Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Ticket Kiosk

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Posted by Kristin Wahlund (Member # 922) on 12-02-2003, 08:33 PM:

We recently had a ticket Kiosl added to our box office where you can purchase tickets with a credit/check card. I personally think this is a poor idea. we are constantly having problems with under-age kids and rated R movies, and parents who continually attempt to purchase tickets for their kids despite our policy. I really don't see the kiosk as a good thing. i personally tried it, and found i was able to buy childrens tickets to any R rated film of my choice. I can only see this machine as something that will be abused by the dishonest and cheap people in our community (which is plenty since even our kids tickets are 5.50 and adults are 8.00). I really think it was a poor idea.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 12-02-2003, 08:51 PM:

I always just had my ticket taker card people a second time. And sometimes they got carded a third time if I had someone watching the theater entrance.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 12-02-2003, 08:57 PM:

Adam,

Having a person checking for ID's at the door is fine and dandy, assuming the fact that you have the overhead leeway to add to your payroll. What happens when you're on shift with a minimum staff and kids or adults alike, are buying tickets for incorrect ratings or incorrect times?

The only kiosk that warrants a lobby location is at ATM machine if you ask me. Or, perhaps, a kiosk staffed by experienced personnel giving showtimes, film information, answering phones, etc... Again, it comes down to the additional payroll expense. The 'information central' type kiosk proves more of a benefit IMO. If normally manned by a member of management, patrons will always know where to find a manager shoudl the need arise.

Then again, YMMV... [Big Grin]

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 12-02-2003, 09:24 PM:

If you have automated ticketing and no ticket taker, what's to stop someone from walking up to the machine, playing like they're buying a ticket, and walk into their movie without actually making a purchase?

There are lots of things wrong with that scenario. Exactly what is the purpose of having a kiosk if the theater isn't busy enough to justify the expense? In that case, yes, it's dumb idea.

At any rate, what are kids doing using the machine anyway? You have to be 18 to have a credit card. No wait. They have those stupid teach-your-children-to-build-up-debt credit cards. Nevermind my last question.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-02-2003, 09:50 PM:

The machine is a means by which tickets are sold; same as the box office. You're talking about R not NC-17 so it is perfectly permissible for either the machine or the box to sell children's tickets for such films, right? The problem is that they are not to attend without a parent or guardian. The box office won't sell to unaccompanied kids but that hasn't stopped parents from sometimes buying tickets with no intent on attending themselves. So the ultimate filter is still the ticket taker and sometimes someone posted at the auditorium entry. That's the case with or without an ABO (automated box office) machine. You do have a bit of a filter in that CC among kids is not that common. You could add an appropriate sign at the machine:

Persons under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to R-rated films regardless of whether ticket is purchased here or at the box office. No refunds will be given to those who violate this policy.

Posted by John Scott (Member # 520) on 12-03-2003, 12:34 AM:

What we do to help the ticket taker, who is required to card if he/she isn't sure that it was done at the box office, is to use a different colored card stock in the kiosk (we use gray on white ticket stock for the box office, pink on white for the kiosk). That way if the ticket taker sees that the ticket is pink on white they must make sure to card since the person hasn't been carded at the box office. A easy way to solve the problem of kids trying to sneak in using the kiosk.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 12-03-2003, 01:51 AM:

The kiosk should easily be programmed to not allow a child ticket purchased to a rated-R film unless an Adult ticket is purchased in the same transaction. Plus, any intelligent door-man cards a second time at the door anyways.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 12-03-2003, 10:59 AM:

The AMC Hamilton and the AMC Clifton Commons put their Swift Ticket kiosks in full view of the box office. That way the cashier can see if there's funny business going on.

Most people have trouble with the Swift Ticket because they don't insert the credit card properly (card face up and to the right). Blame the manufacturer in part -- the instructions are not always labeled clearly.

