Jackie Hanks, here for the weekend from Corpus Christi, Tx., was all set to do a quick spin through the Philadelphia Museum of Art Sunday with her husband and their two boys.

That is, until she got to the front desk and realized it would cost the family $32.

Hanks was disappointed to learn that the museum was not following its Sunday "pay-what-you-wish" policy, which she had read about in a tourist magazine.

Without enough time to spend, the family passed on the museum.

"When I read in the magazine that the museum was free on Sundays, I thought, 'How cool is that,' Hanks said. "But we don't have enough time and for that price, I just said no."

In a sign of the times, the art museum has had to scale back its reduced admissions on Sundays. Now, only the first Sunday of the month is "pay what you wish." Other days, it's pay what we ask: $16 for adults; $14 for seniors and $12 for teens. Children 12 and under are still free.

Yesterday was the first Sunday for the new policy.

The museum announced last month that the economic crisis was forcing it to change its approach to ticketing and raise rates across-the-board by $2. The last increase was in 2007.

Norman Keyes, a museum spokesman, said the "pay what you wish" policy was put into place in 2001 to ensure that price would not be a barrier to visiting the museum.

"We're still committed to that," Keyes said. He added that the decision to drop the policy to only one day a month was "difficult, but inevitable."

The museum, with an annual budget of $52 million, has been forced to cut costs and layoff workers to make up for funding shortfalls and a shrinking endowment.

Last year, the museum attracted 856,789 visitors. Keyes said this year started off with the highly successful "Cezanne and Beyond" exhibit, but it is difficult to predict attendance for the rest of the year.

Some visitors yesterday were disappointed by the new prices, but most took it in stride, understanding the pressures facing the museum.

"It's a shame," said Patti Spaniak, of Old City, who, as a museum member, did not have to pay an admissions fee for her visit to galleries in the Perelman Building.

She said a $16 ticket could be an obstacle for someone of modest means. "I understand where they museum is coming from," she said, "but it really breaks my heart" to see the pay-what-you-wish policy scaled back so much.

Mary and Michael McGann, of Havertown, put off visiting the museum after they discovered the new rates.

In town for the weekend, they only had a short window of time for a visit and didn't want to rush a visit if it meant paying $16 a person.

"I'll wait until the first of the month," Mary McGann said.

Andrea Maas and John Neurohr were visiting the museum for the first time from Washington, D.C. - where museums are free every day.

"I'm not excited about paying $16 to get in," Maas said. "But I don't think they're taking advantage of me. I'm sure this was not an easy decision to make."

Contact staff writer Jennifer Lin at 215-854-5659 or jlin@phillynews.com