4 ms·

Butts in seats is a huge value add if those butts are buying concessions.

cyberpunk0 9y ago
What the hell buys concessions in 2017? I don't know a single person throughout my entire life who doesn't just bringing something in from outside.
- Touche 9y ago
  You don't have to personally know someone who does it to see people standing in lines at the concession when you walk in. I don't know how old you are, but at a certain point sneaking things into the theater is something you grow out of.
  - chrisseaton 9y ago
    > but at a certain point sneaking things into the theater is something you grow out of Why do you need to sneak anything in though? Do cinemas care about people taking in their own food and drinks? Is it in their terms and conditions of sale that you cannot do that? If it is then it isn't enforced. I don't think I even see let alone talk to any members of staff when I go to the cinema these days - it's all automated ticket machines and then you just go into the theatre for your film. There's nobody to enforce it even if they were going to. People talk online like they're master criminals for sneaking in a packet of sweets but really I don't think anyone even remotely cares.
    - cmiles74 9y ago
      At the Cinermarks near me (there are two), they always have one or two people tearing tickets as people walk in. These people will make you throw away food or candy, etc. if you try to bring them into the theater. I've had conversations with them about coffee as they don't sell it there but they have been adamant about preventing me from bringing it in.
      - chrisseaton 9y ago
        Wow I believe you, but that's insane and nothing like I've ever seen or heard myself. Maybe it varies by country.
        notheguyouthink 9y ago
        It goes even further than that - some theaters will bag check. If you have a purse / bag, they make you open it and they'll shine a flashlight in, etc. No pat-downs, thankfully lol.
        cmiles74 9y ago
        Now I feel like chrisseaton; I believe you, but that is insane! I don't know how I'd feel if they were checking my bag _for candy_... That might push me to stop seeing movies in theaters, honestly.
        notheguyouthink 9y ago
        I've never seen any type of pocket checks thankfully, just bag checks. And I've never seen the bag handed over, just opened and quickly shined with a flashlight
        arcticfox 9y ago
        Are they looking for candy or weapons?
        notheguyouthink 9y ago
        Candy, to my knowledge, though I can't imagine they'd ignore a gun haha.
    - taoistextremist 9y ago
      Most theaters I frequent typically have someone taking tickets, but they don't seem to usually care if you have outside food. I remember when I was younger we very brazenly brought in fast food to a local AMC, not trying to hide it, and nobody said a thing. But then that might depend on the employees. Seasonal hires seem like bigger sticklers for the rules in general, as evidenced by them not giving me rewards points while using my moviepass card, as opposed to someone in September literally charging me full price on Tuesday (instead of regular half price for people on the rewards program) so I got more points since moviepass covered the cost, so considering all that the enforcement may depend on time of year.
      - stickydink 9y ago
        Interesting. My wife and I both had MoviePass a few years ago, for about 18 months (haven't signed up again yet). We used it all the time, and one of the best perks were the AMC Stubs points; not only were the tickets free, we got a free drink every other movie we went to. Most of the time the employees had no idea what the cards were, confused as to why I needed to run 2 tickets as individual transactions on separate cards. Maybe this was before it really became an issue for them? Are the policies about not giving rewards official?
        taoistextremist 9y ago
        I have no idea if they're "official" or something recommended to owners. I think I'll try next month once the holiday season has wound down. Otherwise I'll probably just take my business to other theaters.
    - Touche 9y ago
      I believe most cinemas do have rules against outside food, yes. You're right that most likely will not check, or even care if they see it, but it's possible (as cmiles74's comment shows) that there could be bag checks at some theaters. Do you really want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to throw your sneaked in candy away? There's sort of a societal status-pressure to stop doing this sort of small rule-breaking once you reach a certain age.
      - chrisseaton 9y ago
        > Do you really want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to throw your sneaked in candy away? There's sort of a societal status-pressure to stop doing this sort of small rule-breaking once you reach a certain age. Well I personally just buy a cup of tea and don't eat during movies anyway, but I wasn't talking about myself, rather people in general.
        tarboreus 9y ago
        In New York they will generally ask you to throw away stuff and may even ask to check your bags.
      - logfromblammo 9y ago
        I'm old enough that embarrassment is now something I dish out, rather than receive. Ask me to throw away my outside food or beverage, and I will ask you to either leave me alone and give me what I paid for, or refund my ticket price in cash, so that I can walk myself to a theater willing to do that without angling for additional passes at my wallet. It is not my responsibility to support any captive-audience business model, nor do I have any desire to put up with non-negotiable, one-sided adhesion contracts. The societal pressure should be for theaters to stop doing this sort of small, self-serving rule-making. The business is selling tickets to shows. That can't be the loss-leader for some other profitable business that goes on once people walk in the door. If I buy a ticket, I expect the theater to leave me in peace to enjoy the show. I don't want it fleecing me coming and going, like a bunch of carnival operators. The only rules I implicitly agree to are those that ensure that no customer will detract from the other customers' enjoyment. Silence your phones. Silence yourselves. Keep your shoes on. If you must make out with your companion, do it quietly and non-obviously. Deposit trash in the designated receptacles. These are just ordinary rules for not being an ass in public.
