Dumb Dumb Sicko

[The Laughing Man]

I've been working at this movie theater for 7 months and I officially declared this man "Dumbest Male Customer So Far."

So its the Wed. evening shift which is almost always dead. My coworkers and I were at the consession stand reading the latest issue of GameInformer and discussing various topics of about gaming. I thought I heard someone yelling so I hushed everyone down a bit. Surley enough, my manager was having a screaming match with some angry customer. We didn't know what it was about at the time but later my manager told me it went something like this:

MG - Manager
AG - Angry Guy

MG - Hello
AG - I'll have one senior for Provoked (I think that was the movie)
MG - I'm sorry sir that film started 45 minutes ago and I can't sell anymore tickets for it.
AG - What is this?!!
MG - Sir we can't sell tickets for movies that started more than a half an hour ago.
AG - Fine, I'll take a ticket for Metro (a Hindi movie we were playing at the time.)
MG - That'll be $9
AG - What is this?!! $9?!!
MG - Yes sir $9.
AG - I want a senior ticket!!!
MG - All of the tickets for Metro are $9 because it's an independent screening.
AG - Why is it $9.?
MG - Because that's how much the theater renter charges.
AG - How long do you expect to do business with them with these prices?
MG - We've been with them for years.
AG - I wanna speak to the manager.
MG - I am the manager.
AG- You're the manager?!!
MG - Yes.
AG- And how long do you expect to be with this company?
MG - It's been 12 years so far!

After that he proceeded to comment on the way she looked and how she was dressed, essentially throwing insults right and left. By this time we could here her all the way from the consession stand so naturally since there were no customers we decided to take a look. She was really letting him have it but she was smart about it. She didn't use profanity and she didn't insult him back, mainly because this man clearly didn't know what he was talking about. Once he started calling her names like "fatass" she turned off the microphone and ignored him. However me and two of my coworkers immediately surrounded the guy and told him that he needed to leave.

Out of the three of us, I'm the biggest and the tallest. I'm about 6'4 and I weigh roughly 300lbs. Since I can wear whatever black shirt I want since they don't make the uniform shirts in my size, I sort of have the appeal of a bouncer when I'm not behind the counter, something my manager gladly takes advantage of. While we were surrounding the guy he stepped directly up to me. My manager thought that this guy was trying to get himself killed by doing so, but I'm not a fighter when I don't have to be. Plus this guy was well into his 60's. The guy continued to go on about absolutely nothing and we repeatedly told him to leave. I eventually got out my cell phone, dialed 911 and told him that if he didn't leave I'd call the police. He decied to test me on that so I did.

Eventually we all went inside and stood by the door to keep him from comming inside. He was still going on about nothing while we kept telling him to leave. Then things went from intense to just plain hysterical. He said he was going to report us for containing him. I'm sorry WTF!!!! Not only was this guy in no way being contained since he was outside and we were inside, but we kept telling him to leave and he was just standing there ranting. Clearly he didn't know what he was talking about. However the reason I called the police was because during all of his ranting he kept saying how we clearly had no idea who he was and that he was going to get us and how we were all going to get what we deserved. After I called the police suddenly those threats turned into how he was going to have us all fired. We like it when people tell us that because we know it will never happen.

I eventually I started asking him if he had been drinking. Which he then said "You shut up you dumb dumb sicko." That was the quote of the year. That one quote made up for the crappy day I was already having. Eventually he just started pacing up and down the street waiting for the cops to come. Then he left shortly afterwards. Since about 25 minutes had gone by and still no cops, we just called them back and told them not to bother because the man had already left. Naturally he has no defense since none of us used profanity toward him, none of us insulted him, we have him on tape throwing a tantrum, and we also have four witnesses.

I have to say, aside from the relaxing downtime it's experiences like these that make this job worth working.

[upsidedown_orchid]

I would love to pay $9 dollars for a movie. That would be fantastic. It's usually $13.95 round here.

[infavorofnaturalselection]

I would love to pay $9 dollars for a movie. That would be fantastic. It's usually $13.95 round here.

Your theaters need matinee showings. In my area of over a quarter million people average ticket prices are six bucks for non-matinee. They get the rest of the money through the concession stands. We even have several imax and auditorum theaters in the state so these theaters could very well charge much more but then they wouldn't get a lot of business if they did so.

[AZangel]

$13.95 for a movie? Are the tickets made of gold? Around my parts, we pay 7 bucks for a matinee and 9.50 for the evening shows.

[SongsOfDragons]

We pay...hm, let's see...*digs out old movie ticket* £5.00 to see Spiderman 3 with a student discount of 10%.

Which is about $10.00.

Hm, average.

[ditchdj]

$13.95 for a movie? Are the tickets made of gold? Around my parts, we pay 7 bucks for a matinee and 9.50 for the evening shows.

I thought that showing those obnoxious TV commercials in the theaters were supposed to "keep prices down". At least that's what the supporters for ads in theaters told me. Yeah it's nice to see prices "plunge" from ten to fourteen bucks for a ticket.

[protege]

I thought that showing those obnoxious TV commercials in the theaters were supposed to "keep prices down".

That's why I no longer go to theaters. Why pay $14-15 for a ticket, and then get bombarded with 30 minutes of commercials? It's not to "keep prices down" it's simply another opportunity for marketing types to intrude on us.

[blas]

If you want to see movies for cheap, we still have drive ins and budget theaters around here.

Granted, their newest show is always a movie that made it to theaters two months ago, but the movies are $2 a piece. They are conveniently placed downtown just for all the poor college kids to go see movies.

Regular movie tickets everywhere else are $8 at night, $5 matinees.

[DesignFox]

I think it's $9.50 here.

Concessions will cost you body parts.

I rarely go to the theater anymore because it's just too damned expensive.

[blas]

I don't go to the movies anymore unless the guy I'm going with is paying

The cost of a ticket and a small soda is what I make in an HOUR at my job.

[DesignFox]

hehe my hourly doesn't even cover the ticket!

at least at the cell phone store, my commission makes up for that... but otherwise...

[cheese]

Cinema tickets are soo expensive..they are often £7 for an adult ticket. However there are 2 cinemas in town and the smaller one keeps reducing its prices because of competition from the big one. It also does student deals and on Wednesdays I get buy one get one free tickets because I am on Orange. So I can get cinema tickets on those nights for £1.50, its great

[Andara Bledin]

Don't blame the theaters for the prices of tickets. It's the distributors who make it so expensive, and they do it to support actors who make several million dollars for a single film.

I don't even know how to spend just 1 million. *shakes head*

Of course, then the theaters charge highway robbery prices at the concession stand. That's all on them.

I paid $8 for a matinee ticket yesterday. With a $10 coupon, jellybeans from elsewhere, and a soda downed before entering, that makes a nice affordable afternoon for two.

^-.-^

[junebug87]

I like where I live. We've got options. If you want to pay a lot, go to the expensive theater, where it's $8-$10. If you want to see the same movie but at the cheapie theater, go around 4:00 and see it for $4.50. It's a good deal.

[chainedbarista]

i rarely go, not just because of the price, but most movies aren't worth seeing; add parents who won't control their kids or use the theatre as a babysitter, and you have a winner.

i usually do ppv with the family, if we want to see the movie bad enough but didn't get to the theatre.