This is topic Candy Selections-What's Hot? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000011
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 06-30-2000, 08:44 AM:
I was just curious as to which candies were best sellers at other theatres. I recall a time when Twizzlers just flew off the shelf-now we're lucky if we sell 10 a week. Do certain products sell better regionally? Reeses Pieces and Sour Patch Kids are my best sellers currently. Is anyone selling those Cookie Dough Bites-how do they sell? We did away with bulk candy around the beginning of the year and put in quarter vending machines that make more in two days than the bulk made in a month. Does anyone have any success with bulk? Brad, do Sno-Caps sell especially well in Colorado?
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 06-30-2000, 12:11 PM:
OH MY! Talk about bringing up bad memories! BULK CANDY..Who ever thought of that system we had should be shot!We had to weigh everything before we started, when we ended, and it was the worst. People would put the candy in a bag and the worst thing was telling them how much it cost! Of course the sign said (in large numbers) $1.75! and then in tiny little letters, it would say, per quarter pound! Then at the end of the night, we would have to clean the bottom thingy that collects the candy that falls out from the containers! What a mess. The Quarter candy machines are much better! But now they want us to make and sell Cotton Candy! I'll let you know how that goes...
Posted by Barron Dripp (Member # 483) on 06-30-2000, 05:24 PM:
I am not sure what you mean by cookie dough bites, but we sell little cups of candy cookie dough called Cookie Fun. They are only 2.5 oz, but people buy them...for 1.25 a piece (tax incl) They do taste good, but I wouldn't buy them for that much.
Company Discription: Cookie Fun are the newest craze in candy fads. It combines the great tastes of Cookie Dough from the tube and puts it into a convient 2.5 oz tub with a handy wooden scoop...
Yeah...
Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-30-2000, 05:24 PM:
Jr. Mints - regular and frozen!
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-30-2000, 10:20 PM:
I don't even know if Sno Caps are sold here in Colorado. I haven't been a "theater manager" for some time now. When I was, Milk Duds was the biggie. However, I agree with Paul that the inventor of bulk candy should be shot. That was far more trouble than it was worth, not to mention just plain nasty.
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 07-01-2000, 06:43 AM:
The Sno(w)-Caps/Colorado thing was a bad joke.
Bulk candy, besides being wasteful and unsanitary, just doesn't work in this environment. I agree with Paul that weighing the bins is a pain in the ass, and apart from a few things like red fish and sour patch, it just doesn't sell. We really do make more money with the quarter machines.
Cotton Candy???? As much as I love the stuff, and believe that it should be one of the food groups, I wouldn't want to sell it in my theatre. Sticky door handles, seats, rugs-everything.
I'd like to try something different at the concession-ten years ago if you had told me we'd be selling tons of nachos, I would have laughed. The Next Big Thing I'm sure is right around the corner.
Those little tubs of cookie dough do sound interesting. It's amazing what kids will eat; just look at Sour Patch Kids.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-01-2000, 12:35 PM:
I remember when Sour Patch Kids were introduced. A fellow exhibitor at a trade fair asked me, "Have you tasted those Sour Patch Kids yet? They taste like SHIT.....the kids will LOVE 'em!" Our best sellers here are Jr. Mints, Reeses Pieces, Dots (regular sells best), almost anything "gummi," (worms are really popular), Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Red Vines, Twizzlers; Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in the 4-pack, M&Ms (plain sells best), Raisinets.
We used to sell tons of the Hot Tamales/Mike & Ike etc. line, but they're not that popular anymore.
Is anyone using Nacho Cheese in those portion packs? How does that work out? Do you microwave them or keep in a warmer?
