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Topic: What do you do about an erroneous checker report?

Jonathan M. Crist
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 531
From: Hershey, PA, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 06-27-2012 04:09 PM

Mike - have you demanded to see a copy of the actual report that was submittted by the checker?

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-27-2012 05:39 PM

They sent me a copy of it with their initial email.

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Robert Throop
Master Film Handler

Posts: 412
From: Vernon, NY USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-27-2012 06:45 PM

quote: Frank Angel
"All in all, about the best thing to do is just toss em in the potato cellar and forget about em."

A booker once told me of a customer he had years ago. When the checker showed up he said "come here I want to show you my new boiler". He opened the cellar door and when the checker stepped down, he shut the door, locked it and didn't let him out till the show was over.
Those were the days when they had a sense of humor in this business.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-27-2012 07:02 PM

Actually that's false imprisonment aka kidnapping. I'm sure Jerry Sandusky recently thought his victims didn't have a sense of humor, either.

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Christopher Crouch
Expert Film Handler

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

posted 06-28-2012 08:04 AM

Seems inappropriate that they are immediately jumping to a fine/threat. While I haven't dealt with outside checkers all that often, the scenarios I have encountered involved them increasing their frequency of visits/"further investigation", when a discrepancy is found, not automatically issuing a threat.

The checkers I have encountered have usually been low paid "independent contractors" (i.e. some person picking up a few extra bucks on the side) who don't exactly do a thorough job and/or care all that much.

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Melanie Loggins
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 154
From: Wayne, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2011

posted 06-28-2012 09:48 AM

I have to tell my story. It wasn't a checker, just a mystery shopper. We're open Thursday through Sunday, and we have a very prominent marquee on our 3-block downtown. Seriously, if you come to town, you can't help but notice the theatre. So Sunday afternoon I get a message saying, please call me back today, it's urgent. So I called her back and she was supposed to be a mystery shopper but she "came to Wayne and couldn't find the theatre" so... would I answer some questions for her? What color are your tickets? How many seats does the theatre have? How many tickets did I sell that day? That kind of thing. I answered her questions and then sent an email to the film company in question. I said, hey, I'm not trying to narc on anyone here, but if that broad gets something wrong and I look bad, just want you to know, she was never even here. I have her name and phone number to show how NOT mysterious she was. I never heard any more about it. But it pissed me off because what if she hadn't called? What if she had just made stuff up? (And I have told my few employees that if anyone ever asks for a receipt for something, assume they're a secret shopper.)

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Mike Frese
Master Film Handler

Posts: 465
From: Holts Summit, MO
Registered: Jun 2007

posted 06-28-2012 12:08 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
?? What difference could that have made?

You are more likely to notice someone who is a secret checker if they stay for more then one show a day or as many as 5-6. It would next to impossible for a secret checker to go unnoticed for 5 shows.

Hey I am jealous of you small town guys with over 30 mins to the bigger multiplexes. I would love to work just one show on a week day and love to not have to work late on Thursdays to be ready for Fridays.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-28-2012 12:11 PM

Is there any protocol for challenging a theatre checker's report? I have never managed a cinema and have not dealt with such things, but I would hope that there should be some provision for you to say that you have been a customer of X distributor for Y years and have never had a discrepancy in the past and therefore should be given the benefit of the doubt in a situation such as this (and would they have given you a refund if the checker had counted fewer patrons than were indicated on your boxoffice report?).

Agreed with not paying if you know that you have done nothing wrong.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-29-2012 12:32 PM

I have written to the film company in question with that exact info and the only thing they have done so far is say they're going to "check" to see how the count was conducted from the balcony, given the fact that you can't really see all the downstairs seats from our balcony.

quote: Mike Frese
I am jealous of you small town guys with over 30 mins to the bigger multiplexes. I would love to work just one show on a week day and love to not have to work late on Thursdays to be ready for Fridays.

