I was at the Giants show this week in Rye and thought it was very good. The players were great. They all granted us a photo op even if we weren't getting their autograph. Other shows charge for these photo ops. It was well organized, we never felt rushed along. My only regret was that there were no Rutgers minis for sale for Rice to sign. Otherwise it was really enjoyable.Great to meet Gary Reasons!
 

Hi my name is Nick .I attended the Yankee sports fest on the 30th. i was wondering why Alex Rodriguez did not take photos with the fans. I also met with Mo and Swisher and they both took photos with the fans. I understand that AROD was the biggest star there but people are paying alot of money to go and have somthing signed and to actually see him up close. He's my idol and i was hopeing to get a photo with him. Could you mabye for his next signing make like a system were he would sign 10 autograph then get up and take a group picture with him and the fans he signed autographs for. i really think that that would work and everybody would be happy
 

Hi Nick. My name is Jason.

It would be a GREAT idea for PAID autograph customer to get a wristband.

One wristband per PAID autograph. Along with each paid autograph - an opportunity to have a picture of the athlete AFTER the item signed.

This way you will eliminate alot of one-paid autograph person, who take along with 6-members family. If you paid for 6 autographs, then you are entitle for 6 picture taking opportunities.

As for the line, if you dont have a wristband for a particular athlete - you should not allow to be on line. This way, actual paying customers will be able to see where he/she stands.

So, no wristband = please wait outside of the line.
 

I agreed with Jason's comments.

Steiner should create a wristband for these signing.

Not only it will serves as security check-point but also a nice collectible for those who attend the event.

I support the wristband idea - it reminds me of the wristband at Yankee Stadium for those EXPENSIVE legends Seats.

Victor



PS. I will see you at the CC's signing and hopefully at the Longoria's also - if weather permits!
 

I'm one of those folks who at times will bring my wife and child to an event. If it meant that i could get a quality picture with the athlete I would pay a small fee to have them on line with me. This could be a great source of gross profit to Steiner but IT HAS TO BE MANAGED RIGHT. In addition to all of the suggestions you made in the blog, i'd also suggest having a Steiner employee in front of the line who would snap the photo so the person in front of the line is franticly searching for someone to snap a picture at the last minute. I'd also suggest eliminating or capping the VIP tickets. I once purchased a VIP ticket and it was a complete waste. I waited on the back of a long line and didnt get a photo.
 

1) i like the wristband idea, only 1 photo opp per signed item. athlete stays sitting down for the picture and I like idea of having somebody from steiner be there to take the pics for the customer would be good and move things faster

2) Allow 1 guest to be with you in the table area...sometimes you need somebody to hold your coat/bag while you are getting your item/s ready and sometimes you need somebody to hold your picture frame / holder while you are getting your item signed. that will make things move faster.

3) allow whoever to wait in line with you up to a certain point..then from point X forward only wristband person + 1.
 

A complete joke to blame disorganization on your customers. Typical Steiner mentality. Steiner Sports needs to be more organized and create whatever rules and policies are needed to create a good experience for the PAYING customers. These rules need to be made aware to the customer before taking there money, then people need to be employed and in place to make sure the rules are followed, and they need to do it with a smile!
 

Steiners customers are paying top dollar for these signatures and no matter if you are bringing 1 or 10 items every customer should be able to bring whoever they want with them. Not for nothing but these Stein er is making so much off these apperances that a picture and the amount of people bought up to the table should be the least of Steiners worries. These athletes are millionares and should have no issue with sitting around no matter how long it takes to sign. With out the fans coming out and supporting them they are nothing. Some guys get it like Tiki and Mo. I bring my cousin with me to most of the signings in order to get a great picture. Sometimes I bring 1 item sometimes I bring 5 items at a time to be signed. Point is a photo is aa big part of the experience especially if you are paying $150 per signature. If you want to limit the lines or make them move faster, limit the amount of tickets sold. Figure on average each customer spends at the table and come up with a ticket cap. If that dosesnt work heres a better idea, if Steiner is suppose to be customer friendly how about Steiner making the athletes take pics with every paying customer. If not then up front Steiner should say no photo ops with such and such. That will cut down on the dissapointment. As a collector I know long lines and waits are part of the game, maybe Steiner should inform some of the athletes hey clear your schedules you may run 1 hour longer in order to please the fans/customers. If thats not possible the athlete shouldnt do the signing. If the fans/customers can wait they should wait. In these day and time where every penny counts these guys should just do the right thing and take time out with the fans. I wish someone were paying me for my signature, this is income for these guys and as such they should treat the signings as a job and accomodate all the fans.
 

