Rush Line Etiquette

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:30am

Hello BroadwayWorld!

I wanted to take a minute to address what is a growing problem when it comes to acquiring cheap, same-day tickets through morning rush.

Today, and this is not even close to the first time this has happened, a friend of mine was rushing a show and was third in line. Over an hour after she had begun waiting, several friends of the first two people showed up and began waiting with them. My friend politely asked how many tickets they were getting, and they said only four; the new people would not be purchasing tickets, just staying for company. Fine, okay, everyone went on their merry way.

As box office opening creeped closer, the people were overheard saying they were now planning on buying more tickets. Someone else from further back on the line confronted them about this, and they responded (rather rudely) that it was none of their business. (These were grown adults, by the way, not teenagers)

When the box office opened at 10, the entire group went in and purchased seven tickets. The box office said they could do nothing despite several people on line attempting to get their attention and yelling that they had cut the line. Now three people who were waiting there longer were not able to get tickets because of those who cut the line and lied their way in.

This has happened several times in the last week, and is something that sorely needs to be addressed.

If your friend or family member or whoever gets there at 3am and is first in the line, that's great for them! I hope they get great seats and enjoy their two tickets! But that does not give you the right to show up at 8am and join them in line when several people are already waiting in line behind them. There is no "saving spots" in a rush line. This is not a school lunch table. It's rude, inconsiderate, and if you aren't willing to get up early and wait like everyone else, maybe you should consider another route for getting tickets.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:36am

HEAR HEAR!!!! If you can’t wake up early to get those tickets-too bad. There are PLNETY of people who might be in NYC but who also might not be and this is their only chance. And you think it’s okay for you to cut them just because you couldn’t wake up early enough? Sorry but this is literally a case of “you snooze you lose”. I’m so sorry people have been doing this! It’s absolutely unacceptable. If you’re waiting for people, wait somewhere else. There are so many places open where you can wait for people who actually took the time to wake up extremely early to be able to get affordable tickets-you’re not an exception. Please respect the line order!!!

This can’t happen. Stop.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:49am

This has been happening for years.  I have seen "friends"/family show up at two minutes before box office opens.  At least, in your situation, others in line stated something to them.  When it has happened to me, I am always the only lone voice.  The only way to prevent this is to be the first person in line.  As people become more ruder and have entitled attitudes, it's just going to happen more frequent.  The only difference in your situation was when the persons responded rudely, I would have at least given them an earful back.

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 10:49 AM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:49am

double post

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 10:49 AM

[magictodo123]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:52am

ArtMan said: "This has been happening for years. I have seen "friends/family show up at two minutes before box office opens. At least, in your situation, others in line stated something to them. When it has happened to me, I am always the only lone voice. The only way to prevent this is to be the first person in line. As people become more ruder and have entitled attitudes, it's just going to happen more frequent. The only difference in your situation was when the persons responded rudely, I would have at least given them an earful back."

More and more I’ve been noticing how entitled people act. It’s really frustrating.  

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:56am

It truly is so frustrating. And the more it happens, the more people are emboldened to try it.

I just don't understand how people can be so entitled and selfish. But, I suppose you could say that about a lot of situations.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:01am

Monkey see, monkey do.   The more others do it, the more people feel they are entitled to get things the same way.  

 

And you wonder why more shows are going to digital lotteries.

[getupngo]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:08am

I hired a line sitter once for a show I really wanted to see. so I paid that person to get there extra early to be first in line. but when I showed up at 9:55, they left and I took his place, and I was by myself. A few people in line tried to say something, but the majority didn't have an issue cause it was a 1:1 swap. I wouldn't have a problem if someone else did that, as long as the number of people taking their place is equal to the number of people waiting. When it becomes 4 family members joining the 1 person in line, then I agree, off with their heads :)

[getupngo]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:09am

double post

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:11am

getupngo said: "I hired a line sitter once for a show I really wanted to see. so I paid that person to get there extra early to be first in line. but when I showed up at 9:55, they left and I took his place, and I was by myself. A few people in line tried to say something, but the majority didn't have an issue cause it was a 1:1 swap. I wouldn't have a problem if someone else did that, as long as the number of people taking their place is equal to the number of people waiting. When it becomes 4 family members joining the 1 person in line, then I agree, off with their heads :)"

Oh, absolutely. I see no problem with people swapping out to go to the bathroom, get breakfast, etc., especially in the cold winter months. But the number of people buying tickets needs to be equal to the number of people who were there in the beginning.

[B.JAMES]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:33am

This enrages me. I think I have PTSD from waiting in line for hours at Pippin. The group in front of us had friends join them, and we ended up being shut out of rush because they bought the last ones.

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 11:49am

I normally do rush so I’m familiar with the etiquette but I understand many people are not.
What I normally do when I get there is to establish some sort of order.
I always get there early (normally within the first 5 people). I place my backpack at the end of the line and befriend the person in front of me. I then talk to each person in front of me and kindly ask how many tickets they plan to get (even if they say only 1 I still presume 2 since they are entitled to 2.) I then take a photo of the line and show it to everyone in front and tell them a story I had in the past of a line cutter... etc.
Sure the above is not a guarantee but at least it creates some order.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 3:36pm

Just out of curiosity, OP, what show was your friend trying to rush?

