$3.50 Pop bait & switch

[TecnoGenius]

TLDR; There is no $3.50 pop in the tailgate area, contrary to what the promotions led me to believe.

Got to the tailgate at 6pm once again; this time I spent considerable energy looking for the supposed $3.50 pop that is advertised along with the discounted beer.  These, along with cheap dogs, are supposed to be the early-bird (I think "pre-kickoff") and tailgate specials.

Obviously the beer is everywhere in the tailgate.  But I went to every single concession/kiosk in the tailgate and looked or asked about the $3.50 pop and was told at 2 places it doesn't exist unless I go inside the stadium.  The other places (with long lines) I looked at the price sign to confirm nothing but bottled pop, and looked for a fountain machine (finding none).  And of course you cannot go inside the stadium until around 6:30.  That doesn't help me at 6, and gives my kid (well, and myself) nothing to drink in the tailgate... Unless we buy the $5.50 bottled pop, which they have at most kiosks there.

Since we always drop $50 per game on chow at IGF, I'm not complaining about the price so much as the principle, and that the "come early" hooplah and ads with the 3 discounted items leads one to believe you'll actually be able to find those items if you show up early to the tailgate.  If there's one thing I hate, it's bait & switch.

The promotion should have the wording changed to make it clear that you are not going to find $3.50 pop at the tailgate, so families aren't expecting it there, and don't waste time looking.

Worse still, even once inside the stadium at 6:30 and in my 200-level west side, I went to 2 of the 4 "big" (in-wall) concessions to order the $3.50 pop and neither had it!  They said only bottles.  They said go down to the next concession.  I quit at the 2nd place looking at me like I was nuts, and didn't bother going all the way down to the Grannys place, which I'll assume actually did have the fountain $3.50 pop (though I won't bet money on it).  Again, you're advertising this great pop deal then making it nearly impossible for customers to find (after waiting in line!).  Maybe list on the ad the 20% of concessions that actually have it so customers can avoid wasting time.

If you think I'm over-reacting, just consider what would happen if you got in the tailgate area and they said they didn't have the $5 special price beer and you had to wait until 6:30 and find the magic couple of kiosks in the stadium?  There would be a riot!

And since I'm in b & moan mode: 2 concessions had their STH qr-code scanner broken.  To give the STH discount they had to take my card and punch in the number by hand.  It took the staff 3 minutes to do this, and they seemed annoyed.  That's not good for lines.  All scanners I accessed in the PS2 game worked fine, so this many are breaking in 1 week?  Imagine how many scanners will be broken when it's -10C!

The solution is each kiosk should have a couple of spares, and the main logistics area of IGF should have like 10 spares that can be quickly run up to kiosks as workers report them being dead.  No excuse to have them broken all game long.

For reference, here's an example of the cheap pop ad:
Take note: Illusionist and Winnipegger Darcy Oake will have a special performance at halftime. The gates open 60 minutes before kickoff, with pre-game specials including $5 355 ml cans of Molson Coors and Molson Coors Light, $3.50 fountain drinks and hot dogs. The Princess Auto Pre-game tailgate area opens at 5:30 p.m.
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/06/08/game-preview-2023-home-opener/

[TecnoGenius]

Oh ya, they ran this cheap pop campaign all last season too, and I never once found it last season either.  I always asked about it, but never found it at any concession I usually go to.  But I didn't make it my mission to find it last year though, like I did yesterday.

[Stretch]

Are you going to be contacting the team office about this?

[bwiser]

I would like to add that last week one kiosk was selling tall boy beers for 10 dollars and one was selling it for 12 dollars. Yesterday it was 12 dollars at both kiosks. The 25% discount doesn't apply to beer like it does at the Jets game so beer is more expensive at Bomber games than it is at Jets games.

[TecnoGenius]

Are you going to be contacting the team office about this?

I have no doubt whatsoever that my post will find its way to Bomber staff.  The club is good about keeping an eye on things here, for which I am very thankful and grateful.

[TecnoGenius]

I would like to add that last week one kiosk was selling tall boy beers for 10 dollars and one was selling it for 12 dollars. Yesterday it was 12 dollars at both kiosks. The 25% discount doesn't apply to beer like it does at the Jets game so beer is more expensive at Bomber games than it is at Jets games.

The STH concession discount is 10%, and (like you found out) not applicable to any drinkable item.  At least that part was advertised correctly (I think it says on the card, too?).  Not sure about different beer price at different kiosks (don't drink), but one would think the price would be uniform (maybe it was a mistake in PS).  Unless they charge more or less at the fridge-having kiosks vs the ice-bucket ones, which could make sense I suppose.

I don't think we'll ever see 25% STH discounts.  If the Jets do that, that's very generous!

(Bomber Store does give 15% off merch to STH, so kinda meet in the middle.)

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Nowhere in your quoted ad does it say there is $3.50 pop in the tailgate area.

TLDR; There is no $3.50 pop in the tailgate area, contrary to what the promotions led me to believe.

For reference, here's an example of the cheap pop ad:
Take note: Illusionist and Winnipegger Darcy Oake will have a special performance at halftime. The gates open 60 minutes before kickoff, with pre-game specials including $5 355 ml cans of Molson Coors and Molson Coors Light, $3.50 fountain drinks and hot dogs. The Princess Auto Pre-game tailgate area opens at 5:30 p.m.
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/06/08/game-preview-2023-home-opene

r/

[gobombersgo]

Is the STH discount only valid at the generic concession locations?  I went to Shawarma last week and was told they don't take it.

[pjrocksmb]

I got hassled big time for bigging in my snacks.  Got roasted by one security guard and then the boss came and was nice about it.

I bring in snacks and feed my friends.  We also support the drink food options.

