TR SNIPPET SIN CITY COMEDY one drink minimum

UPDATE JUNE 2013  -  WELL, I guess they heard us either at Sin City or at Groupon because the newest Groupon deal includes the mandatory drink in the $15 Groupon price.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/sin-city-comedy-2?p=1&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&sid=814dc078-d4a7-49b4-853d-6b42fda2549d&division=las-vegas&user=1d3ce235df312c79ec648f5d2296b0d8a48a4d99446e1dba2e5be45ae046eb46&date=20130616&s=body&c=deal_button&d=deal-page&utm_campaign=sin-city-comedy-2

UPDATE  May 31: The new Groupon offer mentioned in this post now contains the 1 drink minimum in fine print.  So the offer is transparent.  The prices are still outrageous and add quite a bit to the cost of the show.  When the four of us went, with tip it added $31 to the bill, enough to pay for two more tickets to the LA Comedy where no drink minimum is required.  And of course, there are those great free tickets in the American Casino Guide for the Riviera comedy that draws from the same pool of comics.
Also note that the Groupon response was attentive.  They responded to my complaint, passed it on to sales, and then came back a few days later to ask if I'd been satisfied.  I could not ask for more attention. 
Unlike the attempt to bait and switch marketing that Sin City uses which turns me off and loses my business, Groupon gets points and keeps me ready to buy the next one.  They always seem a consistently good way to capture bargains by planning ahead.  If great customer service is going to be added to great couponing, then they have me as a customer.

Also, here might be a place to say the same of American Casino Guide.  Sometimes I read complaints about their coupons or worries.  Steve Bourie gets frustrated that these are not sent directly to him as he wants to be on top of problems and will act to correct frustrating situations.

Our discussion boards are great places to share both deals and frustrations, but sometimes we complain there rather to the people who can clarify or correct a frustrating situation.


Is this bottle or water worth $4?
How about if it is a mandatory purchase?

The first you will learn of the 1 drink minimum mandatory charge at the Sin City Comedy club in Planet Hollywood is when you get in line to enter the theater.  There is a sign posted right near the door that there is a one drink minimum for each person. 

We asked our greeter who had showed us our place in line and were met with our first comedy of the evening. 

 “Are we required to buy a drink to see the show?  We saw nothing of that in the Groupon or on the ticket.”  The answer was a head shaking no while a smiling VOICE  mouthing, “yes,” ambiguity worth using as material in one of the comedy acts.

 

The waitress was more firm on the answer.  We had to buy a ticket drink or be asked to leave the theater.  For those who did not drink, water was available.  She also claimed it was clearly spelled out on the Groupon purchase.  But that was an error or a bold faced lie.

This will not be part of the Groupon coupon which you may have bought for $15, and it won’t be explained to you when you redeem the coupon or printed on the ticket you receive.

For $4 you can get a small plastic water with a Sin City label.  That is the least you can spend.  Beer is $7 or $8.  So that same sort of Bud Light the casino gives you for free when you gamble adds a whopping 50% to the price of seeing the show.

I think the show itself is just grand.  The mainliner the night I went was John Bizarre who I’ve seen often in Vegas and he was superb in every way.   There was a good juggler.  And the pretty girls doing a very soft erotic dance between numbers add an aluring ambiance.

The theater is very comfortable as well.  It is not like the old theater I remember from last year.  It is no difficult to locate in the casino. There is no maze of stairways to ascend and no series of lines to wait in. We waiting in one line and then were seated.

But the bait and switch marketing is just another dishonorable attempt to squeeze a few more dollars out of each patron.  It is bad enough when such fees are in fine print like resort fees to trick those consumers who do not have a law degree, but when the only fine print is first experienced when it is pops up on a sign in front of the entrance; it is just another example of disingenuous marketing.

On my second visit the decision to force drinks on customers was said to be that of the owner of the bar.  I could not get a last name, just John.
I am assuming it is this guy, John Padon
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2012/jun/08/case-curious-timing-sin-city-comedy-bolts-planet-h/#axzz2UY3AadlW

On that visit I talked to Gilbert before I turned my Groupon into a ticket and he had an entirely different story.  He said the drinks were optional, like popcorn in a movie theater.

Well, I never saw a sign at the movies that announced a one popcorn minimum.

I reported the threat of the waitress on the other visit to have us ejected.

“That will never happen.” he said.

And I think that he took care of me because on my second there were just two polite requests to see if I wanted a drink, which I did not, and no high pressure. 

One thing also to keep in mind is toward the middle of the show both times the prices dropped.  They called it a “Happy Hour” special and during this time Blue Moon was just $5. 

But I suggest you ask a lot of questions on the way in and if pressured take names, write them down and inform Groupon.  Dropping the name Gilbert might help too.

It is rather disconcerting to go out for a night of entertainment and feel like you are going to buy a used car.  There are other comedy venues where you won’t have this experience.  LA Comedy is one.  Big Al’s is another.

I also suggest that you print two Groupon coupons and keep one in your pocket after you have redeemed for a ticket.  On my second visit they let me keep my printout.  Then there is no question what the deal said.

 

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