my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Hourly wages at theater chains? (Page 1)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Hourly wages at theater chains? Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 01:44 AM                     Anyone know the what theater chains normally start their employees off at? I know the starting wages at our theater range from $5.15 an hour up to $6 an hour for hourly employees. AMC here in town the 14 screen starts at $6.50, the 12 screen $6.25 and the 3 screen art house $5.15. Rave just opened up and they are starting out at $6.50. What is the norm for most chains and I am truely starting to believe that Kerasotes is CHEAP. I'm afraid we are going to start loosing employees to AMC and Rave since they are respectly 10 and 20 minutes from us.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-05-2005 02:06 AM                     Shoot, you need to goto Calif, since I heard that they start their floorpeople over 9 buck/hr to keep with competition with the fast food places.. Some do start out their employees the federal $5.15 since these companies know that floor jobs are just crap jobs that people will come and go as the wind, thus expecting as such. Also treat these employees what they are paid-nothing important. Others do have a higher start to give the employees an incentive to want to stay and be a part of that certain company, and with this higher start there is some positive atmosphere around, plus the drive for success is present as well. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 02:11 AM                     I'm guessing our company fills they don't need to compete with other chains or they would raise the starting wage. Though I don't know about Rave, but AMC starts their managers out crappy compared to us. I was offered a management position and was only offered $8.50 an hour but I turned it down for numerous reasons one of them being the fact that it wasn't much more than what I was currently making  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-05-2005 02:21 AM                     No, your company (Kerasotes) doesn't want to raise the starting wage since they know that the positions are easily filled by anyone and the job requirements are on a simple entry level that the monetary value doesn't merit a higher wage for a very simple job. Another thing on the minimum wage is that the entertainment business is not like a manufacturing business: the employees are NOT making any product to sell for the company. They're just doing a simple service, not producing something. Also, this is why theatre circuits really get after their managers if any employee shoots his timecard over the 40hr/work per week and have to pay overtime-since there is no product being manufactured or productivity being performed or done to merit paying overtime. ..crappy wage means that you'd just be a "number", or "tool" to them-nothing special, easy to use to their advantage, and someone to easily lose in the shuffle. One small disadvantage with big circuits in the "white collar" end of the spectrum-unless you know how to "play their game". I've even heard that the big,big circuits do start out minimum wage-just so many "ants" in the "antpile" to not to worry about if a few are missing by leaving, that these missing "ants" can be easily replaced-if you know what I mean. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-05-2005 04:06 AM                        starting at $9 an hour in california? noooo. san francisco does have a minimum wage of i think $8.50 but that's the exception. i think we start at $6.75 or so, which isn't really too much considering cost of living. many theaters with a moderate screen count suffer from the disparity between the busy and the lean times. if business is slow, hours get cut back, there isn't enough work to go around, workers who leave aren't replaced immediately. then something big opens and suddenly there aren't enough employees without going into overtime. whoops! carl  |  IP: Logged Wolff King Morrow Master Film Handler Posts: 490 From: Denton, TX, USA Registered: Feb 2004 posted 11-05-2005 05:11 AM                        quote: Amanda Jones I was offered a management position and was only offered $8.50 an hour but I turned it down for numerous reasons one of them being the fact that it wasn't much more than what I was currently making $8.50 an hour to start as management is actually pretty decent for most places.  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 11:26 AM                     while yes I know $8.50 is decent I was making $7.50 as a crew trainer and was in college full time so it wasn't worth it to me. Without discussing my current wage I make way more than $8.50 an hour now so at least Kerasotes is decent when it comes to paying management.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 11-05-2005 11:36 AM                        Oregon minimum wage is currently $7.25, increasing to $7.50 on Jan 1st 2006.  |  IP: Logged Matt Fields Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 545 From: Ohio, United States Registered: Jun 2005 posted 11-05-2005 11:49 AM                     Wages, in general, are set in the market according the following factors: 1. Work enviroment. Is the job dangerous, or in bad weather? People who work in extreme conditions tend to get paid more. Garbage men get paid well for this reason. 2. Social Acceptance. Is the job socially accepted? Stippers get paid a lot because most people would not do the work. 3. Skill or training needed. Doctors get paid more then nurses. 4. General supply and demand for labor in the market. Theatre floor work in is in a safe, comfortable enviroment, socially accepted, takes little skill or training, and there is usually a large number of teenagers who would rather work at the theatre then Burger King. The reality is that theatre floor workers do not get paid much because theatre floor work isn't worth much. The theatre owners aren't being cheap, they are paying what the work is worth to them.  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 12:04 PM                     but what about my chain that won't even compete their wages with their competion. I've already had some employees say they are thinking of leaving us to go work for Rave.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-05-2005 12:41 PM                     quote: Amanda Jones they are thinking of leaving us to go work for Rave. ..sounds like RAVE is offering something better than what Kerasotes has to offer - the usual case of "heading to greener pastures." Basic cause for job jumping is called "work atmosphere" ..been there and done that as well. quote: David Stambaugh Oregon minimum wage is currently $7.25, increasing to $7.50 on Jan 1st 2006 ..and brother, do we folks here in W.Idaho know about this! A small company has one site in the eastern part of Oregon and the owner is pretty wound up tight about this-having to pay $2.35 more per hour per employee in doing the same job as the ones here in the $5.15 per hour in Idaho - and blames the state for him paying extra, and making sure that the manager of that site is making sure that the hours are held down to a bare mininum and they work doubly hard for that extra pay. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 12:45 PM                     Well I don't think it's atmosphere but the glamour of a brand spanking new theater, more money an hour, and the fact that they let you get 2 guests in for free when you come to movies (we only allow one)  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-05-2005 12:55 PM                     quote: Amanda Jones you get 2 guests in for free when you come to movies (we only allow one) ..and that's the "golden ticket" for most employees to look for - how many can get in free on an employee pass. ..and that's the "atmosphere" that I mentioned: tight and cheap with little consideration for the employee, or a more "open door" policy for the employee. But, these employees who head to RAVE, might have a rude awakening: Sure, more people on a pass, more money per hour, but nothings really FREE..there's a tradeoff for this and they'll find out how, maybe just maybe, that Kerasotes COULD have been the better place to work for than RAVE...but I'm just guessing here... ..finding a "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow, just doesn't cut it sometimes. But, kids are kids - they want their cake and eat it too and go after it no matter what. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 11-05-2005 04:48 PM                     The bad thing is the 3 that might go to Rave, are 3 of our best employees. My complex agrees with me we should give our employees more an hour but we are bind by coporate standards. One of our employees went to Rave today to check out the theater and from the customer standpoint they have us beat on everything except for prices at box office and concession. $6 for nachos! $4 for a bottle of water! DAYUM!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-05-2005 05:38 PM                     I always thought the rule of "minimum $6/hour or a buck an hour per screen, whichever is greater" was a good way to measure a given booth job's pay.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

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.