posted
If you're going to the movies this is what you should remember:
Get there before the movie starts. Its not the theatre's fault, and especially not the cashiers fault, that other people want to see movies too and so there are lines. Its your fault that you didn't realize that and get to the theatre before the movie started so you weren't late to the auditorium becuase of lines.
It is not the cashier's idea to ID people when they buy tickets to an R rated movie. It is policy and, I"m fairly certain, law. So don't cuss him out if you or your girlfriend forgot your driver's licenses at home. He's also not your friend to risk his job over, and yelling at him probably won't get him to change his mind.
Discounts are not a right. They are a privelege. A favor. The theatre has child, student, and/or senior discounts because they realize that people of those groups (or the parents of those people) probably don't have a lot of money and decided to lend a bit of a hand. That means the theatre has the right to decide under what circumstances you get that discount. If your 50, you don't get the senior discount. If you don't have a student ID, you don't get the student discount. Get over it.
If there's an obnoxiously long line at concession and you only see one person on register, do not get angry at him. Pity him. It wasn't his fault to be the only one scheduled that morning, or that all his coworkers are lazy or didn't show up. If you truly think you must let someone you don't like standing in line, politely ask the cashier to call a manager down to speak with you.
Try to be polite. I know its frustrating when something unfortunate happens, but a lot of the time its out of the employees' control. Most employees and certainly most managers will be glad to help you with whatever you need if you bring it up to them politely; in fact, the managers were probably pulled away from something entirely else just to come help you with your problem. Yelling at them because an employee forgot to your ring up your Reese's will not make them want to help you as best they can.
Pay attention. If all you can see of a employee is the top of their head just peeking over the counter, they're probably not open to take your order. If someone is standing in the back facing the complete opposite direction from the front of stand, they are probably not open to take your order. Don't walk up to that spot and wait for them to notice you, or just start spouting off your order. Double if there's a register open without any kind of line.
The ushers' job is not to pick up your trash for you. Their job is to clean up any mess from the previous showing up the movie, so you don't have to sit in trash. Please appreciate their hard work and clean up your crap.
There is no entry without a ticket. The door (ticket ripper) person doesn't care if you really have to pee. You can use the restroom right across the way. And please, don't complain when you're not allowed inside to pee without a ticket. The manager will just laugh at you behind your back and tell the door guy he did a good job.
Do these, please, and make a theatre employee just that much happier.
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I've been doing it seasonally for about four years now. I have outstanding patience in my daily life from working that job.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
While I was reading your post, I thought I heard a sweet, melancholy sound off in the distance. Then I realized it was the world's smallest violin, and it was playing just for you. Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Yes, I work at a Harkins Theatre. I'm a Team Leader (just basic supervisory position) on my way to being an assistant manager.
A job like this really makes you realize how self-centered some people can be. And, quite frankly, stupid. You won't believe the things people do that should be common sense. I still don't understand why people have to ask which a theatre a movie is in when they're holding their ticket in their hand; the ticket, by the way, has the theatre number printed on it large enough for even the weakest eyes to see. And then they ask where that theatre is even though there are bright neon signs in front of each hallway saying what theatres on down each one, and then big numbers above each door saying which theatre it is.
posted
Oh the stories I've heard from my best friend about similar topics. I do my part, mostly because I haven't paid for a movie in the last three years.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I'm the head manager of a movie theater and I love it. I try not to put the employees in positions such as the ones described in your post. Hopefully those are rare occurances, rather than every day events, but yeah. Some customers can be really wild.
I'd like to add:
Please turn your cell phones off during the film.
Please don't speak to each other in loud voices. (The occasional whisper is okay.)
Please don't continually get out of your seat and move to other parts of the theater during the film. (That one was for you, teenage girls.)
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Hey, what if you're the only one in the theater with a bunch of your friends? Is it ok to be loud and have a commentary then?
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I do let people use the restroom, though. I take the approach of assuming people will be honest, rather than assuming people will be dishonest.
If 3 or 4 out of every 100 people we let into the bathroom are up to no good and try sneak in, that's an acceptable loss. (We can usually catch them anyway.)
I'd rather have the other 96 people be comfortable and happy.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Yes. A few... Once due to an out-of-control crowd (during the first 'The Grudge') - I was only an assistant manager then, though. And once because a guy was having a seizure.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I remember during the summer months, not a weekend would go by without atleast a couple people being arrested. I went on break and when I came back fifteen minutes later, there were twenty teenagers in plastic cuffs sitting in the lobby. Lesson: Don't start a riot in the middle of a movie.
