Our "No outside food and drink policy", what does that mean to customers? Nothing!

[Amanita]

In regards to the theatre that insists patrons leave their stuff in their cars, citing homeland security, that's just SUCH BS. Unless the theatre is in a wasteland completely unaccessable by walkers or public transit, what's with the ASSuption that everybody has a car?

I would not go to such a place, namely because I don't have a car to leave things in!
Mind you, I don't go around heavily burdened, but there's NO WAY I'm going to surrender the one bag I do carry, or anything I've bought during the day. ( I wouldn't show up at the theatre with a carload of stuff, mind you).

A friend of mine would really hate this- she DOES go around heavily bag-laden. Let's see- at least three small purses at any given time, a fully stuffed knapsack, and usually at least two full tote bags. And this is how she leaves the house, not the result of a day's worth of shopping!

[iradney]

Just a quick request please: no more complaining about the concession prices.

The poor bloke behind the counter doesn't set the prices, corporate does. As many of you have been on that side of the fence before (where customers bitch at you for things that are completely out of your control), please can you drop that particular subject.

[Mystic]

I read a lot of health magazines and websites, and often they actually encourage you to bring in your own healthy snacks and avoid the concession stand. Wonder what the theatre execs think when they read those articles...

That's because a large movie theater popcorn has 1,200 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat.

[dalesys]

...now I'm hearing they just use stale prebagged popcorn...

Just now you're hearing that?

One of my buddies was an usher in '68 and told of the room full of bagged popcorn... The bags in the back had been there for a year or more... happy mice...

[chainedbarista]

i don't go out to movies much, but when i do, i buy at the concession stand. yes, the prices are outrageous, and i'll grumble silently to myself, but i consider it a treat, since most of the movies these days are pure crap.

what bugs me most are the other movie goers: those who show up late and expect to find the best seat in the house, screaming children, parents who refuse to get a sitter or make them mind, 'clever' jokesters and cell phoners/texters.

[BowserKoopa1]

Ok, I'll admit that I'm part of this guilty party too of sneaking food in. Of course that was before I got a job at the movie theatre.
Corporate should have enforced their policy better, but now that they have decided to enforce it, I have absolutely no desire to get into trouble. 1 employee already got chewed out, so yes I am going to be a hard ass if I have to in order to avoid being written up.
As for the high concession stand prices, I understand how high they are, but there's nothing I can do about it. I would very much apprecaite if everyone drops that subject because I hear enough from customers. Plus I really don't want to hear it.
The point I was trying to make was, I'm basically sick and tired of customers giving me the look. Put yourself in my shoes, and you will see what it is like, especially with managers looking over your shoulder. I personally guarantee any of you would get annoyed after awhile too. Yes I sympathize with the high concession prices, but I don't want to hear any more about it. Please.

[iradney]

I actually prefer buying from the concession stand - but then again, I'm in South Africa Here, our tickets (for two) are about $10 (R35 per ticket) and for 2 large popcorns and 2 large cokes (or in my case, a large water) it's about....R60? So that's about....$9? Not bad for a night out.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I bring a drink in a bottle in, but I tend to get ice cream and pick and mix at the cinema. Their pick and mix is to die for; only Woolworths (RIP) could compete and the ice cream is Ben & Jerry's so it's the same price everywhere. I bring a drink in only cuz the price for drinks at the local cinema is thru the roof.

[Ben_Who]

If this comment is a wee bit too fratching, please slap my wrist, but I think that if theaters would stop letting themselves get jerked around by studios with regards to ticket prices, they probably wouldn't have to sell a 79 cent bag of popcorn for six dollars.

I buy those little kiddie-packs, anyway, for about $5; I haven't even been able to finish a "small" since I was about 25. Hell, sometimes even half the kiddie-pack goes untouched. Still, I was, for a long time, a major food-smuggler, giving it up for reasons of waistline rather than morality. In the winter, with a long coat on, you can sneak $25 worth of groceries into a showing of the Squeakuel. I always told my friends that one day I would sneak an entire large pizza from Papa John's, hot, into a movie, if I could engineer a method. Or a Mr. Coffee. I have this mental image of a father with a family of six, grilling hamburgers on a hibachi, with an usher tapping his foot as the father says, "What outside food?"

The Cinemagic near where I work and play has a new sign up in the window stating that bags must be left in cars--for reasons of homeland security. I had to admit, that was an interesting approach...

Love, Who?

[Zell]

They do it mostly cause prices for food are through the roof in movie theaters. But that's where theaters get their money from.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Wonder what the theatre execs think when they read those articles...

They curse the day someone come up with them. Turn your head JUST SO and you can hear the screaming.

Oh, wait, that's crickets. Nevermind~.

[bhskittykatt]

Around here, common practice in theatres is no outside food or drinks, though it is very seldom enforced. I don't eat much while watching movies anyways, so it isn't an issue for me, but I've been with people who waltzed in with a bag from McDonald's and the employees didn't care.

I read a lot of health magazines and websites, and often they actually encourage you to bring in your own healthy snacks and avoid the concession stand. Wonder what the theatre execs think when they read those articles...

[RetailWorkhorse]

See this is why my wife has a "movie purse". It's way larger than a purse she would normally use. We use it to "smuggle" candy and drinks. I admit to doing that but at least we don't just walk in carrying it. Sorry, but I'm not paying $4 for that box of junior mints that I can get at a store for $1.

I carried a little backpack with certain snacks and such in it when I went to the movies. Last time I went, though, they wanted to look through the bag and was quite surprised when I said NO YOU CAN'T TAKE MY INSULIN AWAY FROM ME as loud as I could. They let me in and left me alone.

I didn't rely on insulin at the time, but hell if I'm gonna let someone take my cashews.

Some of us watch films that don't require a lot of attention!

We got ADD like that. Oh, look, something shiny!

[Magpie]

Sadly, this used to be the case, with the intermission and the usher wandering up and down the aisles trying to get people to buy half-melted ice cream from the tray around her neck (think Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler, but with something marginally more edible).

Like albatross!

ETA: CURSE YOU PAGAN!

[Pagan]

Around here, people have had to be reminded that there's NO GUNS allowed, either.

Sadly, this used to be the case, with the intermission and the usher wandering up and down the aisles trying to get people to buy half-melted ice cream from the tray around her neck (think Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler, but with something marginally more edible).

Did they ever have albatross?