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Author Topic: Dealing with slow customers Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 11-09-2004 03:23 PM                        In my experience anyone who does not mention a size when asking for something is unsure and to some level actually waiting to be TOLD. If you just respond "Will that be a large" I have found about 60-70% of the time they say yes, whereas most people who order their size right away choose the medium or small. I was brought up thinking concession was more than getting product for a customer, but actually trying to put a bit of salesmanship in it too. As long as you're not saying things like "are you sure you don't want a large" after they've said "no, I'll take a medium" then they are happy and the company is happy. When I came to the theater I'm working now, I trained this thinking into the 4 concessionists we have and we have seen a jump in our per cap of about 23 cents, with popcorn and soda having more spent than candy (used to be candy was always the winner). As for layering, we also layer our medium and large, will do for small if customer asks. It's just worth the extra 1 or 2 squirts to make sure the customer is satisfied with the product to the end and comes back for more. And as for slackers hanging around the stand after their order, we do have a VERY small concession stand but can have 3-4 customers across the counter and only have one register. The supplies are off to the side, but sometimes people do get in the way, never had a problem just asking the next person what I can start them on. More often it is groups of kids (like 12-15 years old) hangning around talking that get in the way, and a polite "Can I get you anything else?" is enough to pass the hint usually.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-10-2004 11:57 PM                     quote: he other day I had a lady walk up to me with a large bag of popcorn with about 3/4 of the popcorn left and ask for her money back because the popcorn was 'burnt.' Now granted popcorn does get burnt once in a while, but I smelled and tasted the popcorn in her bag. It was NOT burnt. When a customer brings back ANY food item to the concession stand saying something is wrong with it (stale, flat, salty, etc.) I make sure NEVER to tase it, (there's always those that go, "try it! try it!") just take their word for it! (Or challenge them if the date is printed on the box, like candy) It's too dangerous these days to go tasting things people bring back. Especially if it's mostly full, and you KNOW nothing is wrong with it... makes me uneasy. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Chris Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 105 From: Fairport, NY, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-11-2004 11:43 PM                        Barry, I like your ideas. When I'm home over Thanksgiving I'll have my concessionists try that, see what they say. I think you're right, people who are unsure are happy to be "told" what they want. And the ones who do know what they want usually do go for small, occasionally medium. If you can convert say 100 of those small/mediums into larges, I can see how easy the PC improvement could be attained. Thanks Barry!  |  IP: Logged Chris Medley Expert Film Handler Posts: 180 From: McKinney, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 11-12-2004 07:07 AM                        YOU TASTED IT!!!! You had no idea if that person had any diaease or oral herpes or anything.. plus for all you know they could have been pissed off and spit in it(or worse) before they asked you to taste it. That's a big no-no in my book.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-12-2004 11:07 AM                     *points to location* Perhaps not the best excuse but these sorts of things are less of a worry here. Not like I grabbed a handful, just picked out a kernel or two. There was no spooge on them, not like the 80 year old grandmother would have done that anyway.  |  IP: Logged Brent Neal Jones Expert Film Handler Posts: 211 From: Ennis, T.X., USA Registered: Nov 2001 posted 11-26-2004 07:20 AM                     I'm really going to remember this the next time this happens to me.  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 11-29-2004 09:40 AM                        Further to my post on customers who dont ask for specific size of drink or candy or type etc. we have now been experiencing people rolling up to the ticketing counter when it busy and asking for "two tickets please" the cashier responds " for what movie and what session" once again cutomer is thrown into a flat spin. They seem to think we exist just for them , at that moment ,we only show one movie at the exact time they arrive then we all pack up and go home.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 11-30-2004 04:47 PM                     Thank you internet for your on-demand media services! We get that a lot. As for upselling, suggestive selling, and stale popcorn: We don't upsell, we don't suggestive sell, we just ask them what they want. The only times people buy more larges and kick our per-cap up is when there's a big movie and they brought the whole family. We pop fresh daily and for the most part don't throw away much popcorn. More often than not though we get people who look directly at the fountain and ask for drinks we don't have. My favorite is looking up at the mylars of all the movies we have and going "are those the only movies you have?" Like we're going to go "no, go around back by the dumpster, tell them I sent you and Vinnie will let you in."  