Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Auditorium Mess, getting worse ?

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Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 05-10-2006, 01:31 AM:

A while back we all had a coood gripe about the state our toilets end up in.

I am curious as to how others are finding their auditoriums after sessions , I am certain the mess is getting alot worse as time goes on.

I think we all accept some spilt popcorn , just a fact of cinema life , but the increase of empty containers and packets just dumped on the floor along with melted icecreams is on the rise over here.

With the operator doubling as the cleaner and 4 minute session turn arounds , it really puts the pressure on when we have totally trashed auditoriums.

Phil

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-10-2006, 03:20 AM:

People here are generally pretty good about hauling their empties to the cans. You have to pass by not one, not two, but three trash receptacles on the way out of our place, so it's easy and convenient for people to clean up after themselves.

If it's a kids movie, all bets are off, but a good adult crowd isn't bad at all these days.

Probably the thing that's helped us the most was the invention of the cupholders....they cut down on at least 90% of the spills. We have Greystone seats, and the cupholders on them are GREAT.

Posted by Nick Scott (Member # 2850) on 05-10-2006, 04:02 AM:

I noticed if we have an usher at the door nobody picks up anything for themselves but if they dont see anyone they generally take all of there big stuff with them.
Its also great to have a hand held dust buster handy to quickly pick up the scattered popcorn around the cinema they work well [thumbsup]

[ 05-10-2006, 05:35 AM: Message edited by: Nick Scott ]

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 05-10-2006, 07:10 AM:

Try doing the showtimes so that you have more then four minutes to clean.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-10-2006, 07:23 AM:

Sounds like the Austrailians are becoming more like Americans everyday! In the big cities of the US - the theatres are usually a big giant mess at the end of every show. We have a mandatory minimum of 20 minutes between every show, sometimes 30 minutes if we can squeeze it.

Posted by Dieter Depypere (Member # 3184) on 05-10-2006, 08:57 AM:

At the theatre I work at, there is usually low amount of mess - ususally a small amount of spilled popcorn, an empty softdrink bottle, maybe a used ticket. It gets worse when lots of children are here.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 05-10-2006, 10:34 AM:

Where I work at, on our slow days, the amount of trash is not so bad, but, on our busy days (especially with those kids movies), our auditoriums can get pretty trashed up which makes for a very busy clean up. Thank goodness for the invention of cup holders.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-10-2006, 11:30 AM:

There's always less mess in 'arthouse' films we show.

People usually leave their empties in the cinema.

Worst we've had recently was Narnia, took four of us nearly twenty minutes to clean on opening weekend. Mostly adults as well. Spills aren't so common because of cup holders.

Posted by Dan Chilton (Member # 2288) on 05-10-2006, 05:50 PM:

Our theater, which is primarily all arthouse, is rarely left messy... unless it's a late night showing. Not only that, we've trained our audiences to recycle too! During the pre-show introduction, I ask everyone to drop their glass and plastic in the recycling bins... and they do.

Regardless of how messy our theaters are, I like to schedule at least 20 minutes between shows so we can sweep up every bit of popcorn, clean up spills if necessary, and vacuum the carpet. I know, I'm anal... but we get lots of compliments on how clean our auditorium always is.

Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 05-10-2006, 06:22 PM:

4 minutes to clean an auditorium and get the show back on the screen? Just how far can an operator be pushed, anyway? Don't
you have more floorstaff? [Confused]

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 05-10-2006, 08:32 PM:

Two weeks ago I actually saw a woman stop a little girl (I'm assuming her daughter) from carrying her trash out. I heard her tell her "Just leave it, honey. That's what the people get paid to do." I will be re-introducing my "justifiable homicide" bill to my state congressmen.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 05-10-2006, 11:03 PM:

I believe we little to complain about, after all we sold it to them, the quantity of trash is directly related to the cash that came in, be glad. In our experience the art film patrons buy very little at the concession so there is correspondingly less trash. They also don't bring their crap out, I guess due to their arrogant attitudes.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-11-2006, 08:50 AM:

We couldn't clean a screen in four minutes unless it was an 11am showing. Do you not end up cleaning as the ads and trailers start rolling?

