People who buy tickets to Imax or Dolby and dont know what those things are.
People who buy tickets through a 3rd party like Fandango or Atom. For that matter, people who have a Fandango gift card then get upset they can't use it in the theatre.
People who pay with Apple Pay.
People picking seats when buying a ticket to a sold-out show, then sit wherever they want because "it doesn't matter"
When I have to refund the tickets someone bought online, but I can't refund the convenience fee, which they're told is non-refundable, and they start getting pissed saying I'm stealing their money.
People standing in line for 10+ minutes and never once look at the menu, so when they finally make it to the register, they have no idea what they want.
Large groups of people coming up to the register at the same time, but they're all paying separately.
"Can I get butter in the middle?"
"Can I get an extra bag to be able to share the popcorn?" - bitch it's already a giant ass tub. Just fucking pass it.
When a parent brings their kids to watch an R rated movie that parent clearly doesn't intend to stay and watch, and I tell them they have to stay or the kids can't watch it, they agree then leave anyway, then I kick the kids out, then the parent comes back all pissed demanding their money back. Like, damn, that sucks. If only someone had warned you that exactly this would happen...
Kids films in IMAX and Dolby are the worst. Can you turn the volume down? No…next thing you know, mgmt is going to be running up and down adjusting volume. Then it’ll sit at the wrong volume for multiple days until someone notifies us.
The people sitting in wrong seats (it’s always some jerk or old person choosing to do it purposefully and then docile/too nice people don’t speak up. By the time mgmt finds out, trailers are almost over. Ugh!
I used to try to catch the parent/guardian when they try to leave kids unsupervised. Got so tired of it that I’d wait 30-45 minutes so that they can get comfortable, start sexy time, start grocery shopping, etc. Then kick the kids out.
I've done exactly that several times.
There was a group of kids that I had told multiple times they couldn't see this R rated movie without someone 21 or older. They gave me a shit load of attitude and came back later with their mom. I gave her the same speech, she also gave me major attitude. So I watched them all enter the auditorium, then went up to booth a d watched them in auditorium through the porthole glass. I watched mom place her jacket over the back of the seat and stand there and explain to the kids exactly what to say if I were to come in there and try to kick them out. Then I watched her walk out and leave the building.
So I let them sit through all the pre-show, all 20 minutes of trailers, then kicked them out the instant the movie started. Mom came back and demanded refunds. I told her no because she had done the very thing I explicitly told her not to do, then asked her to leave.
It felt so fucking good.
> People who buy tickets through a 3rd party like Fandango or Atom.
What's the problem here? Just people not understanding that they have to go to that vendor for refunds?
Yeah, that tracks. I remember having to tell people that when I would work box office and they'd ask for a refund or exchange. Now I'm a customer and for reasons outlined in another comment, I prefer Fandango. But I actually know who to contact for what issues, so I'm not your problem customers.
Sometimes it can cause issues if they want to refund the ticket or swap seats, but being they got those tickets from third parties instead of with the theater directly.
I always strongly encourage customers to book tickets with us directly.
I get that it's frustrating, I've been on the customer end of that myself a few times recently. But I know it's not the theater's problem, it's between me and Fandango. The reason I started using them a few months ago instead of direct theater bookings is because for every 4 tickets purchased through Fandango, I get $5 in credit to use on another purchase, or a rental on Vudu or something. And that's on top of my theater benefits. So it doesn't cost me extra and it has a direct benefit for me. The only hiccup I've run into is trying to reschedule a ticket where I used some of that credit to pay for it, they block the refund. It's not a perfect system but I'll take the benefits.
But I'm sure this vent exists because most of your customers are not me, and do not know that they need to work with Fandango for their issues, so I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I have also been on your end of things and it was never a fun conversation.
I hate when people think its MY responsibility to make sure they can share their popcorn???? Someone said they didn't want the hot dog boat to share popcorn (thats usually what we hand out), so I gave them pretzel bags instead and I guess they were okay with that but I feel like they're the same size
I can't say for other theatre chains, but at mine, yes, they can. Kinda.
Everything is controlled off-site. So if we have to adjust the temp we have to either call the company that monitors the temp or log into the website. But even then, there's only so much we can move.