I would be cross if the deal offered wasn't available.  I don't follow the deals too much.  I did like the discounted food options they had a few years ago.  My buddy really likes the pregame beers.

[TecnoGenius]

Nowhere in your quoted ad does it say there is $3.50 pop in the tailgate area.
r/

You are correct.  It is ambiguous.  One can easily make the assumption because of proximal placement of words.

Again, how would all the drinkers feel if they got to the tailgate and the $5 beer cans were really $8 (or whatever the full price is)?

The ad is entirely about pre-game specials and ends with the gate-open time of the tailgate area, which is certainly "pre-game".  One can be forgiven for inferring that said tailgate, which is open pre-game, would have all the aforementioned specials.

I'm not saying they are breaking the law or even going against the letter of what they are saying.  But they are going against the spirit of a reasonable interpretation of the message.

I'm a multi-year fan who saw these $3.50 ads for a few years who thought this meant I could get $3.50 pops at the tailgate.  I finally decided to really give it a try, going even earlier on purpose to enjoy what the WFC was promoting.  I found out my interpretation of the promotion was wrong.  I'm not looking to make trouble, or even really care that much about the discount.  But I do feel like it smacks of bait and switch.  Again: think about if this was the beer cans!!

And making it hard to find the pop even inside the stadium is also a bit shifty and doesn't help any "you just read it wrong" excuse.  How many people go to the "house brand" concessions in-stadium with a 10-minute line and ask for the $3.50 pop only to be told it isn't there, maybe down the concourse at the next one.  Again, I did that twice last game: waited in line in-stadium to be told it wasn't there: after also waiting in 2 lines at the tailgate!  That person either buys the bottled pop for $2 extra (multiplied by their number of kids), or doesn't buy any drink at all.  They might feel let down.  Certainly their kid is not happy the quest for a drink is taking 40 minutes extra after a 2km walk to the stadium on a hot day!  They don't care much when dad is explaining marketing and "bait & switch" theories.

The possible solutions are very easy:

1. Have a $3.50 fountain-drink kiosk in the tailgate.
and/or
2. Update the ad to make it clear which pre-game specials don't apply to the tailgate.
and/or
3. Explicitly list which concessions @IGF have the $3.50 special.

I've seen them do #3 when they have other game specials, like a specialty food item (like the Yard Dog or last season's schnitzel).  They listed exactly what the section # is.  That is a great idea.  It shouldn't be too much to ask they do it for all other specials, too.  Don't you think?

[TecnoGenius]

Is the STH discount only valid at the generic concession locations?  I went to Shawarma last week and was told they don't take it.

Yes, from my understanding it counts at all concessions on food items (not beverages).  In the week 1 game I got the 10% STH discount on the Shawarma at the 100-level location.  (I didn't try the PS2 game: I bought one at their Pembina store pre-game.)

Which location did you go to?  Maybe the 200-level Khans don't have the gear yet, and that would certainly be another thing we need to make the WFC aware of.  I'd be peeved if, knowing 100-level Khan takes it, I get to the checkout at 200-level Khan and am told they don't take it.  But if this was just a PS glitch, which it may have been (like bwiser's 10/12 beer experience), we should confirm with someone before complaining.  PS glitches can be common.  Can someone confirm the STH discount worked at a 200-level Khan in week 1?

[TecnoGenius]

Forget the game-day text I pasted in my OP... I found their promotion image on the bb web site:

https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/TailgateAtThePlaza.png
from
https://www.bluebombers.com/game-day-guide-june-9-2023/

Who wouldn't look at that, clearly advertising just the "pre-game tailgate" in huge letters, and think that all 3 items are in the tailgate?  In slightly smaller letters it says to "come early & enjoy game day specials until kickoff".  An arrow points to the 3 specials: $5 beer, $3.50 dogs, $3.50 fountain drinks.

There is tiny-font no-one-will-read-it asterisk text with the asterisk on the "beer" (only), meaning it doesn't apply to the pop.  But it does say something about "on the concourse excludes suite level".

So then I'd ask, are there $5 beers at the tailgate?  I've been assuming this whole time there is.  How about the dog?  Drinkers, please let me know.  I saw dogs cooking at the tailgate, and I assumed they were $3.50, but who knows.  Anyone get a dog?

This picture ad seems like a clear bait & switch to me, either just on the pop, or, if there's no $5 beer in the tailgate, then on the entire menu.  My guess is it's just the pop because, to be honest, 90% of the tailgaters are drinking beer and I'm sure one of those thousands would have complained by now, if not outright rioted  .  If you don't drink pop and don't have kids I can understand why you'd think this was a nothingburger.  You got your $5 beer! 

[TecnoGenius]

I would be cross if the deal offered wasn't available.  I don't follow the deals too much.  I did like the discounted food options they had a few years ago.  My buddy really likes the pregame beers.

Did he buy one in the tailgate area for $5?

Sorry to hear about your home-food woes last game.  I noticed they did have (new?) big signs up at some entrances about disallowing all outside food.  I'll take a picture next time, but I'm pretty sure it didn't even have an exception for "single serving" like the official IGF policy says (said?).

So technically PJ's famous dips and pie have never been allowed, but like you found out, it all depends on the particular guard that day.  Those guys vary greatly in courtesy and leniency.  I think a wider berth should be given to those who have the STH card/lanyard showing, are geared up in like 3 different Bomber Store items, and especially if they have small children.  Those aren't the people who are going to cause problems in the stadium.  I know it can't be "official policy", but staff can use a bit of judgement.

[Foxhound]

Can you not even bring your own snacks and pop into the parking lot?

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Can you not even bring your own snacks and pop into the parking lot?

Mother of God, please don't bring that subject up.