Homestand from HELL!

12 games in 11 days. Many vendors had this targeted as the toughest homestand of the year. I do remember a longer homestand at the Metrodome in the early 90’s (15 games in 16 days), but this set has a double header and no off day. I’m not sure we had any idea how bad it could get…

Thursday, July 14: It just happened to be my birthday. No big deal – There seems to be a game on my birthday every other year. Gametime temp: 85, Time of game: An unappetizingly long 3:08.

Friday, July 15: A very tolerable game except for the fact it started 20 minutes late due to late afternoon showers. As far as rain delays go, this one was hardly noticeable. Once it started the game moved along fast enough that vendors even decided to head over to our old stomping ground near the Metrodome for a post-game beer @ Maxwell’s.

Saturday, July 16: Starting to see evidence of the weather that is coming. The temperature wasn’t so bad (upper 80’s), but the dewpoint hit 80-81 degrees during the game. My clothes were embarrassingly saturated by the 5^th inning. My shoes and socks were so sweat-logged that I squished tracks on the sidewalk walking back to my car.

Sunday, July 17: Here’s where the fun really began. Gametime temps were in the low 90’s, but a cloud cover made it almost tolerable. I made my 2^nd appearance of the season selling water and soda. I thought it was the right decision until I found out the Twins decided to aid fans at the game by offering free water stations where people could fill their bottles for free. Not many fans knew about it, so at least they had to buy a bottle first to fill it with, but word spread throughout the stadium of this Free Water gold mine and people flocked to it. It was better than the obscene $4 I was charging, and besides most wanted an excuse out of the sun anyway. By the 4^th inning, sales had ground to a halt as most everyone decided to leave their $35-65 seats for 2 innings and wait in lines 60-80 deep to save $4 on water.

Monday, July 18: Double header Game 1: This was a makeup game from earlier in the year. …and on that original April day, temps were in the mid to upper 40’s and I had chosen to sell HOT CHOCOLATE. Fast forward to today and temps are 90-95 with a heat index close to 110. Fortunately we weren’t forced to pick up the same product we had on the original game. With the free water stations around the stadium again today, I avoided Aquafina and decided to sell beer. There were probably only 20,000-25,000 in the stadium during the game, and very few people sat in the sun. Sales were scarce, but perspiration was not.

Game 2: I brought 2 of almost everything to shower and change between games. But I don’t own 2 of everything I need. This meant that after showering and changing into dry clothes, I had to put on a sopping apron and squishy knee pads. It was gross for only about 10 minutes, because by then, I was back in my drenched state from 3 hours earlier. I believe the temp @ 6 PM had risen to 98 degrees. At least the sun had gone down. By the time I left the stadium at around 10 PM, my bag containing 2 sets of waterlogged clothes felt like it weighed 30 lbs.

I got home about 11 PM, poured every wet item from the day into the washing machine and set it to the “Industrial Waste” Cycle. We are now half way done with the homestand (and past the halfway point of the season).

Tuesday, July 19: Dewpoints in Minneapolis reach record levels of 83 degrees. Gametime heat index was still around 110 degrees. It was definitely the most uncomfortable game so far. The sweat on my arms just would not go away. In fact my clothes soaked up every possible ounce of sweat on my body.

The most embarrassing point in the night was when I sat on the concrete half-wall at field level and left a butt-print made out of sweat from my shorts. I looked back at it from about 20 rows up and could still see it. It had that funny ass-shape heart to it. Had Wally the Beerman made it, people probably would have taken pictures with it, but my sweat just doesn’t carry the same clout.

Wednesday, July 20: Noon Start. Another HOT and sunny day. The squishy shoes are back. Many vendors commented how they wished today was the end of the homestand, and how nice it would be if it were over. This is the 8^th game in 7 days. The humidity has dropped significantly, but temps are still in the mid 90’s. I actually passed on beer to sell Frozen Lemon Chills for the first time. They are lighter than water, and besides, there was no competition from free aid stations. Who knew that these would be such a hit? $4 apiece, and both kids and adults eat them up. (…wondering if some of the adults add a little clear liquid to them for a special treat) Unfortunately frozen products sell better in the sun than the shade, so it made for a much sweatier day.

Thursday, July 21: Enough about the weather… It’s actually one of the more comfortable nights I can remember. Anything is better than the last 5 days.

Tonight, I had the rarest of all sales. I had a guy ask me, “How much for the entire case of beer?” Now fans ask me that all the time, and I always tell them its $174 (that really is my case price; hard to believe when you can get it at the liquor store for 15-20 bucks). He remarked, “Don’t I get a deal if I buy the entire case?” My ears perked up.