It's also worth noting that these are large auditorium. It's going to take a while for the temp in the room to noticeably change. So if you come out and bring to our attention the temp is off, and we make the change right then and there, most likely *you* won't notice the change (or if you do it won't be until near the end of your movie).
Also worthy of note is that if you're coming to watch a really popular movie, especially during its opening weekend, the auditoriums are just gonna be hot no matter what we do. You have hundreds of people packed into a room with food for hours at a time, there's only so much that can be done.
Especially if it's family members doing it. And one has a large amount of money that could have covered the entire transaction.
Like pls just figure it out after. Just ask for a receipt. Ridiculous waste of time.
Total is 40$ for 4 student tickets.
1st person 2 5$'s
2nd person a 20$
3rd person all singles
Last person a hundred dollar bill.
"Sorry bro I don't have anything smaller"
God. One time, this trio of teenagers were buying tickets, and one of them was adamant that they should all pay separately. She goes first. Pulls out a hundred dollar bill when it's time to pay. Her friends join me in just staring at her.
With reserved seating, I laugh inside when someone online buys a ticket between the seats of the group that is buying individually. Brings me joy. Like sorry, should have bought them together.
People that want "custom" orders like "can I get popcorn without the seasoning salt" "can I get a pretzel without the salt". Asking for things that are not on the menu like "cherry coke" or "French fries with cheese". People that ask for another bag or large popcorn bucket without paying extra for it - I will give them a courtesy tray but they do not want a tray but a bag..... Why not bring your own bowl/cup from home since larges are free refills.
when i'm at usher greeter, i tell someone which theater they're in, and they say "well i'm gonna go this way and get popcorn first" like okay?!? i don't care?!? everyone does it!! multiple times a day!! you don't have to tell me?!?
If I have to go to the bathroom I’ll go to the closet one down a diff hallway from my theatre so I’ll tell the ticket ripper so he doesn’t think I’m dumb going down the wrong hallway lol
What do you mean I have to pick a seat?!
I can help whoever is next. (As they just proceed to stand where they are at and not move at all)
I don’t want to sit in the front because I don’t want to be right on top of the screen!
Why can’t I used my Fandango or AMC gift card here?
What’s playing? As if the internet doesn’t exist and that there isn’t multiple TVs displaying showtimes or countless posters showing what’s playing.
When I worked there, I was the movie guru so I was always being called to Guest Services to provide a synopsis and/or opinion. It’s cool until a certain point.
I do up to TWO descriptions of movies until I point them to our information sheet. I had one guy try to give a plot description of every single movie we were playing at our megaplex and I'm not going to do that.
Yeah, I learned real quick. These people don’t care about movies…if they did, they wouldn’t be so lost or willfully ignorant.
Same with people asking for movies and times on the phone. The first few times, I’d go through the list and picked up that there was a particular movie or two they had in mind…they just didn’t want to sound stupid I guess 🤷 I started asking if they were looking for something in particular - “Yeah, Quiet Place. What times y’all showing it?” “We have over 20 shows. What time frame are you looking for?” “10””Ok. We have a 9:45 standard and 10:30 IMAX…doors lock at 10:45 and concessions closes at the same time.”
10:50 hits - People banging on the door and yelling over the catwalk.
“Aye! Y’all closed? I called earlier. I think I talked with you.”
“Do you have tickets?”
“No, we are trying to buy them.”
“Box office is closed so if you don’t have e-tix or can’t buy them quickly online while still available, I can’t help.”
“The manager said we could come in after close.”
“I’m the manager and I was the one who spoke with you earlier. Instead of arguing with me, I advise you to purchase your tix online before the apps and sites make it unavailable.”
🙄
I love sitting up front, there is no one in front of me to ruin the movie, and it's so much more immersive. Especially with reclining seats, I don't understand the disdain people have for the front row.....
Unless it's an off center front row seat. That I understand.
If I had a dollar for every time I said “This movie is in 3D so grab some 3D glasses!” And the customer (who bought the tickets at home) goes “?? It’s in 3D?” I’d be rich.
When people walk into a theater while the previous showing’s credits are still playing.
When I tell people that there’s no post credit scene and they don’t believe me
When guests get upset at me for not knowing what all the food on the menu tastes like
Guests walking into the next show while the previous one is still playing is absolutely infuriating, because it not only disrupts guests IN that showing, then they just sit there and watch you while you clean, completely oblivious that they aren't supposed to be there.
