San Jose Sharks Never Fail to Let Their Fans Feel Unappreciated
I was a San Jose Sharks fan from Day 1. The Good Ol' Cow Palace Days. They were awesome to the fans back then, they really were. Sadly, as the years passed, the organization forgot how to care about the fans. Let me point out, I am NOT talking about the players themselves. I am referring to management. All management. At every level. I can go on and on and on listing examples of why I feel the way that I do, but I will only share the latest experience.
My sister is a Patrick Marleau fan. She has been since the first day he skated onto the ice wearing teal. She has been a loyal and devoted fan as well as a season ticket holder since Day 1. She received an e-mail from the Sharks organization about a Marleau autograph session at the store in the HP Pavilion. This e-mail stated that Marleau would be signing from 4:30-6pm. It went on to say that depending on turn out, he would be able to sign one or two items. Okay, cool.
Even though I am no longer a Sharks fan (I converted my allegiance to the Flyers a couple of years ago.) I offered to take the train from the San Francisco area to San Jose to meet my sister for the signing. I left my home around 2:30pm and spent the horrific sum of money on the train ticket. (If anyone reading this is familiar with CalTrain, then he/she knows how expensive tickets are for the train.)
My sister and I were in line by four o'clock. The line didn't even appear outrageous. Let me just say, as the minutes, quarter hours, and even half hours passed, we wondered if Marleau had ever made it. NO announcements were made to the fans waiting in line. Why was the line moving so slow? Who knows for sure. Maybe it is because the first people in the line got several autographs per person, plus photos of themselves with the player, plus they we allowed to stand there and chat while others stood patiently in line waiting their turn.
Wow, I thought. This is nothing like the San Francisco Giants. I just went to a Bengie Molina signing at the Giants Dugout a few weeks ago. The Giants were so organized. They made announcements all the way down the line. They passed out tickets limiting the number of people. Once tickets were gone, they notified anyone showing up for the signing that the supply of tickets was exhausted. With their well-planned out system, there was no way for anyone to cut in line or cause problems. No one was disappointed because they stood in line and didn't get an autograph. They announced the picture taking policy and explained to everyone in line how it would work. They closed the store so that there would be no confusion as to who was there for autographs and who wasn't. There were a large number of Giants employees present to watch the crowd. I cannot praise the San Francisco Giants enough for making the signing a pleasant experience for all.
Back to the Sharks who desperately need to look to north to a more sophisticated organization for a clue ...
after two hours of standing in line for the autograph, the first and only announcement was made, "NO MORE. HE'S DONE." What???!!! At the door were a few small signs. Apparently you needed to be at the store at 1:30pm to receive a ticket for the signing (no, this information was NOT in the e-mail to the season ticket holders). Nobody could see the notes on the windows from the middle of the line. Employees passed us and took pictures of us and NEVER ONCE had the decency to tell us about tickets or that we would not be able to get an autograph. They did not even offer an apology to those who stood in line for hours with the belief that they would receive an autograph.
In all, I gave up 5 hours of my day plus enough money on a train ticket to buy myself a really nice dinner. I ended up with yet another reason I am totally and completely disgusted with Sharks management, or their lack of it. This is supposed to be a professional sports franchise. I have witnessed better organization in a kindergarten classroom. Sharks staff, I know that you do not care a bit about the fans. You prove it over and over and over again, but do you have to be so darn blatant about it? SHAME ON YOU!
My sister is a Patrick Marleau fan. She has been since the first day he skated onto the ice wearing teal. She has been a loyal and devoted fan as well as a season ticket holder since Day 1. She received an e-mail from the Sharks organization about a Marleau autograph session at the store in the HP Pavilion. This e-mail stated that Marleau would be signing from 4:30-6pm. It went on to say that depending on turn out, he would be able to sign one or two items. Okay, cool.
Even though I am no longer a Sharks fan (I converted my allegiance to the Flyers a couple of years ago.) I offered to take the train from the San Francisco area to San Jose to meet my sister for the signing. I left my home around 2:30pm and spent the horrific sum of money on the train ticket. (If anyone reading this is familiar with CalTrain, then he/she knows how expensive tickets are for the train.)
My sister and I were in line by four o'clock. The line didn't even appear outrageous. Let me just say, as the minutes, quarter hours, and even half hours passed, we wondered if Marleau had ever made it. NO announcements were made to the fans waiting in line. Why was the line moving so slow? Who knows for sure. Maybe it is because the first people in the line got several autographs per person, plus photos of themselves with the player, plus they we allowed to stand there and chat while others stood patiently in line waiting their turn.
Wow, I thought. This is nothing like the San Francisco Giants. I just went to a Bengie Molina signing at the Giants Dugout a few weeks ago. The Giants were so organized. They made announcements all the way down the line. They passed out tickets limiting the number of people. Once tickets were gone, they notified anyone showing up for the signing that the supply of tickets was exhausted. With their well-planned out system, there was no way for anyone to cut in line or cause problems. No one was disappointed because they stood in line and didn't get an autograph. They announced the picture taking policy and explained to everyone in line how it would work. They closed the store so that there would be no confusion as to who was there for autographs and who wasn't. There were a large number of Giants employees present to watch the crowd. I cannot praise the San Francisco Giants enough for making the signing a pleasant experience for all.
Back to the Sharks who desperately need to look to north to a more sophisticated organization for a clue ...
after two hours of standing in line for the autograph, the first and only announcement was made, "NO MORE. HE'S DONE." What???!!! At the door were a few small signs. Apparently you needed to be at the store at 1:30pm to receive a ticket for the signing (no, this information was NOT in the e-mail to the season ticket holders). Nobody could see the notes on the windows from the middle of the line. Employees passed us and took pictures of us and NEVER ONCE had the decency to tell us about tickets or that we would not be able to get an autograph. They did not even offer an apology to those who stood in line for hours with the belief that they would receive an autograph.
In all, I gave up 5 hours of my day plus enough money on a train ticket to buy myself a really nice dinner. I ended up with yet another reason I am totally and completely disgusted with Sharks management, or their lack of it. This is supposed to be a professional sports franchise. I have witnessed better organization in a kindergarten classroom. Sharks staff, I know that you do not care a bit about the fans. You prove it over and over and over again, but do you have to be so darn blatant about it? SHAME ON YOU!
Labels: San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks
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