This guy might be serious.

I said, “I’ll knock off $10 if you buy the whole case.” (Hoping he might tip enough to make up for it.) He told me to come back next inning with a full case of Bud Light.

I came back with a full case of Bud Light, and sure enough, he bought it. …Gave me $180 and said keep it. Not sure if that’s a $6 tip or a $16 tip, but it didn’t matter. It was only the second time in 23 years that has happened. The previous time, the case sold for $144.

Friday, July 22: I’m absolutely beat! … but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I got about 4 1/2 hours sleep last night after getting home @ 11:15 and beginning my daily laundry routine then getting up at 5:30 AM for my “real job”. Gotta make it through today, then it is all downhill through the weekend.

Tonight was the night I hit the wall. Maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally. It was humid (again), Duensing pitched horribly, the Twins lost big, and the game went LONG (3 hours 20 min). …and it wasn’t just me. You could tell lots of vendors were cranky. There was lots of foul language and tensions were high. It was strange too, because business was actually pretty good. I think we all just need a break. Only 2 more weekend games to go. Both 3 PM starts. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

Saturday, July 23: It is beginning to get to all of us. No one is in a good mood. We just want this thing to be over with. Temps are in the 90’s, but a cloud cover makes it tolerable for the 3:!0 start. Tomorrow is the final day! In 24 hours this will be over with and life can go back to normal. Another vendor even commented, “I feel like I have been in battle.” We are tired of seeing each other and need a break.

Sunday, July 24: Last Game. We can get through anything at this point. Just let it be a fast game… Liriano STUNK today! His worst outing of the year. Slow game. (3 hours and 17 minutes). The first 3 innings took 1 hour and 55 minutes. Not what anyone wanted. Weather was fantastic. A perfect summer game. I’ve got nothing left to write or say. Except:

I’m so glad it is over and life can get back to normal for 11 days.

Here are the totals:

2004 Beers sold (83 ½ cases)

287 Lemon Chills

256 Bottles of Water

16 Sodas (hardly worth mentioning)

$16,777 in sales over 12 games (that’s not my take)

11 – 5-hour energy drinks consumed

9 – Power Bars

10 loads of laundry

1 nasty heat/sweat rash (I Spared everyone the details of this part)

Several cut up knuckles from sharp ice

NOW, 11 days off.

The Marathon

Last night was a LONG night. Fortunately the Brewers were at Target Field, and the sales are always good in any sport when Cheeseheads come to town.

It was 99 degrees and muggy when I got to the ballpark. I was already sopping wet just from walking over from my car. It wasn’t even sunny because the clouds were starting to really build. It was going to storm sometime tonight. Some sort of delay was imminent.

I came upstairs to a light rain after our pre-game meeting and the tarp was out. We all had hoped that this would be just a quick storm and we would get the game underway soon.

The rain actually stopped about 6:45 and we had hoped we would get rolling. But first pitch at 7:10 came and went, and nothing happened. There was still no rain at about 7:30, but real dark clouds remained. The “Rain Delay” message was on the scoreboard.

For about an hour there was very little rain and fans were starting to wonder why officials weren’t getting the game underway. The official word was “lightning in the area”.

Great… We are holding up because of the potential of lightning. Most people were even in their seats.

But it was one of those Minnesota nights when you felt it coming.

It was kindof like that feeling you get when you know you are going to throw up. Your stomach starts to ache and you know what is next. You put it off as long as you can, but then you finally move to the bathroom and wait for it to happen. Then... BAM!

That’s what the delay was like. There were really dark clouds everywhere around the stadium for at least an hour. It was so hot and humid, the atmosphere was just ready to explode.

Then there was a new message on the scoreboard about 8 o’clock and an announcement was made.

“Due to impending Severe Storms, please move to the Concourse or an area of safety” OK, finally here it comes.

98% percent of fans moved from their seats. The other 2% figured their umbrellas and $7 ponchos would cover them and besides… they were here for the full experience of outdoor baseball.

Then it happened…

The clouds EXPLODED!

This was not the light rain first and then the heavy stuff. There was no warning. The faucet turned on to FULL and it poured as heavy as a monsoon. It looked like a blizzard in the stadium lights.

The remaining 2% of the fans in their seats went instantly scrambling for cover, but after about 6 seconds, they must have been soaked.

It rained so hard that you could barely see the fully lit scoreboard from the other side of the field where I was set up.

It downpoured like this for about 35 minutes. Probably 2-3 inches of rain in that short period of time.