Some people even do it when we tell them the theatre isn't ready yet. If we catch them and they give us attitude when we ask them that they should be waiting outside , we make them exit while we clean.
Havent worked at a theater in a decade but my biggest one was people complaining to me about prices.
Yeah man I personally priced that bottle of water at $12 just to piss you off.
People handing me their loyalty card AFTER I tell them the total and go to the checkout screen... or worse, asking if I I can put the transaction under their account after the transaction is complete.
I've had way too many older people get mad at me for not being able to put the points on their account, and they surley don't care enough to figure out how to add them themselves online...
If that happens when I help at a kiosk for our points card, I tell them to contact the help line to have your points added. I have even had people go "OH, I DO have my points card" after I have done the entire transaction.
I just tell them to see the managers and they can fix but then the customers give me attitude anyway. When we switched over to the new company, a lot of rewards weren’t switched and when I tell them to see the managers and they can fix it, they act like we told them to run a marathon
Not a fan of when an adult brings up a gaggle of kids they’re paying for and then don’t stay involved in supervising the order, I would very much like to sell them the 10 boxes of skittles they requested but I assume they’re not allowed to make that grand of a request, so now I gotta get the kids to pause while I attempt to get the uninterested parent involved in their bill
THIS!! luckily I remember once my manager was literally on the floor fixing like the drain and I was using the register right by him. It was quite dead but I kid you not, out of all customers this one lady comes in and harasses me for a discount, to use my employee discount, and just complaining. She was like “let me speak to a manager” and the smirk I pulled was devious!!! The look on her face when my manager popped up from the ground was hilarious 😂😂😂 The only time they had my back though. She ended up leaving because the prices were too much
not me checking this to make sure i don't do any of this. 😂
*i don't phew
also i looooooove assigned seating. unless you manage to get to a movie super early you're probably not getting the seat you want. now i just wait until a booking has the seats i want. and it's even better because you can ensure that a group can definitely all sit together.
Right! We have a little arcade in our theater and it’s across from the concessions so it’s crazy how many times a parent will be yelling across the room to try and order for the kids like??? Wow it’s so crazy to me
People who on a week day morning, stand next to the "please get tickets at concessions" sign and then complain that no one is in the box office
People who tap their cards at the speed of light and then get upset when the card reader can't read their card
People who interrupt me as I'm helping a different customer
"One large popcorn, anything else for you?" "No that's it" *payment goes through* "Uh where's my drink"
People who hit on me
"The lights aren't turned on in the bathroom" but it's a motion sensor and all they do is crack open the door and then come complain
The complaint about box office not being open is so real. There’s a lady who comes to my theater a couple times a month and complains every time and questions us and I try to explain that it’s a Monday morning and not busy so we don’t see a point in paying an extra person to sit around for most of the day.
If I am working lobby/podium I always just send them to concession when they start complaining that we're "taking away jobs and replacing them with robots", yet have no problem watching a movie that is completely automated through digital projectors.
It's a classic but whenever you work on a holiday and get "sorry you had to work on a holiday". Ma'am, I know you mean well but you're literally the reason we're here.
Yeah when I worked Christmas I was so shocked at how many families came…Now I know every family is different and things but I’m still not over how theaters are open all year round like that is crazy to me
To be fair, there are some people who don't celebrate Christmas. I go because I don't exactly celebrate and there's really nothing else to do. However, I don't say all that to an employee. I've worked long enough in retail/customer service that I feel that it was justified getting my ass kicked if I ever said that. 😆
But Christmas is one of the biggest moviegoing days of the year, in fact, I think it is the biggest other than like release days of megablockbusters. I don't think that business boom is coming from people who don't celebrate Christmas and have nothing better to do in late December.
- When people ask for popcorn that's coming from the popper when we have a full warmer full of recently made corn. Or when they demand we make a fresh batch.
- When they all decided to pay separately instead of all at once when we have a line behind them.
- When people leave their trash like buckets and cups full of soda. I don't care if you spill popcorn, that's an easy clean. But pick up your fucking garbage. We have a trash can out. If you can pick it up when it was heavy and full of food, you can carry it out of your theater.