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-01-2004 10:12 PM                        Someone sent this to me the other day.... let's slow the customer down even more by badgering them to buy that 'super duper extra large you know you can't drink it all or you'll piss alll over yourself before you finish watching the movie' - Coke. Don't forget to upsell!! Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Teens who fail to 'upsell' learn hard marketing lesson 'Mystery shopper' reports have led to several firings at Carmike 10 Cinemas at Tanglewood Mall. By Ryan Basen 981-3341 The Roanoke Times Subscribe Archives Reprint E-mail this Article ryan.basen@roanoke.com 981-3340 On her way back from a recent family vacation to West Virginia, 19-year-old Rachel Wheeler called her manager at the Carmike 10 Cinemas at Tanglewood Mall to see when she was next scheduled to work. To her surprise, an assistant manager at the theater told Wheeler she had been fired. Her transgression? She had failed to "upsell" concession items such as popcorn or soda to a customer, who turned out instead to be a "checker" for the theater company. The checker informed Carmike management, and Carmike 10 manager Richard Kobert was ordered to terminate Wheeler, she said. Upselling is the practice of encouraging customers to order larger, more expensive sizes of food, drink or other products. Wheeler, a Southwest Roanoke County resident, was not the first employee at Carmike 10 to lose a job because of a failure to upsell. She wasn't even the first in her family. Her brother, Jonathan Wheeler, 18, was fired in May for the same reason. Two other employees that the Wheelers know of have also recently been fired for failing to upsell: Patrick Knicely, 19, and another teenager, both Southwest County residents. Their terminations, they said, are because of a new policy being enforced by Columbus, Ga.-based Carmike Cinemas. The firings are a blunt lesson in sales and profits for the teens. They also underscore the importance of concessions to movie theater companies such as Carmike, which is righting itself after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two years ago. The Wheelers and Knicely each began working at Carmike 10 in 2002. They underwent training, in which they were told to upsell and watched a video demonstrating the proper way to upsell, before starting their jobs. They also signed an employee contract, and one of the provisions in the contract stated they should upsell to every customer. All three remember signing the contract. According to Knicely and the Wheelers, Carmike management often sends ordinary people to Carmike 10 as checkers who pose as customers and report to management about employee behavior and the conditions at the theater. Carmike, in its 2003 annual report, acknowledges the practice and has incentives in place to reward theater managers who help increase certain revenues: "We have an incentive bonus program for theatre level management, which provides for bonuses based on incremental improvements in theatre profitability, including concession sales. As part of this program, we evaluate 'mystery shopper' reports." Mystery shopping is gaining popularity in retail industries, according to the Dallas-based Mystery Shopping Providers Association. Executive Director John Swinburn said mystery shopping has been going on for at least 60 years and "is used in virtually every industry that deals directly with consumers." At the Roanoke Carmike, the fired workers said, management initially used checkers to reward employees who did their jobs well. About a year ago, though, Carmike 10 employees were informed at a meeting that they could also be fired if they were caught failing to upsell a checker, the former workers said. Kobert declined to comment for this article, except to confirm that the meeting took place and that the four teenagers were fired for failing to upsell. He also said, "I don't want to see them fired." Ken Lehman, Northeastern Division manager for Carmike Cinemas (who oversees Virginia Carmike cinemas), also declined to comment, on the grounds that Carmike would not address any of its policies. Knicely and the Wheelers said that upselling to every customer is difficult. To say that all Carmike 10 employees upsell all the time, as they are supposed to, is "pretty bold," Knicely said. "If you work a double concession," Jonathan Wheeler said, "most likely you will forget" at least once. Neither the Wheelers nor Knicely can recall the specific time they may have been caught failing to upsell by a checker, but all three confirmed that they did forget at times. When they were fired, they were upset, but understood why they had been let go. "Upselling was always something you were supposed to do," Knicely said. The fired workers said they had not been individually warned previously about failing to upsell concessions. Carmike is one of three major movie theater companies with cinemas in Southwest Virginia. The other two are Charlotte, N.C.