40,0000 fans were packed into the concourse. It was so crowded, I stood on top of my beer case so people could find me. They could see me just fine, but in our stockyard like atmosphere, there was very little chance they could get to me any time soon.

So we waited for the duration of the storm. Very few fans left the stadium. The crowd seemed to know that we would get going as soon as it was over. Then the announcement everyone was waiting for was finally heard…

The game would start about 9:10 PM.

Now 9:10 is about the time that I usually am able to leave after the bottom of the 7^th inning, and I was just getting started. Wow, this is getting to be a long night.

On the bright side, the temperature had dropped 25 degrees and it was actually a perfect night for baseball after the rain passed.

The game started at 9:11, and ended @ 11:41PM. I was home by midnight; put my clothes in the washer, had 2 Newcastles and a little something to eat. I was in bed by 1:30.

Do I wish we were still in the Metrodome…? No way!

... The number you have reached...

If you have worked in a large company or building, you know that many of the telephone numbers of different employees are similar. With a little temporary dyslexia, it would be pretty easy to dial up the president of the company when you may be trying to get ahold of someone in the HR department.

Well, Target Field is a large building that is home to several large companies that all have similar telephone numbers. After the (612) area code, the first 5 digits are the same for many people in the ballpark.

One of my fellow vendors didn’t quite reach the right person last week. He picked up the phone to call our vending manager to check on the weather and heard a surprising voice on the other end. Here’s a little of how the conversation went:

Jeff: “Hello, Chris”

Manager: “This isn’t Chris”

(I need to explain that our manager has a good sense of humor, so with Jeff thinking he had dialed the correct number, the boss must be putting him on a bit…)

Jeff: “Right Chris, this is Jeff”

Manager: “No, this isn’t Chris”

Jeff: “Who is this?”

Manager: “This is Ron Gardenhire.”

(Now Jeff really felt like Chris was putting him on)

Jeff: “No c’mon Chris, quit joking around”

Manager (more sternly): “This isn’t Chris, this is Ron Gardenhire”

Jeff; “Seriously... Well how’d I get you?”

Manager (Gardenhire): “I don’t know… The switchboard must have put you through.”

Jeff: “Well what are you doing?”

Gardy: “Just sitting here watching the rain.”

Jeff: “OK, well sorry to bother you.”

Gardy: “No problem.”

Jeff hung up the phone looked at his call record and figured out the 2 digit mistake that crossed up the Target Field Vending Manager with the Minnesota Twins Manager.

The story was a big hit in the locker room that night, and we of course passed around the direct line number for kicks and to all program into our cell phones.

So next time you aren’t happy with the way the Twins are playing and have a suggestion for improvements on the field. Let me know.

Maybe for the right price, I can give you Gardy’s phone number and you can give him a call.

Cold Beer - Guaranteed

I’ve sold beer on Christmas and New Years Eve before. I’ve driven through a blizzard to get to the Dome for a football game, but tonight was a first…

Vending while it snowed…

It was definitely the coldest game in Target Field’s brief history; 40 degrees at game time and a 17 mph breeze blowing in from left field. It was cold at first, but once I got moving it wasn’t so bad. I also wore additional clothing tonight. I had 2 long sleeve shirts on, a pair of thermal socks and 1 glove. (Yes, 1 glove... It is impossible to open a plastic bottle of beer with cotton gloves on, so I only used it on my “money hand”.) It started snowing in the 2^nd inning and continued throughout the rest of the game. Not hard, but it was noticeable.

Fans tolerated the weather much better than they tolerated Liriano’s pitching performance in the first 3 innings. In between the 4^th and 5^th innings the musical selection was Jingle Bell Rock. There were other holiday selections played during the game, and most everyone sang along. It was a bit odd listening to thousands of people singing Christmas Carols on April 27^th, but it is outdoor baseball and fans seemed to be enjoying the novelty of the weather.

Santa Claus was there, he was actually sitting next to a guy in a gorilla suit. They looked like Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi from the set of “Trading Places”. I’m sure they were a lot warmer than the 3 guys without shirts by the dugout on the third base side.

I guess it could’ve been worse. Talking to Ron Coomer down by the dugout in the 3^rd inning, I asked him what the coldest game he ever played in was. He told me about an April game in Detroit where the entire warning track around the field was completely frozen solid and covered in ice. They played through it.

Tonight, more people were standing up in the concourse by the overhead heaters than in their seats. Actually, at one point in the seventh inning I counted exactly 5 fans in section 332. (Glad I wasn’t assigned there.)