- When people call about prices and showtimes where all the information is readily available online.
- When they ask for unsalted pretzel bites when we have a warmer full of salted pretzel bites.
- When people look at the menu for 10 long minutes deciding what they want as if they're studying it to see how they can save money only to then ask for a comp cup.
- When people ask what the best deal is or if we have any specials or deals. Sir, ma'am, this is a movie theater. There's no such thing as 'the best deal'
- People who don't know sales tax are a thing. "Oh, the menu said it was $6.45." yeah the menu doesn't include sales tax and there's a fine print that reads that.
- When people ask what this one item cost. I have a menu above my head, it has all the prices and info you need. Use those reading skills you were taught in Kindergarten.
- "Can I get this item in place for this part of the combo?" Where does it say you can get that size in substitute with the combo?
- And the price complainers. Yes, I know our prices are expensive. But believe it or not, there is a valid reason. We actually hardly make money on the movies. If anything most if not all of the money in the box office goes to the studios who give us permission to show these films. So if you want this place to stay in business, that popcorn will be $10.
- Kids. I just hate them. Parents need to learn to control their child. And they ALWAYS want an Icee. I remember hating Icees as a kid. Sometimes I wonder 'Was I like that when I was a kid?'
- Those hot dogs that never wanna get up to temperature or finish cooking.
You hit the nail on the head with all of these….especially hotdogs like after this weekend Im so tired of hotdogs like I need my theater to get rid of them. I can make everything and don’t mind the other foods but whenever a hotdog is ordered all the floor staff look at each other like who’s gonna take one for the team
I had someone order 12 yes thats right 12 hot dogs then and the next customer waiting watched me box all the hot dogs we had and give em to him and still demanded a hot dog
**The STUBS Premiere line.**
It's a great idea for big cities that can afford large staffs.
But at a small location like mine, with a small staff? It's just a nightmare. First of all, half the time no one pays attention and like 30% of the people in the Premiere line aren't even Premiere members, and get all haughty when told they can't be in that line next time.
Second of all, it's the *absolute worst* if it gets unexpectedly busy and you have a ton of people in the regular line...
...but you have to prioritize and call over Premiere members first...
...and the people in the regular line *freak the fuck out* over it. And I can't blame them. They've already been waiting for a while, and now they have to wait even longer and be ignored because some rando's spent an extra couple bucks *months* ago? It's pretty messed up.
*(Well, I can't blame them for being mad... I can blame them for being mad at* ***me*** *specifically though, since it's not my fault.)*
So like, ground-level employees are put in a shitty position... get yelled at by Premiere members if they aren't helped quick enough... or get yelled at by non-Premiere customers because they got ignored in favor of Premiere customers.
I really wish that perk was either abolished or theaters would be allowed to phase it out. Far more trouble than it's worth for smaller locations.
Wow this sounds like a complete nightmare, yeah they need to abolish that or change it or something because I can imagine they’re probably daily petty arguments because of it
People that come to my theater think that we get a normal pay but we actually rely on tips. We get $3 an hour, we bring your food TO YOUR SEAT, we offer REAL FOOD, please just tip us. Even 10% is ok!! Our tips get shared amongst each other, so we really need tips to survive.
I work at a theater where we sell actual food, like burgers, pizza, mac n cheese, chicken sandwiches, wraps, desserts, etc. and we also have a bar. We have a bunch of servers who take orders at the customers seats and then bring it over to them! We are like a restaurant theater :3 at normal theaters they get a normal wage, so theres no need for tipping.
Not really, we dont have any signs or anything. We do hand out receipts towards the end of the movie with a tip line, and they have to sign the receipt just like in a normal restaurant. Most people either cross it out or just leave it blank :(
It’s complaining that the popcorn is stale- when they just waited in a huge line, and that fucking popper has been churning non stop for 2 hours during a rush. BITCH IT HASNT BEEN STALE ALL DAY BECAUSE ITS BEEN RUNNING AT CAPACITY *GO TOUCH GRASS YOU PSYCHO!*
I literally told the guy- dump that out in the trash and I’ll refill it for you, but I can guarantee you it’ll be the same, because this thing has been running since you came into the building.