John Scott also brought up a good point:

quote:
What we do to help the ticket taker, who is required to card if he/she isn't sure that it was done at the box office, is to use a different colored card stock in the kiosk

At the AMC Hamilton, tickets from the regular box office are orange/orange and tickets from the Swift Ticket are yellow/green.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 12-03-2003, 11:09 AM:

Going a bit further with Mike's idea: Why not just prevent the kiosk from selling R-rated tickets altogether & force those sales over to the boxoffice? Surely, if it's needed in the first place, a kiosk can be kept busy enough up to PG13? The lightened load on the boxoffice person should compensate for having to sell ALL the r-rated tickets personally.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 12-03-2003, 01:47 PM:

I have a friend whose name will go unmentioned, that uses the ticket Kiosk at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco. He always get the senior priced ticket even though he is 39-years-old. He has never been called on it by a ticket taker. If I were a ticket taker, I wouldn't care either.

My grandmother in NYC, for years refused the senior discount on the city bus because she thought it was rude to ask for a discount while wearing a 60-year-old, second hand, Mink Coat. Finally, about the time she was 80, the bus drivers told her, "Look lady, you're a senior, get over it!"

Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 12-03-2003, 03:31 PM:

An enjoyable moment can be had when under-agers are ejected from the theatre because "uncle", who bought the tickets at the ABO that they paid him cash for, is no longer present. The ABO tickets refunds must be made to the same card used...

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-03-2003, 08:48 PM:

Even if their "uncle" was present, why would you ever give a refund? [Confused]

Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 12-03-2003, 10:36 PM:

Jack, that is a great idea. (No rated r tickets at the kiosk)
Nonetheless the usher should always ID at the door. Durring the show when the usher is doing walk throughs, they can usually pick out the under agers too.

The excuse I love from under agers when I tell them to leave is..."But I have ticket!" I say "Yes you do, too bad it's no good, now get out."

Posted by Kristin Wahlund (Member # 922) on 12-06-2003, 02:43 PM:

first of all its not just about r rated films, but there are plenty of dishonst people around who complain about pricing and will probably purchase childrens tickets for themselves regardless of movie.
another thing about the ticket taker doing the carding... we can't discriminate when we hire employees. thus we do have some "slower" people whom take tickets as that is probably the only job they can do (as one of them requires to be seated and other cannot make change). So really they are not reliable to be checking for such things when they are tearing the tickets. thats just the way it is.

Posted by John Scott (Member # 520) on 12-06-2003, 04:24 PM:

That isn't necessarily correct Kristin.

If the person can not perform the standards of the job (and these standards have been communicated at the time that employment is being considered) you are not required to hire them.

It isn't discrimination if through reasonable accomodation (allowing a chair, or making an area wheelchair accessable, etc.) a person still can't perform the required tasks of a job.

That being said if a person is then still hired with management knowing they can not fulfill the standards of the position, then management needs to sleep in the bed that they have made for themselves as it is there fault they are in the situation.

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 12-06-2003, 06:00 PM:

Nah, sound like a bad idea. You need to have an actuall person sell the tickets. You wouldn't sell alcohol in a machine that everyone has access to.

It just means that the ticket checker is doing the exact same job as the box office staff would. I.e monitoring age requirements, also monitoring what discount's people want (and checking passes).

It's easier for box office staff to decline a sale in the first place, rather than having a ticket checker decline an admittance (so now the customer has to go get a refund.) You'd need to have an extra member of staff on duty just to sort out all the refunds. [Big Grin]

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 12-18-2003, 04:20 PM:

Jack O said earlier in this post:

quote:
Why not just prevent the kiosk from selling R-rated tickets altogether & force those sales over to the boxoffice?

Do that and you'll drive business away.

I don't carry a lot of cash on me. More than once I've been to an AMC and the Swift Ticket kiosk saved me time.

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 12-19-2003, 05:49 AM:

With more and more people using online ticket sales, ticket machines will be used more and more. (People that purchase tickets online shouldn't have to make the box office line)

Also, ticket machines can help get rid of the bottle neck at the box office and allow customers more time to get into the lobby (and maybe buy concessions).

Some of the ticket machines the company I work for is rolling out also dispense cash if you use your ATM card. This 1) gives the customer cash in-hand that they may want to spend at concession and 2) is another source of income as there is a small terminal fee.

About the R-rating issue, for the company I work for, the door person SHOULD be looking closer at tickets from the machine. They are printed on a completely different ticket stock and are very noticable. If that is not being done, this is an issue that should be taken up with the manager of the theater.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 12-22-2003, 02:32 PM:

One 16plex location of mine has 7 automated ticket kiosks, which charge a $1 surcharge over the box office prices. Underage or not, who would use the damn things?????????????? Oh, I forgot to mention they're usually broken!