Twins fans bought less than they normally would, and hot chocolate was in high demand. I heard one soda vendor shout, “Ice Cold Killebrew Root Beer HERE!” and thought to myself, someone in his advertising department should be fired.

I even left out the words “Ice” and “Cold” when advertising beer tonight. The temperature of my product was really irrelevant, and people didn’t need to be reminded of anything cold.

Tomorrow is a double header to make up for last night’s rainout. Weather conditions look to improve throughout the day.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Hot Chocolate and the Rainout

First rainout of the season in only the 6^th game. I’m disappointed because I chose Hot Chocolate to sell over beer. Temps were in the low 40’s and there was a steady drizzle. Tips wouldn’t be the same, but I figured I could make up for it in volume. 3 guys ahead of me in seniority took it, so I wasn’t the only one thinking it could be a good money maker for the night.

Cocoa is $6.75 and it comes in a souvenir cup. Besides that, I don’t have to card anyone tonight.

Then it happens. Notice on the scoreboard… “Tonight’s game has been postponed”. 30 minutes in and I had already sold 38 cups. Fans were even buying on the way out the gate

It was hardly worth the drive down here and the evening wasted for that… I’m sure many fans felt the same way.

Weather looks better for tomorrow and maybe we have turned the corner on the winter that just won’t end. Next stop 90 degrees and bottled water in June. Let’s hope so.

Opening Day – Season 2

3 ½ weeks ago we stood in Target Field for orientation and it was 25 degrees and the wind was making it feel like the low teens. There was still ice on the field and 3’ piles of snow in the seats. Every vendor wondered how it was going to be possible to climb stairs for the start of the season. In 2010, the weather was perfect for outdoor baseball. There was only 1 rainout and 1 delay. We figured 2011 was likely to be payback?

Fast forward to today, April 8… and there couldn’t be a nicer forecast for a Friday Spring day. The weather keeps looking better and better for the Twins Home Opener today at 3:10. Latest I heard was 65 and sunny. I even packed the work shorts at the last minute, just in case.

Everyone has probably heard that Wally won’t be back for 2011. Neither will Ed. I have reread my blog entry about “The Sting” and still can’t believe it happened.

We lost 2 other guys to retirement, so I moved up 4 spots in seniority since 2010 from 24 to 20. I’ve been doing this since 1989 and finally cracked the top 20. Moving 4 spots is a big jump… I don’t think I’ve moved 2 spots in a season in the last 10 years.

Beer will be $7.25 this year… up a quarter. That is both good and bad. The jingle jangle of coins makes people think of tipping more, but $14.50 for 2 beers makes for a small tip if the customer gives you 15 bucks. $29 for 4 beers (criminal, I know) leaves only a buck leftover. Guess I will just have to “work it” more this year.

There is a new beer available from vendors this year. We finally have Coors Light. It is the most common beer people have asked for over the past few years. I think I might even give it a shot today (selling, not drinking) with Grain Belt.

There is just “something” about Opening Day. As the ESPN commercial says, “It’s not just Flag Day… It’s the world’s biggest flag Day.” There will be a flyover after the anthem. There is nothing comparable to having five F-16’s roar about 500 feet above the Target Field.

It’s also the start of another long summer. 81+ games to work, and a long way to go to the finish line.

Let’s play ball.

The Sting - Fallout

Because of our company’s failure in the most recent sting at Target Field, we’ve been told that the M.P.D. will be doing a follow-up sting this week.

I guess the rules of the game are that if a liquor establishment fails a compliance check, another compliance check must take place within 30 days. Well, with no guaranty of another game after Game 2 of the ALDS, it is almost a given that the sting will be on again at either Wednesday’s or Thursday’s game vs. the Yankees.

Last Thursday, the police checked 21 points of sale at Target Field and there were 8 failures. Frankly, that is an embarrassing percentage. We have to do better than that, and we will next time. My company has changed several policies and spends time discussing proper ID measures before each game.

The fallout from the sting has been interesting, to say the least. Because Wally The Beerman was one of 2 vendors failing the compliance check, the media has jumped all over the story. Everyone at Target Field seems to know what happened, and everyone also seems to have an opinion.

I did a blog back in 2009 about how popular Wally was (http://metrodomevendor.blogspot.com/2009/08/wally-beerman.html), but really don’t think it captured the whole story.

There is now a “Free Wally” Facebook page that has compiled over 7,000 fans in less than 72 hours. (Believe it or not, the page has actually gained 100 fans in the time it took me to write this article.)

