I'm looking for actual things that have worked here, rather than just ideas that people have never tried. Or perhaps at times like this we just have to deal with it and be greatful for the ticket sales.

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I read somewhere (long time ago) that concession areas with inadequate lighting tended to have lower per caps. The stand should be the bright spot in the lobby.

What is the color scheme of your lobby/concession area? Psychologists believe that warm orange and red tones make people more responsive to food stimuli. Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, AMC Theatres and other successful fast-food corporations seem partial to using these colors in their logos.

What lighting are you using? Fluorescent lighting may be cheaper to run, but it gives off light in the blue end of the spectrum. Use incandescents if you can. Once upon a time (I think this was in the 80s) people who were dieting were often advised to change the light in the refrigerator to a blue bulb. It is believed that blue tones suppress appetite.

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Keep the lines moving. This may mean that you have to increase your staffing. If you haven't done this already, you may find it useful to work out your ideal APSH (attendance per staff hour).

I once worked in a busy 8-plex where the APSH was 19...That is, 1 staff hour for each 19 patrons. We would start the matinees off with something like 2 concessionnaires and then the entire crew would be working during the peak hours. The part-timers would get sent home as the crowds began to thin out. Eventually, we'd be down to two or maybe three employees to clean up and close out the concession stand.

Another factor in keeping the lines moving is to ensure that you are properly stocked BEFORE each round begins. Do the candy displays look attractive? Are the labels showing (right-side-up) and are they in neat rows?

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Get your fountain beverages checked regularly. Keep your lines clean. Taste-test them daily.

Depending on the beverage sizes you are currently offering, you may find it beneficial to kill off your "small" and add a "jumbo."

For example: I worked at another theatre where the original drink sizes were 12oz, 20oz, 32oz and when we changed them to 20oz, 32oz, 44oz we saw an improvement in the per cap. (Note: the cost of the 20oz and 32oz remained unchanged.)

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Use "suggestive selling" and "upsizing" techniques. These techniques have gotten a bad rap, but I've seen them work. The key is to know which customers will appreciate the extra tips ("the large gives you twice as much for just 50c more") and which ones will not ("If I wanted a large, I'd ask for one!").

Of course, for "upsizing" to work, you have to price things so that the larger sizes really ARE a better value.

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Give till it hurts...

Are you offering value for money?
Are your portions generous?
Are your hot dogs all-beef?

Are your employees well-paid?
Are your employees enjoying a good work environment?
Disgruntled employees won't give good service.

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If you are operating a multiplex then you may need to start scheduling your showtimes differently. Are you allowing enough time between shows or are you setting up a situation where your lobby gets one huge wave of people coming all at once? Busy shows will need a longer "clearing time" in the lobby and we usually schedule the "sell-out" movies first so that the other movies have a chance to benefit from the "spill-over."

"Don't tell me what I want!" / (Why suggestive selling DOESN'T work, and how to make more money by avoiding it.)

Reason is that I have spent many years watching suggustive selling send clerk after clerk crying into the bathroom and owner after owner doing the same thing when sales slip.

Truth is, MOST people these days hate to be told what they want. The ones clueless enough to buy whatever you tell them usually will not come back. Key reason is that in the back of thier mind they get this twitch that tells them "hey, that dude thinks your dumb!".

Best bet, pretend you are thier best friend. Don't upsell with the standard technique as if your customer was some sort of pavlovian dog. Instead, stroke thier ears as if they were a persian cat. Cats love that. Most customers act like cats anyway. They want to at least have the illusion that they are the kings and queens of all that they survey. Treat them that way, and they will fork over everything in thier wallet.

Example:

Clerk: How's it goin'?
Cust: Ok.
Clerk: Cool. Can I get you a soda?
Cust: Yeah, get me a diet coke.
Clerk: (motions IMMEDIATELY to the large cups to fill it with the soda and says), Large right?

at this point the customer has only two options, agree and seem like king, or wimp out and go medium. 75 percent of the time they will stick with what you said, IF and only IF you said it first.

The key is to control the conversation right from the beginning. You must learn to steer the customer along. Ever notice how a cat will follow your hand around while you scratch them? Customers will do just that most of the time. All you have to do is know how to scratch.

Some people will tell you that salesmanship is something that can be taught, others will say it's only a natural traight. Both are mostly true. Most people can be tuaght to scratch a kitty. But not all people like cats.

If you want to increase your percapitas, make sure you ask in hiring interviews if they are a dog person or a cat person.

Now if I had said this last line first, you would have thought I was crazy.

Dave

And I think that's gotta be one of the funniest, most effective explanations of how and why it works/doesn't work!