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-11-2006, 08:57 AM:

Although, I try not to leave a huge mess, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the theatre to provide clean-up service when I just paid $8.50 for maybe a dollar worth of popcorn and drink. When I eat in a restaurant, they clean up after I eat, why should a theatre be any different?

On a separate note, concession prices are really getting ridiculous. I'm not a cheap person when I go out but when you can't possibly spend less than $6 for the smallest size popcorn and drink it causes me to consider whether that part of the movie going experience is really necessary. Usually I buy anyway. Well, I guess that's another topic alltogether.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-11-2006, 08:06 PM:

A restaurant isn't a cinema. Food isn't the primary purpose of going. You aren't forced to eat there so you should at least take your rubbish back out with you. Also we're not really there as cleaners it's more of a fire safety thing. If people weren't messy and there was some way round fire rules most chains would forgo floor staff I think.

Although half the reason I bin my waste at cinemas and fast-food places is because I know some poorly-paid cinema/fast food monkey like me will have the mind-numbing task of doing it otherwise.

If the food wasn't so expensive the tickets would be. And you aren't forced to buy the overpriced food (it's less than a dollars worth of coke and popcorn). Even with 40% staff discount I think it's too expensive, the only reason I buy is convenience, if there's 20 minutes before the start of a film I'll get something from a convenience store and put it in my bag.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-12-2006, 07:02 AM:

Fast food is completly different. At McDonald's I always clean up after myself. That's because I paid so little for the food, I don't expect it to come with service. When the food is ridiculously overpriced (which cinema concessions are) I consider that part of that charge is for convenience. Part of the convenience is getting hot popcorn and cold soda but part of the convenience is not having to clean up after myself.

Ticket prices being higher if there was no concession stand doesn't change the fact that the food is overpriced. I agree tickets would be higher, but I've always wondered how much higher they would be with no concession. You would save a heck of a lot of payroll between concession stand employees and ushers if no food was sold.

Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 05-12-2006, 08:11 AM:

We actually take longer than 4 minutes to clean, as soon as the credit hit the screen we are in , giving us the credit time plus 4 minutes to thread up. This is for just avergae "run of the mill" films , we alow longer for big ones like Ice Age Narnia etc.

As mentioned arthouse screening hardly need cleaning, but after say a Scary movie 4 screening , building a new cinema would probably be easier than cleaning up! I wonder I these messy ones are like that in the homes ?

We are fortunate to have cup holders on all our seats , and yes they are terrific at stopping drink spills, but at the end of the show they throw the empty cup on the floor then proceed to snap the cup holders off and throw them on the floor!

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 05-12-2006, 11:08 AM:

I happen to agree with Caleb. Though I get a 50% discount on Concession Stand items, at least I do my best to not make a mess and throw my own stuff away. I do have to say, that in most part, a lot of customers do give the floor staff the courtesy by throwing their own stuff away which makes it easier on the Ushers, that's from what I see at my location anyway.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-12-2006, 12:40 PM:

quote: Lyle Romer
I agree tickets would be higher, but I've always wondered how much higher they would be with no concession. You would save a heck of a lot of payroll between concession stand employees and ushers if no food was sold.

Lyle, you must know nothing about the theatre business. If you took out the concession stand, sure you'd save on a few employees, but you'd lose much more in profits. Tickets would probably have to double or triple to make up the difference, because remember, the film company gets from 40 to 70% of all the boxoffice revenue.

And -- you act like "cleaning up your mess" is a big deal. For cripesake, it's carrying your cup and popcorn bag to the can and dropping it in. Nobody's asking you to sweep up those few kernels you dropped on the floor.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-12-2006, 01:16 PM:

Mike,

I do understand the business. Concession isn't free. I haven't seen exact numbers in a while but isn't concession cost of goods sold about 17%?

On average, for multiplexes showing mainstream content, film cost is usually 50-55%. I'll use 55% in this example. I don't know what a good per cap is right now but let's say $3.50.

So, using these numbers direct concession profit per person is about $2.90. Using 55% film cost, to directly make up this amount would be about $6.44 needing to be added to each ticket.