Everyone seems to want to talk about it at the game too. I had a lawyer bend my ear for 3 batters on Friday about how compliance checks are entrapment. Today, a semi-inebriated customer chastised the police very loudly in the concourse about how unfair it was to keep Wally away from doing “the work that he loves”. He made it sound almost like Wally was Mother Theresa being kept from tending to the poor in India.

One of our 70+ year old vendors, Jerry Carlson was standing next to me in the concourse on Saturday before the game. He sold a guy a beer, and the guy tipped him and actually said…

“Give this dollar to Wally.”

Really…???

I think Wally is doing fine. Wally is probably making more money out of this than he ever was before. … and he is not climbing stairs to do it! He seems to be working every bar around the stadium these days handing out beers and bringing in customers for the bar.

(In case you wondered, Jerry said “Thank you, I will pass that along, kind sir.” … and then pocketed the dollar.)

It’s strange, but by failing the compliance check, I think Wally has become more popular than he ever was. …Almost like he has become a martyr.

He’s now the William Wallace of Vendors.

But my favorite story of the weekend involved 2 customers who I sold beers to on Saturday in Section 117. I carded them properly, and they had their ID’s ready to go even before I asked for them. They said, “We know all about the sting, and think it is very unfair.” Then they said, “Want to see what we did?”

The customer is always right, so I said, “Sure”.

The boys took off their shirts and had painted on their chest in huge blue capital letters…

FREE WALLY!!

I believe I could almost hear the voice of Wally The Beerman ringing out right at that moment

“FREEDOM!!!

The Sting

There are just nights, that you wished never happened… Tonight was one of those nights.

The “sting” was on. The Minneapolis Police Department decided that September 30, 2010 was a great night to perform an alcohol compliance check on the vending department at Target Field.

For those of you who don’t know, an alcohol sting usually involves a college student who looks to be of legal drinking age, but is about 19 or 20 years old. This kid is given a $10 bill and told to try to buy beer from as many people as he or she can at a sporting event. The vendors who pass are rewarded, and those who fail are disciplined and can even face criminal charges.

In my 22 years of vending, I had managed to avoid every police sting.

… until tonight.

99 times out of 100, beer vendors come through with flying colors. After all, we are the “Pro’s”. We are on our own every night and are taught how to handle all sorts of situations. There’s a reason we have to sit through 3-5 hours of training each year.

We should be able to pass a compliance check 100% of the time.

Not 99% of the time…

EVERY SINGLE TIME!

It’s not that hard. Company policy is to ID anyone under 30 years old. This makes it pretty straightforward, and should protect all beer vendors from serving someone under 21.

Tonight, I was “Stung”, for the first time ever.

I had barely sold my first 6 pack in the concourse prior to tonight’s game, when a “young kid” approached me and asked for a Grain Belt Premium. I popped the top, set it back in the ice, and told him that it would be $7.

He handed me a $10 bill and I asked for his ID. So he handed it to me.

06/17/1991

I did a double take, and then still had to look at it again. 1991?? Hey, that was the year the Twins last won the World Series… Wait a minute, that’s not right. Legal drinking age was 9-30-1989.

Could this kid really be trying to buy beer and he is not 21?

Is my math wrong?

Keep in mind that I had NEVER seen an underage ID before. Sure, I have had numerous customers over the past 20+ years who have “forgotten” their ID in the car, or “left it at home”. But this was my first customer - EVER - who had tried to buy beer and showed me his ID that said he was under 21.

After all that pondering, I handed this kid his $10 back, put his Wisconsin driver’s license in my pocket and told him that I couldn’t sell to him.

He just looked at me and said, “OK”, and walked away.

Really… “OK”… That’s all I get!!! You try to break the law and just walk away and say ‘OK”???!

Where are the fireworks and confetti from the ceiling?? I just kept a minor from buying a beer.

But, there should be no fireworks or celebration… I did nothing special.

I did my JOB!

That’s what I’m supposed to do. Serve beer to the adults, and protect my customers by making sure no one under 21 buys a beer.

Unfortunately, not everyone did their job tonight. Not everyone passed this compliance check.

I’m so irritated, embarrassed and depressed that two of my fellow vendors served beer to this kid.

These were vendors who have been doing this longer than I have… Guys who have 25+ years of experience. Vendors who are very close friends… Vendors who I might never see again.

Company police is very clear on failing a compliance check.

TERMINATION

It isn’t even something that is up for discussion. … and maybe it shouldn’t be. After all, isn’t a beer vendors’ #1 responsibility to make sure that no one under the age of 21 is able to drink?