No lie, one time a guest came up to me and shoved her popcorn bag in my face. "TASTE THIS!", she demanded at me. I asked what the issue was and she again told me to eat her popcorn and claiming it was stale and from yesterday. I know for a fact she got that maybe 20 minutes after it was popped. I turned this crazy woman over to my manager and I believe she got her another one from the same batch, and was happy about it.
When people are having full conversations at the counter and ignoring my question like we aren’t in the middle of a transaction. DO YOU WANT BUTTER OR NOT
People letting their kids pay cash but not giving any direction on how to do it. So a kid will hand me a wad of cash with a random amount of money that I have to straighten and smooth to do anything with
When I have to tell someone no and they go to a less experienced coworker and start a fight with them
When I ask people about the next part of their order while I’m doing the first part and they won’t tell me until I’ve finished the first part. Im just trying to be efficient
Omg yeah people have a conversation or on the phone is a good one! I’m not the type to interject a conversation so whenever customers do that it is kind of overwhelming for me
It drives me insane when a mom comes up with a group of kids and they're all rushing past me with their candy and bottled drinks. Like PLEASE slow down, I need to see how many things you're getting so I can charge you for it.
you hit every one i was thinking, but also teenagers ordering separate in groups of 15 all standing at my register instead of breaking up n going to the next available register to make things smooth, or just putting their money together/cashapping eachother 🤦🏽♀️
or
blatantly bringing food/drinks into the theater -esp since my theater has 2 trashcans outside next to the doors & one inside.
i’ve had ppl bring in whole burger king, mcdonalds, and kfc meals straight from the restaurant still in their branded bags.
OR
“can u fill it halfway so i can put butter in and you top it off?” when we have a full lobby & i’m trying to get thru the line NOT stand and wait for you to put 13 pounds of butter and salt in your popcorn.
Yeah I hate big groups like ugh it’s already embarrassing enough to stand there while the whole group watches you. But yeah the butter layering takes the cake because like you said I have a lime and I’m stalling even more for you
For health reasons, we do not allow guests to walk over with a half bag of popcorn just to put the "topping oil" and then bring it back to concessions. That's a potential for cross-contimation, and also the reason we stopped doing refills per company rule.
Big groups of people we URGE them to book ahead next time. With our reserved seating as well, it can also be a nightmare for everyone to book seats together.
yeah having to take the buckets grosses me out esp when refilling & it has hair n misc things in it 🤦🏽♀️ we’re just urged to not touch the scoop to the bucket & to not refill the bucket inside of the popper, only over the trash.
Had one guest call about their missing hot food….inside their theater when the film was going on.
Another one is minor, but when they ask “wheres Auditorium G-14” Mostly a funny one 😅
-When the mom and dad are upset or irritated with each other. Communication? Nope! One of them doesn’t want to be there so they’re making it harder on the other.
-When tourists or people who once a year come to IMAX (the only non-renovated auditorium) and say we need to upgrade and keep up with the times. It’s like…bruh everything else in this theater is renovated!
-The people who wait in the long line, order hot foods and have the audacity to get upset about the wait. Like yeah…it takes 7 minutes to cook and there’s 4 orders ahead of yours. Just get a popcorn idiot. The people who show up after trailers are over, wait in line, order so many hot foods and then say we’re making them miss their movie. Not my problem.
-Running out of stock. One lady was upset we ran out of icing for the cinnamon sugar pretzel bites. Had a crew member grab me because she wanted to speak with mgmt. Expected me to give her a discount since that’s the only thing she wanted and waited for. Like no, the POS doesn’t allow me to that. I updated the menu board to say cinnamon sugar pretzels are out so only choices are salted or parm garlic. Told her to get something else at full price or leave. If we were out of popcorn, I will bend over backwards for you. You don’t go to McDonald’s, get upset that they’re out of Filet of Fish and demand free food.
-Price complaints were always met with a crash course on movie theater economics and why everything is so expensive. Shut them up and made them feel stupid real quick.
-I wouldn’t get too upset about unsalted popcorn. Just sprinkled seasoning salt on the rest of the batch and mix in with the existing popcorn. The only popcorn thing that irritated me was freshness. Popcorn is currently and visually overflowing with popcorn and someone asks if it’s fresh. Wtf…as fresh as it’ll ever be. 75% when taste tests…they say it’s good but that popcorn has sat there for an hour lol all of this hoopla over something that gets cold quickly and with butter places on top, it makes it colder even quicker. That’s why as an usher, I’d see so many tubs and bags not even half empty.