Well most of us small-town guys have other jobs. My daily schedule is, I work at the store from 9:00 till 6:00 every weekday (and every other Saturday from 8:00 to 5:00) and I'm at the theatre every night until at least 10:00 on weekdays, midnight on weekends. On Thursdays I DO have to work late to get ready for Friday -- BORs, pay bills, do updates on the marquee, posters, 2 newspaper ads, recording, website, weekly email, Facebook, and employee schedule, plus any maintenance. Oh, and wash 3-D glasses two or three times a week, and wipe water spots off of them. Still jealous? [Smile]

Not that I'm complaining; I love the theatre business but anybody who doesn't think a single-screen takes a lot of work is a dreamer.

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-29-2012 02:02 PM

I'm with you Mike. A small town theatre is a lot of work but it is also a lot of fun and it is often the focal point of a small town. In a small town theatre you are able to better interact with your customers and program your house to their tastes than are the big-boy's multiplexes which are booked by someone in another state who has never even been to that theatre.

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Mike Frese
Master Film Handler

Posts: 465
From: Holts Summit, MO
Registered: Jun 2007

posted 06-29-2012 02:20 PM

quote: Robert E. Allen
booked by someone in another state who has never even been to that theatre.

Robert, you recommend to every person who asks the same booker in Nebraska I think no matter where they are from. Please!

quote: Mike Blakesley
I'm at the theatre every night until at least 10:00 on weekdays, midnight on weekends. On Thursdays I DO have to work late to get ready for Friday -- BORs, pay bills, do updates on the marquee, posters, 2 newspaper ads, recording, website, weekly email, Facebook, and employee schedule, plus any maintenance. Oh, and wash 3-D glasses two or three times a week, and wipe water spots off of them. Still jealous?

Employee schedule? Sounds like you do all of the work. We all do those things on different levels. You do not do all of that on Thursdays. If you are staying late on a weekday it is because you are running labor to the bone. Which I do as well. Still I am feeling lazy by just running 2 shows on a weekday.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-29-2012 04:38 PM

I've never EVER seen a checker's report where they attended more than one show. They come in like real customers, pay real money, buy concessions, visit the restroom, go to the auditorium, watch the movie, come out for another restroom check, back to the auditorium to finish the movie and then they're gone.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-29-2012 06:17 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
...they're going to "check" to see how the count was conducted from the balcony, given the fact that you can't really see all the downstairs seats from our balcony.

From the balcony? No way! Report invalid!

At Mercyhurst, you can only see half of the main floor, standing on the balcony. Even if you go to the brass rail and hang over you can still only see about 3/4.

That gives a 25% error. Assuming the guy counted correctly from his vantage point then extrapolated from the number of seats in the section he couldn't see his count could have ranged anywhere from 130 to 230.

Doing this kind of math can only be correct if you know the exact number of seats in each section of the auditorium and in the auditorium, overall. I doubt this guy knew that information.

Point being, there is NO WAY this guy could have counted accurately and his own report proves it.

The report is invalid on its face.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-29-2012 06:45 PM

quote: Mike Frese
Employee schedule? Sounds like you do all of the work.

No -- I don't sell tickets (much), or work in the concession stand. I don't unpack candy, restock shelves, clean the concession equipment, sweep the floors or vacuum the carpet. We have employees for all that stuff. I prefer to be the behind-the-scenes guy who keeps everything running like clockwork. Sometimes I am successful ... sometimes not! [Smile]

My wife is the "smiling ticket lady" (as Sam Graham would say) and she does most of the hiring/firing.

You're right that I don't do all of that stuff on Thursdays. I do some of it each night after the movie, or during the movies. (People always think we get to watch every movie but we have to block out time for it, just like non-theater-owners.)

Back on topic, thanks Randy. I'll be sure to bring that point up when I hear from them again.

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-29-2012 08:23 PM

quote:
Robert, you recommend to every person who asks the same booker in Nebraska I think no matter where they are from. Please!

But that booker works PERSONALLY with every theatre he books. How many of the big-boy's bookers do that?

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