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 3:52pm

What I usually do is ask the people in front of me how many tickets and usually am pretty upfront with asking if anyone is going to be joining them. I give people a 15 minute window for joining friends in a line as well since it's impossible to get somewhere at the same moment. 

Recently in the West End I was getting day seats for The Inheritance and was the 2nd in line around 9am. Around 3-4 more people showed up by 10 so I knew it'd get a ticket but was shocked at how many people ignored those of us already standing there and just plowed in front. They also let you buy a ticket for both parts and were flexible on when you could see part two, meaning it didn't have to be the same day or the next day, but one woman screamed at the box office they should let her buy any day she wanted and pick her seat since she waited 15 minutes for them to open. 

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 4:01pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Just out of curiosity, OP, what show was your friend trying to rush?"

Mean Girls. So it normally could be chalked up to bratty kids, but the fact that it was grown women really has me in a state of "shouldn't you know better by now?"

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 4:33pm

Do you think this is one reason why many shows are now just mobile and digital lotteries?  Or it is more to do with safety and crowd control (Hamilton)?

I don't rush tickets but I can see how incredibly frustrating that is. I would be incredibly pissed if I was your friend this morning.

[IAMREADING]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 4:47pm

Wick3 said: "I normally do rush so I’m familiar with the etiquette but I understand many people are not.
What I normally do when I get there is to establish some sort of order.
I always get there early (normally within the first 5 people). I place my backpack at the end of the line and befriend the person in front of me. I then talk to each person in front of me and kindly ask how many tickets they plan to get (even if they say only 1 I still presume 2 since they are entitled to 2.) I then take a photo of the line and show it to everyone in front and tell them a story I had in the past of a line cutter... etc.
Sure the above is not a guarantee but at least it creates some order.
"

lmao

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 6:07pm

treblemakerz said: "Oh, absolutely. I see no problem with people swapping out to go to the bathroom, get breakfast, etc., especially in the cold winter months. But the number of people buying tickets needs to be equal to the number of people who were there in the beginning."

Ok, as someone who has never rushed a show (but plans to soon), is it still rude to plan on buying two tickets for me and my SO by myself at first, but then have her join me like an hour or two later? Again, I have not waited in line for a rush so if that's not seen as good, that's why I'm asking now and not before I go to a show

[OKBroadwayFan]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 6:12pm

treblemakerz said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Just out of curiosity, OP, what show was your friend trying to rush?"

Mean Girls. So it normally could be chalked up to bratty kids, but the fact that it was grown women really has me in a state of "shouldn't you know better by now?""

If mothers will commit fraud to get their child into college, they will cut in line to get them tickets to a show.  :)

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 7:08pm

DoTheDood said: "treblemakerz said: "Oh, absolutely. I see no problem with people swapping out to go to the bathroom, get breakfast, etc., especially in the cold winter months. But the number of people buying tickets needs to be equal to the number of people who were there in the beginning."

Ok, as someone who has never rushed a show (but plans to soon), is it still rude to plan on buying two tickets for me and my SO by myself at first, but then have her join me like an hour or twolater? Again, I have not waited in line for a rush so if that's not seen as good, that's why I'm asking now and not before I go to a show"

As long as you only end up getting two for the both of you, no there is nothing rude about that at all. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly have an issue with that. If someone asks ahead of time how many tickets you will be getting, just let them know you want two, and your friend will show up later but you're still only getting two.

Of course, this thread is really just preaching to the choir. Until either security or the box office makes an effort to combat this, it's going to continue.

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 07:08 PM

[ilysespieces]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 10:37am

Obviously it was a special snowflake case, but it would be real nice if all rush lines did what Harry Potter and the Cursed Child did for the first preview event. When you got there they took down your name/email and gave you a numbered wristband in a specific color. While they didn't end up doing the ticket sales in number order, it at least let you know if you'll absolutely get to buy a pair of tickets or if you would need to wait to see if they had any tickets left by the time you got to the box office. That way you didn't wait for hours only to find out that a group joined their friends ahead of you and bought the tickets you'd waited in line for.

I understand it's totally impractical for a daily rush, but a girl can dream.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 10:51am

ilysespieces said: "Obviously it was a special snowflake case, but it would be real nice if all rush lines did what Harry Potter and the Cursed Child did for the first preview event. When you got there they took down your name/email and gave you a numbered wristband in a specific color. While they didn't end up doing the ticket sales in number order, it at least let you know if you'll absolutely get to buy a pair of tickets or if you would need to wait to see if they had any tickets left by the time you got to the box office. That way you didn't wait for hours only to find out that a group joined their friends ahead of you and bought the tickets you'd waited in line for.

I understand it's totally impractical for a daily rush, but a girl can dream."

Next to Normal and a couple of others gave our wristbands, but that was obviously years ago. It's just likely expensive to have someone at the theatre at say, 8am to monitor the line. It's likely why more and more shows are doing digital rush and lotteries, it's just cheaper.