It doesn’t help my feelings that we are still all a team, and these are my friends. These are/were good beer vendors.

… and it all can end just like that if you are not careful.

Tonight, I did my job, and am thankful I get the chance to work another day.

Jacket Weather is Back

What a difference a couple of days and 10 degrees make. Tonight was the first game since early May that I saw fans wearing jackets and bundling up for the game at Target Field. Two nights ago shorts and T-shirts were in fashion, and fans were hoping for a breeze to cool off. Tonight, I saw a few fans even covering up under blankets.

Hot Chocolate vendors returned to the seats. Strange… just last week, I sold water to help keep fans cool, and 10 days later we are working on keeping them warm.

I have worn shorts at every game since early May, but it might be time to consider going back to long pants in the next few days. It seems so long ago that I needed a long sleeve shirt under my bright yellow uniform shirt, but those days are about to return.

This can only mean the end of the season is near. There are only 16 more games to go in the regular season. Every vendor looks forward to the end of the season when we get our lives back and don’t have to work 8 hours at our regular jobs and then head downtown for another 4-5 hours at Target Field. It’s a crazy life when you actually look forward to Fall and Winter in Minnesota, but that’s what vending does to a person.

The Waterboy

After 20 years of selling nothing but Bud or Miller at Twins games, the summer outdoor atmosphere of Target Field has presented a couple of opportunities to vend a different product. On the warmest and sunniest of day games, nothing sells better than Ice Cold Water. Bottled Aquafina.

Beer just doesn’t sell well to fans sitting in the sun and 95 degree heat. Fans cannot actually continue drinking beer at a partying pace when it is that hot. Water outsells beer at those games.

I have passed on the beer ticket and sold H2O twice so far this year, and it has worked out better than selling beer. Besides, it is so easy to sell bottled water.

No ID’s needed.
No caps to remove.
No cutting people off if they have had too many.

I just break the seal on the cap and hand it out. I can sell to 7 year olds and 70 year olds. It’s almost as refreshing to sell, as it must be for fans to drink.

Vending is all about marketing. With beer, the chant from most vendors is, “Beer Here!” Simple and to the point. People want "beer", and “here” is where they get it.

With water, I have discovered a new phrase… I present this thought in fans’ minds that they “need” to drink water. The sun is heating them up, they are thirsty and slightly uncomfortable, and everyone knows that water is what you need to survive. I will walk down an aisle and almost make a plea for people to pay attention.

“Who NEEDS Water?? Who is thirsty??”

I add almost this desperate tone on the word “needs”. It puts this thought in fans minds, that I might be right and they may not survive 9 innings without the water I am selling. I never even mention Aquafina because it really isn’t important. I could be selling Minneapolis city water and it would make no difference, because... People NEED it.

I see hands go up, and it becomes infectious. People actually say to me when purchasing, “Yeah, we need water here”, sounding almost grateful for the opportunity to hand over $4 for a bottle.

Sure, I get grief from a lot of my regulars about selling water, but even they will buy one when they get too hot.

So don’t be surprised if you see me selling water at games on those hot days. After all, I am just trying to distribute the thirst quenching liquid that people need the most at that particular game. Some days it is beer, and some days it is water.

3-Game Homestand

This weekend has been odd at Target Field. Usually MLB likes to schedule more than 1 series for a team on the road or at home. Six or seven-game homestands are typical. Saves on travel expenses. This year we actually have six 9-game homestands. Those get long.

Spanning over a week, these can really disrupt a schedule. Most vendors have regular jobs, so it is usually 8 hours at that during the week & then come in to Target Field for another 3-5 hours. Then, you really don’t get a weekend to enjoy either. There is a game right in the middle of Sunday, and both Friday and Saturday evenings are shot.

Every once in a while, there is a 12+ game homestand where the Twins have 4 series with different teams before going on the road, but it is becoming more rare. We all were sitting around reminiscing (at the bar after a game, of course) about the longest homestand anyone can remember, and it was either a 14 or 15-game marathon back in the early 90’s at Metrodome. Over 2 weeks of games. There was a big party at the end of that one.

This weekend has been a breeze - a 3-game homestand.

Couldn’t happen at a better time. The Twins play 17 of 20 games on the road with this little series dotted right in the middle. During the best days of summer, too. A little bit of “freedom” to actually get to enjoy July and August.

Couldn’t happen to a better team, too. Seattle. Typically, the Mariners are not a great draw. Not like the Yankees, Red Sox, or any Central team. Seattle is probably in the bottom 3 or 4 teams in the AL for bringing in a good beer-drinking crowd.

