What's with this fee for buying at the box office?

Q: "Cavalia" sounds like a show I'd very much enjoy. However, when I went online to see about reservations, I discovered that, in addition to the very high ticket prices, they are charging $11.50 per ticket if you order by phone or online, and - get this - $4.50, again per ticket, if you walk up to the box office and buy tickets there. Have I missed a trend? How can they justify charging a fee at the box office?

- S.W. Smith, San Mateo

A: I don't think you've missed a trend in this part of the world, but added box office processing fees seem to have taken off in some less enlightened backwaters (Manhattan, for example) and arrive here with some big touring shows. According to a "Cavalia" spokeswoman, the extra $4.50 covers credit card charge fees (about $2.85 per ticket), with the rest covering fees for use of the ticketing system.

Such box office fees remain rare in Bay Area theater, though the companies - like all merchants - have to cover those sneaky extra charges the credit card mafia extorts (do a merchant a favor - use cash). SHN actually charges a higher rate for Best of Broadway online/phone orders ($10 per ticket plus $5 per order), unless you're buying four or more tickets at a time, but no extra box office sales fees. A quick check of several leading local companies (American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, TheatreWorks, et al) reveals an unexpectedly wide range of online/phone order fees ($2 to $10) but none for walk-up sales, except - and this may change from one show to another - at Marines Memorial Theatre and Broadway San Jose.

So, no - no trend. But the situation is in flux.