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Author Topic: rant on stupid customers Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-03-2004 01:18 PM                     Our dollar theater is in a heavily hispanic area, but then again, every area of Florida is Hispanic! One thing I learned about large hispanic families is that they LOVE to do things together. They're a very close-knit group. Anyway, on $0.75 Tuesday, everyone brings their kids, even as late as 10pm, and the kids are tired and bored with the movie, and start running around the theater, yelling, running in and out of the auditorium being chased by mother/father/aunt/uncle/sister/brother (always a different person chasing the same kid.) By the third or fourth time I see them chase these kids around the lobby, I have a word with the adult: I explain that I see they're not enjoying the movie and they have to corral the kids all the time. I also say that we've gotten complaints from other patrons (which we did). If they start to get defensive, I explain that I understand it's hard to go to an evening out these days, espeically with kids. And that I understand Bargain Tuesdays let the whole family come out without spending an arm and a leg, but it's no fun if nobody can enjoy it. At this point, you get them agreeing with you. After a few moments, I whip out the stack of passes, enough for everyone, and ask if they'd like to come back another time when they can actually WATCH the movie. I also explain that the passes are even good on weekends, despite what they paid, and that we're much less crowded then. They become THRILLED, run back in the theater and tell everyone, and out everyone comes. The audience is happy that the kids are gone, and the customers are happy that they weren't "kicked out", but offered another option which ended up being better than they expected. That same family came back that weekend to see a movie and thanked me! =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 07-03-2004 05:29 PM                     Now that's some good customer service!  |  IP: Logged Adam Wilbert Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 590 From: Bellingham, WA, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 07-04-2004 12:33 AM                        Richard, Your theatre should have offered the passes to the hispanic family, before other customers had to request them for themselves. A couple of thoughts: I'm guessing that the people who left with passes (not the families) only got single passes. I never understood theatres who only gave single passes to disgruntled customers who left a movie early. That only gets them back into a show that they've already paid for, and does nothing to compensate them for their inconvienience of having to return, buy concessions again, etc. I'm also guessing that the hispanic families did not recieve passes, as they were effectively kicked out. That doesn't really entice them to return. It's been my experience that hispanic families tend to spend a bundle at the concession stand, so whats a few passes cost your theatre? Your company doesn't even get most of the box office take. What movie were they seeing anyway? Probably a childrens movie. Stupid customers indeed. Thomas, three cheers. -Adam  |  IP: Logged Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 07-04-2004 08:59 AM                     You musn't forget that I just did what my boss said to do. She even had the cops that monitor the theatre there to assist. The first movie was "The NoteBook" and the second movie was "Spiderman 2" and no, the families didn't get passes. The customers got only single passes.  |  IP: Logged Nicole Halper Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Plano, Texas, USA Registered: Mar 2004 posted 07-16-2004 10:19 PM                        Ok- recent rant on stupid customers from last night: Me- "You can get the Large drink for just 25 cents more; it's 12oz bigger- and I still fits in the cup holder- It's a good deal!" Husband- "No thank you, I really only want the medium." Wife- "So do they pay you commission on each Large you sell?" Me- sarcastically "NO- They just let us keep our jobs." Husband- shocked "OH! Well if it means your job- then I'll take the Large!" Mind you- customers ask that all the time, and then I joke with them and give them my "keep the job" line- and then they laugh. I explained to them I was only joking -(though in a sense it is true) The sale was also closed with them saying they hope that I don't lose my job~  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-27-2005 12:15 AM                     Today was a double header of stupidity! It's funny how my "seniority" only means something when they don't want to do it... Anyhow, I got elected to deal with some complaints about someone being loud in Diary of a Mad Black Woman today. Apparantly a lady brought her ... what's the proper term ... Mentally disabled? daughter to come see the movie. Meanwhile the daughter is yelling at the screen. We'd refunded 3 tickets by the time I could come down and deal with the patron...Well, she didn't want to leave the auditorium to discuss the problem, nor did she want to do anything about it. "If they have a problem with it then give them their money back and they can come back some other time." ...Let's see...I give you back your 10 bucks or I give back 110 bucks to everyone else...Sure, that's fair. So after consulting with our supervisor-to-be and calling up the assistant to get more input I asked if there was something she could do or that we could help with that would calm her for the rest of the movie. Of course there