I took my 10 yr old son & we paid to meet Swisher and A-Rod.

We were looking forward to this event & really couldn't wait to meet the players. There were some positive moments, but it was an overall negative experience.

It was certainly a + to get the opportunity to meet so many current Yankee stars, a program which I believe only Steiner has the capability of pulling off. Also, I didn't have a problem waiting 2+ hours to meet A-Rod. This was expected. We mingled with many nice people that were also on line.

The tix were quite expensive, but it didn't bother me to plunk down $250 to meet A-Rod & I believe $80 for Swisher. The Yanks are in high demand.

A good stock of color photos were sold at the door. We bought a 16x20 for each player at $25 each. Pricey, but worth the $.

The $10 admit fee was fine & I liked the gift bag & free auto from 1 of 3 prospects with each paid admission.

I just spent about $400 & waited on line for a total of 3-4 hours to meet these players yet the Steiner staff that monitors the tables where players were seated were obnoxious & rude.

We 1st waited on-line for A-Rod in the skating rink, & were then escorted to another line upstairs, which was fine. It was absolute chaos at the table where A-Rod was seated. There were a # of Steiner staff members there. One guy was rapidly feeding A-Rod materials for signature and it was hard for A-Rod 2 look up. I asked A-Rod for a pic with my son & he tried but for the Steiner guys' continuous interference. A big guy in a blue shirt planted himself in front of the table blocking a clear shot. It was chaotic & Steiner staff was just trying to herd us out of the room.

Then we waited on line for Swisher. The young man at the table repeatedly told all of us that Swish had to go and our items had to be ready for sig but no pic. However, knowing how fan friendly is Swisher, he of course took a picture with my son as well as other fans. The Steiner guy still found it necessary to rush us through. I told him in front of Mr. Swisher that we paid a lot of $ for these tix & waited long 2 meet him & that he has to understand that while the auto is nice, it is a child's personal moment with his idol that is of most important & this is the primary reason why I paid the steep tix prices & wait so long on three lines (one for each player & the building entrance line). This young person had the nerve to abruptly respond that there are too many fans & the player's time is ltd. I retorted that Steiner should not have sold so many tix & I understand that Steiner wants to make money but to be rushed through like cattle is quite unfair & taking a picture should add only about 30 seconds.

This event had some high points, but in many respects it was utterly ridiculous. I understand the players want to leave, but realistically they should know that demand is very high & they should expect to spend significant time at such events.

It is patently unfair for Steiner to sell so many thousands of tickets & then rush the fans through because they claim players wish to depart. During the event, Steiner blamed both fans & players although they sold too many tix.

My family has had the pleasure of meeting a # of players (though retired) through other organizations such as MAB, & we've always got those few cherished seconds with the player to say hello, shake hands & take a picture. Although demand is not as high for these retired players, they were very personable experiences. Of course, I'm concerned that if Steiner does indeed limit ticket sales to future events, this will give them ammunition to raise prices.

There appears to be a terrific Steiner event coming up in May which I was planning to attend, but I'm reconsidering. Apparently, they do a great job of getting a # of great athletes under one roof, but this past experience left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Comments? Email me at dnbag@msn.com.
 

My name is Jim Fenster and I have been going to the ice cream and mall signings since they started. I come with my now 7 year old son. I buy an autograph ticket and we that what we get. If Eric or any of the other Steiner employees are able to grant a photo with the player, then great but I don't go expecting one. If the player wants to give my son a high-five, then its an added bonus. All we are paying for is a signature, not a photo with or a discussion on music. Eric does the best that he can to accomodate everyone but hes paying these players a lot of money and probably has to get items for his company done as well. It would be a terrible precedent if people started paying for photos with athletes. How would we able to keep track of who just wants a photo, who wants a signature, who wants both, etc. The line can be long and slow enough without all that extra stuff. One thing I've learned is that if you want a photo or a specific request, wait until the end when the line dies done and everyone isn't so rushed. Another thing to think about is the handlers.. Maybe people like MC Sports and KLF that the signings always say courtesy of don't want their players taking pictures with people. They might be ones telling steiner people like eric not to allow any photos. I agree that the events can get a little disorganized but its not for lack or trying. One signing my salesman was working line control. While its what Eric does for a living, I highly doubt line control is what Joe Salesman dreamed about doing when he was in college. I think its great that Eric and Steiner bring us the people we went to see. My son has been able to meet all his heroes and get a signature from them. Yes, it can get expensive but its a choice that we make. You don't see anyone else offering us AROD and MO on a consistent basis if ever. If you don't like it, then wait til someone else offers them or bring the players in yourself. Its a hobby, enjoy it.
 