I let people use the restrooms. Its not hard to memorize a few facts about a person and then send an usher after them if they never come back out.
I was mostly box office (and two months in projections...aww, far away from customers.) R-Rated movies are the worst. The only thing worse than kids trying to sneak in are the parents who can't understand why Junior, who is only 10 years old, can't see Texas Chainsaw Massacre without an adult present. I have had kids leave their parents in R-rated films and come running out terrified. Thank goodness our Lost and Found box is always full of toys.
Which reminds me of the worst theatre day ever. It was when I was working in a mall-theatre. This mother dropped her two children off at a movie and then went shopping. These were tiny kids. The youngest who must have been four or something got really sick. Her brother tried to call his mom on her cell but she wasn't answering. We had security running all over the mall looking for this woman while us cashiers tried to keep them happy and comfortable. She showed up eventually, two hours after their movie had ended, and didn't even say thank you before carting them off.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
To be fair, by far the majority of customers are really cool.
I was working at a discount theater as the AM, and one Saturday night there was a disturbance in the back lobby. It seems a guy had become irate with a teenager who he said was talking, so he took it upon himself to "capture" the teenager. He called the police, and they arrested *him* and let the teenager go.
That was a really miserable night.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by TL: I'm the head manager of a movie theater and I love it. I try not to put the employees in positions such as the ones described in your post. Hopefully those are rare occurances, rather than every day events, but yeah. Some customers can be really wild.
We've actually been understaffed way too often lately. The problem isn't with the scheduling manager, though; she does the best she can. The problem is really with corporate telling us to schedule less and less people to lower payroll. Its gotten to the point where we can typically only have one person open in each area (box, usher, concession) with, maybe, one swing shift to help out.
Granted, its October so its typically slow enough to manage with one person in the morning on a weekday as an usher and in the box office, but there's got to be two people in concession for it to run smoothly. We serve things like french fries and cheese sticks, but we only cook them as they're ordered, so it can become pretty frustrating if customers keep ordering these hot foods and I start to get a line and get back to put in the foods or take them back out.
And then there are problems with popcorn getting low if I can't get off register to start more and things like that. And, unfortunately, I can never really be certain if that swing shift guy will ever really show up which leaves me trying to get ready for the evening shift on my own along with helping customers, etc.
And don't get me started on how frustrating it is to be called on the walkie to send some of your ushers home because the rate of business has suddenly dropped enough to not justify the amount of payroll we're paying right before several relatively full theatres drop within 15 minutes..
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I think it's wise to calculate the payroll cost of cleaning theaters into your scheduling needs. Otherwise you're left with .. what? Sweeping stuff under the seats? (or "Carmiking", as we call it). That really doesn't look good.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Ginol_Enam: It is not the cashier's idea to ID people when they buy tickets to an R rated movie. It is policy and, I"m fairly certain, law.
"Law"? Next thing, they'll be telling us which hand to wipe with.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I'm fairly certain it isn't a law. Movies don't even have to be certified by the MPAA, and any movie can be released "unrated". It's not very practical since many theater chains will not show unrated movies, but these types of restrictions are all theoretically voluntary and part of the industry self-policing.
Now, there may be local ordinances in some communities requiring local theaters to enforce MPAA guidelines, (I don't know that there are, but I'm certainly not sure that there aren't) but MPAA ratings are suggestions for parents in making decisions on which movies are appropriate for their children, not laws that are binding for the theaters showing those movies.
You can also bet that if MPAA guidelines were widely enforced by law, there would be a slew of lawsuits over ratings decisions, and the whole process would be much more bureaucratic, but probably less subject to the whims of an anonymous cabal. As it is, the whole process is volutary and therefore less subject to oversight.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
I worked at a mall theater for 3 years in high school. That may have been hands down the zaniest work experience I ever had. The pay was craptacular but the people I worked with made it worth going every day. When working in concessions we experimented with popcorn recipes all the time. Working in the box office, it was quite entertaining to see some kids try to fake their way into rated R movies. If somebody had confidence and just walked up to me and bought a ticket without trying to BS me (taking the "less is more" approach) I would sell them a ticket. Who was I to question their age (we didn't have an ID policy but we were welcome to check if we wanted)?
