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Topic: AMC bans outside food and drink...

Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-05-2009 11:33 PM

It really annoys me when people complain about the food prices, was there ever a time when cinema food was anything but expensive? It's always irregular visitors, or people who don't understand inflation.

Some chains in the UK take banning outside food more seriously but it's a site-by-site thing usually. I'm never going to argue with a customer about cold food coming in the cinema, or give pathetic excuses about why they can't bring it in like I've seen some managers do, it just pisses them off. Hot food stinks and should be banned though.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-06-2009 01:43 AM

When I was a kid, the Tejon Theatre charged $1.00 for adukt admission, 40 cents kids. They had ONE size popcorn, a sack for 10 cents. Butter popcorn came in a tube for 15 cents. So price ratios were far different (to admission) then they are today.

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Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-06-2009 09:54 AM

quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
It really annoys me when people complain about the food prices, was there ever a time when cinema food was anything but expensive? It's always irregular visitors, or people who don't understand inflation.

It's not just movies. I have a book which quotes a newspaper article from the late 1700's pointing out that food inside the theatre cost about twice as much as it would outside of the theatre. The more things change, etc.

(It's a 900 page book and the reference isn't in the index, so I can't supply the exact quote and cite).

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-06-2009 10:29 AM

At Larry Miller's Gateway 12 Theater in in SLC most folks sneak things in. The concession bar there is so bad that the word dismal is too good for it. There are many food type specialty shops in the Gateway Shopping Mall as well as sonme really good restaurants... One friend actually made it in there with a Pizza from the California Pizza Place downstairs!!! I usually go to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory... but I still generally get a drink at the snack bar...

Mark

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 12-06-2009 02:04 PM

...and I do agree with the eateries at the Gateway - excellent choices!

..yet, it's gonna happen with people sneaking food stuff at any cinema around the world. We just have to do the best we can in this area to contain the situation.

-Monte

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Christopher Crouch
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 128
From: Holywood, ca, usa
Registered: May 2006

posted 12-07-2009 03:21 AM

quote: Mike Olpin
AMC had allowed this? I find that hard to believe. In fact I'm pretty sure the assholes at the old Century City location told me I couldn't bring in my soda a few years ago.

They had dropped the policy in recent years. However, AMC did have a no outside food/drink policy as recently as the late 90's. Back when I worked for them the policy was fully enforced.

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Adam Fraser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 499
From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 12-07-2009 10:55 AM

We ban it also, but don't search people's bags or anything. The thing that bothers me the most is when people get irate when we ask them to please leave their food at the box office.

We refused to allow one guy to bring in his box of Lucky Charms, he got to the point where the police had to be called. From what I remember, he ended up going to jail for disorderly conduct when he began swearing at and threatening the officer.

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Jack Theakston
Master Film Handler

Posts: 411
From: New York, USA
Registered: Sep 2007

posted 12-07-2009 12:23 PM

The other point that I always made was: fine, I can let you in with a soda bottle. But then, there's going to be the guy behind you who saw that and wants me to let him in with a sandwich... and then the next guy is going to want to bring in a Chinese food dinner... and then the next guy some Limburger cheese... etc.

There's a reason concessions are largely inoffensive smelling-- no one wants to sit through a two-hour movie smelling someone's smelly cheese!

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-07-2009 12:36 PM

A manager I worked with refused to let someone in with a bottle of water, after they got pissed off and left I asked him why he bothered. He said at his own cinema (was covering us) two girls of about 16-17 bought in a 2 litre water bottle full of Vodka, and ended up making such a scene the screen had to be stopped and Police were called. Pretty messed up, and obviously had they not handled it properly would have caused licensing issues.

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Paul J. Neuhaus
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 126
From: Iraq.. Again!
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 12-08-2009 10:22 PM

quote:

Why they don't allow outside food and drink is for insurance/liabiliy reasons:
For example: many moons ago ......woman won a 6 digit out of court settlement.
-Monte

While I do agree that this could happen I truly doubt this is the reason for widespread non-tolerance for outside food. It comes down to money plain and simple. The movie title gets em in the door the concession makes the theatre money!

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Justin Hamaker
Film God

Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-09-2009 01:28 AM

quote: Jeremy Weigel
Our general policy is "Out of sight, out of mind." As long as its not obvious we're not too concerned about it.

That's pretty much how I handle it. I don't want to go to the point of actually searching people's bags or asking them to open their jackets - although a large warm jacket on a warm day my have me follow them into the auditorium.

The thing that really bothers me is when people try to tell us we should lower our concession prices. The simple fact is that it would take a significant decrease to cause a significant increase in concession sales. But in order to handle the increase in sales, we would be required to have additional selling stations and additional staff - in other words we would have to incur higher costs.

What people don't understand is the price of an item includes more than just the cost of the item. When you factor in overhead, labor, and so forth, it drives the cost of that 95¢ package of Red Vines up to $2.50 or more. The grocery store can sell the same item for just a few cents over cost because they do more volume and so the overhead cost per item is diluted much further.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 12-09-2009 04:17 AM

quote: Justin Hamaker
What people don't understand is the price of an item includes more than just the cost of the item. When you factor in overhead, labor, and so forth, it drives the cost of that 95¢ package of Red Vines up to $2.50 or more. The grocery store can sell the same item for just a few cents over cost because they do more volume and so the overhead cost per item is diluted much further.

.. and this goes back to that we have to sell items with this higher markup due to that we don't sell huge quantities of food on a regular basis.

Most cinemas only have, at most, a 1 hour window to sell on a regular basis and hit the most patrons that comes in the door and the next hour plus is in stock/cleanup time since those patrons are in the houses. I've done the best to explain this to a patron or two, but the most doesn't see it that way...

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David Zylstra
Master Film Handler

Posts: 432
From: Novi, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 12-09-2009 03:21 PM

quote: Justin Hamaker
The simple fact is that it would take a significant decrease to cause a significant increase in concession sales.

An exhibitor I worked for in the past tried out selling candy at much lower prices (very close to what C-store prices would be for the same size package) . . . . . the result was literally the same volume of candy sales, lower gross sales and obviously lower profit - customers did not respond to the lower prices and buy more like ownership thought (this location did this trial from opening day - candy sales remained the same after they raised the prices to normal theatre levels). Of course the million dollar question is what would sales do if popcorn and soda prices were lower . . . . . .

I wonder if AMC is seeing a boost in concession sales after instituting ban . . . . . .

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 12-09-2009 03:58 PM

I can ask one of my old managers that still is at an AMC, but I'm sure the answer is "no." People who wanted to eat stuff from elsewhere will just go ahead and actually eat it elsewhere before arriving.

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-09-2009 05:35 PM

We do not allow it. You have to rely on your doorperson to enforce it. That's why I'm not in favor of having kids take tickets. They are hesitant to challenge patrons, especially adults.

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