The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/b...arena-s596

He gives the fans 4 stars and then dings us for being insecure?

BTW, Wanda Hightower's number was retired, too.

I would say that review is relatively accurate, except for the part about Jerome & Steve being on the 1982 elite 8 team.

I wish sometime in the future, the baseline seating can be brought closer to the court, and both ends made into student section. That'd really improve the atmosphere. Long term dream there, I guess.

It's a good review and fairly thorough.

The Memphis game is history. The North Carolina game will be the premier home game next season. After that, who knows?

He did give a shout out to the band, which is a good thing.

The review as so far as concession was right on, however the rest of the opinions appears to be based on possible one or no visit...or word of mouth...
The concession is bad considering, we have milo, dreamland and full moon, but not available, huh... The community if you stray off the beaten path isnt anymore dangerous then other areas....yet the point was made to justify the ratings... In my opinion as a regular visitor, Bartow Arena deserves 4 stars....

It is rather easy to get to for me.

There's one major hurdle that is keeping Bartow Arena from being an immediately more enjoyable experience.

The concession stands need to take credit cards. Period.

Who knows how much money I would have blown on concessions food over the years had they actually accepted my credit card.

It's beyond easy (and relatively cheap) to accept them using Square or Paypal on the phone/iPad if they don't want to pay for a POS system.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that they don't. I simply don't carry cash on me anymore. Not as safe as using all cards.

(04-09-2013 12:28 PM)rebounder2u Wrote:  The review as so far as concession was right on, however the rest of the opinions appears to be based on possible one or no visit...or word of mouth...
The concession is bad considering, we have milo, dreamland and full moon, but not available, huh... The community if you stray off the beaten path isnt anymore dangerous then other areas....yet the point was made to justify the ratings... In my opinion as a regular visitor, Bartow Arena deserves 4 stars....

I agree with you. Don't pay $1 to park in a dark parking deck? There are 4000 freaking people there, don't you think someone would hear or see somebody in danger? And if Bartow isn't easy to access, I don't know what is. And while I wouldn't encourage anybody to walk to the other side of 65, I really think the area surrounding Bartow is not bad at all, especially considering it is in a city.

(04-09-2013 12:54 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  There's one major hurdle that is keeping Bartow Arena from being an immediately more enjoyable experience.

The concession stands need to take credit cards. Period.

Who knows how much money I would have blown on concessions food over the years had they actually accepted my credit card.

It's beyond easy (and relatively cheap) to accept them using Square or Paypal on the phone/iPad if they don't want to pay for a POS system.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that they don't. I simply don't carry cash on me anymore. Not as safe as using all cards.

The concession stands are low budget. Cash makes it very easy for it to be staffed by a different group of volunteers each week. Isn't there an ATM in the arena?

He definitely was right on the concession stands. Need more options and they need to take credit cards.

(04-09-2013 03:14 PM)sadolakced Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 12:54 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  There's one major hurdle that is keeping Bartow Arena from being an immediately more enjoyable experience.

The concession stands need to take credit cards. Period.

Who knows how much money I would have blown on concessions food over the years had they actually accepted my credit card.

It's beyond easy (and relatively cheap) to accept them using Square or Paypal on the phone/iPad if they don't want to pay for a POS system.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that they don't. I simply don't carry cash on me anymore. Not as safe as using all cards.

The concession stands are low budget. Cash makes it very easy for it to be staffed by a different group of volunteers each week. Isn't there an ATM in the arena?

That's not the point.

I don't like carrying cash. It's not as safe, and it's not as convenient. I'd rather there be a $10 minimum purchase with a credit card than use an ATM.

Besides, the cost of adding the ability to take credits is almost a non-factor nowadays.

You could easily buy a couple of iPod touches for each station and boom, they can all have card readers. The transaction fees to run cards can be paid in advance for a major discount.
My company has a credit card reader and we only have 3 people on staff.

It's too easy NOT to.

(04-09-2013 03:14 PM)sadolakced Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 12:54 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  There's one major hurdle that is keeping Bartow Arena from being an immediately more enjoyable experience.

The concession stands need to take credit cards. Period.

Who knows how much money I would have blown on concessions food over the years had they actually accepted my credit card.

