Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What Really Sells?

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Posted by Kevin Stengel (Member # 2656) on 12-30-2004, 04:15 PM:

Aside from the common concession items in the stand, what beyond the norm is selling well for some of you? In addition, what are items that should be in the stand that no one putting in.

Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 12-30-2004, 05:09 PM:

Considering the quality of most movies out today, some of this might be needed for your customers to enjoy the movie.

Also, animate this and put it on screen before the show.

Posted by Kevin Stengel (Member # 2656) on 12-30-2004, 05:50 PM:

I agree that the studios releases this year bite worse than a sour candy. Especially this christmas season. I mean really, Fat Albert on Christmas Day! I am just trying to see what employees are hearing from the public on products that are out there.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 12-30-2004, 06:18 PM:

Yeaahhhhh

BUDdy.

LOL

EDITED CONTENT:

Coffee seems to be a good seller, especially during cold months. Get with the right vendor and the machines are free so long as you buy the product from them.

We have a lot of older folks who won't spend $$$ on regular priced stuff, but they will but our 'Sr. Combo' for $4.00 in a skinny minute. It's a small drink and small corn... same 16oz size cup as our regular small, but a different cup style. They used to be 12oz cups but for whatever reason, the supplier and our concession head went up to 16oz's.

I'm in the works of getting a coffee/pastry stand going. Pre-packaged pastries that will compliment the coffee sales... Might try and combo package with the two....

[ 12-30-2004, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: Jason Black ]

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 12-30-2004, 06:23 PM:

Not only will that stuff make your movies more interesting, but your per cap will go THROUGH THE ROOF!! [Big Grin]

=TMP=

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-30-2004, 06:32 PM:

Jeez guys, the man asked a question. [Roll Eyes]

Anyway: If you aren't selling "kiddie combo trays," you're missing out.

The kiddie trays are huge profit makers because:

- You can pretty much put whatever price you want on them and people will still buy them for their screaming kids

- And what's even better, since kids today don't want to share anything, the parents will buy one for EACH kid.

We sell these things 4 and 6 at a time during kid shows and they probably have less than 20¢ worth of stuff in them. We get $2.50 for them but I've heard of places selling them up to $4.00.

Also, not exactly unusual but still not offered everywhere: bottled water. Even a cheap kind will sell very well.

Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 12-31-2004, 12:15 AM:

Jeez, Mike, I was just trying to add a little humor. [Roll Eyes]

I knew someone would come along with a real answer.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 12-31-2004, 02:21 AM:

We're at $4.50 for the kids trays.

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 12-31-2004, 02:29 AM:

We're at a mere $3.50 for a kids tray, or $3.75 if you want icee with it.

We just started selling all sorts of junk in our stand. We used to just sell the normal things, but now we've added French Fries, Apple Crescent Bites, Motzerella sticks(sp?), Jalapeno Poppers, Popcorn Chicken, Kosher Pickles, and Spicy pickles.

Strange this is that they are all selling well!

Bottled water sells VERY well here, at $3.00 a pop for a 20 oz. aquafina.

What I've always wanted to try, at least for the winter months, is hot chocolate. If you aren't a coffee drinker, then it's pretty much your only choice for a drink to warm up to. I think it could do quite well, but I suppose there is some reason we don't sell it.

Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 12-31-2004, 03:01 AM:

Kid Combo trays are a great seller. $2.50 for the handful of popcorn, 16oz drink, and a 1.5oz gummibears(.25cent cost). We also sell a bunch of Cookie Dough Bites, h2o, and gourmet pretzels (pizza or jalapeno). Coffee never moved at all. 12oz cup $1. I usually end up drinking it, or the guy that runs the local record store. Elderly never buy it during our Senior Citizen Specials. They would rather sneak in their hard candies or chocolates!

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 12-31-2004, 11:11 AM:

[Eek!]

$4.50 for a kids tray?!? That's more than a large popcorn in some places. What's good about the kid's trays is exactly what Mike said: They probably have the highest profit margin out of any item in the stand, even though it's a combination of items. It's amazing how much better things sell when they're "Just for Kids." Makes the little ones feel all special.

French Fries sounds cool. I've been to Muvicos that sell the chicken strips or popcorn shrimp and it was pretty good. We got a basket of popcorn shrimp for $5.50 which lasted us the whole movie.

Milk Shakes were another cool (pun intended) idea I saw at one theater which seemed to do well for the time I was standing in line (they sold about 3 in the few minutes I was at the stand). I don't remember how much they were. A good product, but if anyone ever spills one, it's one hell of a mess. Or if someone throws a large chocolate one at the screen... [uhoh]

=TMP=

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 12-31-2004, 01:12 PM:

quote:
I think it [hot chocolate] could do quite well, but I suppose there is some reason we don't sell it.

