Steve and the Tank! - Hot Dogs Here!!!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

An Interview with a career Stadium Vendor

You see them all the time, all over the world. They walk in front of you at the most critical moment of the game and yell at the top of their lungs: “Beer here!” They are stadium vendors, folks who come to the games every day and get paid to sell you stuff to eat and drink.

I started vending hot dogs, pretzels, beer and soda at Shea Stadium in April 1988 and eventually worked at other sporting arenas like Madison Square Garden. Even to this day people are fascinated with my past experiences as a stadium vendor- it dominated every job interview I have ever been on as well as my interviews for Business School- so I figured that I would take the time out and interview a long time friend and stadium vendor. (Some names have been changed to protect the guilty.)

Steve and the Tank: We met at Shea Stadium Opening Day 1988 but I was smart enough to quit in 1994 after possibly 1000 games at multiple stadiums, what about you, how long have you been vending and how many sporting/entertainment events have you been to?

Vendor: Oh way too many, over 2000. How long have I been vending? Let’s do the math 1988-1993 about 70 games a year. 1994 about 100 games both Yankee and Shea. No vending in 1995 while on Wall Street. Then 1996-97 75 a year. Then 1998-99 I took some time off and was hoping around the world. Then 2000 75 games at Yankee. Then 2001-2006 about 140 a year both Shea and Yankee

Steve and the Tank: That sure is a lot of games! At what stadiums, just Shea and Yankee?

Vendor: Only Yankee and Shea with a brief stint at Madison Square Garden.

Steve and the Tank: Which is the best place to sell at? Shea? Yankee? MSG? Other?

Vendor: Yankee has the most generous fans. Shea fans spend money but tipping is less then Yankee. MSG sucked when I worked there with you

Steve and the Tank: Yes it did suck. But we saw some amazing Knick games and our locker room was where they kept the rink for ranger games. Remember Martin Luther King day 1990 when Trent Tucker got a 3 point shot with 0.01 seconds on the clock to win an amazing victory over the Bulls? This leads me to the next question, did you start vending so you can see free games?

Vendor: Yes I did in the beginning.

Steve and the Tank: What happened, is it all about the money?

Vendor: Free games gets old after the first year. I come to work to work, just like you.

Steve and the Tank: How much does a vendor make on average selling each item?

Vendor: No comment, but they pay us on commission, so the more you work the more you make.

Steve and the Tank: Why do the pay you on commission and pay the people behind the counter by the hour?

Vendor: It has always been like that. Vendors always got commission going back to the beginning o baseball and counter workers got hourly pay. I assume they pay us on commission since we are in the seats selling to the fans and can so easily just sit and watch the game if we were paid by the hour.

Steve and the Tank: What is the easiest product to sell? Beer? Hot dogs? Other?

Vendor: Depends on the person some people find beer easy to sell others hot dogs. I prefer hot dogs.

Steve and the Tank: What is the most profitable product to sell?

Vendor: Depends how good the vendor is and the section of the stadium you are in.

Steve and the Tank: Can you give your friends free beer?

Vendor: Sometimes they give me credit in the station. I don't want to pay for your free bee, we are accountable for everything we sell.

Steve and the Tank: I once sold a beer to a 7 year old boy who was bringing it to his dad. The scene was funny, the dad actually sent his kid down to me to fetch him a beer. Do you card kids?

Vendor: I hate selling beer. Actually will not sell it anymore because I have to card everybody including 80 yr olds.

Steve and the Tank: Do you sell beer to cute women who are underage?

Vendor: If I want to lose my job.

Steve and the Tank: How have Aramark and other large scale vendors changed the vending business over the past 15 or so years?

Vendor: The prices are a lot higher. A lot has changed to much to list. No more draft beer, drip sodas. Vending is always changing. We now have ketchup with the hot dogs!

Steve and the Tank: I remember Game 3 of the NLCS in 1988 when it was cold and raining and I just wanted to go home. I also remember some 100 degree day games selling hot dogs in the field level with the sun beating down on me and having to go into the ice cream freezer to cool off in-between innings. What was the hardest conditions (heat, cold, rain, snow, etc.) that you worked in?

Vendor: I remember one Mets opening day few years ago it was 31 degrees. It was to cold to do anything, I had to keep warm in the vendor room as much as I could between innings.

Steve and the Tank: Did anyone ever try to rob you at the game?

Vendor: Never has happened at anytime. I don’t think anyone has ever been robbed.

Steve and the Tank: I still remember the most beautiful woman I ever sold a hot dog to, her name was Tracy and it was August 1990 in the Upper Deck at a night game against the Pittsburg Pirates. Who was the least pleasant client you dealt with? Most pleasant?

Vendor: I deal with people in seconds don't have time to get to know them. Other vendors sit there and have conversations with fans. I am too busy try trying to make my money.

Steve and the Tank: I remember I was hit in the head with a foul ball on the first pitch of the first game of a twilight double header. I also remember catching about 3 or 4 foul balls over the years. Did you ever catch a foul or home run ball? If so, which one and how many?

Vendor: Once caught a foul ball at Yankee during the game. The ball went down the hallway and I was standing there to pick it up. These days when I see a foul ball headed in my direction I tend to try to get as far away from the crazy people who are sacrificing their bodies for a worthless ball. More then a few vendors were knocked out from crazy people diving for balls. But I have caught plenty of balls during batting practice

Steve and the Tank: What is the longest term vendor you are acquainted with? Shortest term?

Vendor: After Manny Gluck died last year he was at Yankee since 1955. Know the #1 guy is Mike McNamara he started at Yankee in 1960. Short term the vendor who started today.

Steve and the Tank: What is the craziest story of a vendor getting fired?

Vendor: The funniest story I know is concerning our mutual friend Bo (name changed). You know this guy is insane. The scene: Yankee vs Boston in I don't know let’s say 1996. Bo decides to take the day off and watch the game from the bleachers. Back then the bleachers still sold beer. He proceeds to get wasted and starts harassing Boston fans. It gets bad the fans complain he gets thrown out. Security doesn't know he is a vendor. He uses his ID to get back in and starts harassing the fans again. Security sees him thinking what the hell throw him out again. You would think OK he goes home but no he gets in again back to the same fans starts fighting them Security comes takes him out search find the ID take him to Joyce Pappa the boss he is fired right away.

Steve and the Tank : What was the most memorable moment you witnessed?

Vendor: Has to be when the Yanks won the World Series in 1996. I watched Charlie Hayes catch the ball from the left field seats and watched the whole celebration on the field.

Steve and the Tank: Do you get to meet the players?

Vendor: No, but back in 1988 I met a few of the Mets..

Posted by Steve, in New York.