This is topic What makes a Senior Citizen? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 03-17-2000, 04:42 PM:
This is way off target for the average Film Tech questions, but I have no where else to turn to for answers on short notice. So, first off sorry but I am desperate and where else can I get response world wide. I have a guy in tonight that is bitching about my senior citizen age requirements of 60 and over. What is the general age that you see in your theatres for youth and seniors.
thanks for any light that you can shed on this.
lance
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 03-17-2000, 04:57 PM:
You can join the AARP at age 55. My mother is a member even though she is still a hot babe, or at least her much younger boyfriend thinks so.We say a senoir is age 55 and over. If you want to call yourself a senior at 55 even though you just made partner at the law firm and are pulling down 200K a year and just bought a new BMW 7 series, go for it. It will impress the hell out of your 20 something, blond trophy wife.
The US govenment now thinks that they don't need to pay Social Security until you reach the age of 70. That sounds like a senior to me. At 55, I still plan on making young girls nervous. At 70, I might just go chasing a few 55 year olds, for sport.
My grandmother refused to admit that she was a senoir and always paied full price for the bus in NYC. She got away with it untill she hit 75, then the bus drivers just said senoir when she got on. She thought it was rude to ask for a discount while she was wearing her fifty year old, hand me down, mink coat.
As for children, if they look pre-pubesent, I give them the child's rate. I always thought 12 was a strange cut off for the childrens rate. Your a child until you can drive the family to the theatre and pay for them all on your credit card. Of course by the time I was 13, I was 6' tall and had a voice like Barry White.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-17-2000, 05:00 PM:
Personally I've always thought 65 was a good number, but in all honesty it's not worth listening to them so I just give it to them if they ask for it without carding. I don't think many people under 55 would say "hey, look how old I am" anyway if they weren't.
Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 03-17-2000, 05:24 PM:
55 or 60 or 62 or 65 or 70, makes no difference to me. I just want them to declare themselves as seniors when they say one or two please. If they ask for just one to movie X, then I'm gonna give'em an adult ticket. And while I'm bitching, multiplexes have been around for a couple decades and I'm not psychic, so why are people still puzzled when we ask what movie they'd like their one adult or senior ticket to?
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 03-17-2000, 05:35 PM:
In Colorado, when you hit 70 years old, you can ski for free. I guess that the ski areas figure that it is a good return on investment. They have had your lift ticket money for 50 or 60 years and you still go to buy lunch.Speaking of lunch, have you noticed that seniors not only ask for a discount, but they buy very little concessions? I'd let them in for free if they would just pony up to the concession stand. Not only do they dilute your box office revenue and your concession percap, but they insist on your opening early because they don't like to drive at night.
Then half of them complain that the sound is too loud while the other half say they cant hear, could you turn it up louder.
God protect me from becoming just like them. I can feel it coming on.
Shut up out there, your making too damn much noise!
Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 03-17-2000, 06:27 PM:
We have a problem with an elderly customer who comes every Friday and is here tonight. He always comes 20 minutes after the start of the first show, says he's going to stay to watch the beginning of the second, and ends up watching the entire second show. I don't really have a problem with that so much but it's the fact that he sleeps during both shows, snores loudly, and bothers the other patrons is the problem. Is there anything I can do about this other then wake him up every 5 minutes? I don't think you can ask somebody to leave or not come at all on account of their snoring can you?
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Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com
Posted by Zach Zagar (Member # 379) on 03-17-2000, 08:31 PM:
My company, Goodrich has the age divided at:12 and under are "kids"
and 62 and over are Seniors
We also let 2 and under in free.
Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 03-18-2000, 01:38 AM:
Colin, don't quote me on this, but the way I understand it is - it's private property so you can refuse admittance to anyone for any reason.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-18-2000, 02:15 AM:
I use Brad's guideline. If they are willing to admit they're over 65(our cutoff age), they're a senior Citizen. I agree they don't buy much concessions. And they show up early here, too. But I've never had even ONE of them ask me to turn our sound up OR down. Must be doing something right! 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 03-18-2000, 02:20 AM:
What makes a senior citizen? Hmmm... Squeeze of lemon, some tartare sauce...
Love,
Hannibal.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-18-2000, 02:30 AM:
On the opening day of the Saving Private Ryan re-release, I was working during the day. Right after the first show started, I came downstairs to get another batch of replacement Ultramittents that Christie had shipped me, and an elderly lady was down there complaining about the sound in Private Ryan."It's so loud it sounds like a war zone in there!" she said.
Posted by Scott Magie (Member # 368) on 03-18-2000, 03:42 AM:
My favorite elderly story...
This older woman came out of "Life is Beautiful" (about 30 minutes in) and asked, "Is this movie ever going to speak English?"
When she was informed that, no, it was an italian film, she replied: "Well, I'm here with a bunch of retards and they can't read!"
This is true! And to top it all off, she took them to American Pie instead! She probably would've had less explaining to do if she had kept them watching Benini!
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Scott A. Magie
scoooot@bigsky.net
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-18-2000, 11:38 AM:
Technically Erika is absolutely correct. However, I don't know anyone who would actually want to attempt to enforce that in today's politically correct world.
Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 03-18-2000, 01:28 PM:
We actually have just one admittance price... hold on to your hats people... 50 cents.... yet we still get yelled at by parents when we wont let thier youngins in for free or give em a discount... or give the geezers a discount... I MEAN COME ON... its 50 cents... change from the couch.... SOmeone asked me how we do it.. i said its easy... I just program the register and BAM... its 50 cents.... that and we ask that you support us at the snack bar... he balked and said.. well i dont buy theater concessions.. their too expensive.... i just buy it somewhere else and bring it in... then i followed with... and i qoute "well we cant control the flow of super cheap ass rat bastards like yourself, but we still need you to support us, so if you want to be like that you can just leave us a 5 dollar tip"...
so he did...
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"If it's not worth doing, I have allready been there and done it"
Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 03-18-2000, 08:09 PM:
quote:
Originally posted by Brad Miller:
Technically Erika is absolutely correct. However, I don't know anyone who would actually want to attempt to enforce that in today's politically correct world.
That's what I was afraid of. I'll just tell the GM and let him worry about it. 
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Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com
Posted by Bryan Redemske (Member # 354) on 03-21-2000, 08:06 AM:
old people....if they don't tell me they're a senior, i'm not going to give it to them. for the most part, they're okay. as for the sleeping guy, boot him. we have a guy like that every so often. i thought he was dead for about an hour one time. not so, actually - just very peaceful. the only problem i've had with the sound and old people was when an old guy wandered upstairs and tried to turn the sound down. old people: if nothing else, they're entertaining.