Ever seen what a cup of hot chocolate can do to a screen?

Now you know why you don't sell it.

-Aaron

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 01-01-2005, 02:34 AM:

A very very good point, but what about coffee or soda, wouldn't they be just as bad(or worse)?

Posted by Brent Neal Jones (Member # 1048) on 01-01-2005, 01:40 PM:

Hot chocolate and bottle water a must. We sell Deja Blue for a dollar and hot chocolate for $.75. We have Yoo-hoo as well for $.75 but Id have to say the water does the best.

As far as out-of-the norm, Ive had it suggested to me several times to start selling frozen pickle juice on a stick. (Poured in little 2oz. cups and frozen) I've almost been willing to try it for $.25 , but we really need the freezer space right now. Our food is out selling the popcorn! [Big Grin]

As far as an indoor goes, I absolutely would not sell hot chocolate. Hot chocolate means kids, and kids mean screen damage. You can easily do just as well with something else like Yoo-Hoo. Coffee would be great though, as long as its good stuff. [Wink]

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 01-01-2005, 02:26 PM:

What happens if a kid throws the yoohoo? [Razz]

Posted by James Faber (Member # 2796) on 01-01-2005, 06:29 PM:

Where I work, we serve beer and wine, and also have an espresso machine, so we can whip up pretty much any drink you'd like. The beer sell really well(probably because we serve Newcastle), and the wine does okay. The espresso drink sell well, but if too many orders come in it gets bogged down because it takes a while to make a drink.

Posted by Christian Volpi (Member # 2370) on 01-02-2005, 01:03 AM:

We have the flavor burst shakes with 8 flavors and they sell like mad. At $4 a piece it brings in some green. We also have this really cool Johnsonville 3-tray steamer thingy and we serve brats, cheddarwurst and 1/3lb. all-beef hot dogs, damn they are exquisit! I think we fetch about $3.50 for them bad boys and we have a hard time keeping them in stock. We order enough to fill our freezer (a huge stand-up model) and we are running pretty low by the time we get our next order the very next week.

Posted by Brent Neal Jones (Member # 1048) on 01-02-2005, 02:34 AM:

I'd suspect the Yoo-hoo would get drunk, kids dont tend to waste that sort of thing

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 01-02-2005, 03:41 AM:

Then why would they waste hot chocolate???

It's not that important, but I just can't see how hot chocolate would be worse then say, a soda, when thrown on the screen.

Posted by Jarrod Cocker (Member # 2773) on 01-02-2005, 07:47 AM:

we had someone launch a pepsi at on of our screen a couple of months back..

It landed right in the middle, and ran all the way down, causing a huge blur, depending on where u where sitting in the cinema....

We had to get it cleaned by the pros (they cleaned the entire screen), it cost us about a grand... Not much of a return on a 3 dollar pepsi... [Mad]

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 01-02-2005, 09:47 AM:

Did you at least find the customer and take him "out back" preferably to a trash compactor?

Posted by Brent Neal Jones (Member # 1048) on 01-02-2005, 07:58 PM:

Well...that I cant explain but from experience I can promise one would be finished before the other. And anything thrown at a screen of course would be bad, however, it was my thought that a "canned" liquid instead of a flimsy styro-foam cup with a lid would do less damage to the screen.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-02-2005, 08:03 PM:

Does anyone carry the Burger Pipe? [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Jason Gazaille (Member # 2846) on 01-02-2005, 08:35 PM:

Those look really good, but wouldn't they just make a big mess when sold in a theatre? Look what the customers do with just popcorn and soda!!

Posted by Mike Markwood (Member # 1853) on 01-03-2005, 03:53 AM:

We started selling Dippin'Dots a few months ago and they seem to be doing well.

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 01-03-2005, 03:59 AM:

I have tried a similar product made by Oscar Meyer called Grill Burgers.. They were pretty good.

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 01-04-2005, 05:54 AM:

Ah you've reminded me mike! We sell dippin' dots too, both of our machines have to be constantly restocked. We also have a couple machines that sell different frozen treats.

Posted by Barry Martin (Member # 1376) on 01-04-2005, 10:55 AM:

You know, the Loews I worked had Dippin' Dots, I much preferred the Klondike Bites or frozen Minute Maid Lemonade that was sold at the concession stand.

Posted by Kevin Stengel (Member # 2656) on 01-04-2005, 11:30 AM:

While the burger pipe does taste good, I have found that most people will not try it due to it's well, you know what it can look like.

Posted by Brent Neal Jones (Member # 1048) on 01-05-2005, 07:18 PM:

quote: Kevin Stengel
While the burger pipe does taste good, I have found that most people will not try it due to it's well, you know what it can look like.

Take it from an over-the-road truck driver like me, I've ate hundreds of them and love them, just make sure they're juicy and the cheese is still melted, otherwise... [puke]