was...Popcorn! ...But we need to bring it back there because she's not leaving the auditorium. So we brought her the corn and even gave her a courtesy cup of water, made her change, and gave her a receipt so we couldn't be accused of 'jackin' her'. The corn worked, thankfully. Which brings me to my rant: If your family member has this disorder, a.) why would you bring them to the freakin movies and b.) if you know something helps then take care of it first. And more over, don't hide behind your disabillity or your family members disabillity. I'm a sympathetic person but I hate people who try to make you feel like a jackass when they wont conform to the same rules everyone else has to. I mean seriously, this woman wants to sit here swearing and being stubborn with me when it's my job to look out for the freakin' theater. We've got like 50 other people in here who came to try and watch a movie, I'm sorry, but maybe next time you should come alone. And part two! "...Hey, Dom. Can you check on some loud kids in #1?" We've got Constantine in there right now...This lady's got 3 kids with her and a baby. The baby is making all sorts of noise. So I ask her if she can take the baby down to the lobby till she comes down or something. Of course she doesn't speak english, so her small child has to translate for me! Sure, no problem...She sends the little girl out with the baby! She couldn't have been more than 6 years old. And yes, they stayed for the whole movie. My favorite is still the 4 year old girl in Monster and the woman who actually brought her 8 year old son to see the same movie.  |  IP: Logged Jim Ziegler Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 753 From: West Hollywood, CA Registered: Jul 99 posted 02-27-2005 01:38 AM                     The incident that most sticks out in my mind was when I had to eject a 20 member church youth group from the re-release of the Exorcist. In addition to being under age, they would not shut up. The next day, the church Deacon who bought them the tickets and dropped them off came back - with his 3 year old child - and threw a fit until he got a refund on the tickets. We gave him the refund, and the police department gave him citations for criminal tresspass and disorderly conduct. We could have just had him arrested, but the little kid didn't deserve to watch his hot head dad get arrested...  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-27-2005 02:40 AM                     quote: Jim Ziegler We gave him the refund, and the police department gave him citations for criminal tresspass and disorderly conduct. ..whew, what a sorry example of a representative of his church. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Jim Ziegler Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 753 From: West Hollywood, CA Registered: Jul 99 posted 02-27-2005 05:24 AM                     The irony was his fines were 10 times what his refund was... We seriously considered reporting the incident to thier church's national headquarters...  |  IP: Logged Jason Miller Expert Film Handler Posts: 241 From: Little Rock, AR, Registered: Mar 2004 posted 02-27-2005 12:59 PM                    I was doing walk-throughs last night at oneof my theatres when I heard a baby crying. after locating the source I went and got a manager to let him know he might have a problem (Movie was a packed man of the house). the manager went to the auditorium and 6 young girls.. about 15 or so, came out of the auditorium with one of those fake babies that they use to teach young girls responsibility. the girl was apparently just ignoring it until someone got mad. the manager told her she couldnt take the thing back into the auditorium if it was going to keep making noise. so get this.. the girl takes it out to the parking lot, and leaves it in a car and returns to the movie. wow... I see a future Jerry Springer guest in that one..  |  IP: Logged Jim Ziegler Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 753 From: West Hollywood, CA Registered: Jul 99 posted 02-27-2005 02:55 PM                     I have seriously considered banning those damn things from my building. I probably would have kicked the kid out for letting that thing go off in there. Of course, we can't discuss why schools find an urgent and pressing need to teach 14 and 15 year olds how to care for their own babies - that would be political..  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-28-2005 10:49 AM                        If you are "properly caring" for an infant, you don't bring them into a theatre.  |  IP: Logged Jarryd Beard Expert Film Handler Posts: 229 From: Hellertown, PA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 02-28-2005 12:37 PM                     We had a woman bring her infant to a midnight show of AVP. She sat in the last row of the auditorium and placed her baby (in carrier) behind her seat, in the aisle. Anybody could have accidentally walked into her child while entering or exiting the dark theatre. Needless to say, she was asked to move her child to a safer place.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-28-2005 12:41 PM                        I once had a woman lay her baby on the theatre floor with its head IN THE AISLE. (Presumably using the carpet as a pillow.) So I went and asked her to please pick the baby up. She said, "why, he's sleeping." I said, "because somebody is going to walk by and kick him in the head!"  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 02-28-2005 03:45 PM                     I always feel like handing out condoms to dumb parents....  |  IP: Logged

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