I didn't attend the Yankees fest because I'm currently in the process of saving money for a trip to this year's Fifa world cup in south africa. But I heard through this page, a message board and through word of mouth from 2 people who attended; that the whole fest was disorganized and not very fan friendly. I understand that there's alot of people inside the venue and the athletes have a short time on their hand. BUT when you have people who work their tails off to pay a large amount of money to make multimillionaires sign items. the public should have atleast an opportunity to take a pic. The athletes don't even have to stand or lean over the table.

Yes, I understand that you're paying for an autograph and not a picture or a convo with them. But these athletes and stiener sports Inc. must know that there's people who make minimum wage working crazy hours breaking their back and saving money just to get a signature. Not everybody is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. $400 for the average 9 to 5 low and middle class person is looked at differently compared to stiener sports Inc. and the multimillionaire yankees who did not take pictures. $400 dollars is alot of money no matter how much you get paid.

With that said the athletes themselves should also know that people paid top dollars just to be there. A-rod came from a hard background with his mom being a blue collar worker not making alot of money. So he should atleast feel some kind of sympathy for the fans paying top dollars and take a quick pic. Unless he completely forgot where he came from. The people that attended shouldn't get madd at the stiener employees because they were just following orders like any good employee. They follow orders from their boss who sits behind the big desk and thats understandable. So I can only assume that A-rod had his own personal Blackwater security (<<<sarcasm/joke) there along with the stiener employees to prevent any fan photos which is over the top and out of line.

Yes, I somewhat agree with you Jim Fenster. We choose to pay this amount of money but it's about the principle of the situation. The ad/ banner for the yankees fest clearly stated "Come MEET your favorite Yankee." The key word is MEET. And 9 out of 10 times people would like to take a picture with the athlete they meet.

Based on the information I gathered about the fest. I honestly doubt I would attend one of these fest in the near future. I rather do a MAIL-IN for A-rod, on the sole fact that I don't like random people and rent-a-cops nagging me and telling me what I can and cannot do in my face. But I WILL continue do public appearances for the rest of the yankees and the non-yankees. I just hope stiener sports INC. clean this up because it's not a good look on the company's behalf to have customers paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to be upset with the service they're receiving.

Peace.
 

In comment to Jim, I agree with most of what say; however, Steiner has a separate private signing to obtain items for themselves. In no way does the private signing interfere with the public signing. I've been dealing with Brian in Scarsdale for most of my signings and besides him I feel every Steiner employee has been difficult to deal with. There customer relations leaves alot to be desired. We as customers have choices and its time for us to deal with people that appreciate our business. It is a hobby but Steiner tends to take the enjoyment out of it.
 

Hello i went to the signing in NEW YORK it was okay i didn't like that we couldn't take a photo with AROD but it was a lot of people. i did pay $800.00 for him to sign 2 bats and it would had been great to have a photo with him, it couldn't happen. but i have to thank steiner sports for bringing AROD to a signing maybe one day we could see JETER but that would be a mad house.Maybe the wristband would be a great idea.
 

Hello i went to the signing in NEW YORK it was okay i didn't like that we couldn't take a photo with AROD but it was a lot of people. i did pay $800.00 for him to sign 2 bats and it would had been great to have a photo with him, it couldn't happen. but i have to thank steiner sports for bringing AROD to a signing maybe one day we could see JETER but that would be a mad house.Maybe the wristband would be a great idea.
 

Hello NICK i went to the signing in NEW YORK it was okay i didn't like that we couldn't take a photo with AROD but it was a lot of people. i did pay $800.00 for him to sign 2 bats and it would had been great to have a photo with him, it couldn't happen. but i have to thank steiner sports for bringing AROD to a signing maybe one day we could see JETER but that would be a mad house.Maybe the wristband would be a great idea.RB