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Author Topic: Concession Per Caps? Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-31-2009 01:28 AM                        I think a lot of people sneak stuff in because they can't buy exactly what they want in the concession stand. We hardly ever have anyone sneak in Pepsi products; but we see a lot of Coke, iced tea, latte and etc...all stuff we don't sell. Our prices are pretty low so we don't get many price complaints.  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-31-2009 05:59 AM                     Mike, Is your janitor doing your marketing research, or what? You have a great opportunity to see what people are really craving so why not try a couple of the most popular "sneaked" products at the concession stand? I also think that bringing in food and drink items is a little game on the part of the audience. They just like to see what they can get past your cinema security. KEN  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-01-2009 09:39 PM                        I'd say the most "sneaked" products are: - Coke products (we sell Pepsi, so can't really do anything about that) - Energy drinks in giant plastic bottles (we already sell energy drinks in cans) - Lattes or ice-cream related stuff from the coffee shop or the Dairy Queen (haven't got the space to get into those things) - Great big bottles of stuff we already sell. And it doesn't happen all that often - we probably only find three or four items on a busy night, if that.  |  IP: Logged Fred Schoenfeld Film Handler Posts: 49 From: PORTSMOUTH, VA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 08-04-2009 11:11 PM                        Maybe this is not the right place to post our per cap, but I operate a first run, historic single screen, downtown theatre where we serve full meals in the auditorium, including beer & wine. Our average per cap is over $16.00 and sometimes exceeds $18.00! Only the pizzas exceed $10. Full food service is certainly the way to go in a single screen operation!!  |  IP: Logged Christopher Crouch Expert Film Handler Posts: 128 From: Holywood, ca, usa Registered: May 2006 posted 08-06-2009 06:27 AM                  quote: Mike Blakesley I think a lot of people sneak stuff in because they can't buy exactly what they want in the concession stand. It depends on the market. The theatre I currently manage has a huge problem with outside food and much of what we encounter mirrors what is sold in the stand. The theatre is located in an upscale area (customer base featuring doctors, lawyers, etc.), so it's not necissarily a price issue either. Due to the outrage and threats voiced, almost every time we stop outside food items, I've come to suspect our problem is related to a general sense of entitlement by the customers in question (i.e. many having an "I'm special and don't have to follow your rules" attitude). I've actually had customers call the police after we declined their outside popcorn, drink, etc. Interestingly, I've had more outside food/drink and low percap issues at theatres located in affluent areas, than at those located in middle to low income markets.  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-14-2009 12:51 PM                        quote: Mike Spaeth You aren't going to triple your sales quantity by cutting your prices in 1/3, so why would you do it? Obviously, but this is a study in optimization not unlike the optimizations that airlines (and other industries) do to place passengers in seats at various prices depending upon when they buy. So there is an optimized price for concessions that maximizes total profit (not margin). A number of companies sell software that works out these optimizations if fed enough data. I happen to work for one which does it for the Ad Sales industry and it generally increases profits 2-12%. (We hired a bunch of NYU mathematicians to figure the whole thing out.) An individual theatre could not afford such software, but a chain might, especially a large one.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-20-2009 07:58 PM                        We try to reach or exceed $2 when it is busy, but it is usually below that. I don't understand how most other theaters in the area have per caps of $3-$4, yet we sell a larger variety of stuff and have far fewer customers. Our per cap should be $10! quote: Full food service is certainly the way to go in a single screen operation!! But you have more overhead in that big room called the kitchen.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-21-2009 12:04 AM                        Yeah, or maybe (like us) you don't have any room for a kitchen!  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 08-21-2009 01:37 AM                        The problem I see with concession pricing is that theatres gouge to the point that the offense is memorable. I understand that the theatre concessions is sort of a "specialty", and I try to look at it the same way I do when willingly paying $6 for a beer at the ballpark. However, when I buy a big box of candy for $5, and inside is a little plastic bag that wouldn't go for more than 50 cents at a 7-11, the insult makes me tend to side with the people who do sneak their stuff in. I recently took my daughter to see a film in "Digital 3-D". The theater is new and the experience was decent. However, after $21 to get in and $17 for a popcorn, Coke and nachos, it's not something I would do very often. Unfortunately, people tend to assume that smaller indies rape and pillage their customers too, at least until they give them a a chance to show otherwise. We have a local theatre with something like 8 sales positions at the counter, 2 huge popcorn machines and 4 Coke towers. I've never seen a time when there were more than 2 cashiers back there, mostly watching people bypass them.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-21-2009 12:35 PM                        Hmm, maybe if EVERYONE would buy their snacks instead of sneaking them in, the theatres would make more money and could lower the prices. I realize neither thing will ever happen.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-21-2009 03:06 PM                        Even if people bought everything at the theater, concession prices wouldn't go down. Hell, they'd probably go up. Always want MORE MONEY! You just can't have enough! There are probably a few like you, Mike, who wouldn't do this... but you know the corporations would.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-04-2009 02:22 AM                        We opened Julie & Julia this past week and we haven't been able to top about $3.80 percap. I know many theatres would love to have that number, but when you consider we normally run about $4.30, that's a big difference. But not nearly as big as our other theatre that struggled to top $3.00 during the first couple weeks of Julia (they are normally in the $3.75 range).  |  IP: Logged Chad Souder Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 962 From: Waterloo, IA, USA Registered: Feb 2000 posted 09-04-2009 09:10 AM                     quote: Jack Ondracek We have a local theatre with something like 8 sales positions at the counter, 2 huge popcorn machines and 4 Coke towers. I've never seen a time when there were more than 2 cashiers back there, mostly watching people bypass them. You should have visited during the midnight show of Harry Potter. I don't have a clue which theatre you're talking about, but unless it is run by someone incompetent, all stations should have been used.  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 09-04-2009 07:06 PM                     Julie and Julia attracts a lot of old women who MIGHT buy a small diet coke and a small popcorn, but often don't. The first day we opened, the first matinee drew a large crowd of the older women, but the late round was dead. A lot of older women don't want to drive at night.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-06-2009 08:10 AM                     I understand Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been flying off the shelves at bookstores. You'd probably do better to sell it at your concession stand and up your per-cap to the $8 (one in four people buy the $30 book). --jhawk  |  IP: Logged

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