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Author Topic: rant on stupid customers Roger Katz Film Handler Posts: 61 From: Thomaston, CT, USA Registered: Feb 2003 posted 11-09-2003 05:23 PM                     It isn't between every single reel, but at least once per movie there is a gap of 5 minutes (or more). During Jackass they had one on backwards and it took nearly half an hour.  |  IP: Logged Mark Huff Film Handler Posts: 69 From: Springfield, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 11-09-2003 05:39 PM                     Once per movie is still unacceptable. Is that the only theatre in town? I wouldn't pay a nickle to see a movie that was guaranteed to stop every show.  |  IP: Logged Roger Katz Film Handler Posts: 61 From: Thomaston, CT, USA Registered: Feb 2003 posted 11-09-2003 06:13 PM                     Yes, a single screen subrun, it is the only theatre in a town of about 20,000. However, the city of 105,000 has two first run cinemas a 12-screen multiplex in a mall and a 10-screen multiplex that are 10 minutes away. The 12-screen is ghetto, though. Many people won't go there because of the clientele. It also has stadium seating, which I hate. Also, both are over $8 per ticket for an evening movie. I like the single screener despite it's flaws because of the cheap price and the fact that I like old theatres.  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 11-10-2003 05:57 AM                     I've been working at a multiplex for a month now so I have a few stories. Box office: ~All the people who ask for 'a' ticket to a movie. If I'm working box and you ask for 'a' ticket, you get a full price adult ticket. If you wanted to claim a discount then you should have asked for it. You should have said "one student or one child" if that is what you wanted. ~The people who ask for tickets and don't bother to tell you what film they want to see. (mostly the seniors, plus you sometimes get families watching Finding Nemo) ~People asking if such and such a movie will still be playing in three weeks. They then get angry when you say you don't know the schedule that far in advance. ~People who blatantly haven't looked at the film schedule. Last week had some kids try and buy tickets for American Wedding. (which finished months ago.) ~Group of kids who didn't know who Michael Caine is. ~People who come to box office and ask questions like "Hey I'm looking for my friends. Did you just sell tickets to a group of kids about half an hour ago?" That was on a busy Saturday night. I must have had about 10 groups of kids in the last half an hour. Same goes for the guy who came up to ticket check and ask if a group of guys had gone into Matrix. Concessions/Retail: ~We have self service drinks and popcorn (as well as counter service). It always amazes me how some people under-fill their containers. I watch with amazement when people leave like 2 inches of space at the top of their drinks cup and then go and happily pay for it. (mind you, I have had someone bring a half full popcorn tub up to the till and then expect to be charged half price.) I was serving nachos for someone a few days ago. They actually stopped me while I was scooping out nachos and said "thats enough please". Whatever, they are paying for it. But I don't understand. Similar thing happened when I was serving a guy a medium drink. He said "that's plenty" when the cup was like two thirds full. I bet the liquid would have just about fit into one of our small cups. Ticket Check: ~I have no problem directing people to their auditoriums, it's good customer service but I'm still irritated by the fact that some many people need to be told what screen number their film is in. Look at your ticket, look at the big massive number printed in bold! The Big Ticket Check rant: ~People who come as a group, but insist on individually having you rip the tickets. You get it alot with families. I've seen this happen. - Mother, Dad and like 4 kids arrive at ticket ckeck, mom is holding all 6 tickets. But instead of handing them to me in a bunch so I can quickly check em and rip em, she starts passing them out to the family. Then each kid (after she says "give your ticket to the mister") slowly hands me their ticket. By the end of it, it's taken 3 or 4 times longer to get the family trough than If she had just given me the bunch of tickets together. Please, if your in a group, let one peson have all the tickets.  |  IP: Logged Dan Harris Film Handler Posts: 86 From: Bristol, UK Registered: Jun 2003 posted 11-10-2003 06:56 AM                     quote: Ticket Check: ~I have no problem directing people to their auditoriums, it's good customer service but I'm still irritated by the fact that some many people need to be told what screen number their film is in. Look at your ticket, look at the big massive number printed in bold! When working on the floor, we make it a point to tell everyone exactly where thay are sitting, for example you would say "Thats Screen 3, Row J, seats 1-6, which is on the left hand side." For busy shows you would have a member of staff in the screen seating, but it's always good to tell them as well. First theres the people who get right down to the end of the concourse, then come back because they've forgotten the screen number, despite it being on the ticket. I'm amazed at the number of people who cant quite spot the auditorium, despite having a huge silver, neon '3' and a digital strip above the entrance. Then the people who get into the auditorium, and still cant remember where they are sitting, despite you having told them. They are usually the people who don't take any notice of what you're saying and walk off without so much of a thankyou. A lot of the time if they can't be bothered to find their seats they will just sit anywhere, causing problems for the next family to go in, finding people sitting in their seats. quote: ~People who come to box office and ask questions like "Hey I'm looking for my friends. Did you just sell tickets to a group of kids about half an hour