The first time a strange girl ever walked to me and gave me her number was when I working as an usher/ticket taker. When I worked projection I had alot of down time and went through about twenty years of back issues of Box Office magazine.
We used to go out on the roof to fire potato cannons across the parking lot.
Man, that job was fun.
I didn't appreciate it as much then however. Mission Impossibles opening Friday was my first day. Absolute Chaos. In fact, my first few months I took my job way too seriously. Then I thought back and considered how much I was making, and made a decision regarding how much I should care. When I loosened up and relaxed a bit is when I finally began enjoying myself.
There. My Nostalgic Rambling is over now.
Posts: 1572 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I think I've read this exact list (or one very similar to it) in customers_suck.
Worst theater experience as a patron: being carded at the box office. I was sixteen. We were going to see a PG-13 movie. I slapped down my driver's license. I'm not against theaters carding folks, but it's quite a blow to your self-esteem to be mistaken for a pre-teen at age sixteen.
I don't go to the theaters much these days. Movies just aren't my thing, and neither are theaters (I tend to have concentration problems). If I do go, though, I usually buy my tickets from Fandango first. I started doing that for the overhyped opening weekend movies, but now I use Fandago all the time. Hey, I don't have a car, so it takes some effort to get to the theater, and I'm NOT going to expend the effort only to find out that it's sold out.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
(When I started teaching at a college this fall as an adjunct professor, lots of the staff mistook me for an incoming freshman.)
I agree that customers do, generally speaking, suck. On the other hand, you've got the cashier who can't be bothered to turn away from a conversation about who just broke up with whom in order to sell you a ticket. Or the guy at the concession stand who's too busy reading a magazine to sell you a soda. People in all positions can be stupid and rude. Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote:Originally posted by KarlEd: I'm fairly certain it isn't a law. Movies don't even have to be certified by the MPAA, and any movie can be released "unrated". It's not very practical since many theater chains will not show unrated movies, but these types of restrictions are all theoretically voluntary and part of the industry self-policing.
Still, if you're an employee whose boss tells you not to let anyone into an R-rated movie that can't prove they're 18, it makes very little difference whether the order came from the federal, local or corporate government. A job is a job, and an order is an order.
I've never worked at a movie theater, but I have worked jobs with similar mandates and restrictions. I'm not happy having to deny people service, but when they start treating me like I just made up the rule to hassle them, and the only reason I won't risk my job to save them a little inconvenience is because I'm a chump, the sympathy level on my end tends to drop.
It's an interesting post, Ginol. If it makes you feel any better, though, pretty much any job that requires person-to-person interaction has similar issues. It doesn't take long in any of those jobs to make the average person a little cynical about human nature. But it's also good for you. It would be nice if all the people who felt that they can bark orders and walk all over people in service industries could have the experience of supporting themselves on one of those jobs, if even for a year or two. The people that bag our groceries and serve our food deserve a smile, and a "please" and "thank you". If this job teaches you that, which it sounds like it has, it will have been worth it.
Posts: 563 | Registered: Feb 2006
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quote:Originally posted by TL: Does Harkins operate any theaters with less than 14 screens?
I actually work at the only Harkins Theatre in my state, so I can't say for certain about any other theatres. I know that there are some as low as 14 screens, but I don't know about lower.
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Baron, I didn't even imply otherwise. Of course an employee is duty-bound to abide by the rules of their employee (with certain obvious caveats). I was just correcting the "law" part. I often hear other people making the same false assertion and felt it needed correction.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Oh wow, this thread takes me back a couple of years when I worked at a movie theater. Needless to say I become overly polite at a theater.
One of the things that I came to find amusing is the food that people sneak into a theater. On a certain level it's rather annoying, but on a completely different one, you kind of have to sit back and admire some of the attempts.
Things Nathan busted people sneaking into a theater.
1) A two liter of coke stashed in the torso region of a winter jacket, making the dude carrying it to look rather ridiculous.
2) 2 large papa john pizza's stashed away in the torso region of a winter jacket. I was rather impressed.
3) A number 6 and number 1 at wendy's stashed away in one of those hand carrying baby carriage thingies. The customer fully got it inside the theater, but I had to go in for a completely unrelated issue and walla, there it was.
4) Chinese food. Really good smelling chinese food.