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-02-2000, 12:53 PM:
Considering the number of screens that have been replaced because of kids throughing them at it I think the folks who make GUMMY BEARS have shares in screen companies 
Posted by Greg Pauley (Member # 503) on 07-03-2000, 10:40 AM:
The best new candy I've seen since Sour Patch Kids is (Nuclear Sqworms) Advertised as "Sour Neon Gummi Worms" looks like multicolored worms and the kids go wild for them. Promotion in Motion handles or makes the Nuclear Sqworms candy. We are using the portion pack nacho cheese and we use a small warming cabinet for heating. The cost is higher than dipped cheese, but the ease or lack of clean up, no waste and portion control is well worth the higher price
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 07-03-2000, 01:08 PM:
Hi,
Speaking of Cotton Candy, Anyone else sell this stuff? We havent started to sell it yet but I was wondering what the "Mess Factor" was with it?? Any Experiences with it?? Good, Bad or anything!
Posted by Greg Pauley (Member # 503) on 07-03-2000, 01:56 PM:
Paul:Tried the cotton candy deal several years ago without success. We had a string that ran over the top of the concession stand and bagged the candy in plastic bags and hung them on the string. You could hear the kids go by saying "Mommy, I want cotton candy" and the mommy saying "No, it's too messy." I suggest you do a trial with rented equipment before leaping into the cotton candy business. Good Luck!
Posted by David Koegel (Member # 25) on 07-06-2000, 07:22 AM:
Well, it's been a while since I last had something to contribute to a forum on Film-Tech. I agree with Tom Ferreira about the importance of Cotton Candy in one's daily diet. That's one food item that I've never grown tired of. In fact, I won one a commercial machine on eBay. But why would you want one, you ask? You know: now that I'm an adult, I can have any toy I want Anyhow, after a few times running the machine in my kitchen, I've permanently banned it from inside the house. The worst part is the fine sugar fibers that fly everywhere. When they find a landing spot, they begin to absorb moisture from the air and permanently attach themselves. You can't vacuum or sweep up the mess. And while sugar normally dissolves readily in water, this stuff defies easy cleaning. It requires a very slow rub with a very wet rag to get the sticky stuff up.
And making it? I've given up on trying to learn how to make those nice round puffs you get at the carnival, ones that are full of air and look nice. The air part is important, as you'll otherwise end up making a very heavy puff and greatly reducing your profit.
I love the stuff (obviously -- I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in my city that has their own machine at home), but I wouldn't recommend making it in a place that you'd like to keep clean. Of course, you'll also have quite a challenge finding an employee that wants to be sugar-coated after just a very short time making the stuff.
And I'm sure I don't have to explain the fun mess that's made when you eat the stuff. Then again, that butter-like stuff on popcorn (another important food group) is pretty messy, too, but you all know that, right 
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 07-06-2000, 07:48 AM:
I discovered a product in the supermarket this week called Fluffy Stuff by Charms. It is a packaged cotton candy that actually has the taste and texture of the real thing. This stuff is probably sellable without the production mess, but it's still going to lead to sticky seats. I'm just happy they have something new in the supermarket for those quick meals between matinee and evening shows!
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 07-06-2000, 05:51 PM:
"Fluffy Stuff by Charms", huh Tom. And they put what in the water in Claremont? 
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 07-07-2000, 07:26 AM:
Water?!?!?!
I only drink Pepsi products.
Posted by Christopher Barahona (Member # 516) on 07-12-2000, 09:59 PM:
We sell mostly Jr. Mints, Sour Patch Kids and Gumi Bears(which I had some kids throw at the screen last week). I think you should change your diet Tom.
------------------
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 07-13-2000, 05:48 PM:
!!! Can it be??!! 
Another BCG manager on FILM-TECH? 
Cool! WELCOME Chris! Now we have two people to Keep Tom under control! Paul Goulet
Tri-Boro Cinemas
North Attleboro,Massachusetts
Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 07-18-2000, 03:31 AM:
Three words - SOUR PATCH KIDS
Posted by Scott Magie (Member # 368) on 07-30-2000, 10:20 PM:
Let me add one word to the aforementioned "SOUR PATCH KIDS"... "WATERMELON"!Our Watermelon Sour Patch sell almost (but not quite) as quickly as the Original.