ago?" That was on a busy Saturday night. I like the "Have you seen a girl with blonde hair come past here". Hmm, its Saturday, there must be 800 people plus around, a lot of which I'll bet are girls with blonde hair. Can't remember them all! Dan  |  IP: Logged Richard C. Wolfe Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Northampton, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 11-10-2003 10:13 PM                        Ah yes Bradford, I couldn't agree with you more about the families coming in with each one handing you their own ticket, but what is worse is when they give each kid their own money out front so they can buy their own ticket. Now the line has been slowed down twice! I often stand out front when it's really busy in order to keep the line moving smoothly. I will often announce: "Please have one person from your party purchase all the tickets for your group or family," as well as saying "Please have your money ready and the total number of tickets needed when approaching the box office." I will still see mommy handing all the kids, even young ones 5 or 6 years old, the money to purchase tickets... and when I ask her to please purchase all of them at one time I will get a retort... "but we just want to teach them how to handle money and verify change"... and I say "That would be fine if you were leaving a store or restaurant with a few people behind you, but please not at a theatre where there are 200 people in line behind you and they only have 7 minutes left to get in to the show on time." They then give you a cold stare as they continue to hand out the money to the kids.  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 11-11-2003 06:48 PM                     Today’s highlights include: ~Someone asking for a ticket to Seapigeon. ~Someone ringing up to ask for film times at Odeon Leeds Headrow. Surprising A: because it's not our cinema and B: because it closed down over a year ago. Now I could be proved wrong, but I really doubt that it's re-opened. Especially since there is now a 13 screen Ster Century 100 yards down the road. The lady on the phone rekoned she saw a film there last week. I rekon she forgot to take her pills last week.  |  IP: Logged Paul Turner Expert Film Handler Posts: 115 From: Corvallis, OR, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-12-2003 02:04 AM                     When we were running the movie "Pecker," a very nice older woman came in and asked, "How long is John Waters’s "Pecker" and can we see it tonight?" She had no clue what she had just asked. Fortunately, the half dozen people in the lobby also figured she hadn’t grocked what had just come outta her mouth. I looked at her and said, "The movie is 88 minutes long and it plays again tomorrow at 7:00." She thanked me and left. As soon as she was clear of the door, everyone lost it. I'm sure she sat bolt-upright at 3:00 that morning realizing what she had asked. And no, I have no idea how long John Waters’s . . .  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-12-2003 06:02 PM                     This week we are opening Luther. It was a film made for German television and has that bad video look. All the Lutheran churches in town called us about this film. So we called every Lutheran church and told them it was booked and then we got the church mailing list from the Press Democrat and sent all 120 churches a bunch of flyers. So we will see if that kind of direct marketing has any impact at all. Churches are funny, after I call them they call back and want the showtimes 2-weeks before we are opening it. I have to carefully explain to them that we don't set show times till the Monday before opening. Then after they have told me that we will make lots of money because of all the Lutherans that will be coming to see this film, they ask for a group discount.  |  IP: Logged Erika McCarty Film Handler Posts: 21 From: McKinney, TX/New Haven, CT Registered: Nov 2003 posted 11-12-2003 08:16 PM                     My favorite customer complaint...that I needed to fix the "tracking" in one of my theaters. I guess he envisioned massive VCR's? Next thing I know they'll ask how to change the clock...  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-12-2003 09:12 PM                     Ian, we just ended that. I don't how big of a churchgoing community your area has but if its any indication people around here aren't ultra-religous. We did HUGE business with this. I can't remember when we opened it, it was the same week as Secondhand Lions (too lazy to look that up right now). Luther outgrossed Lions that week. You might want to reconsider staffing for that Wednesday; that day being the traditional day for bible study groups/confirmation classes our 7:00 show always sold out-in our biggest auditorium even.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 11-12-2003 10:40 PM                        Dustin - Wisconsin is in the heart of "Lutheran Country" .... Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan have HUGE concentrations of Lutherans. There are probably more Lutheran churches in Wisconsin then there are in California.  |  IP: Logged Richard C. Wolfe Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Northampton, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 11-12-2003 11:36 PM                        Who is the contact for booking "Luther"? I had that info a month ago but seem to have lost it.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-13-2003 01:45 AM                     Mike, yeah, too many damn Swedes and Norwegians around here . I don't know California demographics, if I had to geuss I'd say there are probably fewer people in Ian's area that go to church on a regular basis than there are here.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-13-2003 04:03 AM                        we didn't get particularly huge crowds for luther, and they were, according to some employees, a bit rude in general. but boy did they buy concessions. carl  |  IP: Logged

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