BUT, not operating a concession stand at all would reduce your overhead. Utilities would go down from not running the equipment. Payroll in a large multiplex would go down. 10 years ago, an 8 plex doing good business averaged about $1 per person in payroll expense. I'd imagine that that is about $1.50 now with minimum wage increases. If you could cut 2/3 of your payroll (obviously in a single screen like yours you couldn't but I'm talking multiplex here) by not running a concession stand, hitting the same gross profit would take a price increase of around $5 per ticket.

Saying that I've always wondered doesn't imply that I'm ignorant, just that I've wondered but never calculated. Now I've calculated and don't have to wonder anymore. If any of my assumptions are off, please correct me.

quote: Mike Blakesley
And -- you act like "cleaning up your mess" is a big deal

I never said it was a big deal. It's the principle. At the major chains around here a small (or regular as they sometimes call it) drink and popcorn is going to run you over $7. If I'm going to pay to subsidize the admission tickets of the people not buying, I feel like I'm entitled to some kind of service.

Maybe I'd feel differently if they had consistant presentation or policed the shows so that people didn't have crying babies (complete with tossing the baby in the air during the show) ruining "United 93".

Since I'm not getting any customer service for my ticket price, I should at least get some service for my concession subsidy.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-12-2006, 01:25 PM:

Going in and cleaning during the credits is always the done thing! However you've always got to wait for the one person who stays for the whole credits, personally I think it's poor form to clean between customers and the screen.

You wouldn't save money on staff by closing the concession stand as they would be on the floor/ushering anyway because you need a minimum amount of people to evacuate the building.

As for the concept of ushers, they certainly don't exist on a large scale in the UK. If it was me in one 100-150 seat screen at work for the day doing seating and cleaning the place would be spotless.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-12-2006, 05:04 PM:

quote: Lyle Romer
Now I've calculated and don't have to wonder anymore. If any of my assumptions are off, please correct me.

Well for one thing, you have to consider what that high ticket price and "no concessions" would do to attendance. What you would probably have, in reality, is a crowd about half the size or less, and most of them would bring in their own snacks, and would probably make a worse mess than regular concessions do, so you'd still have to pay for cleaning services, which would raise the ticket price still further.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-12-2006, 06:56 PM:

Sorry, got to chime in here:

I built my house on the profits of popcorn and soda, and so have alot of other people I know. Movie Theatres would not exist if it were not for concession stands (and vice versa).

A long time ago someone told me that all a movie theatre was " a reason to get someone to walk past a concession stand". I told them they were wrong (at the time). With the way our industry operates, we would be nothing without that per cap. I realize that the two (movies and popcorn) co-exist and would not work without the other.

It's true and anyone in the business knows it.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-12-2006, 08:43 PM:

The fact remains that for a multiplex at least you would still need to employ the concessions staff for evacuation reasons except they'd not be making you money.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 05-12-2006, 09:14 PM:

Even with concessions, going to the movies is still among the cheapest of all entertainment activities you can do outside the home. A family of four to come to an evening show, with concessions, would run about $38 here. That works to be approximately $19 per hour. Compare that to sporting events, concerts, or even bowling. Concessions are not too expensive and the conclusion that getting rid of them would save money is erroneous.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 05-13-2006, 12:30 PM:

From their comments it appears that Mr. Johnstone-Cowan and Mr. Romers knowledge of the cinema business is limited to their opinions. The per unit cost of the theatre pack candy is around $.80. The conesssion operation adds very little to utility costs. If we could eliminate heat and air conditioning we could save a bundle of money and cut concession prices to a minimum. Either of these is about $3500.00 per month for us. Either of you two want to do without these? A little shivering or sweat never hurt anybody.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-13-2006, 01:29 PM:

quote: Lyle Romer
Fast food is completly different. At McDonald's I always clean up after myself. That's because I paid so little for the food, I don't expect it to come with service. When the food is ridiculously overpriced (which cinema concessions are) I consider that part of that charge is for convenience. Part of the convenience is getting hot popcorn and cold soda but part of the convenience is not having to clean up after myself.

We used to have a lot of customers out at our drive-in who thought like that. Thank goodness they now go elsewhere.

Having rid myself of the slobs who think they should be able to dictate the conveniences I provide, my business is now much more pleasant... for me, my staff, and the customers who replaced the inconsiderates who used to just toss their trash out the windows.

