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Author Topic: AMC bans outside food and drink... Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-09-2009 06:47 PM                        quote: David Zylstra Of course the million dollar question is what would sales do if popcorn and soda prices were lower I don't think it would do much. People tend to buy what they want to buy. That said, to me the best thing about lower prices is good will. Our prices are pretty low compared to big chains and it makes people actually feel good about buying our stuff, vs. feeling ripped off.  |  IP: Logged David Zylstra Master Film Handler Posts: 432 From: Novi, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 12-10-2009 05:00 PM                     I agree - there is honor in having good value on pricing - we recently compared our prices to our competitors from the 2 large exhibitors and on several similar items and combos we charge much less and we still have a pretty high percap with acceptible cost of goods. I also agree that people who always buy a soda and popcorn will always buy it no matter what the price (within reason of course) - evidence is that on most price increases our sales volume seems steady.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-10-2009 06:30 PM                        quote: Mike Blakesley to me the best thing about lower prices is good will. Our prices are pretty low compared to big chains and it makes people actually feel good about buying our stuff, vs. feeling ripped off. Mike, that is of course very true, but I wouldn't leave it to the patron to figure out that you are giving him a good deal -- why not use that venerable markteing tool that's been used since time immorial by other businesses where you show the usual price crossed out and beneath it your discounted price. If you are going to take a bit of a hit on profit in order to get the patron to feel all warm and fuzzy about you, you might as well hit them over the head to make sure they get it. You could say yours is the FAIR price, maybe even say as some merchants do, "If you can find this item at a lower price at any other cinema, we'll give you two free." I'd make price cards like this for every item in the display case. Toot it for yourself or it won't get tooted by anyone else  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-10-2009 07:22 PM                        Go for the full package and add a sign that says "AMERICAN MADE!!!"  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-11-2009 01:12 AM                     Well, Nestle is a French conglomorate, and cocoa is hardly american-grown, and has all sorts of Issues involving slave labor, child labor, etc., etc... I'd steer clear of that... --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-11-2009 02:04 AM                        I'd gladly pay extra if child labor were involved.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-11-2009 08:41 AM                        quote: John Hawkinson Well, Nestle is a French conglomorate, and cocoa is hardly american-grown, and has all sorts of Issues involving slave labor, child labor, etc., etc... I'd steer clear of that... Oh, like advertising has to be true!?! Switch to Hershey's  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-11-2009 08:48 AM                     Oh, I put my foot in it. I did not mean to imply that Nestle has issues with child labor and slave labor. Chocolate in general has such issues. --jhawk (Waiting for a polite phone call from a chocolate company legal department that carefully monitors Film-Tech.)  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-11-2009 11:53 AM                        The oompa loompa's have your number now!  |  IP: Logged Ed Alvarado Film Handler Posts: 60 From: Fort Worth, TX,usa Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-14-2009 06:24 AM                        Ive worked and managed at theaters for many years and honestly i think the prices on food is crazy but you have to take it this way going to the movie theater is simply like going to a concert or any other expensive outing. I mean your paying to be entertained and watching a movie is not limited to that i mean how many times have you gone to an amusement park or hell even a restraunt and paid a low price? its not going to happen so to simply put it IF YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT PRICES THEN DON'T GO OUT AT ALL just stay home and rent a movie and eat your food.  |  IP: Logged Tony Gallimore Expert Film Handler Posts: 108 From: Willis, Virginia, USA Registered: Jul 2009 posted 12-21-2009 09:25 PM                     I guess it goes without really saying... but I could never turn down an opportunity to add my two pennies... Theatres should offer better quality than their competition in addition to lower pricing! If people are getting quality, they will be willing to pay a little more for it. Some theatres I've visited in the past would nearly choke you with the smell of burnt or worse... week old stale (and rubbery) popcorn poured from a garbage bag into a warmer. I've even run into the occasional molded drink syrup smell, not in the theatre where it was thrown on the floor, but at the concession stand where the seal on the syrup tank was compromised. That has probably been for the most part eliminated with conversion to the sealed boxes, unless the fountain head is never or rarely cleaned. And then there are the slush machines with soured mix (sugar that has started to ferment) in them and still being sold to patrons. That goes for the rancid buttery popcorn topping that has cooked and been added to for who knows how long, because the despenser is rarely cleaned. I've even bought chocolate that was so old it had turned white. A new twist on milk chocolate? I returned it, of course, so they could rotate it back into stock. Cleanliness to the eye as well as the nose is important to successful concession sales. Patrons aren't stupid and will not be burned twice on crap masquerading as theatre concessions. Maybe one point to make here is have people working your concession who are mature enough to care about their patrons. Repeat business is crucial to staying in business.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-22-2009 11:41 AM                        Someday, I'd like to see a thread here, revolving around what "reasonable" means as concerns theatre pricing. Somehow, I doubt anyone will agree on anything. A theatre will never sell candy at prices you'll commonly find at a grocery store, even though several items we commonly sell are stocked there. Funny... you can buy a package of Red Vines for 75 cents, but people still pay $3.50 at the theatre. So, what is a reasonable price for Red Vines... or a large popcorn... or how 'bout that bottle of water that cost you 22 cents? The new "Gold Class" cinemas charges outrageous prices... for very good food and presentation. Up here, people are 'eating it up'. Everything in the place is absolutely first-rate. People go there, expecting to pay for what they get. Nobody expects them to attend every week and nobody expects admission prices at multiplex levels. Do the dinner theatres that Brad built serve up their menu at McDonald's prices. Somehow, I doubt it. Does that mean they're gouging their customers? Only if Joe goes there! I really think it's more about quality and service than price. Sure, you can get rediculous with your popcorn prices, but hey... I buy beer and hotdogs at the ballpark for $7 (each), and I walk out with a smile. Nobody expects prices like that anywhere else, and I'll only do that a couple of times a year. My popcorn sales have gone up to the point I had to install a second popper. I don't scrimp on the popping oil (no dry corn here), and topping comes with the price. My large size comes with one free refill. That makes the large sell twice as much as a medium, and 5 times more than my smalls. Only 40% bother to get the refills, though many do take their containers home and use them next time they're out here. I'm close enough to indoor theatre pricing without being equal to or (yikes) higher, and my concessions sell just fine.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2009 02:45 PM                        We sell a 32oz soda for $2.25. The same soda at a convenience store runs around $1.25. Carmike in Billings sells it for $4.80! People are knowledgable that the concession stand is where the theatre makes its money. Therefore they're mostly willing to pay somewhat higher prices, but they don't want to feel like they're getting screwed. $4.80 for a 32 oz. soda definitely would feel like a screwing to me.  |  IP: Logged John Joseph Fink Film Handler Posts: 60 From: West Hartford, CT Registered: Feb 2006 posted 12-23-2009 01:00 AM                        Had no problem bringing in a Jamba Juice to AMC the other night. Their exsactly language doesn't explicitly ban drinks and food, it simply says "We appreciate your cooperation in finishing outside food and drinks before entering their theaters". If they had said something I would have replied "I'd appreciate if you offered healthier options, so I guess we're even". It's ironic that AMC permitted outside food, than closed most of the cafe concessions that General Cinema and Loews had and now they're trying to expand their concession menu with Gold Peak tea and Chicken Fingers. Meanwhile the coffee shops and ice cream stands Loews had were mostly closed, verses National Amusements which runs full food courts with plenty of quality options. I'll buy movie theater food (7 out of 10 times I buy popcorn, and I see 4 movies a week) if the theaters provide good quality concessions, if it's crap, then I won't buy it - price isn't really a factor. I hope Rave doesn't screw up National Amusements and their concessions.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 12-23-2009 02:16 PM                     I concur. When I worked at AMC and they acted like it was a huge thing to bring in a Turbo-Chef I was like "We had those 5 years ago before the merger." I tried to get them to expand out to having drip coffee; even though I hate the stuff, it sells relatively well from my memory of working downstairs.  |  IP: Logged

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