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Official Coverage

Here's the official press release: Lawrence Dumont goes Cashless.
And they linked to a video from Channel 12.

The idea that this will actually speed concessions is a complete joke to me. The problem in most concession stands is food preparation not making change. The concept of people punching a keypad to place an order has never worked in retail either (I recall the ill-fated attempt by Mickey D's to do just that --leading to the most absurd interaction where no one makes eye contact since both customer and clerk stare at the screen on the counter).

Clearly these pitches to the public are coming straight from the vendor.

The Vendor Who Made the Sale

The vendor who got the Wingnuts is Total Venue Control LLC. The website is not terribly impressive (or reassuring) and does not have a long list of major clients or press releases in spite of being in business for several years. In fact, there are none of the recent "success stories" one would expect to see for such a company making this pitch... perhaps Wichita is the (first) test market for a sports franchise? They don't quote or even suggest what sort of return to expect; this assumes they actually have reliable numbers to report and simply choose to keep them private except for prospective clients.

The only real success story is a video showing how it worked at huge football (soccer) stadiums in Europe, not the US. Having been to Old Trafford (home of Manchester United of the EPL) twice I can see why that would be a good idea at such venues --between football hooligans and the sheer number of people there are considerably higher risks. I don't think anyone is expecting Wingnuts fans to be in the same country, let alone the same league.

Unfortunately, in a way, the video undermines its own pitch by pointing out that it works well in Holland --because the Dutch are already used to using a similar system for many other purchases in stores. That should be contrasted with the local "oldtimer" the TV station found in a bowling alley. Neither the culture of the city (or US) or the scale of operation in Wichita make this investment seem appropriate.

Though I agree that this approach should reduce employee theft but if your employees aren't trustworthy smart cards aren't going to reduce losses. If that's what you want, replace concessions with vending machines which won't steal from you.

If you're so smart, what should they do?

If concession lines are long (as they've been at Midway Stadium from the very beginning) the solution is MORE concessions and more options. A mix of vending machines with water and soda, maybe candy; beer patio; increased strolling vendors; more temporary game day concession stands & BBQ. LDS has a wide concourse area and open spaces that could be adapted (and scaled) to meet projected crowds. This is what nearly everyone does, its scalable, relatively inexpensive and does not require major capital investments and infrastructure.

Bottom line:

I think it's safe to say that if this was such a "great idea" for the US, Wichita and the Winguts would not be the first to implement it.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it will work as advertised. But I'll place my bet that they'll kill if off before the season is over and/or supplement it with cash (and quietly phase it out). I hope that they got a great deal on the system (and support!) from TVC since I'm sure they'll have many bugs to work out of the system (including having a contingency plan for paying with cash if the system isn't fully operational during preseason or opening day).

Whatever the case I guess I should make plans to get to Wichita quickly to get one of the collectible payment cards that are promised. Those may inaugural season collectibles.

There's a good question. BTW: Have you (ever) investigated this technology for your club(s)?

Old Fogeys like that easy enough to find. The TV crew easily found one on their trip to the bowling alley. He certainly looked like one of the sort I expect to see at LDS this summer.

Adding the credit card options makes a lot of sense. Handheld card systems are all over Europe --though they do use Smart Cards and not magstripe technology.

Oh well... as I said. If they have a collectible series of cash cards, it'll be one more thing to add to the collection and website.