You can't do that anywhere else. I see no reason why it should be acceptable at a theatre... indoor OR drive-in.

BTW... I doubt that lowering concession prices would get the idiots out there to even THINK about picking up after themselves. Does anyone really believe these people are thinking, "my soda was too expensive. I think I'll just kick the cup down the floor & let the theater clean it up. THAT'LL show 'em!"... Nope... that would use too much mental energy.

I will say though, that I've never really understood why the "big guys" don't do more to monitor their auditoriums. Most of the indies I know run a tight ship. As far as I can tell, people do appreciate and respond to a reasonable set of behavioral policies.

I'm guessing though, that the chains don't want to see emailed complaints from the unhappy patrons who think their ticket price entitles them to act as they please. I suppose it's also possible that the corporates worry about managers getting too aggressive & causing lawsuits from ejected patrons. So... accept the bottom of the barrel. You've got the film, people WILL show up... that's good enough... leave 'em alone.

BTW... NATO's John Fithian is now saying that the majority of theatre patrons LIKE the advertising & 6+ trailers before the show.

...no wonder this business is so screwed up.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-13-2006, 04:57 PM:

quote: Bill Enos
From their comments it appears that Mr. Johnstone-Cowan and Mr. Romers knowledge of the cinema business is limited to their opinions. The per unit cost of the theatre pack candy is around $.80.

Which of my opinions is my knowlege limited to? I believe I assumed that the concession food cost is about 17%. I based that on an 8 year old P&L. I have now looked at the 2004 P&L for a small chain. Cost of goods sold for concession was 16.8%. Pretty close to my assumption.

Obviously, the majority of utility costs are related to HVAC and running the booth. The utilities would go down somewhat not having to make ice or pop popcorn. Also, maintenance cost would go down by not having to maintain or repair concession equipment.

Geez. I never said that somebody should close down thier concession stand. I simply said that I always wondered how much ticket prices would have to increase if you eliminated it. Then, I did a calculation to try and quantify it.

I have plenty of knowlege about the business and how it works. If you want to gang up on me because of my opinion that throwing out my trash should be a service because I paid almost as much for a popcorn and drink as I can pay for dinner at a decent "Friday's" type restaurant then fine. That is an opinion, you can have a different opinion.

As far as knowlege goes, Mike poked a valid hole in my analysis regarding attendance dropping as a result of the $5 higher ticket price. That was something I didn't consider.

Just to be clear, I NEVER SAID THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA FOR SOMEBODY TO CLOSE THE STAND. I simply said that I wondered how much tickets would have to increase if you did.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-13-2006, 05:06 PM:

Sometimes I think it'd be nice if a blanket change could happen by magic overnight. Like for instance, Lyle's no-concessions idea. If concessions had never invaded the movie business, we'd all be getting along today without them. But business models change with the circumstances.

If I could institute a miraculous, overnight change, I'd institute an industry-wide $10 fee for bringing babies in. No, $20.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-13-2006, 05:49 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
If I could institute a miraculous, overnight change, I'd institute an industry-wide $10 fee for bringing babies in. No, $20.

Or how about an industry wide BAN on babies in anything except G-rated films. Nothing ruins the moviegoing experience more than crying babies. One chain (cinemark or carmike?, can't remember) has a no children under 6 in PG-13 or R rated after 6PM policy. AMC used to have that policy but I haven't seen it in a while. It was at AMC Pleasure Island 24 where I had the great baby experience with "United 93." It cried the whole time. I even went out to complain. I told the door guy to tell the manager. He said he would, never did. I didn't want to go out and complain again, so I suffered through it. Afterwards I found the manager and whoop-dee-doo got some free passes. There isn't anything that could have been done afterwards to fix it, the entire show was ruined.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 05-13-2006, 08:18 PM:

The only thing I can't stand is when people leave full cups of chew spit on the floor or (horrible Blair Witch memories coming back) worse yet - cups or bags of puke. That's where I draw the line.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 05-14-2006, 10:52 AM:

Anybody tried flat pricing including admission and all you can eat or drink for maybe $15 or so?

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-14-2006, 10:56 AM:

A second run house I once went to in Iowa (somewhere around Ankeny) had all inclusive admission. It was a few years ago but I think it was $5 or so per admission.