-based Consolidated Theaters and Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal Entertainment Group. Marie McClaflin, director of marketing for Consolidated Theatres, which owns the Valley View Grande in Roanoke, said Consolidated employees are trained to upsell. Checkers are also sent to watch them, but to reward instead of discipline workers. McClaflin said if a Consolidated employee smiles at and wishes a checker to "enjoy the movie," that employee and other employees working at that time get gift certificates. McClaflin said upselling is encouraged but not mandatory. "Upselling is just another tool to help increase the bottom line," she said. Firing employees who fail to upsell is "just not an acceptable way to keep the staff motivated. We absolutely wouldn't consider it." Kathy Chittum, executive director of the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, said Grandin employees are not asked to upsell. "I don't think people appreciate that," Chittum said. "If our customers wanted a large, they'd ask for a large." Knicely said that many elderly customers were annoyed by his attempts to upsell. Yet upselling often worked on families and teens. Carmike, which owned, operated or had a stake in 299 U.S. theaters in 2003, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2000. It reorganized in June 2002, but its revenues dropped 2.6 percent from 2002 to 2003, according to a March report. According to Carmike's 2003 annual report, concession sales are second only to admissions in company revenue. "We actively seek to promote concession sales," the report said. One method listed is "training our employees to up-sell products." The Wheelers and Knicely have moved on since their firings. Rachel Wheeler, a student at Virginia Western Community College, got a new job at a bookstore in Southwest County. Jonathan Wheeler is still unemployed. Knicely, a rising sophomore at Roanoke College, is temping. He sometimes misses working at Carmike 10, even if he didn't love upselling. "I didn't think it was a fair rule," Knicely said. But "I think it's a rule that needs to be followed. "It was a good place to work. It was a good summer job," he added. When he got fired, "I was like, 'Well, what do I do now?'"  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-01-2004 11:09 PM                     To hell with checkers reports, unless the employee listed on the report is blatantly doing something wrong, and I'm not talking about this bullshit about upselling, more like, ignoring patrons, unsanitary food handling, etc. they shouldn't get more than a talking to about it. Upselling can be a good source of extra revenue for the theater but it shouldn't be a grounds for termination. There's no reason an employee should be disciplined for this. Chronic failure to upsell may be an indicator that that particular employee may be better suited for something else in the theater, and close attention should be paid to how that worker interacts with guests. Someone who doesn't upsell is usually someone who doesn't show much energy or love for the job, as such their overall performance would be sub-par. Once you've proven that employee is no good in your opperation, then it's time to think about laying them off when they're not needed. Failing to upsell is a stupid reason to let someone go. High turnover rates are never a good thing. Turnover costs money.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-02-2004 03:31 AM                        too bad there aren't any carmikes around here for me not to patronize. hey, carmike: carl  |  IP: Logged Chase Hanson Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-02-2004 03:38 AM                     Jeebus I would have fought that one tooth and nail.  |  IP: Logged Jason M Miller Master Film Handler Posts: 284 From: Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 12-02-2004 12:41 PM                     With the upselling, we have been instructed (in the past) to fire the person selling the lowest amount of extra butter.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-02-2004 01:38 PM                        I hate to be upsold. It is probably one of the things I hate most in life. Therefore, I do not ask my employees to do it. I DO, however, encourage them to say "Large?" when the customer doesn't specify a size. But I would never fire someone for failing to do that -- unless they were someone I was looking to fire anyway. Maybe those Carmike kids were on the chopping block already and didn't know it.  |  IP: Logged Jarryd Beard Expert Film Handler Posts: 229 From: Hellertown, PA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 12-02-2004 02:02 PM                     quote: Jason Black 'Mystery shopper' reports have led to several firings at Carmike 10 Cinemas at Tanglewood Mall. As an employee of Carmike, I can say I've never heard of such a thing. Employees at our theatre have been rewarded with $25 bonuses, but never threatened with termination. It's nowhere in the handbooks. However, the manager won't get his weekend off and that may piss him off. Even so, he can't terminate an employee unless they've had three reprimandation forms(aka write ups) filled out. Or, they can be fired for something extreme. Anyway, we have self serve popcorn, drinks, and even some candy (I will try to find pictures). Our theatre was actually a Cinema World based out of Pittsburgh before Carmike bought them out (I work for Cinema Six in State College, PA). From what I understand, there aren't to many of these concession stands around anymore. This setup allows for people to layer all the butter and salt they want. The two Cretors poppers each have two hoppers and a butter button underneath. This leads to only 2 cash terminals for six screens and hardly any long lines. The only problem is confusion of the medium sized combo cups and the actually mediums. Also, as you can imagine, inventory is absolute hell each week. Anyway, to make a long story short, up sells are near impossible due to the fact that patrons fill their orders before they pay. The manager hardly ever gets his full weekend off, but that doesn't stop him from taking it anyway. Oh, and as to free refills, our large popcorn bags now come with tabs that can be torn after the refill has been made. There is nothing for the large drinks, however.  |  IP: Logged

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