Aisle vendors at the FleetCenter "have been benched," according to Van Voorhis & Gatlin of the BOSTON HERALD. While "some say" the move is due to low attendance for the Bruins and Celtics games, FleetCenter execs said that they had "contemplated this for over a year," while claiming that the vendors "annoyed the fans." Buffalo-based Delaware North, owner of the FleetCenter and parent company of Sportservice, the facility's concessionaire, said it reassigned the vendors after "evaluating the business" for more than a year. Liberatore: "We have decided to discontinue vending because it did not make economic sense. Certainly all of the (fans') needs can be served through all of the concession stands we have throughout the building." FleetCenter President & CEO Richard Krezwick said, "I get calls from people all the time who complain that vending in the stands is more of an annoyance than it is benefit." Citing low attendance at both Bruins and Celtics games because of the "poor performance" of the teams, FleetCenter concessionaire Tracey Barnes estimated sales are "probably off 20 percent or so" (BOSTON HERALD, 11/29). TOUGH CROWD: In Boston, Steve Bailey questions how much the Boston market can withstand ticket price increases for local teams. Noting that the Celtics played to its smallest crowd in 21 years last Sunday against the Grizzlies, Bailey writes, "The market can work, even in the monopolist world of pro sports. The lesson of the Celtics: Put a bad enough product on the floor long enough, raise prices high enough, and even sports fans will get it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/29).