It's beyond easy (and relatively cheap) to accept them using Square or Paypal on the phone/iPad if they don't want to pay for a POS system.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that they don't. I simply don't carry cash on me anymore. Not as safe as using all cards.

The concession stands are low budget. Cash makes it very easy for it to be staffed by a different group of volunteers each week. Isn't there an ATM in the arena?

The concessions at Legion Field* and at Bartow Arena are manned by volunteers as fund raisers for various on campus groups, metroarea churches, JROTC or high school Band Boosters and the like. I really don't think either place might be "wired" for credit cards or paypal within the concession stands. At any rate, paying the handling fee to the credit card company is one sticking point for many other businesses who won't take them. Waffle House finally relented I think, but they used to only take cash.

*The pizza concession is run by that company's personnel, not volunteers.

(04-09-2013 03:55 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 03:14 PM)sadolakced Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 12:54 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  There's one major hurdle that is keeping Bartow Arena from being an immediately more enjoyable experience.

The concession stands need to take credit cards. Period.

Who knows how much money I would have blown on concessions food over the years had they actually accepted my credit card.

It's beyond easy (and relatively cheap) to accept them using Square or Paypal on the phone/iPad if they don't want to pay for a POS system.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that they don't. I simply don't carry cash on me anymore. Not as safe as using all cards.

The concession stands are low budget. Cash makes it very easy for it to be staffed by a different group of volunteers each week. Isn't there an ATM in the arena?

The concessions at Legion Field* and at Bartow Arena are manned by volunteers as fund raisers for various on campus groups, metroarea churches, JROTC or high school Band Boosters and the like. I really don't think either place might be "wired" for credit cards or paypal within the concession stands. At any rate, paying the handling fee to the credit card company is one sticking point for many other businesses who won't take them. Waffle House finally relented I think, but they used to only take cash.

*The pizza concession is run by that company's personnel, not volunteers.

You didn't read my post.

I understand the concessions are run by volunteers, I did it once.
I also have experience with getting setup and taking credit cards.

Credit card machines are now cell phones and iPods...they don't need to be wired. It's not hard, it's not expensive, and it's necessary if you expect people to spend money in this decade.

Concessions aren't normally a calculated choice...they are an impulse buy. Impulse buys work much better with credit cards because a) they are convenient and always available and b) you don't see the physical money decrease from your purse or wallet and remind you how much you've already spent and how expensive the concessions actually are.

No doubt in my mind that concessions income would at least double (if not triple) with the addition of credit card acceptance. That sales increase would allow more easily for increasing the quality/diversity of food choices.

If I go somewhere that doesn't take cash and I don't have it....it has to be pretty damn good in order for me to pay an exorbitant ATM fee just to get it.

I'm with you.

I almost never have cash on me, and end up rarely buying anything at the concession window because of it.

Credit card-readers aren't entirely out of the question, but ipods and squares are not going to work; too big of a chance for them to get stolen.

I did decline to concess at one game this past season because half of the volunteer crew was decked out in crimson filth.

(04-09-2013 04:09 PM)sadolakced Wrote:  Credit card-readers aren't entirely out of the question, but ipods and squares are not going to work; too big of a chance for them to get stolen.

You can permanently mount iPads into the concession stands.

http://www.ipadkiosksolution.com/ipad-kiosk/

I talked with the people who run the concessions (about the limited menu) and they said that there is no equipment that would allow them to fry in the arena, so no fires, rings, chix sand, and such. They also said no more Full Moon because they sold very little when it was sold there, so they stopped selling it.

And the no "credit card thing" is kinda funny, since I personally visited at least 3 stands that took credit cards this year.

The concession that the volleyball or softball team runs (next to the ticket office and my favorite ) has taken credit cards all year. The one next to the student entrance takes credit cards and my daughter and her friends say it's the only one that takes blazer bucks. The stand that sells the hamburgers also takes credit cards. Haven't bought anything from the other one that's open, but I'll bet they take the cards also. I was there for an AAU Bball tourney this weekend and they were still taking credit cards at the concessions.

Are you sure you guys go to games at Bartow Arena?

Its funny when you hear, don't carry cash because its not safe. .cash is neither safe or unsafe....
Cash doesn't care where you stash it...and if you lose cash...you don't have to call to cancel it.
Too funny. ..