Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Bitty Buddies

   
Author Topic: Bitty Buddies
Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-19-2000 03:42 PM      Profile for Ian Price   Email Ian Price   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Santa Rosa is booming where we have opened a new theatre. They used to have some problems in this town with money and had all kinds of discount programs. For the movie theatres they had “Tightwad Tuesday”. There was a Thursday, where seniors got in for a reduced price (some said free, but I think they were yanking my chain). There was a discount card. There is a Sonoma Gold Card where you can get discounts at area merchants.

So we open up our theatre and try to set one simple price policy. Adults $7.00, Seniors & Children are $4.50 and all shows before 6 PM are 4.50. This theatre used to charge $6.50 for adults. The 16-plex in the next town charges $7.75. They were charging $4.50 for a large 170-ounce popcorn (with the golden shower) and a free refill. I thought that was too expensive, so we cut the charge to $3.50 with no refill and real butter.

So here is the problem. We have seniors coming up to the box and bitching about our high prices. They complain that we are dropping the first matinee during the week. Our second matinee only did 25 persons. Is it just that senior’s bitch about everything, or is it that we are doing something heinously wrong?

We are looking into having an early show for seniors during the week. It would be one day and we would advertise with the senior rags and centers. We would have to find staff to run it, and we have all high school kids right now.

Does anyone run a successful senior program out there? And how does it work?

I did ten years ago. All I sold in the concession stand was “small popcorn (oh that’s too big), and a small coffee.”

(Nobody seems to get that we are a new company with new rules. We have a new sign, lobby and cleaned up projection equipment, which they will never see. Why do they keep trying to use the old company's passes? And then get mad when we refuse. Then demand to speak to the manager. (This is the fun part) I get to tell them I am the owner.)


 |  IP: Logged

Lance C. McFetridge
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 135
From: Penn Yan, New York
Registered: Jul 99


 - posted 01-19-2000 04:45 PM      Profile for Lance C. McFetridge   Email Lance C. McFetridge   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ian,
I think what you are finding is what I refer to the FIS syndrome. It usally affects only people that belong to AARP or are actually of retirement age. FIS ( or Fixed income syndrome) entitles everyone to bitch about prices, expect more for less, and find fault with just about everything that has to do with presentation, especially sound. They really do not get surround sound at all.
It used to really bug the heck out of me to hear these folks bitch, and I only used to charge $3.50 for them to get in.
Some one on this forum once said something that really stuck........If they aren't bitching about the prices, you are not charging enough. People love to bitch about prices.
Tough to do, but smile, be nice, and it pays off. Sooner or later they bring the grandkids in, and spoil them rotten with all the stuff they can eat. Hang in.
my two cents worth
lance

 |  IP: Logged

Chris Erwin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 195
From: Olive Hill,KY
Registered: Oct 1999


 - posted 01-19-2000 06:01 PM      Profile for Chris Erwin   Email Chris Erwin   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ian,

When they stop showing up to bitch,then I'd worry. I bet it's the same ones you hear do all the griping!

Hang in there!

--Chris

 |  IP: Logged

Jim Bedford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 597
From: Telluride, CO, USA (733 mi. WNW of Rockwall, TX but it seems much, much longer)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-19-2000 06:13 PM      Profile for Jim Bedford   Author's Homepage   Email Jim Bedford   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Large:

If it makes economic sense, do it. If you try the matinee and it works, fine. If you try it and it only pulls in 25 blueheads, you can tell them the reason you discontinued the program is that it cost you money.

Dealing with seniors you most remember: "You're never going to make people happy who used to pay 25 cents for a movie and 5 cents for popcorn and coke."

BF

 |  IP: Logged

Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-19-2000 07:12 PM      Profile for Ian Price   Email Ian Price   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
BF:

You are about 56 years old now. Are you a member of the AARP yet?

Large

ps: You can come to Santa Rosa to slap me.

 |  IP: Logged

Andy Davis
Film Handler

Posts: 49
From: Gainesville, FL
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 01-19-2000 08:39 PM      Profile for Andy Davis   Author's Homepage   Email Andy Davis   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I worked in Sarasota, FL for a couple years which has an amazingly huge elderly population. The complaints will never stop, but that doesn't mean the old folks won't come to your theatre anymore. It sounds like you're on the right track though. Advertising in senior centers is a great idea. A lot of those places have buses or vans for transportation and will load up 10-20 people to come to the movies. Our theatre experimented with a special set of 10 AM "Seniors only" shows but this was not very successful. Another program we ran was the "Senior Special" in which every senior citizen got a coupon to receive a small popcorn and small coke for $2.99. The senior special boosted our per head by at least a quarter.

 |  IP: Logged

Jim Bedford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 597
From: Telluride, CO, USA (733 mi. WNW of Rockwall, TX but it seems much, much longer)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-19-2000 08:52 PM      Profile for Jim Bedford   Author's Homepage   Email Jim Bedford   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Slap!!

Do that again and I'll tell your mother!

 |  IP: Logged

Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 01-20-2000 08:38 AM      Profile for Bruce McGee   Email Bruce McGee   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
This is close to the subject.
I drove with a friend to do some work for his mother in Manalapan, NJ last May. I was there for ten days.

She is fairly wealthy, and lives in a paid-for condo. The 'fridge was packed with all kinds of whatever.

Naturally, we ate out everyday. AND we had to go to the "Early Bird Specials" and save a dollar or two in the restaurants, along with all the other little old ladies with blue hair.

Where are the little old men? Never saw any.

The reason I brought this up: My friends mom bitched about everything at every restaurant everyday that I was there. I think she had nothing better to do and enjoyed it.

Also, I can tell you where a least 6 different Podiatrists offices are located along Hwy. 9!

I'd liked to have gone to a movie... anything to have gotten a little quiet. How many times can you look at your friends Bar Mitzvah pictures from 1966?

Dont get me wrong. She is a sweet old thing.... BUT!.....

 |  IP: Logged

Bill Carter
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 162
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Registered: Sep 1999


 - posted 01-20-2000 11:58 AM      Profile for Bill Carter   Email Bill Carter   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I don't think the bitching is necessarily exclusive to the senior crowd. Our house now plays first run art and classic revival (and for a couple of bucks less than anybody else's first run in town). Problem is, it used to be a discount house under the previous owners. People of all ages who haven't been there to see anything in two years or more just raise the roof when they find out it isn't still $1.75 to get in. It doesn't matter that the place has been remodeled, sound and projection is new, and the movies are first run. They still "demand" to know why the price changed! For the record, normal admission is $6, seniors and students $4.50.

 |  IP: Logged

Reeve Byrne
Film Handler

Posts: 35
From: Anchorage, Ak USA
Registered: Jan 2000


 - posted 01-23-2000 06:56 AM      Profile for Reeve Byrne   Email Reeve Byrne   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The seniors are pretty cool here in Alaska. I've never had much of a problem. It's the "Soccer Moms" I usually have a problem with.

 |  IP: Logged

Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000


 - posted 01-23-2000 05:37 PM      Profile for Dave Williams   Author's Homepage   Email Dave Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I run a discount theater and admission is $1.50 for everyone except infants. EVERYONE bitches about that. Can you believe this? We are in one of the weathiest areas in the state and they bitch about $1.50 because it used to be $1.00 over a year ago. I just tell them "wait until july, then you can really bitch".

And on the subject of old people bitching, every show they come tell me to turn the sound down over and over until no one can hear it but them. Is there a polite way to tell them to turn down thier damn hearing aids?

------------------
"If it's not worth doing, I have allready been there and done it"

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)  
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.