Definitely the first one even with couples too! It be so awkward like I could accidentally trigger one or the other. But yeah I agree with everything else, I wish customers were just more AWARE. But too add about the freshness of the popcorn…trust me…I open and people will come to the first showtime and still ask if the popcorn is fresh…I’m literally waiting for someone to ask me this week so I can be like no it’s from last night just to see there reaction😭
I have a lot, but the one that stuck with me from the end of my shift is people coming in reeking of pot!
I'm the biggest pothead and pro weed person you'll meet, however that shits disrespectful as hell to those around you. Do dabs, rip a cart, WEAR A SMOKING JACKET, there's tons of options to still smoke before a movie and not reek.
Ultimately it fucks me over because I'm the one who gets yelled at because someone stinks.
Also when people get mad that they have to wait for a manager and act inconvenienced. Like uh I'm sorry that I do not have the ability to solve your issue. But sure let me just pull my handy dandy mini manager I keep in my ass out and he can solve your issue.
Minimum wage minimum fucks.
💀 I love when they walk away from the register without taking their food. This lady complained to me ab now getting her popcorn and drink and I was usher but had nothing to do. So I offered to go get it for her and she said “No”.
Yeah when you are helping a customer and someone cuts them or interrupts you for a refill or a complaint. Or when a family has been standing in line for awhile and they STILL don't know what they want. Or I am standing at one register on the other side of the water cooler/candy case and the family walks to the empty register with no one there. Or when I am doing something else such as stocking or getting a delivery or pick up order ready and they come try to order from me when I am obviously in the middle of another task.
At this point I tell people I cannot pop popcorn w/o salt because even if I do there is still salt residue in the popper therefore I cannot guarantee that it will be salt free.
You reminded me when customers go to the empty register when you’re standing at another one clearly…..like that is a major pet peeve for me. Usually I say I can help you over here and most of the times they come over. But I dislike the people who just expect you to go to them like ouuuuu don’t piss me off today.
Disrespectful customers themselves are just annoying
When people buy tickets online and show up for movies 35-40 minutes late and say, “oh well you guys have 20 minutes of previews so we only missed a few minutes.” Like no lady! We have 9 minutes before the movie starts and you missed 1/3 of the movie!
They're also assholes because now they will stumble into the movie late and likely shine their phone lights all over the place to find their seats and piss off the people who DID show up on time.
When people don't keep their tickets. I'm pretty good at recognizing people, which helps, and the vibe check does a lot of heavy lifting, but the tickets are there for a reason.
And it's annoying when there'll be a large group of people, and they use mobile tickets, with them all being on one person's phone. So they *can't* each keep their own tickets (well they can, if they share a screenshot, but that's not immediately intuitive for everyone). But that's more of just an inherent flaw in the system.
Yeah I get this. I too am pretty good at remembering faces but it does “look bad” from my managers pov when they see me just letting people in but for the most part I know who came in already and who hasn’t
We sometimes have a parent come in with their kids and the parent is not seeing the movie, but only has tickets on her phone which means kids won't have a ticket. So what I do is grab a small piece of till paper or an old stub and write down the auditorium number and seat assignments, and ask one of the kids to take it. I learned to do this the hard way, because this happened when I didn't write down their seats and kids forget their theatre and seats, then just sit in random ones.
Another thing I won't allow is that parent to go into the auditorium to "tuck them in" (as we like to call it), because we have actually had parents scam us with this, and just go ahead and sit down for a free movie.
How badly women trash the ladies room. Like WTF?!? The trash can is right there. You actually just threw that paper towel on the floor less than two feet from the can. And flush the damn toilets, ladies!
People who tell me that they're late for a movie, but then order so much concessions that I'm running ragged all over the kitchen for 10 minutes. All while yelling at me that I'm taking so long!
"THATS A SMALL????"
no. I ignored your order and gave you a different size because I'm too stupid to understand words. Alternatively, ask me multiple times and you'll unlock the *secret real small* because this one is the *fake small*.
