|
Fans can leave the money clip and dollar bills at home if they plan to attend a Tampa Bay Rays home game next season. On Friday, the team announced that Tropicana Field will become the first cash-free sports venue in North America. The move intends to cut the average transaction time in half at concession stands, team stores, the box office and anywhere else where money traditionally changed hands. "We have made significant investments each year to improve the ballpark experience for fans, including an overhaul of our approach to food and beverage since the beginning of our partnership with [hospitality partner] Levy," Rays vice president of strategy and development William Walsh said in a release. "This change will increase speed of service and reduce lines throughout the ballpark." Among the methods that will now be accepted are credit cards, mobile pay and Rays gift cards. This is another major change to the ballpark experience at Tropicana Field. Earlier this month, the team announced that it was eliminating all seating in the upper deck for 2019 in an effort to create a more "intimate" experience for fans. The move reduced capacity by more than 5,000 seats to approximately 25,000 to 26,000 -- 10,000 seats fewer than any other stadium in the major leagues.
|
