Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Non-POS ticketing systems?

This is topic Non-POS ticketing systems? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Teneka Stanley (Member # 6385) on 07-25-2011, 04:24 PM:

Anybody out there doing ticketing via a Non-POS method? I've been looking for some options for such for a 1 screen historic independent theatre & would love to get some input. Maybe even something historic itself. Any assistance is, as always, eternally appreciated.

p.s....not interested in rolls of admit one tickets. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 07-25-2011, 04:51 PM:

OK, I had to really scratch my head on this one. Maybe I am seriously missing something here, but if tickets are sold, by definition, there is a point of sale. How could there not be?

Posted by Teneka Stanley (Member # 6385) on 07-25-2011, 05:08 PM:

my apologies for not thinkin as literal as others...non computerized POS [Razz]

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 07-25-2011, 05:57 PM:

If you don't want a computerized ticketing system and you don't want rolls of admit one tickets, the only other option that comes to mind is the manual style ticket machine. The one I worked with had the ability to dispense 3 or 4 different series of tickets. The problem is you have to buy the numbered ticket stock and I don't even know what the cost is on that.

The other thing to consider is that many of the studio want, or require, tickets with computerized serial numbers to avoid any kind of tampering. I don't know if pre-numbered paper tickets are considered acceptable anymore.

Posted by Teneka Stanley (Member # 6385) on 07-25-2011, 06:01 PM:

i've looked at some items similar to the following...just to give an idea...

option 1

option 2

Posted by Ron Loggins (Member # 6424) on 07-26-2011, 10:52 AM:

We couldn't afford a computerized POS, so what we did was have 48,000 tickets preprinted. Double roll, so that we still have a "stub" to keep for our records. The cost was just under $600 and we had a local business sponsor the cost in exchange for putting their ad on the back. This only works for us, though, because we have one admission price for everyone. If you were going to do a different price for kids, seniors, etc, this would get ridiculously complicated.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-26-2011, 02:04 PM:

You want an Automaticket machine.

Advantages:
- looks sort of old/historic - appropriate for an historic theatre
- makes great noises
- fast
- easy to operate

Disadvantages:
- large and heavy
- staff needs to have basic math skills to complete boxoffice reports
- unwieldy if you have multiple screens and/or many different price categories

Posted by Teneka Stanley (Member # 6385) on 07-27-2011, 01:45 PM:

I think an Automaticket would be awesome....however, it's been difficult to find one for sale [Frown]

Any leads on such would be awesome since we want to keep the historic feel to the building.

We will have 3 pricing categories.

Posted by Cody Martin (Member # 2523) on 07-27-2011, 03:48 PM:

At the complex I use to work out, we did the following for the drivein. We purchased 2 arcade ticket machine dispensers, a 12volt power supply, 2 TicketFlex boards, 2 counters, and two microswitches. This allowed us to make a homebrew ticketing machine. This was in use for 3 years before an electric surge issue took out the machine. The total cost was around $130 including the case we put everything in.

Posted by Christopher Spiwak (Member # 5285) on 07-28-2011, 07:10 PM:

A quick google search turned this up from Tri State Theatre Supply in Memphis - TriStateTheatre.com for $500.

Posted by Teneka Stanley (Member # 6385) on 07-29-2011, 02:03 PM:

Anybody used Quickbooks for such?...i have no experience with it & someone recently suggested it.... [Confused]

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 07-29-2011, 04:17 PM:

Send me an email or give me a phone call or something. I do custom computer programming and consulting so might be able to solve your problem.

Posted by Jen Pelto (Member # 6447) on 08-14-2011, 05:05 PM:

Okay, please no uproarious laughter to what I am about to say.

I run a 2-screen theater and like some previous posters have mentioned, some studios want us using physical numbered tickets for certain films.

However, the majority do not require this of us, and we have developed a system that works very well for us:

The ol' pen-and-paper tally mark system.

We of course convert this into spreadsheets and box office reports at the end of the night, but during the rush of people, it is fast, inexpensive, and, once you really get the hang of it, fool-proof.

I refer to it as my "daily sheet". I have thousands of these sheets filed away, one representing each day.

At the top, I start out with the day/date. Then I list each film title, it's start time, and how many people attend each show and at what price. I have a place for concessions, donations, memberships, total sales overall...it's really everything I need to know outlined in one sheet of paper. If you want me to email you a .doc of an example of how I lay out my info, just let me know!

When not physically giving out tickets on slower nights, with this type of system, it is imperative to know exactly how many people attend at exactly what price. Any coupons, free passes, etc. needs to be considered and noted accurately. When we are really busy, the employees are instructed to only "tally mark" "discounted" tickets: seniors, students, members. The rest are assumed to have paid full general admission price. Then, before the show starts, the employees do "head counts" (multiple, when needed) before and after the show, to make sure that we are exact in our reporting.

It really just depends on what system works for you -- if you anticipate running a really busy one-screen, it might be a headache trying to do it "my way", and a computerized POS system will do the same thing for you with less headache (and some will argue, less room for error).

I feel more in control this way. The average amount of money a person spends on concessions per feature (or day) is just an arthritic calculation away. I catch ALL sneak-ins and weird activity. I have tangible copies of every single day I've been in business with notes on it -- what the weather was like, why a show was canceled, etc. (for anyone worried about losing computer data).

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-14-2011, 06:27 PM:

quote: Jen Pelto
just an arthritic calculation away

Is that like when doctors count how many joints are affected by your RA? [Wink]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-15-2011, 01:48 AM:

We have a computerized system but I guess I have to admit, we have it more because I'm a bit of a gadget freak than because we really needed to be computerized.