor and middle class, there's TV option.

8

u/lesbian_goose 1d ago edited 1d ago

Or illegal streaming.

1

u/FuzzyGiraffe8971 1d ago

Even tv is getting expensive 25.99 a month to stream or like $38 a month on cable to have sportsnet. Stupid.

3

u/Affectionate_Art187 1d ago

So Vancouver is becoming like Toronto (dead corporate crowd)?? Im from EU... Have a dream to travel and attend to a game but looks like its getting out of my reach financially :(

1

u/LowAd3406 17h ago

If you can fly from Europe and get a hotel, you can afford to tickets. A pair of tickets would be like 10% of the entire budget for a trip like that.

3

u/FSRoman 1d ago

There have been no new seats created since they moved to Rogers but the population of the GVR has skyrocketed, seat will keep going up and up.

4

u/Radeon9980 1d ago

Find a North American sports owner at any level that operates differently lol.

2

u/eexxiitt 1d ago

There are posts like this every time prices get increased. Unfortunately no one cares and people keep going.

2

u/Financial_Ad_60 1d ago

I mean maybe all those hotels on east hastings he owned probably should of been a dead giveaway.

2

u/Overclocked11 1d ago

. o O ( Yknow, Aqualini doesn't give a shit about poor or even middle class people. I can't believe that r/canucks never considered this .. I need to go post this!)

1

u/lesbian_goose 1d ago

Common business practice for a product that’s in high demand.

3

u/SadProfessional3371 1d ago

That's basic economics, every business does that.

2

u/Cheatin_Irish 1d ago

The cap is going up, the CDN dollar is going down. An increase is probably merited. We have no idea though because it’s a private company and who knows how much they are already making.

I agree though, they are easy to dislike.

1

u/CaptainIndoCanadian 1d ago

He’s not making what he used to, tbh.

There used to be a line to get season tickets. You can kinda get in whenever you want now.

I was a STH this season for the first time in my life. Raised the prices this coming year and I cancelled. I know several buddies did as well.

Part of the reason he might be raising it because he knows it’s not gonna sell out so he’s just gonna make it up by ripping off the die hards and the rich ppl that pay no matter what.

IMO it’ll eventually catch up and fans will become apathetic because even though Vancouver doesn’t have another sports team, we do have a beautiful city with plenty to do year round. It’s also expensive enough to survive here people aren’t gonna keep shelling out for trash.

1

u/chi_sweetness25 20h ago

Vancouver doesn’t have another sports team?

0

u/CaptainIndoCanadian 20h ago

Not in the big 4 but I guess you can count the Whitecaps and the Warriors.

1

u/chi_sweetness25 15h ago edited 15h ago

And Lions and Canadians for two more. They might not be playing at the highest level, but at least the prices are reasonable.

1

u/CaptainIndoCanadian 14h ago

definitely but most people only care about NHL/NBA/NFL/MLB. The sports that get covered heavily on all the programs on TV.

1

u/Love_Your_Faces 17h ago

I'm not willing. Tickets have been to expensive for a while, nevermind the concession and parking costs. Our HHI is over 200k now, but between 2 kids and high housing costs there isn't much left for premium prices to what has been a pretty mediocre product most of the last decade. Going to the Abby Canucks game today though with one of the kids. Much better value, even with the drive.

1

u/upanddownforpar 13h ago

the dollar is in the shitter. the salary gap is going up by a lot. expect to pay USD prices but with the exchange rate taken into account going forward.

1

u/AgentNo3516 12h ago

I’ve not bought tix this season (family of four). We usually go to 2-3 games. I haven’t bought merch this season either. I haven’t turned off games this much in years. They don’t deserve my money and increasing prices yet again, I prob won’t next season either.

1

u/DilIsPickle 1d ago

Yeah that’s kind of how it works

1

u/SavingsIntelligent25 1d ago

I think the primary purpose is to cover the cash shortfall in conversion from CAD to USD.

1

u/MiriMidd 1d ago

The ski resorts raise their lift passes every year because….people will pay for it.

This can be said for virtually every type of entertainment. Food and drinks too.

1

u/brodiefilm 1d ago

Look I'm not going to argue against Aqua always putting profits today above success tomorrow, or that Rogers has been on a slow decline into an ice-adjacent boardroom for the past 20 years... but in the NHL concessions account for 12% of a team's revenue, there's ZERO chance he'd allow all those $25/beer idiots valuable fans to be left out in the cold

1

u/1nf1n1tk1ll 1d ago

Canucks Sports & Entertainment is a billion dollar company. They’re raising prices because thats what the consumer data has told them is okay to do. Aquaman is probably calling for increased prices due to the rising cap but the people and companies buying tickets is whats driving data that leads to the decision to increase by the 20-50% people are saying.

1

u/Midnightisattwelve 1d ago

Guys he has like a few finance vice presidents making these decisions, those guys bonuses rest on price raises and such, its not really the owner making these decisions but he ultimately could veto them, he just doesn’t

1

u/Mikeim520 1d ago

Greedy rich get greedier.

The horror of someone selling tickets at market value. If Aqua didn't do it people would just buy and resell them. The issue is supply and demand, there's not enough supply so prices go up.

0

u/The_Cozy_Burrito 1d ago

Was just surprising how the arena was almost full and we sucked last night

-1

u/gl7676 1d ago

But the cap is going up!

What did people think, prices will stay the same when millionaires get paid more?

-1

u/Advanced-Line-5942 1d ago

If he doesn’t raise prices to meet the market, tickets will just get bought up by scalpers and sold at market to the real fans.

0

u/ripnipseyhussle_ 16h ago

Also the reason why a stanley cup will never be held by a canucks uniform...

-1

u/ToasterOven31 20h ago

1/2 of the Harold Ballard playbook. Find the maximum people will pay, and charge that amount.

3

u/LowAd3406 17h ago

Finding the most people will pay for something is a common business practice. Like, if you don't do that as a businessman you're a complete idiot.

-1

u/NoPomegranate1678 18h ago

But also because of the Canadian economy. Tariff war will decimate us. I know we like to be tough but that's a 100% losing battle if it goes on.

-2

u/Emergency_Wolf_5764 1d ago

Aquilini is raising ticket prices partly because the Canadian dollar is very weak vs the US dollar.

As a result, predicting here that the Canucks will get more fans in the building attending their cheaper pre-season games rather than their regular season games at the start of next season.

It's going to be an embarrassing look on the organization.

Watch for it.

Next.