At least some of the regular fans probably looked at the schedule and thought, “The Twins are out of town for 2 weeks except for these 3 games with Seattle… We better go.” Made for a surprisingly good little homestand this weekend.

Now for another 10 days off. I’ll take it.

Pitching Match-ups

Saturday, July 17, 2010 (Twins vs. White Sox)
Pavano vs. Buehrle
Time of game: 1 hour and 52 minutes
9 cases of beer sold

Monday, July 19, 2010 (Twins vs. Indians)
Baker vs. Laffey
Time of game: 3 hours and 54 minutes
10.25 cases of beer sold

So for the extra 2 hours and 2 minutes of work, I made an extra 30 bucks. $15 per hour is lousy money when it comes to climbing stairs. I think every beer vendor would prefer Saturday’s game over Monday’s even though we all made less money. We are about efficiency and not greed.

Sales per hour is key, or better yet… Sales per STEP.

As a beer vendor, I look at the pitching match-ups to see what I am in for that evening. This year, Pavano and Liriano have potential for a fast game. Baker and Slowey mean... settle in for a long evening. Blackburn has been OK at home, but he has "turtle potential".

Beer vendors like the strikout guys and despise contact pitchers. Santana was awesome, Radke just made me work harder.

Then it is always nice to see an Ace pitching for the other team. David Price and Josh Beckett are always better to see in the lineup than Wade Davis and Tim Wakefield.

Bring on a pitchers' dual and maximize my "beer per stair" ratio.

Warm Beer HERE!

There is nothing worse for a beer vendor than bottles that come out of the “cooler” at about 60 degrees. Unfortunately that is what happened tonight at Target Field.

Last I checked, beer was best served ICE COLD… especially on a hot summer night.

It was a perfect night for baseball… 83 degrees at game time, and the beer, as it was handed to me out of the fridge was only about 25 degrees cooler than the air temperature.

NOT very refreshing!

This makes a beer vendor’s job 10 times harder. Sure, we carry ice 90% of the time on the beer, but usually it is only necessary to carry a small layer to drop the beer a little closer to the freezing point.

Tonight we had to pile on the ice. 10-20 pounds extra per tray. Usually a fully loaded tray before ice is about 50-60 pounds, tonight is was closer to 70 lbs. But, this does lower the temp of the beer about 20 degrees in about 10 minutes.

Proper product rotation was also important tonight. Grab the coldest ones, move the other beers over and hopefully by the time it got to the customer, it had reached a “pleasant” temp of about 40 degrees.

Tolerable on a warm day, but not providing that “aaaah” feeling that most casual beer drinkers are looking for. That temp where my customer takes their first sip, and says, “Oh yeah, that hits the spot”, and cannot wait to order the next one.

I want to sell beer that is as refreshing as that Coke was to Mean Joe Greene in the 70’s commercial where he threw his shirt to the kid (“Hey kid… Catch!)

We all did our best tonight. Everyone from management to vendors to stand managers and preps were icing the beer as early as possible to get it to cool down by the time it got to the customer. …and we succeeded, sort of.

Tomorrow, the forecast is for 91 degrees with a 70 degree dewpoint. Let’s hope the beer starts out colder so it can be ultra-refreshing in the heat of the day.

The Beer Vendors' Prayer

“Please let me sell lots of Beer,
and please let it be a fast game.”

People would think that every beer vendor wants to have a long game so there is an extended opportunity for people to drink/buy more. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Believe it or not, most fans have decided how many beers they can have at the game even before they walk through the gate. It seems fans come in with a set amount of money that they are going to spend… and they are going to spend this amount whether the game is 90 minutes long or a 3 hour and 40 minute marathon.

There are games when a beerman feels like he has been with the same case long enough to develop a personal relationship with each individual bottle. (Don’t worry, I ice every case to keep it cold.)

All beer vendors want to sell as many beers as possible at every game, but there is something each wishes for…

“The Fast Game.”

The 3 hour + game is brutal. Fans are nursing beers in the 5th and 6th just waiting for “last call” so they can have 1 more and either:

A. still drive home, or
B. leave a few dollars in their wallet for the next day

The last 2 nights have had games hovering around a 2 hour pace for the first 7 innings. These are a blessing when you are on game 5 of a 9 game homestand.

MLB is talking about replay and other changes that may lengthen a game. I say “No WAY!”

Keep the games moving. Tomorrow that 3 hour and 20 minute game may seem like a marathon.

If anyone would like to disagree… go to your local fitness club, get on the stairmaster, set it for 180 minutes and call me when the screen reads, “goal achieved”.