Muvico's Premier Balcony seating at the Boca Raton, FL Palace 20 includes unlimited popcorn in the $15 admission price.

Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 05-14-2006, 08:47 PM:

Film distributors here want a percentage of ticket sales - that means the TOTAL price of admission. So if you include eats and drinks in that, the distributor gets a cut.

One of the problems with mess is that people expect to be ripped off in a cinema, so they (especially mums) bring bags of provisions with them. That gives our staff extra mess (including the bags) to clean up.

Although we try to keep our prices reasonable, people are conditioned by the majors and think that our kiosk prices will be the same. It's just like the many patrons who miss the frist 20 minutes of the feature to avoid the ads we don't show.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 05-15-2006, 11:38 AM:

quote: Ron Curran
Film distributors here want a percentage of ticket sales - that means the TOTAL price of admission. So if you include eats and drinks in that, the distributor gets a cut.

You know, that has always been the distrib's wet dream. Disney (surprise, surprise) in conjunction with one or two other studios once tried to legally get a percentage of the exhibs percapita. Their argument was, no one is coming to your theatre to buy your popcorn and soda; they are coming to see our movie; you would have NO concession sales if you weren't playing our picture, thus we should get a percentage of the concession sales.

Actually, as much as it was a damnedable move, I had to reluctantly admit that it did make some sense. Luckilly the court didn't agree. If it had, it would be a very different economic model today.

As far as cleaning up after one's self, first off, prices are relative; what is the reference when one claims that a price for a coke is "too high?" It is only too high in relation to cokes being sold at other venues. But you are not at other venues, you are at this theatre and here the price is exactly what it should be based on the economics of running that theatre. If you think it is too high in relationship to your wallet, then you don't have to purchase it or anything else at the concession bar. If I really want a coke and a box of popcorn, and I buy it, then the price is exactly right because if it wasn't, I would just walk away; I don't have to buy it. But once I do, even if I know it is over priced in relation to what I could get it at another venue, it simply never crosses my mind that it somehow that price gives me license to all of a sudden becoming a pig.

It seems there is a bit of dignity that has nothing to do with any external factors. The only issue is how I carry myself and what I think of myself; leaving my crap around for someone to clean up just isn't me. I wish more patrons thought that way, but evidently more and more of them seem to have no problem just dumping their crud where ever they happen to be -- the world is their garbage pail. It's the pig factor.

I wonder if they built trash recepticals along the walls, say one for every two rows, so exiting patrons would practically be facing a garbage bin as they exit the isles, if that wouldn't encourage them to carry their junk a few feet.

And how bout NATO making some trailers that emphasize depositing trash appropriately? Hey, the MPAA makes trailers about their problems -- that laughable anti-piracy trailer (which theatres were expected to run for them free of charge); why not give some screen time over to reduce these problems that plague theatre operations?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-15-2006, 12:43 PM:

quote: Frank Angel
If I really want a coke and a box of popcorn, and I buy it, then the price is exactly right because if it wasn't, I would just walk away; I don't have to buy it.

EXACTLY! EXACTLY! I get so tired of people saying that prices are "a ripoff." To me a ripoff would be if I had a sign saying a Coke was $2, and I tried to charge you $3 for it. When the prices are clearly marked, and the people are aware of the price and are paying the price as marked, no ripoff has taken place.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-15-2006, 01:04 PM:

I said that if you closed the concession stand that you would still need to employ the staff, that isn't an opinion, that's as far as I know an obligation on our part.

"I wonder if they built trash recepticals along the walls, say one for every two rows, so exiting patrons would practically be facing a garbage bin as they exit the isles, if that wouldn't encourage them to carry their junk a few feet. "

Would be too much of a security concern.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-15-2006, 01:34 PM:

My favorite quotes heard at at a concession stand:

"$2.00 for a bottle of water? That's damn expensive! Just give me seven bottles then!" (Buying for a group of people)

"Give me a jumbo popcorn with extra butter, a pack of goobers, a pack of twizzlers, a nachos, and a hot dog. Give me a jumbo sized diet coke too (gotta watch that diet) - Oh yeah, honey, do you want anything?"

