Will Call

Has anyone purchased tickets thru Ticketmaster?

What does 'Will Call' mean?  Is it a common term for buying tickets?

Thanks, 

Hi Vorpar,

I watched a show 2 days ago. I saw a waiting line starting from the "Will Call" window. More questions for you or others.

Will Call:
0. Does 'Will Call' originally mean that the box office will call (using telephone) you when your tickets are ready?
1. Do people need to put some deposit for the reservations? Do they need to pay some extra charge?
2. Can they pick the seats they want in advance?
3. What if they don't show up? Do they get any penalties?

Thanks for the reply.

_____________
Eticket:
People get their Etickets thru the Web. They can pick the seats they want in advance. Of course, they need to prepay. People use their computers to print out their Etickets after paying the money. With the Etickets, you don't need to spend some time waiting in line to buy tickets before a show starts. You also need to pay some extra charge (appxoximately $10 US) for getting your Etickets. No free lunch!

Does 'Will Call' originally mean that the box office will call (using telephone) you when your tickets are ready?

No.  In this expression "call" means "call on (someone)", i.e., "visit (someone)".  "will call" means that the ticket purchaser, rather than taking possession of the tickets before the event, will call (i.e., visit, appear in person, not phone) at the theatre box office just before the performance to pick up the tickets.

If I call [on/upon/at] the Joneses, I'm visiting the Joneses in person at their home.
It's that sense of "call".

CJ