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Clerk: How's it goin'?
Cust: Ok.
Clerk: Cool. Can I get you a soda?
Cust: Yeah, get me a diet coke.
Clerk: (motions IMMEDIATELY to the large cups to fill it with the soda and says), Large right?

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I've never thought of it like cats, but I have to agree that technique WORKS!!! I have heard a lot of different ways to upsell, but that particular one really stood out as a clear winner in my days. The fact that the employees treat the customers more like a friend that they are happy to see vs. acting like a servant really lightens up the transaction and tends to make the customer actually pay attention to what the concessionist is recommending too.

I'm not saying that suggestive selling doesn't work, for a lot of the time it does, but the cheezy tips like "the vanishing cup" where the customer asks for a medium, then the concessionist grabs a medium and a large and says "how about a large instead" (as he drops the medium inside the large) is just corny and I've never seen it sway a customer's decision. The customer just stands there with the look on their face of "hey moron, I don't have time for this, my movie is starting". My personal way of doing that if the customer gets his order out before I suggestive sell it is to grab the two cups and hold up the medium cup and say "sure you didn't want the super mondo LARGE cup" (as I extend my arm putting the large cup closer to the customer to make it appear even bigger. If done in a joking fashion, almost even making fun of upselling in general, the customer will usually laugh, take the upsize and leave with a smile.

By the way, never discount the power of pricing. For example let's say the menu board at Steve's 40 plex reads like this:

22oz $3.00
32oz $3.50
44oz $4.00

Now let's say that Joe's 40 plex reads like this:

22oz $3.00
32oz $3.75
44oz $4.00

Joe will be selling a TON more larges than anything else. It's only a quarter difference.

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the cheezy tips like "the vanishing cup" where the customer asks for a medium, then the concessionist grabs a medium and a large and says "how about a large instead" (as he drops the medium inside the large) is just corny and I've never seen it sway a customer's decision.

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We actually got a serious complaint about this. The woman was appaled that we were dropping the medium cup, which we just touched the outside of with our hands, INTO the clean large cup. That alone could make someone want the medium...

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22oz $3.00
32oz $3.75
44oz $4.00
Joe would sell even more "large" if he listed the sizes/prices in descending order, rather than ascending. People will often order the top item on the list.

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This brings up a pet peeve for me in a slightly different vein. Menus are almost unreadable at most theatres today. There's so much flash and sizzle and whirligigs battling it out for my attention that somewhere in the mix, the price list is hidden or virtually incomprehensible.

I'm sure that my tastes at the concession mirror many others' as well--I want a popcorn and soda combo, and maybe a tray of nachos or a hot dog. How 'bout putting the prices for these ultra-high-traffic items out there clearly and legibly? Some are pretty good at it, but most are horrendous.

I also don't want to be up-sold when I've just spent $15 or $20 on food (OK, I need to go on a diet...).

And while I'm at it, what the heck is the "regular" size? Does that mean anything else is irregular? I posed that one to a corn-shoveller once and the vacuousness of his stare was more remarkable afterwards than the show I'd come to see!

Forget the fancy names--I want the choice of Small, Medium, Large and Value-Sized (or Maxi or Super or whatever you want to call the heart-attack-in-a-tub-o-corn this week).

I don't want concession attendants who look at me funny when I ask for a little extra salt on my popcorn and who can't make change to save their lives (I had one last week who went completely blank, when my total came to $9.76 and I handed her $20.01--dopey thing thought I was trying to insult her with a penny 'tip').

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Cheers,
Peter, W2IRT

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was looking less at how to get people who are already buying to spend more, and more at getting people who are walking by to stop.

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Chad, when I was an ass't manager with Canadian Odeon back in the '80s (before becoming a projectionist) we did a lot of tie-ins with mall and area merchants. We did some pretty spectacular displays behind the bar when we could. People would come back to look at the "nice displays" behind the counter, smell and hear the corn popping and the rest was money in the bank!

Another thing we did was have enough staff on so that people didn't bypass the bar. NOTHING scares people like lines that don't move. We also pre-popped and pre-poured large and value sized items to cut down service time (we were lucky to have counter space to work with). With our staff at the Albion you could see the line move.

Also, stagger your showtimes sufficiently so that people who've just come in from your lineup won't feel like they'll miss the start time unless they make a bee-line for their seats.

Make sure the washrooms are SPOTLESSLY clean!! I usually hit the head before the concession, and if I see that the staff doesn't clean the can, I can only think what they do with the food containers and equipment.

Don't have a ticket nazi at the entrance to the paid-area. If patrons suspect they'll be mercissly hassled for their ticket while holding enough food to feed the entire seventh fleet, they'll think twice about buying it. Loews Lincoln Square is horribly guilty of this. Be vigilant, of course, but not obsessive. I told my staff that if they see someone with a healthy haul o' vittles heading towards them, HOLD THE DOOR and never mind checking their ticket.