Patron: "Who the hell charges $5.00 for a large popcorn, this is insane!" Concession worker: "Uh, we charge that much, sir, would you like butter on that?" Patron:"Yeah, give me two of 'em"

They will complain about the prices as they pull their wallet out to pay.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-15-2006, 02:14 PM:

Those were always my favorite customers- I always thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if enough people refused to pay the inflated concession prices, but as long as they do then obviously there's no reason to lower them.

Back in 1989 when AMC raised ticket prices to $6.50, the San Francisco Chronicle printed a letter from someone saying "If tickets are under $5, I'll pick up my trash, and I might even pick up anyone else's I see lying around. Over $5 I'll leave my trash on the floor, and for $6.50 I'm bringing in trash from outside!"

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-15-2006, 11:15 PM:

We get people who will spend £50 on the concession stand between two or three of them.

Always try to point out to tourists from the USA how much they are paying at our cinema in dollars. Would be about $60 for two tickets and two large drink/popcorn combos. Most accept it but a few give the odd look of anger when they work out the exchange rate as they hand the cash over!

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-16-2006, 02:49 AM:

I think Frank really said it best. While people may grumble from a distance, they'll make their final evaluation (and purchase decision) when they get inside your door.

For some reason, people won't make the connection. But look at what you're going to pay at, say, a place like "Outback Steakhouse". If you get an appetizer & a Maragarita, you aren't getting out of there for less than $30 or so... EACH. In reality, it's a meal. You'll digest it in 3 or 4 hours & be hitting the munchie bag while watching CSI... yet what you WON'T do is grumble about what you just paid.

The people who have this figured out will also apply it to the theatre. They understand that they're getting a couple hours of entertainment, and maybe some snacks, and it'll run them maybe $15... still a pretty good deal, if you compare it to other entertainment options.

We go to a couple of Mariner games a year, usually just for the hell of it. The game and whether we win or not is secondary to the experience. Safeco Field is a first-class ball park, and you know going in you're going to pay $40+ for a decent seat & $6 for a bottle of beer... and we do it, because we CAN!

So shut the heck up & pull out your plastic!!!

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 05-16-2006, 10:15 AM:

quote: Jack Ondracek
We go to a couple of Mariner games a year, usually just for the hell of it.

Well you sure don't go to see Richie Sexson hit home runs. He's killing you guys.

Anyhoo - I do think it helps to have trash cans visible. In my stadium theatres, I like to stand to the side as the movie gets out so people can see me there with a can. I think it does help with what we have left.

Posted by Christopher Crouch (Member # 3784) on 05-22-2006, 04:16 AM:

I haven't so much noticed the mess increasing in mass/volume, but the type of mess turning in a disturbing direction. Where once I primarily encountered cast off concession items and the occassional "outside" debris, I'm finding people leaving behind revolting messes more and more. Be it soiled diapers, chewed sunflower seeds, or even cups of urine, it seems too many people have developed a complete disregaurd for theatres. Even the more traditional garbage, while maintaining the same volume, apears to be cast off with less thought for who has to clean the theatre. Rather than placing their garbage in somewhat neat piles, as I used to see, people appear to almost deliberately spread the mess out, sometimes, literaly throwing it for distance.

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 05-22-2006, 04:50 PM:

Have you thought about doing a courtesy announcement before the show begins?

From the experiences of some here, it seems as though making a personal connection with the audience addresses behavior-related issues.

It would be interesting to know if doing so helps your situation at all.

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 05-22-2006, 09:24 PM:

Back when I was an operator, I would do an in person and in front of the audience announcement on cell phones, pagers, courtesy, kicking seats, being kind to your wife and kids, and taking trash out when you leave. A few jokes and some hand holding always got their attention.

There was always some joker who would say "so are you are entertainment for the night", or some cynical or jackassed remark, which would envoke a response from me such as "yes I am, just for you" and blow him a kiss. Usually killed the room at that point.

At the end of the show, people would have their crap in hand, and it would take two people five minutes to clean an auditorium that had four hundred people in it.

Ciao

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-22-2006, 10:58 PM:

quote: Chad Souder
Well you sure don't go to see Richie Sexson hit home runs. He's killing you guys.

Oh, I dunno... the Grand Slam he hit against Baltimore tonight didnt' hurt any! [evil]