(Call me crazy, but I LOVE 'EM!)
Actually, come to think of it, maybe I'm the only one that buys them, but they're still our #2 seller! Good thing my boss' husband is a dentist and I get two free checkups per year as part of my benefits! 
New thought:
Has anyone noticed the HUGE jump in sales of SweetTarts since their new neon packaging was introduced?
------------------
Scott A. Magie
scoooot@hotmail.com
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 02-07-2006, 08:46 PM:
It has been 2017 days since the last post.
Posted by Timothy Eiler (Member # 383) on 02-07-2006, 08:46 PM:
Sour Patch kids, Twizzlers and Cotton Candy
Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 02-07-2006, 10:09 PM:
Cookie Dough Bites, Buncha Crunch, Swiggles, Reeses Pieces, and Skittles. That's our biggest sellers.
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 02-07-2006, 10:15 PM:
Frozen Junior Mints are my favorite movie candy.
Posted by Robert Burtcher (Member # 3227) on 02-08-2006, 03:17 AM:
I don't have any numbers, but from personal experience, I'd say that Chocolate-Covered Almonds are likely our top seller. Sour Patch Kids come close in 2nd.
As for Cookie Dough Bites, I understand they sold well when we first got them, but now they're doing so poorly, they're probably the next thing management will axe.
[ 02-09-2006, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: Robert Burtcher ]
Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-08-2006, 09:48 AM:
We used to sell a ton of "Whoppers", but they go bad really quickly so we ditched them in favor of the king sized Kit Kat.
M&M's sell great too..... however I wished they came in boxes as opposed to the bag.
Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 02-09-2006, 10:31 AM:
Sour Patch Kids, Red Vines (sell much better than Twizzlers out here), Reeces Pieces.
After that, Jr. Mints, Raisinets, Kit Kat & Skittles.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-09-2006, 01:22 PM:
Our biggest item right now is Milk Duds. They've always been popular but they've taken off recently, selling about 2x as fast as everything else. I don't know why. We also sell a lot of the Cookie Dough Bites.
Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 02-10-2006, 09:54 PM:
We sell red vines by the case practically. They FLY off the shelves. When I worked at the 25 plex down the road, we would seriously have to make continuous trips back and forth from our stock room to our candy cases. We eventually doubled the stock of them in each case just to reduce the number of trips to restock them.
At the 5 plex I run now, we sell a lot of reese's pieces in addition to the red vines. We also sell quite a bit of pre-packaged cotton candy.
Wonka bars and wonka donuts did very well when the movie came out.
Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 02-10-2006, 11:37 PM:
Hmmm... In no particular order other than how I recall them, the "candies" I restock most frequently are:
~Mega Chocolate Chip Cookies (from 'the Humble Gourmet')
~Good'n'Plenty (I think they're nasty!)
~Hershey Bars (with almonds!)
~Swedish Fish
~Dots
~M&Ms (plain, peanut, & peanut butter)
~Toggi (holy hannah ... these are tasty!)
~Suisse chocolate bars (bittersweet, milk choc, truffle)
Not quite as frequently, but still sell ok:
~Skittles
~Sour Patch Kids
~Nuclear Sqworms
~Mike And Ike
~Kit Kat
~Jujyfruits
~Junior Mints
~Twizzlers
~Sun Maid Chocolate covered raisins
~Chocolate covered almonds
~Jordan Almonds
~Twix
~Non-Pareils
~Milk Duds
~Reese's PB Cups
~Gummi Bears
Two that don't sell rapidly at all:
~Starburst
~Altoids
We frequently get compliments on our available selection. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 02-12-2006, 03:43 PM:
HEY...
No one has mentioned PHIL HILL or JENNA JAMESON! ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-12-2006, 07:45 PM:
![[Smile]](smile.gif)