  - notheguyouthink 9y ago
    Not me, fwiw. Though this is mainly because carb-loaded sweets aren't exactly health food. I bring in my own nuts/etc to eat. Honestly, even if they had what I wanted, I'd still be dismayed to pay their price for it. It's such an extreme price hike that it feels like I'm being taken advantage of. Especially on top of the $20-30 that I'm paying simply to see a movie with a bunch of people talking and being annoying. The whole thing makes me quite price sensitive, I guess. Another thing is that I don't often care about eating tons of things. A small bag of nuts is plenty for me. I don't need the massive American sized popcorn. If they offered human sized portions of things I'd be more tempted - but then again, it's all sweets anyway.
- spbaar 9y ago
  From averaging the people who buy popcorn and a drink and those who buy nothing and those in between, I'd say the average person buys an icee, which is not a bad markup
- always_good 9y ago
  You're like HN comment I saw last weekend that didn't believe people saw iPhones as status symbols anymore because he didn't see them that way. But while we're sharing anecdotes, I've never heard of someone sneaking in a large-gulp Coke and a bucket of popcorn, for one. -- The two things people seem to unanimously be holding in their arms as they enter the movie.
  - rev_null 9y ago
    I once saw a person smuggle in a small bag of microwave popcorn in his hat. Except he had overcooked it and it smelled terrible.
    - wccrawford 9y ago
      My family always "smuggled in" popcorn and snacks. Especially the candy. We'd have bought it at the theatre for a small markup, but the prices were just insane. Now, I simply don't buy anything at the concession stand at all. Years of eating poorly have taken their toll and I'm paying the price.
- fps 9y ago
  The concession "stands" in theaters in my area (Boston) all sell hot food and alcohol[0,1] these days, because the traditional popcorn, 1/2 gallon of soda and raisinettes weren't selling to most people anymore. I think people are much less likely to sneak in a burger, truffle fries and 3 martinis. 0: https://www.amctheatres.com/food-and-drink/dine-in/full-service https://www.amctheatres.com/food-and-drink/dine-in/full-serv... 1: https://www.showcasecinemas.com/dining https://www.showcasecinemas.com/dining
- dumbfounder 9y ago
  A lot of the theaters around DC now sell booze. What took them so long?

What the hell buys concessions in 2017? I don't know a single person throughout my entire life who doesn't just bringing something in from outside.

Touche 9y ago
You don't have to personally know someone who does it to see people standing in lines at the concession when you walk in. I don't know how old you are, but at a certain point sneaking things into the theater is something you grow out of.
- chrisseaton 9y ago
  > but at a certain point sneaking things into the theater is something you grow out of Why do you need to sneak anything in though? Do cinemas care about people taking in their own food and drinks? Is it in their terms and conditions of sale that you cannot do that? If it is then it isn't enforced. I don't think I even see let alone talk to any members of staff when I go to the cinema these days - it's all automated ticket machines and then you just go into the theatre for your film. There's nobody to enforce it even if they were going to. People talk online like they're master criminals for sneaking in a packet of sweets but really I don't think anyone even remotely cares.
  - cmiles74 9y ago
    At the Cinermarks near me (there are two), they always have one or two people tearing tickets as people walk in. These people will make you throw away food or candy, etc. if you try to bring them into the theater. I've had conversations with them about coffee as they don't sell it there but they have been adamant about preventing me from bringing it in.
    - chrisseaton 9y ago
      Wow I believe you, but that's insane and nothing like I've ever seen or heard myself. Maybe it varies by country.
      - notheguyouthink 9y ago
        It goes even further than that - some theaters will bag check. If you have a purse / bag, they make you open it and they'll shine a flashlight in, etc. No pat-downs, thankfully lol.
        cmiles74 9y ago
        Now I feel like chrisseaton; I believe you, but that is insane! I don't know how I'd feel if they were checking my bag _for candy_... That might push me to stop seeing movies in theaters, honestly.
        notheguyouthink 9y ago
        I've never seen any type of pocket checks thankfully, just bag checks. And I've never seen the bag handed over, just opened and quickly shined with a flashlight
        arcticfox 9y ago
        Are they looking for candy or weapons?
        notheguyouthink 9y ago
        Candy, to my knowledge, though I can't imagine they'd ignore a gun haha.
  - taoistextremist 9y ago
    Most theaters I frequent typically have someone taking tickets, but they don't seem to usually care if you have outside food. I remember when I was younger we very brazenly brought in fast food to a local AMC, not trying to hide it, and nobody said a thing. But then that might depend on the employees. Seasonal hires seem like bigger sticklers for the rules in general, as evidenced by them not giving me rewards points while using my moviepass card, as opposed to someone in September literally charging me full price on Tuesday (instead of regular half price for people on the rewards program) so I got more points since moviepass covered the cost, so considering all that the enforcement may depend on time of year.
