The past February in New York was an overall wet month so I had to keep an umbrella with me all the time. It was gloomy and raining on almost every weekend. However, bad weather has never been my excuse to stop seeing friends or attending any interesting activities.
It was the second last Saturday and a rainy day as well. Mom and I have dressed up anyway for the opera at the Metropolitan Opera House. We headed from our home on Long Island to Manhattan earlier that day for an art forum in the afternoon and a delicious Japanese dinner before the show. Everything seemed perfect until I received a call from my husband, who planned to join us for the opera after finishing his work but stuck in a traffic jam inside the Lincoln Tunnel. He predicted a two-hour delay. I suggested that I would leave the ticket at the box office for him to pick up but he said he might even miss the intermission. Bummer!
It was 30 minutes before the opera started. I rushed to the box office and was told that there was no way to return the ticket for reselling purpose as I had hoped. I was reluctant to accept the fact that I just lost 50 dollars. My mom encouraged me to sell it by myself. “Why don’t you give it a try? Come on! It’s time to test your real selling skills.” she said, considering hotel sales was my profession. Though I was half-accepting the idea, mom had already accompanied me out of the building.
At first, I felt embarrassed standing there, on my heels, with an extra opera ticket on hand. It was getting dark and drizzling. I had fancied myself posing elegantly for photos inside the opera house at this time. Now I must look miserable.
I noticed at least three gentlemen were also selling their tickets. I saw someone approaching one of them asking for the price and the row of the seat. It calmed my nerves but also immediately made me realize how fierce the completion was. Instead of just standing there, I decided to approach people to initiate conversations. I started observing. No couples or groups who obviously bought tickets in advance. How about people who came to the show alone? I tried to meet their eyes and asked if they need a ticket. Many of them politely declined but surprisingly thanked me for asking. I finally met the first person who was curious about the price. It was 20 minutes before the show, I had to sell it fast. So I lowered the price to 30 dollars. He was satisfied with the price but disappointed at the seat location – family circle. He was looking to get an orchestra seat.
”Who would sell an orchestra seat at 30 dollars? How delusional!” I said to myself but quickly refocused on my next target client. A man in his 70s approached me straightly and asked for the ticket price. After I further lowered the price to 20 dollars, he said he needed to think about it. He stood behind me, checking on his phone. At that time, an Asian young man who was also holding a ticket on hand approached me with a smiling face. “Do you want my free ticket? I don’t need it. You could sell two tickets together.” Without catching the words he had just said, the old man who said would consider my ticket swiftly jumped in front of the young man and took his free ticket. A free ticket? Seriously! I don’t even know what I am competing against! I finally gave up and walked into the opera house.
Mom tried to cheer me up and said, “at least, you know where to find a half-priced ticket next time!” We both laughed about it and enjoyed the show!