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Author Topic: Stupid floor staff... Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 11-28-2008 01:20 PM                     The thing is, those items (aside from the stuff for days when movies/times change) should take all of a couple minutes tops (unless organizing a closet takes a long time, in which case the employee and you should be miffed that no one else does their job). And if a person is attentive AND reading a book, a conversation can be struck up about the particular book/topic. Further, if you feel that most people are inattentive in general unless they're trained properly, don't you think the books in the box office aren't the problem? If an inattentive jerk has his book removed, he/she is still an inattentive jerk. Just because they don't have a book doesn't mean they are organizing things like they should. In short: taking away a book doesn't make someone trained properly.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-15-2008 02:14 PM                     quote: Chris Slycord In short: taking away a book doesn't make someone trained properly. I agree. And I realize I sound really draconian sometimes. The fact is, if I let someone do their homework or read Newsweek I still have to field the griping from the ones that don't see why they can't read Maxim or GraffitiWritingSkatePunk Weekly or whatever. It's a battle I've grown tired of having. Not to mention in a competitive market it detracts from the sharp presentation when the cashier has to stop what he/she is doing to help the customer. And once again you have a non-engaged appearance from your first staff impression -- alluring to would-be robbers. In a smaller operation it can work, no doubt. And I don't expect someone to stand at attention during a 2 hour break between sets. I do see, understand, and to a point agree with you, Chris. I'm just saying what I've experienced. And that is simply this is the inch before the mile so to speak.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 12-15-2008 03:04 PM                     Every theatre is different. I certainly am not advocating letting box staff read books everywhere as some sort of right. If the situation was such that it would be reasonable (in my view) to not allow it, I would in a heartbeat. As I said, we don't pay them to read books.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 12-17-2008 06:32 PM                        Another reason to keep books and magazines away is that employees that are skimming can stick their take in a book/magazine and walk off with the rationalization that "If I get caught, I can tell them the $20-bill must've blown in there from the box office window." It makes little to no sense, but it makes a dishonest cashier feel better because they didn't just take it and stick it in their pocket.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 12-17-2008 06:48 PM                     If they're willing to do that they're willing to steal period. Plus, a set of security cameras can help with that.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 12-18-2008 06:39 PM                        I agree with the cameras, but sometimes owners can't afford the $3-$4000 it takes to do it.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-18-2008 10:46 PM                     quote: Scott D. Neff I agree with the cameras, but sometimes owners can't afford the $3-$4000 it takes to do it. Wow...you need to get another quotation. You don't need 10 cameras...just one pointed in the appropriate direction will make them think twice.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 12-19-2008 09:21 AM                     Heck, if the workers are "kept in the dark" the camera wouldn't even have to work to be effective.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-19-2008 10:48 AM                        I've been known to use the cameras to track down employees who don't properly redeem gift certificates or otherwise fail to do their job. I find that every now and then the staff needs a reminder that they are on camera.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 12-19-2008 10:56 AM                        I don't know about you guys, but are you sitting in front of a monitor watching your cameras all day? Or are you swapping video tapes each day before you start? A DVR+6 cameras is about $6000. And the minute somebody steals from underneath the watchful eye of a dummy camera is the minute EVERYBODY finds out about how the camera doesn't work, or if it does, nobody ever checks it. Cameras are only a deterrent up to a certain point, after that they need to be used as a tool to figure out why the numbers went screwy. For that you need good quality cameras positioned so you can see what the cashier is doing to their computer, as well as cross shots to see what's happening around them. And there's no point in having a camera on your Box Office cashier if you don't have one on your ticket taker. And since you don't make your money in the Box Office, you'd be stupid not to have some on your snack bar cashiers. You can't very well just put ONE camera out on the entire snack bar, you'll never see anything useful. Believe me, I've used a camera system that had one camera aimed at the snack bar and it did NOTHING.  |  IP: Logged Justin Gorka Expert Film Handler Posts: 174 From: High Wycombe, England Registered: Apr 2006 posted 12-19-2008 03:14 PM                     Tell me the picture's out of rack when the slide show's on. Tell me there's somthing wrong with the sound when the show doesn't start for an hour, aske me to fix the bloody popper (which I ocasionaly do just before the engineer arives just to showhim how shit he is). Deaf loop isn't working....we have IR! I could go on all week!  |  IP: Logged

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