5) This one is my favorite. Three kids around the ages of 11 came into the theater for a movie no one else was going to see, each with obvious lumps in every pocket, each carrying a folded over sweater. Now, inside the folded over sweater, we could see M&M's poking out. There were three of us and our manager watching them as they played in the arcade before the movie. My manager looked at me and told me to go ask them not to bring in any outside food. I told her the time wasn't right. So the kids go into their movie and as they pass I said "hey guys, you don't happen to be bringing in any outside food or drink are you?" "no... no, we aren't." They went inside the theater. I told the projectionist not to start the movie yet and waited 3 minutes.
When I went in, they had out soda and the m&m's and and were nibbling away. So I told them they needed to go throw them away, or we could hold on to them till the end of the show, and they handed stuff over. I was kind of tempted, though, so I told them they would be in big trouble if we found out they had any other food. They looked at each other and suddenly, they were unzipping pockets I didn't know about handing over tons of food.
I ended up with 3 packs of beef jerky, 12 butterfinger bars, 6 Pepsi One's, laffy taffy, 6 bags of peach rings, M&M's, Skittles, Sweettarts, and an apple. I guess they thought they should have something healthy.
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
Here, there are a lot of theatres that don't care if you bring in outside food. In fact, there's one at a mall that lets you bring in footlong subs from the Subway in the mall foodcourt.
And IDs aren't an issue, either. They weren't an issue when I was in Florida. The only time they were an issue was when the theatre decided it was necessary to ID at the door (and maybe at the ticket booth as well, though I was rarely ever asked for ID there).
On the same note, no one ever seems to ask for my student ID, either.
Also, our nicest theatre serves daquairis and frozen Jack and Coke. It's like a Slurpee. With alcohol. Except I can never manage to finish one.
Although I really think the only people who actually cause trouble for theatre employees are, like, twelve. And they're the ones that think a movie is junior high social hour and OHMYGAWSH, did you hear how so-and-so kissed so-and-so?!!
posted
About the issue of asking people for I.D.'s - we do it because it's a guideline that the MPAA asks movie theaters to enforce.
Technically, there is no law regulating movie ratings and admissions at all. A ten year old could buy a ticket to an R rated film and it would not be against the law.
So far Congress has not had to pass any laws because the movie theaters do a good job of enforcing the guidelines that the MPAA has in place.
So we enforce it because if we *fail* to properly enforce these rules, Congress *will* start passing laws. Which they have threatened to do in the past. And these laws would most likely carry with them fines, penalties - even possible jailtime for theater owners and managers who let underage kids into R-rated films.
Which would be completely ridiculous.
But that's what we've come to in this country. So yeah, it's part of our job to check I.D.'s.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
T_Smith: On the note of people sneaking food/drinks. My friend (of the girl variety) said she heard so many people claim their candy or soda was "For their diabetes" that if she had taken them all at their word she would have had data to justify a state wide panic on Utah's diabetic percentages.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:But that's what we've come to in this country. So yeah, it's part of our job to check I.D.'s.
And no one has said anything to the contrary. But, in point of fact, it is not currently a law. Nor is it likely to become one anytime soon.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Discounts are not a right. They are a privelege. A favor. The theatre has child, student, and/or senior discounts because they realize that people of those groups (or the parents of those people) probably don't have a lot of money and decided to lend a bit of a hand.
I don't believe that for a second. Those discounts exist for selfish, not altruistic reasons.
The theatre gives discounts because those groups tend to have less money, and the theatre managers figure that they'll earn more overall if they lower the price for those groups, by selling more tickets at a lower price.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
What annoyed me the most working (not at a movie theater, but at blockbuster) was the fact that not all of the employees enforced the rules. So I would get people complaining that the last time they were there, they didn't need their ID, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
AAAhhhhh - my movie days. I started as a cashier and ended up as the manager for the place before I left for an office job (still deciding if that was a mistake... ; ) ) Best job ever, honestly, even dealing with people's crap. Started in high school - they let me come back on holidays (including one Thanksgiving where I went to see a movie with my Dad and Brother, the place was hoppin' with not enough staff and my then manager just looked at me with a sad, sad face and i jumped behind concessions), work on random weekends if I came home.
When I came back from college with no idea what I wanted to do they happily took me back AND gave me 40 hours... I love those guys. I also learned skills to help me get the job I have now.
My favorite thing (ha) is when there's a problem with the film and people come out yelling for a manager. Um - I really didn't want there to be a problem. I really, really, really want you to be able to watch your movie. The more I talk to you about it, the longer it's going to take to get the film back up (heh - on the platter and spliced back together because the evil, way old school projection machine ripped it up) so please just let me go fix it or take these free passes for another time...
