Bids for Wonderland not too pricey

This year, Homecoming week was abuzz with excitement, whether it was for the skits, the game or the decorations. But discussion about one important aspect, the dance, was conspicuously missing. Instead, talk about the dance would usually resemble this exchange:

“Are you going to the dance this weekend?” one friend would say. 

The response: “No, it’s way too expensive.” 

Come on, it’s 15 bucks. In perspective, $15 would buy only one T-shirt, one movie (without many snacks) or maybe two 4-quart tubs of ice cream. 

This year, the bid prices started out at $12 with an ASB card and $15 without. Then, the Tuesday of the week of the dance, prices rose to $18 with an ASB card and $20 without. This caused problems for students who procrastinated on purchasing bids or were still unsure if they were attending. 

According to Homecoming commissioner Priscilla Chu, the prices were decided based on the overall cost of the dance, from the decorations to the DJ to the creation of the individual bids themselves. 

The Homecoming dance has always been more of a big deal than the kick-off dance, yet students still compared the two. There was talk of the dance being pricey in comparison to the the first dance, which cost a meager $6 with an ASB card and $8  without. 

However, if one just sat down and thought about it for a second, it makes complete sense. 

Where are all the decorations for the kick-off dance? There were none. 

Where did you go to get a professional picture taken with your date or friends? That wasn’t an option at the kick-off dance. 

What did the bids look like? There weren’t any. 

Considering all the extra goodies that come along with the Homecoming dance, the price is not even remotely extravagant. Once the students get to the dance, they won’t be sitting in the corner fretting over the $15 they “wasted” but enjoying themselves and making it worth their money. 

For those who say that they would rather have no decorations or extra flair and have the prices cheaper, just think about it. Would students rather go dance in a completely bare gym that smells like last night’s basketball game or be whisked away to Wonderland with the decorations and enjoy the experience of it all? The latter sounds exponentially more enjoyable.

In fact, last year’s Homecoming bid prices were even higher and despite that, attendance was still high.

Other thoughts bouncing around campus were those of buying bids at the door. For Homecoming dances, bids have always been sold beforehand with none sold at the door. This year, unsurprisingly, this tradition did not change.

Despite tradition, it would have been nice if students could buy bids at the door for many reasons. For one, many students do not know their schedule in time to commit to the dance. Another student may be waiting for his or her friends to agree to go. Maybe a student has plans and thought they could not attend, but at the last minute, things change and they want to show up. 

Selling bids at the door would increase the number of attendees. Many students do not want to commit to paying $15 to $20 without being sure that they can go. 

However, it would be a nuisance to have everyone buy at the door. Perhaps the bids could be sold two weeks in advance at a slightly cheaper price. Then on the night of the Homecoming dance, bids at the door are significantly higher than those sold during the week. 

It’s almost guaranteed that there will be stragglers looking to buy at the door. The boosted prices at the door along with the slightly cheaper prices beforehand would even out to be the same profit as selling $15 to $20 in the weeks before. It’s a win-win situation. And as for those complaining of high prices, enjoy the tubs of ice cream all alone while everyone else is having fun at the dance.