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 12-23-2003, 05:25 AM:

They charge $1 just to use them? I know some of the online services have a surcharge, but just using the kiosk with your credit card shouldn't cost anything more than at the box office.

About reliability, the new ones being rolled out have a gauruntee from the manufacturer that they will be working 99.9% of the time. The theaters that have them have been happy with them from what I have heard.

Posted by Chris Liczbinski (Member # 1957) on 12-30-2003, 02:30 AM:

Recently we have had one of these machines installed in our 15-plex by our entry doors. We made it to where the tickets in the kiosk uses a different colored ticket than the box office so the person tearing the tickets notices right away its from the kiosk, this aids even the laziest of people to pay attention to the ticket and the people who bought it. When we have a suspicious purchase for a rated R movie by an adult after we denied some kids the tickets we will mark the ticket in a way predetermined so that the person tearing tickets has that extra help to recognize the situation and hopefully card the ticket holders.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 01-11-2004, 01:19 PM:

Jeff T said:

quote:
One 16plex location of mine has 7 automated ticket kiosks, which charge a $1 surcharge over the box office prices. Underage or not, who would use the damn things??????????????

Plenty of people use a kiosk when there's a long line at the box office. Yesterday at the AMC Hamilton, I used the Swift Ticket to buy tickets for Monster. A lady ahead of me used the Swift Ticket to buy tickets for her movie.

At AMC there is no surcharge when you use the Swift Ticket. [Big Grin]

Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 01-11-2004, 06:27 PM:

The machines used by VUe (currently trading as Warner Village) in the UK can save you money since they sell student tickets without checking ID.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 08-25-2004, 07:06 PM:

We have our Kiosk set up to only sell childrens tickets when we have an usher available to check the tickets. Otherwise it's adult tickets only.

Posted by Ben Holley (Member # 2247) on 08-25-2004, 07:13 PM:

we have a kiosk at the theatre i work at, and when we first got it i had all the same fears about kids buying R rated tickets and such. But as luck would have it, its not that big of a deal. We hardly ever have 16 year olds buying R rated tickets mainly because not all that many 16 year olds have credit\check cards (nor do they realize they can use a giftcard on it). I have never heard of any adults buying kids tickets to save money, but if they do...i'm sure god will smite them in his own way.

Posted by Rich Granata (Member # 2285) on 08-25-2004, 10:03 PM:

Darryl, that is a really good idea....Also, as mentioned earlier, I think it is wise not to sell R-rated tickets. But NOW that there is online ticketing through fandango, movietickets.com, etc., there is no way to restrict the functions of the kiosk.

I've seen it myself. Adults picking up Child tickets. Kiddies picking up R tickets. The problem is that they are already paid for if they are purchased online. They just swipe daddy's card, tickets POP out (literally), and they go in.

At our location, we don't have the luxury of a ticket taker at all times, especially weeknights. That is bad. That is why, as a manager, I personally assist anyone who is using the kiosk, if I am able. That way, (1) they are welcomed by a helpful employee even if they bypass the box office. (2) It shows a certain amount of responsibility on the part of the theater.

Unfortunately, The floor manager will never ALWAYS be there. Its a tough situation.

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 08-27-2004, 07:51 AM:

As someone who has watched far more movies than projected them, can I say I love ticket machine robots. I particularly like the setup that Warner Village (and some others) has in the UK.

You book and pay for your ticket(s) by phone (IVR robot) or the internet http://www.myvue.com. Then you just turn up at the cinema, swipe your card through a machine and out pop your tickets.

From a customers perspective, its fabulous. You guaranteed to get in to see the movie. And you dont have to join those queue things to wait for the surly ticket seller to be willing to serve you. Park, dash in, swipe, concessions, movie, enjoy.

It may be troublesome to you for 2% of your customers, and represent some large proportion of your door policy problems, but for Mr and Mrs average with kids citizens, it all good.

Posted by Rich Granata (Member # 2285) on 08-27-2004, 10:32 AM:

That is a good point. There are many, including myself, that prefer to just be left alone at a movie theatre. To just pick up the tickets and walk in is great.