I was pretty bad about the id thing. When I was a cashier, I'd basically say that I was selling them the ticket but if there were any problems we weren't going to be able to let them come back another time. Senior discount - I realize I probably got scammed but something inside me wouldn't let me call someone out on it...
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:Discounts are not a right. They are a privelege. A favor. The theatre has child, student, and/or senior discounts because they realize that people of those groups (or the parents of those people) probably don't have a lot of money and decided to lend a bit of a hand.
I don't believe that for a second. Those discounts exist for selfish, not altruistic reasons.
The theatre gives discounts because those groups tend to have less money, and the theatre managers figure that they'll earn more overall if they lower the price for those groups, by selling more tickets at a lower price.
Well, yeah, but that's not really the point. Its still the theatre's choice to give those discounts and under what circumstances someone would get that discount. Its still not a right the customer has.
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
What I thought was really lame was when the AMCs in Tampa started refusing to give student discounts even to people with student IDs unless they had Moviewatcher cards with student stickers on them. If I wanted to join the stupid Moviewatcher club, I would. I'm not going to let them strong-arm me into it just so that they can collect information.
Then you should carefully reread your post. What you said was, "So we enforce it because if we *fail* to properly enforce these rules, Congress *will* start passing laws."
Which is a serious exaggeration if not an out and out lie.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
About the food situation. I always felt that not able to bring in outside food is a rule made to be broken. I've never purchased anything from the concession stand; I either bring my own water or I purchase outside.
Usually though, I can't stand the sound of people going MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH so I just have water.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:Then you should carefully reread your post. What you said was, "So we enforce it because if we *fail* to properly enforce these rules, Congress *will* start passing laws."
Which is a serious exaggeration if not an out and out lie.
You don't know what you're talking about. Do you normally accuse people of lying about easily verifiable truths without doing the slightest bit research (I can only assume) on the topic?
Did I say something to cause you to be upset with me? Does the idea of movie theaters checking I.D.'s to prevent teenagers getting into R-rated films somehow send you into some kind of irrational fury?
to Ginol_Enam for finally expressing the views of the disgruntled theater employee!!!
I just turned 17 and I work at the B&B Theatres cinema here in my hometown. We built a new 8-screen building and opened on May 19 '06; moving from a 2-screen downtown. I worked since November 1, 2005 (coming up on my one-year anniversary!) downtown until we opened in May.
I always work either concession/box office (same registers at our theater) or usher, although I'm hoping to move up to the booth sometimes soon.
I can't tell you how many people I have turned away for ID violations. The simple fact is, like was stated in the very first post, it wasn't my idea to say you have to be 16 (which is the age in our chain) to see an R-rated movie. Thus, complaining to me about it isn't going to change it. There are those employees who won't check it, and the people say they've never had a problem before. Frankly, I don't care, but I will uphold my integrity and the rules I agreed to enforce by becoming an employee.
Same with ticket prices. I didn't say that you had to pay $7.50 to see the show. That was up to the company. You decided to come see a show here, and you are expected to pay the price we set, or you don't see the show. That's how America's laws regulating commerce work (*refrains from explaining my political views here*) and I'm expected to obey them.
And outside food/drink: This rule exists to pay us employees. If you could just bring all your own food and drink in, the only revenue is ticket sales. Somehow, I don't believe I could make enough money on just that, split between the hundreds of employees in the whole chain.
I, too, sympathize with the frustration of being the only employee on duty. It's horrible to have to pop popcorn, fill sodas, ring up tickets, direct people to theatres, fix nachos, find candy, check IDs, make change...etc...with no help. One Thursday night, I was the only non-managerial employee in the whole building. Our AM was in the booth, and we worked the whole shift alone. Needless to say, there were about 14 people there all night, but still, I found it hard to leave the counter for a drink, a bathroom break, or even to answer the phone at the other end of the counter.
Upon the bathroom/sneaking-in issue, we have combatted that in our new theater by placing the bathrooms before the usher/ticket-checking post. Thus, people can use the restroom as they please, and you only have to remember them as they leave.
------- Sorry for the long post, I was catching up on all the ideas touched upon above.
Posts: 206 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I slapped down my driver's license. I'm not against theaters carding folks, but it's quite a blow to your self-esteem to be mistaken for a pre-teen at age sixteen.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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to Ginol_Enam for finally expressing the views of the disgruntled theater employee!!! 