Are we there yet?

6 games into a 9 game homestand, and I am just wiped out. I think all vendors are looking forward to Sunday Night. We all seem to need a break and some time away. 3 more games to go.

Reminds me of a time in the early 90's where we had a 15 game homestand. It was 15 games in 17 days. I cannot imagine doing that now. If I remember right, there was quite a party after the final game.

The "Walk Around"

It rained tonight… then it poured tonight and the grounds crew pulled the tarp out and sent us waiting for 90 minutes.

Funny thing happens in a rain delay. About 35,000 people head to the concourse with the same idea. The conversation goes something like this:

Fan #1: “Hey buddy, what do you want to do now that there is a delay?”

Fan #2: “Oh I don’t know, but we don’t want to stay here and get soaked.”

Fan #1: “Well why don’t we head up to the concourse and walk around…”

Two dreaded words spoken by too many people… “Walk Around”

This starts a scene that is vaguely similar to how many college students will fit in this Volkswagen? In a matter of minutes there are 25,000 fans in an area made to hold about 5,000. Some going left and some going right. (Halftime at a football game is exactly the same way.)

This “walk around” is completely unproductive and creates something more like cattle being herded into a stockyard for slaughter. There are many wide open spaces at Target Field, but eventually people are channeled through several narrow hallways in certain areas. And it can get ugly.

A Beerman can see it firsthand. Some people get in line for food, some get in line for the bathroom, some keep moving, and there are even a few that decide they must stop their group right in the middle of this zoo to have a conversation. Each one of these lines and mobs creates more congestion, which leads to less “walking around” and more “being stuck in one spot”.

My advice… Instead of a “walk around” on the next rain delay, find a nice beer vendor to stand next to and chat with until you need your next beer. At least you won’t be stuck in the crowd without that Bud Light.

Wanted... Budweiser Knee Pads

I wore shorts today at the game. It really felt weird.

After 22 years of vending in long pants, the weather in Minneapolis dictated that I should try shorts for the very first time.

85 degrees and sunny. Why not…?

Now all I need is some Budweiser knee pads for advertising. If anyone sees a pair on E-bay, let me know.

Double Header => 2nd set of clothes.

Current conditions: 40 degrees and Rain/Snow.

No stairs for me tonight. The Twins will make up the game as part of a double-header tomorrow.

My report times on Saturday are 11 AM and 6 PM. That's not enough time to go home between and do laundry. I have 2 of everything except for knee pads. Fortunately the “knee pit” doesn’t smell as bad as the armpit when it comes to sweating.

For the fans, my personal recommendation for the second game of this double header is to buy beer from a vendor that actually changed clothes between games.

How will you know…?

Trust me, you will know.

My beer looks good on TV.

Every beer vendor gets on TV once in a while. Whether it is appearing behind the play or having a foul ball bounce near you, it is impossible to avoid the limelight. (Besides, it's good for sales.)

Here is my most recent 3.4 seconds of fame.

http://wcco.com/video/?id=78483@wcco.dayport.com

(At least the beer looked good.)

What a Difference a Day Makes

Last night was horrible. I couldn’t sell a thing. I felt like everyone in the ballpark knew I had leprosy and might catch it if they bought a beer from me. (Before anyone asks… I don’t have any contagious diseases. Please don’t stop buying beer.)

Sure it was Monday and temps were in the 50’s… but why were the guys in the rows next to me selling beers and I was just getting exercise. It just seemed like wherever I went, beer was not needed.

I went home feeling horrible and wondered why I was the worst beer vendor at Target Field.

Seriously! I felt like a ball player after a 0 for 5 night with 3 strikeouts. What was wrong with me?


Fast forward to tonight… I was a selling machine. I was one of the top vendors in the building. Every customer was buying in sets of 4 and was waiting for me to come back. I kept the right mix of beer in my tray, so I almost always had the right beer for my customers.

What was different? Was it my attitude? Did I smile more? Maybe I smelled bad last night. What did I do differently tonight…?



The answer…

Absolutely NOTHING.



All the sales advice by Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie and Jeffery Gittomer means very little when it comes to being in the right place at the right time. I’d like to see one of those 3 guys carry 50 lbs. of beer and ice up and down the steps on an off night.

Beer vending is so much more than just having a positive mental attitude or “winning friends and influencing people”. There are just nights when a beer vendor isn't in the right place at the right time.

Fortunately there are other nights when I feel like Norm from “Cheers” and everyone shouts my name when I get to their section.

Hopefully there will be fewer nights like Monday and more nights like tonight.