How about pushcarts? In a number of theatres I worked in during the 90s I could always count on pushcart sales (stocked with LARGEST sizes, natch!!) to delay start times by up to 10 minutes on busy shows. Hiring able-bodied and able-minded staff to operate them is the key--natural showmen and women who would feel right at home hawking ice machines in Iqaluit.

Of course, you could always crank up the heat and put a little extra salt in the popcorn and hope they get thirsty, and maybe vent the popper into the auditorium

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Cheers,
Peter, W2IRT

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Of course, you could always crank up the heat and put a little extra salt in the popcorn and hope they get thirsty, and maybe vent the popper into the auditorium

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Peter, EVIL! EVIL! EVIL! The extra salt I don't mind, because I would've probably added it myself, but most people WOULD mind that and would remember to not buy your popcorn on a return visit. However raising the temperature in the auditorium is just giving yourself a GUARANTEE that I will never, ever patronize your theater again. A hot auditorium = not one more dollar spent on you for as long as you live, and I will also be leaving your establishment with a refund. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Mike, good tip and I agree, list the largest sizes on top.

Chad, I have to agree that having short or open lines is the #1 key to raising per caps. #2 is of course the smell of freshly popped corn in the air and cleanliness everywhere the customer looks. (Let's also not forget the obvious, quality good tasting concessions.) I do however have one more thing to add...don't be stingy with the sizes. Sure few people can actually eat a 170 oz bucket 'o corn and return for a refund, but that doesn't matter. When you charge someone $4-5 for a "large" popcorn and it's in a small 130 oz-ish size bag, the customer is going to feel ripped off. What is that extra 40 oz of corn going to cost you? Virtually nothing. What would a larger size bucket do for your sales? A LOT! Also, drinks are a pet peeve of mine. When I go to a theater and decide to purchase whatever size (for this example I will say I am ordering a 44 oz large), to see the concessionist pack it full of ice and give it one, or maybe two attempts at filling the cup by those horrid "turbo nozzles", I feel very cheated...again that is even if I do not end up drinking it all. It's the fact that at most of the theaters I go to a 44 oz cup, packed with ice and then not topped off turns into a 22 oz small...if that! Be generous when selecting what size boxes of candy to sell and fill your containers to the top.

Did anyone see "My Cousin Vinny" when Ralph Macchio orders a "large slush" and the guy fills it half up, then is put out when Ralph asks him "could you fill this up please?" Hilarious!

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Of course, you could always crank up the heat and put a little extra salt in the popcorn and hope they get thirsty, and maybe vent the popper into the auditorium

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Brad, you *did* notice the big smiley at the end of that line in my original post, didn't you? I was making a reference to "The Smallest Show On Earth."

Our lobby is lit by incandescant bulbs, and we also have some neon lighting to indicate 'Tickets' & 'Refreshments' , and our company logo is lit up in neon also. Behind the whole length of the concession stand, the wall behind everything is mirrored! That definitely catches attention, and mirrors add 'depth' to any room they're in. The menu boards are legible. The stand is kept well stocked, ipso est, kid pack trays are already setup in abundance, plenty of nachos trays in the warmers (cheese is pumped into the well after being ordered, no cheese cups), plenty of cups are next to each soda tower, candy cases all stocked (and well arranged by someone with an artistic eye), popcorn in the warmers, and so on and so forth. Unless requested otherwise, soda cups never get filled more than half-way with ice, usually less. And there is signage indicating that the large soda & large popcorn get free refills.
Most of which - as far as the actual stocking the stand - is not much different than other theaters in the area. However, the kid's pack is an item you don't see everywhere, and I've seen a lot of adults get them!
One thing that we do different is to put popcorn bags in the counter-top warmers, half-full. Thus when someone orders a popcorn, and wants "butter", one layer is squirted on that half of the bag, then the bag gets filled, and more "butter" on top - patrons really appreciate that. More people that like topping on their corn, like it 'layered', than think to ask for it that way! We do have a combo, and it's advertised by a colorful banner hanging up behind the stand - get a large popcorn & two medium drinks - get free cookie dough bites!
We also do a 'matinee ticket price all day' on Tuesdays, and we have 'Free Popcorn Thursdays'.
Yes, I know. Sounds crazy.
The promo size handed out on Thursday is the 46-ish oz size (we have the 85 oz as small, 130 oz as medium and 170 oz as large). Generally, that kills our Thursday percap, but soda sales tend to be fairly high, enough so that the whole week's percap doesn't get dragged down atrociously.
Having contented patrons always helps percap!

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