    - stickydink 9y ago
      Interesting. My wife and I both had MoviePass a few years ago, for about 18 months (haven't signed up again yet). We used it all the time, and one of the best perks were the AMC Stubs points; not only were the tickets free, we got a free drink every other movie we went to. Most of the time the employees had no idea what the cards were, confused as to why I needed to run 2 tickets as individual transactions on separate cards. Maybe this was before it really became an issue for them? Are the policies about not giving rewards official?
      - taoistextremist 9y ago
        I have no idea if they're "official" or something recommended to owners. I think I'll try next month once the holiday season has wound down. Otherwise I'll probably just take my business to other theaters.
  - Touche 9y ago
    I believe most cinemas do have rules against outside food, yes. You're right that most likely will not check, or even care if they see it, but it's possible (as cmiles74's comment shows) that there could be bag checks at some theaters. Do you really want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to throw your sneaked in candy away? There's sort of a societal status-pressure to stop doing this sort of small rule-breaking once you reach a certain age.
    - chrisseaton 9y ago
      > Do you really want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to throw your sneaked in candy away? There's sort of a societal status-pressure to stop doing this sort of small rule-breaking once you reach a certain age. Well I personally just buy a cup of tea and don't eat during movies anyway, but I wasn't talking about myself, rather people in general.
      - tarboreus 9y ago
        In New York they will generally ask you to throw away stuff and may even ask to check your bags.
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      I'm old enough that embarrassment is now something I dish out, rather than receive. Ask me to throw away my outside food or beverage, and I will ask you to either leave me alone and give me what I paid for, or refund my ticket price in cash, so that I can walk myself to a theater willing to do that without angling for additional passes at my wallet. It is not my responsibility to support any captive-audience business model, nor do I have any desire to put up with non-negotiable, one-sided adhesion contracts. The societal pressure should be for theaters to stop doing this sort of small, self-serving rule-making. The business is selling tickets to shows. That can't be the loss-leader for some other profitable business that goes on once people walk in the door. If I buy a ticket, I expect the theater to leave me in peace to enjoy the show. I don't want it fleecing me coming and going, like a bunch of carnival operators. The only rules I implicitly agree to are those that ensure that no customer will detract from the other customers' enjoyment. Silence your phones. Silence yourselves. Keep your shoes on. If you must make out with your companion, do it quietly and non-obviously. Deposit trash in the designated receptacles. These are just ordinary rules for not being an ass in public.
- notheguyouthink 9y ago
  Not me, fwiw. Though this is mainly because carb-loaded sweets aren't exactly health food. I bring in my own nuts/etc to eat. Honestly, even if they had what I wanted, I'd still be dismayed to pay their price for it. It's such an extreme price hike that it feels like I'm being taken advantage of. Especially on top of the $20-30 that I'm paying simply to see a movie with a bunch of people talking and being annoying. The whole thing makes me quite price sensitive, I guess. Another thing is that I don't often care about eating tons of things. A small bag of nuts is plenty for me. I don't need the massive American sized popcorn. If they offered human sized portions of things I'd be more tempted - but then again, it's all sweets anyway.
spbaar 9y ago
From averaging the people who buy popcorn and a drink and those who buy nothing and those in between, I'd say the average person buys an icee, which is not a bad markup
always_good 9y ago
You're like HN comment I saw last weekend that didn't believe people saw iPhones as status symbols anymore because he didn't see them that way. But while we're sharing anecdotes, I've never heard of someone sneaking in a large-gulp Coke and a bucket of popcorn, for one. -- The two things people seem to unanimously be holding in their arms as they enter the movie.
- rev_null 9y ago
  I once saw a person smuggle in a small bag of microwave popcorn in his hat. Except he had overcooked it and it smelled terrible.
  - wccrawford 9y ago
    My family always "smuggled in" popcorn and snacks. Especially the candy. We'd have bought it at the theatre for a small markup, but the prices were just insane. Now, I simply don't buy anything at the concession stand at all. Years of eating poorly have taken their toll and I'm paying the price.
fps 9y ago
The concession "stands" in theaters in my area (Boston) all sell hot food and alcohol[0,1] these days, because the traditional popcorn, 1/2 gallon of soda and raisinettes weren't selling to most people anymore. I think people are much less likely to sneak in a burger, truffle fries and 3 martinis. 0: https://www.amctheatres.com/food-and-drink/dine-in/full-service https://www.amctheatres.com/food-and-drink/dine-in/full-serv... 1: https://www.showcasecinemas.com/dining https://www.showcasecinemas.com/dining
dumbfounder 9y ago
A lot of the theaters around DC now sell booze. What took them so long?