There SHOULD be a perception that playing in an organized event and playing random draw doubles with your buddies is vastly different. One of the things I have observed in this area over the last 20ish years is that disc golfers often fail to perceive that difference.There's a big difference between playing disc golf, and playing an organized competition of disc golf.
Just as people pay to play in organized softball leagues, basketball leagues, bowling leagues, running events, etc. Everyone can get a few buddies and play softball, or basketball, or not even need any buddies to go running.
Whether that difference matters to you is a different story. If it doesn't, then you won't want to play in a low-entry, no-players pack event.
On the other hand, I don't want to pay extra to be given something that I may not want. I feel like I'm being bribed with my own money, just to show up. I'd rather pay the TD what he'd earn in the wholesale/retail margin, play an event, and choose whether to spend the difference buying merchandise.
I briefly lived in Northern Illinois and things were somewhat different there, so I'm not saying it is universal. Around here, disc golfers don't seem to grasp the difference, so trying to promote events to them includes trying to give them the perception of the "no risk" value that having the retail cost of your players pack basically equal your registration fee gives you. I think that is why players packs got so popular in the first place. It's like the Special Olympics, everybody has to walk away with something. :\