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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Policy on Late Customers. (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: Policy on Late Customers.
Phil Blake
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 558
From: esperance western australia
Registered: Nov 2003


 - posted 07-21-2006 12:44 AM      Profile for Phil Blake   Author's Homepage   Email Phil Blake   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We seem to be exeriencing more and more customers arriving late to shows , many recently arriving over an hour late!

I find this frustrating and anoying to other patrons , disrupting those settled into the show.

I am curious as to what proceedures others may have in this area, do we have a cut off point where people are refused entry and deferred to another session? Or do we let them in at any point through the show ?

My personal view would be to close the session 15 minutes after feature start time. Would this be fair and correct ?

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted 07-21-2006 02:06 AM      Profile for Ron Curran   Author's Homepage   Email Ron Curran   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes Phil, I believe that to be fair and correct. Customers have been multiplexed over the past few years. They arrive at least 20 minutes after start to miss all the ads we don't screen. Those people don't read our information that we don't show ads.

We have a policy on some films that no one will be admitted after the start. Yes, they bitch and abuse us but we have to have a standard.

I recall a classic case when a woman demanded entry an hour into Mission Impossible. "I'll catch up," she protested. "There are people who have been in there from the beginning," I explained "And some of them are having trouble catching up!"

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000


 - posted 07-21-2006 02:49 AM      Profile for Phil Hill   Email Phil Hill       Edit/Delete Post 
As a consumer/patron that would be immensely annoyed at some jerk trampling thru the theatre that late; I think the same "penalty" should apply as if one is late for a credit card payment.

Tell them they would be admitted ***IF*** they paid a US$20.00 late fee...or they could purchase a ticket for a later show.

I'm SURE that would discourage most assholes! [thumbsup] [beer]

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Christopher Crouch
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 128
From: Holywood, ca, usa
Registered: May 2006


 - posted 07-21-2006 03:31 AM      Profile for Christopher Crouch   Email Christopher Crouch       Edit/Delete Post 
Most of the companies/theatres I've worked for didn't have a cut off point. Theoretically, patrons could buy a ticket for the end credits. However, my current employer has a 30 minute cut-off; the ticketing system won't allow for sales after that point.

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David Kilderry
Master Film Handler

Posts: 355
From: Melbourne Australia
Registered: Sep 1999


 - posted 07-21-2006 10:07 AM      Profile for David Kilderry   Author's Homepage   Email David Kilderry   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
People arrive all night long at our theatre, we think it's fine...............as long as they switch their headlights off!

David

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002


 - posted 07-21-2006 10:31 AM      Profile for Jack Ondracek   Author's Homepage   Email Jack Ondracek   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
we think it's fine...............as long as they switch their headlights off!

Good one [Big Grin]

We also let people in throughout the night... usually.

When we're really full, we'll sometimes pull the plug shortly after the main show starts (roughly 15 minutes into the evening, and call it sold out, even though it may not be. At that point, there can be way too much driving back and forth, looking for a spot, and they don't always want the place our field people suggest.

At our indoor, we had a policy similar to what Christopher described... an automatic cutoff 20 minutes into the show. That was 20 minutes of show plus 10 minutes of trailers. It was also easy to enforce... I programmed the POS system to take that performance off the screen, so the staff couldn't sell a ticket if it got too late. With that as a rationale, nobody had problems explaining the situation to latecomers who might otherwise have tried to talk their way past the policy.

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Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004


 - posted 07-21-2006 10:56 AM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Are late arrivals any more annoying than those who make bathroom runs, snack bar runs, or cell phone runs out and back in?

If your auditorium is half empty, I'd sell the ticket. If it's a close to full house (and therefore a situation where the late arrival spends ten minutes staring at the stadium tier while their eyes adjust so they can find one of the two or three available seats), I'd tell them the show was sold out.

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Chad M Calpito
Master Film Handler

Posts: 435
From: San Diego, CA
Registered: Apr 2006


 - posted 07-21-2006 11:06 AM      Profile for Chad M Calpito   Author's Homepage   Email Chad M Calpito   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
At my theatre, the cut-off time is 30minutes after the show star time (which includes the Rolling Stock and Trailers time). Then, the Box Office Software advances to the next show time. Once that happens, we stop selling for a particular show time.

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Allison Parsons
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 630
From: East Peoria, IL
Registered: Oct 2004


 - posted 07-21-2006 11:14 AM      Profile for Allison Parsons   Author's Homepage   Email Allison Parsons   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We have a "15 minute rule". At the last show, if no one shows for a movie 15min after it was suppose to start, we don't show it. Especially on Thursday nights. If a theater employee wants to see a movie that is leaving on thursday nights (at the last show), and there are no paying customers in that movie, I don't show it either. Most of our employees know that I'm anal on thursdays so they stay away.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 07-21-2006 12:11 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We don't run ads either, and we do get the occasional people who come in 45 minutes after showtime and say, "I haven't missed anything yet, have I?"

We don't have a set policy. If a movie is a dumb comedy or other mindless crap entertainment, we'll let people in whenever they want. If it's a serious adult-type movie like "The DaVinci Code," if they're more than 20 minutes late (for the feature) we'll strongly try to talk them out of it, but will still sell them a ticket if they insist. And then we pretty much hang with them until they've found a seat, to make sure they are quiet.

If we are anywhere close to sell-out we usually put up the "sold out" sign and stop selling all tickets when the feature begins.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 07-21-2006 01:02 PM      Profile for Aaron Mehocic   Email Aaron Mehocic   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
15 minutes on the weeknights, 20 minutes on weekends. Our software advances to the next show about 45 minutes after start time. Certain films attract customers who are habitualy late to begin with so I often start them even if nobody shows up when they are due to begin. Generally, however, somebody will come within the time permitted.

Does anybody still have (mostly) the senior citizen(s) who arrives half way through a movie, goes inside the auditorium, and then stays for the next show up to the point they originally were seated. I've been told by a few that back in the 20's and 30's operators ran shows continuously without set start times and this was an accepted form of attending a movie. Any truth to this?

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005


 - posted 07-21-2006 02:19 PM      Profile for Louis Bornwasser   Author's Homepage   Email Louis Bornwasser   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
"This is where we came in." is a phrase that died sometimes in the '60's.

Cut them off early....when they "catch up" that requires TALKING! Thereby creating yet another problem. Louis

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 07-21-2006 04:21 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Aaron Mehocic
I've been told by a few that back in the 20's and 30's operators ran shows continuously without set start times and this was an accepted form of attending a movie. Any truth to this?
This actually dates back to when movies were just mindless stuff to watch, not necessarily a story, but maybe dancers, or scenic features, stuff like that. Theatre marquees advertised "Continuous shows daily," so you could just go in when you wanted to and leave when you "came in" or watch it 3 or 4 times if you wanted. When movies started actually being stories, it took a long time for people to get out of that habit.

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Ky Boyd
Hey I'm #23

Posts: 314
From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 07-21-2006 07:14 PM      Profile for Ky Boyd   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mike, I think some people never "got out of that habit." [Smile]

But then we had some old guy in Wordplay the other day complaining that the movie was going too fast for and we needed to slow it down for him. That was a new one.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000


 - posted 07-22-2006 02:08 AM      Profile for Adam Martin   Author's Homepage   Email Adam Martin       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: The Evil Sam Graham
Are late arrivals any more annoying than those who make bathroom runs, snack bar runs, or cell phone runs out and back in?
They can be. I have often experienced some retard banging around in the back of the theater, feeling people up looking for the walls/seats, and shouting "OH MY GOD, IT'S SO DARK IN HERE!"

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