Edited to add: so we have a really famous hot dog place in our area and it's *amazing*, like super good hot dogs. They open charcoal grill them right in front of you when you order them as you watch, put whatever you want on them, from normal toppings to crazy like caramelized onions to mac & cheese.
It's a little pricey but not moreso than our crappy hot dog roller hot dogs. I mean, you get what you pay for with them. AND THEYRE TWO BLOCKS AWAY. Why are you getting a questionable movie theatre hot dog that has been on a roller for who knows how long?
Hotdogs have become my worse enemy at work. I feel you though it’s like no one is paying you to buy this hotdog from a movie theater like I don’t wanna hear it
1.The assigned seating thing pisses me off,like how hard is it to pick a seat and go to that seat!?!
I get tired of having to boot someone out of mine,and most of the time people don't argue,but I've had a couple who didn't want to move or threw a bitch fit about it!
1B.And on a side note,if the theater is damn near empty,why are you picking the seat dead next to me?(I know everyone has a choice)but it's kind of creepy,like the guy who picks the urinal right beside you when there's 10 of those damn things on the wall!
2.People who make a mess in the theater,me and my wife make sure to pick up after our selves (which we make minimal mess to begin with), people next to us looked like they miss their mouth 90% of the time spilling popcorn all over the floor,and also leaving candy wrappers and half drunk drinks cups.
I know a crew cleans up between showings but come on,just shows how some people weren't raised right!
3.People that order half the damn menu at concessions,and are indecisive to boot,especially when there's already a super long line.
4.A group of teenagers unsupervised...don't need to elaborate!
1) Totally agree, whenever someone chooses to sit next to a random person when a theater is dead I always try to make it known like hey, someone is sitting right next to you and they’re still fine with it…I just hope they end up sitting somewhere else lol
2) Yeah some popcorn spills yeah but when people have smushed kernels, drinks spilled, cheese on the floor, and just left their food it’s like dude Fr???
3) It’s usually families for me like everyone will get one of something but will be so indecisive about it….fun times
4) 😂😂😂
i hate when i always read back their entire order and ask if thats all and they have that look on their face that theyre off in dreamland and then after paying "what about my drink?.." "i didnt want this.." when they shouldve corrected me..
Yeah this really irks me too especially at my theater since we have a little screen that shows you what I’m clicking and your total so they have another chance to correct me
This is just something yesterday but it was a new one for me, guy was mad abt the AC being broken, which is understandable but he attempted to demand that we play the same exact movie at the exact same show time just in another auditorium for him, as if we don’t have a fulls schedule and movies in each auditorium 💀
People who leave their trash at their seats when there are so many trash cans.
"The website says 'sold out', but it's probably only 80% sold."
Recliners not being put down (there are a few exceptions)
Ushers who were in before me only restocking restroom paper towels halfway
Parents who teach their kids that it's okay to not clean up after themselves
The amount of people who sit in the wrong seats and refuse to move
I've had several people get mad cause my theater didn't have Apple Pay too and I'd tell them "sorry but we just don't have it yet, cash or card?" Than they'll hold their phone up to me and say "BEEEP oh it didn't work, I'll pay with card," like they thought I was going to laugh at their joke or something, when there is literary a line of people waiting to order getting impatient and this person is taking their sweet time joking around and looking for their card to pay.
We didn't have assigned seats, but people got mad about it and when the GM asked "would you like me to escort you to your auditorium and assign you a seat like a teacher would to her student?" They usually shut up about it and the only time we actually assign seats to anyone are the kids who are always running around, causing trouble and we've received multiple complaints about them, usually its to keep them away from one another and if they don't step managers will kick them out.
Food is almost always a complaint cause we have hot dogs that are started when we start setting up concession stand, boneless chicken and pretzel bits that take about 3 minutes to cook and pizzas which is 5 minutes, which we always tell to the customers and they'll whine that "it'll take so long and I'll miss my movie, cant you just cook them that the same time and just take out my chicken at 3 minutes and continue cooking the pizza afterwards?" Which I have to tell them "no that could break the oven and it'll take a while to fix and that means nobody will get to order any hot foods," only to be questioned "what do you mean break the oven? I've never seen it broken before you're lying," I'm just relaying what I've been told by my managers and they've probably had to witness the oven breaking down more time than I have.
