Absolutely! And thank you for the in-depth review of the situation from an objective third-party point of view. We appreciate your comments!

Thank you for your illuminating reply to my previous comment. After due consideration, I am willing to stipulate premise #1 (ie, the fair price of beer-per-ounce is either constant or is subject to the law of diminishing marginal returns), and your recent comment has now convinced me of the truth of premise #2 (beer-purchasers at Pirates Stadium are unaware of the price-per-ounce being charged when purchasing the small cup as opposed to the large cup). That leaves us with premise #3. I suppose the truth of that premise rests on the sensibilites of the Pirates’ beer-purchasers. It strikes me as a plausible assumption that most beer-purchasers at Pirates stadium would be perfectly happy to drink double-fisted if it meant getting a better price-per-ounce. And so, I shall grant your conclusion: the Pirates are indeed scamming their fans. Thank you for resolving my concerns in this matter and keep up the good work!

Thank you for the lengthy and well thought-out commentary. I don’t know that I can respond with the thoroughness or eloquence which you possess, but perhaps I can clarify a few points.

(1) The cups were not on display prior to purchase and unless you opted for both a small and a large beer, you would never know what the size of the other glass was.

(2) Given the shapes of the cups, even possessing both cups was not sufficient to make it clear the relative volumes contained.

(3) I think that if the price-per-oz was readily displayed to purchasers, this would seem much less of a scam.

(4) Personally, I prefer the first sip of a beer far more than the last, because it tends to be much colder, and it is a stark difference from my prior state of thirst; whereas the last sip is warm and comes shortly after I just drank most of a beer.

So, I agree that the Pirates have not completely backed themselves into a corner. There is no conclusive “proof” of intentional deception, yet I still think the circumstances depict a move to make extra money off people looking for a “larger” beer, while not really providing them any value for the extra money they charge.

I’m not convinced this situation constitutes a scam.

I concede that you have established the following premise: beer purchasers at Pirates Stadium (not necessarily Pirates’ fans, BTW) are being charged far more for (let’s say) 13 ounces of beer in a large cup than they pay for (let’s say) 12 ounces of beer in a small cup.

However, your conclusion that this situation constitutes a scam seems to rest on several assumed premises:

1) The fair price of beer-per-ounce is either constant or is subject to the law of diminishing marginal returns. Perhaps this is not the case. Who among us would not value the last fleeting moments of life far beyond those moments spent wasted (say, just for example, moments spent drafting silly comments on quirky little blogs)? Perhaps the value of beer works the same way… perhaps that last ounce is worth far more than those which came before.

2) Beer-purchasers at Pirates Stadium are unaware of the price-per-ounce being charged when purchasing the small cup as opposed to the large cup; (**Nb: I assume by “scam” you mean to imply some degree of effective deception by the sellers to the detriment of the purchasers, yes?**) Assuming the cups are on display for purchasers to see before making their purchase, the necessary element of deception seems to be lacking in your analysis.

3) Beer-purchasers at Pirates Stadium are not choosing to pay more simply to avoid “double fisting”. Assuming the law of diminishing returns does apply to beer, and further assuming 13 ounces is the point of maximum utility – and further considering the transaction cost of carrying two cups rather than one (and thus being tempted to over-indulge or at very least look like a booze-hound) — then we might find that fully-informed purchasers gladly pay the extra cost for simply to avoid carrying two cups and/or being served an amount of beer that might tempt their weak-will.

Indeed, perhaps that is the “company line” if they every do get called out: “Well, we ARE the PIRATES!”

I wonder if this technique is common in many stadiums…I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for it.

So I see the crime scene in Pittsburgh has just got worse.

Cheers,

Quirky Indian
http://quirkyindian.wordpress.com