Let Your Kids Scalp: How Selling Tickets Can Change A Life
Growing up in California's Bay Area, my family had season tickets for the Golden State Warriors and Oakland A's. Many of my favorite childhood memories were at these games. The MLB and NBA seasons combine to fill essentially the entire calendar year, and we naturally could not attend every game. This always bothered me because when we didn't go, my dad would often leave the tickets unused. This problem remained unsolved until I was 13. At this point I began to take the 45 minute BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) ride into Oakland to sell our unused tickets on game days. My dad let me keep a cut of the money, which oftentimes made the trip quite profitable.
Anyone who is familiar with the Oakland Coliseum area, especially parents, may be concerned at this point of the article. Was the area dangerous? Yes. Were there situations that arose that a 13 year old kid should not have faced with a parent, much less alone? Absolutely. But, I would argue that the lessons learned outweigh all of this. It was on those lonely BART rides that I learned how to interact with people. I learned to give up my seat for any woman entering the train, and keep my eyes down when need be. I learned the beauty of solitude from a young age, something that fewer and fewer youth seem understand with each passing year. But mostly, I learned about business. I became skilled at negotiating and picked up scalping tricks along the way (always be prepared with $5 and $10 bills). As I became more experienced I felt like I could read if someone needed a ticket, and what price they were willing to pay, just by watching them walk toward the stadium. These are skills that cannot be gained through formal education. I appreciate the value of education and graduated from college, but also highly value the tools that non-traditional learning experiences can provide.
Ticket scalping has become a dirty word for many, and the people who do it are generally looked down upon and profiled. Think of a ticket scalper. What do they look like? Most of us have a clear image in our mind, and it is not of someone we would want babysitting our children. What I see, and what I argue you should too, is someone who sees opportunity. Someone who is more adept at negotiating and basic business than many college graduates. I argue that the experiences I had in front of the Oakland Coliseum taught me more than any book I will ever read. Urge your children to engage in some sort of basic business from a young age. Help them setup a lemonade stand or mow lawns. Or, better yet, let them scalp. I guarantee the experience will last a lifetime
Anyone who is familiar with the Oakland Coliseum area, especially parents, may be concerned at this point of the article. Was the area dangerous? Yes. Were there situations that arose that a 13 year old kid should not have faced with a parent, much less alone? Absolutely. But, I would argue that the lessons learned outweigh all of this. It was on those lonely BART rides that I learned how to interact with people. I learned to give up my seat for any woman entering the train, and keep my eyes down when need be. I learned the beauty of solitude from a young age, something that fewer and fewer youth seem understand with each passing year. But mostly, I learned about business. I became skilled at negotiating and picked up scalping tricks along the way (always be prepared with $5 and $10 bills). As I became more experienced I felt like I could read if someone needed a ticket, and what price they were willing to pay, just by watching them walk toward the stadium. These are skills that cannot be gained through formal education. I appreciate the value of education and graduated from college, but also highly value the tools that non-traditional learning experiences can provide.
Ticket scalping has become a dirty word for many, and the people who do it are generally looked down upon and profiled. Think of a ticket scalper. What do they look like? Most of us have a clear image in our mind, and it is not of someone we would want babysitting our children. What I see, and what I argue you should too, is someone who sees opportunity. Someone who is more adept at negotiating and basic business than many college graduates. I argue that the experiences I had in front of the Oakland Coliseum taught me more than any book I will ever read. Urge your children to engage in some sort of basic business from a young age. Help them setup a lemonade stand or mow lawns. Or, better yet, let them scalp. I guarantee the experience will last a lifetime
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