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Searching for Panthers playoff tickets

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Some Carolina Panthers playoff tickets were still available as of Thursday afternoon.

About 7,000 tickets went on sale by 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day through Ticketmaster. The rest of the tickets are reserved for the Panthers’ permanent seat license holders.

“Keep, keep trying,” cried out Panthers fan Brandon Rosenthal to a ticket salesperson who was trying to find the seats Rosenthal requested.

Rosenthal was first in line at the Ticketmaster counter inside the Macy’s at SouthPark Mall. He and Erika Barnett spent the night inside their car at the Macy’s parking lot.

“We set up chairs to make sure we claimed our location,” said Rosenthal.

“Tell me about the dedication to be out here since 2 a.m.?” we asked.

“Honestly, we thought somebody else was going to be here when we got here,” replied Barnett.

First in line, no more than 15 other customers later joined Barnett and Rosenthal before the store opened.

The couple spent $1,200.

“(That’s) more than we expected,” said Barnett.

“For how many tickets?” we asked.

“Six,” replied Barnett. “(It’s worth it) because we'll be at the playoffs."

Charles Hodge, who was seventh in line, walked out of Macy’s empty handed.

“I'm disappointed for my son because I wanted to get two tickets for the both of us,” Hodge said. “The only thing available up there seemed to be the high priced tickets like two tickets for $600, two tickets for $800 and that’s too steep for my taste.”

The last time the Panthers hosted a playoff game was in 2003. That year the 8,000 available tickets sold out in 40-minutes and fans paid between $40 and $100.