Thread: Too charge or not to charge,that is the question.

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Hello everyone i have been a lurker for a couple of years and finally decided to make a post.I run a haunted house that has been in my family since 1977.This year we are going to open it up the Saturday night as well as the usual Halloween night.My question is should i charge admission or leave it free as we do for Halloween.I know times are tough but i would like to put a little bit of money back into the house.I spend alot of money every year on props and such and we have about 25 volunteers working in it.I feel guilty for even thinking about it but several attractions in our area charge from $10 to $25 per person.We have went as far as to print shirts for our crews trying to promote it.We do it out of love for Halloween and the fun we have doing it.We are not as big as the others but hope to be soon.Any advice is appreciated.Thanks!

It's not unreasonable to charge a small admission fee. Make a sign explaining the reason for the fee (to better improve the haunt next year, or something like that). As you said, a lot of pro haunts charge 10 bones and up , and many of them are not that good. Another option would be to simply put out a donation box requesting free will donations. This might be a bit more user friendly. You might also want to check local laws as charging admission might have some implications. I'm sure others on the board could weigh in on this.
We get asked every year why we don't charge admission, and like you, we tell people we do it for the love of Halloween. I've thought of putting out a doantion box but can't bring myself to do it. We have about 10 helpers who just love coming over and scaring people so we don't need to money for anything.
hth

thanks,thats a good idea.

The trouble with charging is that you take yourself into new legal territory. You may want to check into things like permits and such.

Yup. If you charge, that also means it may be a problem with your homeowner's insurance if anyone gets hurt on on your property... not saying that for sure, but you're no longer having guests in your home - you are running a home-based business even if only for one night, and that gets into all sorts of sticky areas regarding insurance, permits, safety inspections and other things that you may not have the time and money to get into right now.

You might be just fine - chances of your insurance or fire/building inspectors finding out about your haunt are slim this year, but you do need to consider that charging admission changes everything.

You COULD try asking for donations - again, not sure of the legal/insurance/etc ramifications (should check this out months in advance usually) and I believe that as it's voluntary, it's not the same level as charging admission, but you'd really need to do the research.

Thank you all! I believe i will just put out a jar and if people want to donate they can.I was not aware of all of the restrictions so i will just keep my nose clean about it.Again thanks for your help!

These are just some ideas. take them for what they are worth. I'd say keep it free this year and spend some time over the summer looking into what changes if you decide to charge. Always accept donations if they are offerred--it's one way for people to say thank you or to help out. Consider collecting donations of canned goods for a local food shelf on Sat night and put up some flyers advertising that. this lets you see how well your advertising does and also gives you an idea of how people feel about the haunt not being totally 'free'. No matter what you do, I hope you have good luck

I agree with jdubya. I haven't read all the posts fully, but a small admission fee won't hurt. Either that or just take donations.

One word, TIPS. I doubt there's much to do legally about TIPS but you could check. If you force a charge then there is most likely some legal issues, but if you accept TIPS or donations I'm sure there is much less to worry about and your not forcing people to pay to enter private property, especially if your house is still technically owned by the bank.

This year I suggest having a wooden podium set up at the exit with a questionaire with three simple questions.

1. How can I improve the haunt?
2. Would you pay a small fee to enter the haunt?
3. If no, then why not?

i thought about the tip jar and i may do it.thanks for all of your ideas.Now i have to find out who destroyed our 4x8 plywood sign on the highway tonight lol.