I actually really like my seats (they are in the front row of the section and I don't think I can guarantee them every game and I like sitting next to familiar folks when I go to the park.
This is kind of a big deal to me. I love my seats (on an aisle, and in the shade by the 3rd inning for day games after June or so), and I really like the people who sit near me.
I find some of the extra benefits to be very valuable. 20 percent off on concessions for two people makes up for a lot of what I spend on tickets. if you spend 75 bucks on beer and food that's 15 bucks.
Those adult juice boxes are a lot more delicious when they're $11.20 instead of $14.00. Mmmmmmm bag of booze....
The merch discount really helps too. My husband and I buy a jersey each year and I like the fancy ones with the patches on them, so getting 20% off a $250 jersey is kind of a big deal.
I really like some of the other benefits as well. The autograph day was nice, the RCR program has value if you use it correctly (I did not use it correctly in my first year), the ability to get the guaranteed giveaways, and Opening Day priority make it worth it for me.
Yep to all of these, plus the post season ticket strips. I f'in hate that tickets.com virtual waiting room bullcrap and I don't feel like fighting it out with everyone else trying to get a deal on stubhub, especially if we ever advance to the NLCS. And I love the Hot Stove session. To me, it's the best SPH event of the year.
I will say, though, your experience as a SPH will depend on the number of tickets you actually want to keep (because that dictates how many you will have to sell) and your ability to get good partners. I have never had a problem getting partners but my seats are in a section that is only available as a full season plan and has a SPH price that's significantly lower than the face value. I know folks who have seats in other sections that literally cannot give their tickets away for free. So I would start with some due diligence and see if there are a lot of people looking for partners in your potential section, or groups looking for members. It may be possible to get some (or even all) of these benefits by joining someone else's group.