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Author Topic: ? on UPSELLING! Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-08-2004 09:45 AM                     Charles -- Not true! I ALWAYS get harrased about the combos at AMC. "If you get this one, you save $0.25!" (as the menu board indicated) So I asked, "Okay, so what's the difference in price between what I ordered and the combo?" It took two other concessionists to interject and between the three of them, they figured out that my total would be $8-something. So I asked again, "Okay, and what's the difference in price between what I ordered and the combo?" (you know, expecting "For $X more, you get..") Baffled again, they wanted to know if they should call a manager. I told them to just give me my original order and left. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 01-13-2004 06:21 PM                     quote: Manny wrote:By the way, at that theatre a different motivational system was used for the booth (number of days since the last screw-up) and box office (similar to concession but without factoring average transactions). How do you upsell at box office?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-13-2004 06:24 PM                        You convince senior citizen's that they're not that old.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 01-14-2004 10:38 AM                        I always enjoyed forcing 11 year olds to admit they were 13 so they could go see a PG-13 movie.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-14-2004 02:22 PM                        Damn you Scott. I was going to post that in the "sneaking into theatres thread".  |  IP: Logged Jim Alexander Film Handler Posts: 71 From: Greenwood, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 01-14-2004 09:45 PM                        Reading most of these replies, it becomes evedent that most out there (at least theatre type dudes) don't like upselling; they even find it to be insulting. Well, personally, I don't much care for it either, but from a theatre owner's point of view, I've seen the success it generates in the bottom line. There are those that take offence to it, but they are few and far apart. My staff only asks once, and does not ask if they are sure if they don't want it. Loe and behold, most asked, prefer the larger size for the ".25" cents extra. To those that refuse to try it in their theatre, that is you choice. But to refuse to try something that has been proven time and time again, just because of your own hang ups, is cheating yourself and your business out of some extra revenue. To the original question, how do you get staff to remember to upsell? Sorry folks, but that is why they are staff and you are the owners/bose, they do what you tell them to do. Yes, rewards do have some success, but a observant, attentive manager will have alot more success. It doesn't take staff long to realize they are being monitored and will do what is expected of them, including up selling.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 02-13-2005 02:17 PM                 It has been 395 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-13-2005 02:17 PM                        EDIT That damn soup Nazi had not posted when I resurrected this thread... what's the deal with his stealing my thunder? LOL Bad Soup Nazi.. Bad Soup Nazi To resurrect this thread... The recently policy implemented by my company is "Immediate Dismissal' for anyone found NOT upselling, wthere it be by a member or management, district level, division level, checking service or regular patron. Thomas, I'm with you buddy. What a way to treat your employees. Rule by intimidation... DId I mention that I hate this company anymore? The sister theatre in town had to let two employees go two weeks ago due to this inane policy. There are NO negotitaions, you are simply to terminate them for not upselling. While I understand this to a degree, as it IS an integral part of their job, to just fire someone because a checking service says, no add on or suggestive sales/upselling. Then again, I don't make those calls, I just follow procedure. [ 02-13-2005, 07:39 PM: Message edited by: Jason Black ]  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 02-13-2005 11:51 PM                        The Roanoke Times had an article last July identifying Carmike as having a "secret shopper" program that resulted in immediate dismissal for any concession employee caught not upselling. Carmike apparently acknowledged the practice in an annual report.  |  IP: Logged Kyle Caudill Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Wichita Falls, TX Registered: May 2002 posted 02-14-2005 09:59 PM                     Can this be good for employee morale? Or quality of applicats if they know about this?  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 02-15-2005 02:14 AM                     Does anyone in the booth who screws up a showing get dismissed immediately as well? Oh yeah, something I've wondered since the beginning of the rating system- how come if you're 13 you can pay the adult prices, but you can't see the adult movies?  |  IP: Logged James Faber Film Handler Posts: 66 From: Des Moines, Iowa , USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-15-2005 02:37 AM                        When I worked as a concessionist, I actually had a woman get mad at me for not upselling to her. I sold her a medium soda, and as she was about to leave, she looks up and screams at me, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THE LARGE WAS ONLY A QUARTER MORE!?" She was a rather large woman wearing a leather jacket. I exchanged her medium soda for a large soda without question...she was SCARY.  |  IP: Logged Chase Hanson Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 02-15-2005 03:08 AM                     As has probably already been said, discretion is better part of good salesmanship. I've had the privledge of working with a few great sellers in my little pond, and the common threads between all of them were. 1)Friendly-Big Smile, hearty greeting. 2)Quick transaction-There was no rushing the customer, there was organized effecient movement in retriving the concession items. 3)Discrete Approach- No pushing, no redundancy. All the verbage for upselling/suggestive selling was fluid and cogent. The whole transaction felt helpful, not invasive. Ive tried to integrate these 3 key points into all the concession coaching I do.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-17-2005 09:06 PM                        Jesse, For the same reason an 18 year old can go to war for his or her country but can not legally buy a drink in a bar.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-24-2005 02:49 AM                     quote: Jim Alexander To the original question, how do you get staff to remember to upsell? Does your theatre have a policy in the employee's manual on this topic of the question that you ask? Remember: employees are always a "liability" in a theatre. They drain the profits out of the income, after film expenses, with the wages that they earn, yet if they are not "producinc" it back with upselling and suggestive selling, your profits will never recoup with this imbalance of the overhead and profit margin tables. If your a small single screen house that such profits aren't required in a strong sense, then I agree with Mike, who has a wonderful little theatre, as well. But a business, large or small, MUST survive in some form or another to stay successful and to endure. It's simply called: a tradeoff-either make money, or stay contented with the money that is made. Also remember: they came to you for a job, they signed the application to be allowed to work. You didn't come to their door and asked them for a job. When they were hired on as an employee, they accepted the conditions in the manual as what is required at the job. They have no right to set conditions of work as they please while on the job, and that's not following policies on upselling and suggestive selling. If they don't abide by the rules, they are placed with a choice: accept these rules, or there's the door. Now, I was a bit mean here-cold and hard, making this to an answer that you asked. Remember: every business has overhead that has to be to run the business. The obvious is to find ways to make money to offset this overhead. With theatre business, which ISN't in the market of selling food like a grocery store, MUST make it's money during certain hours, and that is during before the set of showtimes. After that, the moneymaking side of it sits idle when the shows are going on. There can be a way for rememberance, is to offer "commissions" on combo sales - like for example: that employee will garnish a 5 cent commission per every regular combo sold, and 10 cents if the combo was upsold to a large combo. This will offset your "house nut" of expenses a bit with the increased revenue. Some large circuits have "secret shoppers" to check on the staff if they are doing these two important selling policies and report back to the home office of such findings. Employees that follows these polices usually are rewarded a cash bonus, plus the manager is allowed a bonus of sorts a well. If not, then the manager is repremanded of such and is placed on probation to adjure to company policies. Large megaplex complexes have such a huge "house nut" of expenses that if the "cents per person", or "per cap" aren't projected in the budget level and expenses is rising, I wouldn't want to face the CEO on such budget matters. -thx Monte  |  IP: Logged

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