The unsalted popcorn and drink sizes always frustrate me cause I'd always get those people who wants the freshly made salted popcorn, than those who don't want unsalted popcorn so for the unsalted we have to hold the bag or container up to the popper to catch the fresh popcorn for them, than stir it up with the salted popcorn to mix it back up. I hate those who don't want the large size cause it "costs too much" and go for medium, than comes back demanding their free refill and gets mad when we tell them "that's only for a large."
The amount of time where I'll be taking an order for someone and I hear "HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST!!!' while they are waving it next to my register and I'm clearly trying to ignore them so I can finish my current customer's order.
I go to the movies twice a week with my son 11 with Autism and when appropriate my 6 year old daughter. Honestly I have nothing but nice things to say about all the employees. The employees at the concession stand are always so nice and the guy who takes the tix looks like Santa and is very friendly.
This past week I got the manager to give a tour of the projection booth at my theater for my sons Birthday and my son can’t stop talking about it. It was such a nice gesture.
I can only imagine the frustration you feel with some customers but rest assured most people are grateful for what you guys do at lest I am.
We don't have apple pay so people have to swipe their card. 9 times out of ten people will swipe with the strip facing the wrong way. Correcting them doesn't bother me. What does bother me is people asking how many times i have to correct people in a day.
"How many times a day do you have to say that?"
"About as many times as people ask me that question".
“We should sit all the way in the back because we don’t want to be craning our neck”
[In our recliner seats] and they also look up when they say that. I see it so much it’s such a dumb thing to be annoyed by but I still am
I had a lady audibly sigh yesterday when I told her our diet coke was acting weird. (Already tried to fix it but I was just not getting the nozzle reattached correctly and just went back) I just walked away and took my time but finally got it on correctly.) I had already been covered in sweat and now I was covered even more. Like fucking hell . Order another drink for the love of God.
People who can't figure out how turn off their headlights at the drive-in, or bring a vehicle where it's not possible to turn them off.
People that sit in the designated walkway or park their car in it.
People that sneak in as many people as they can, always amusing when they're not smart enough to unload unobtrusively in a back corner and get caught.
I understand bringing in some food, but don't show up and spend nothing at the concession stand. They're making almost nothing on the movies when it's two movies for $9 per person or even a car load for $20.
Movie theater was my high school job, absolutely loved it. I COULD NOT STAND when the line was super long (20-30 minutes) and people would get to the counter and not know their order. Like damn bro, what was you doing the last 30 minutes!?
People who buy tickets to Imax or Dolby and dont know what those things are. People who buy tickets through a 3rd party like Fandango or Atom. For that matter, people who have a Fandango gift card then get upset they can't use it in the theatre. People who pay with Apple Pay. People picking seats when buying a ticket to a sold-out show, then sit wherever they want because "it doesn't matter" When I have to refund the tickets someone bought online, but I can't refund the convenience fee, which they're told is non-refundable, and they start getting pissed saying I'm stealing their money. People standing in line for 10+ minutes and never once look at the menu, so when they finally make it to the register, they have no idea what they want. Large groups of people coming up to the register at the same time, but they're all paying separately. "Can I get butter in the middle?" "Can I get an extra bag to be able to share the popcorn?" - bitch it's already a giant ass tub. Just fucking pass it. When a parent brings their kids to watch an R rated movie that parent clearly doesn't intend to stay and watch, and I tell them they have to stay or the kids can't watch it, they agree then leave anyway, then I kick the kids out, then the parent comes back all pissed demanding their money back. Like, damn, that sucks. If only someone had warned you that exactly this would happen...
Kids films in IMAX and Dolby are the worst. Can you turn the volume down? No…next thing you know, mgmt is going to be running up and down adjusting volume. Then it’ll sit at the wrong volume for multiple days until someone notifies us. The people sitting in wrong seats (it’s always some jerk or old person choosing to do it purposefully and then docile/too nice people don’t speak up. By the time mgmt finds out, trailers are almost over. Ugh! I used to try to catch the parent/guardian when they try to leave kids unsupervised. Got so tired of it that I’d wait 30-45 minutes so that they can get comfortable, start sexy time, start grocery shopping, etc. Then kick the kids out.
I've done exactly that several times. There was a group of kids that I had told multiple times they couldn't see this R rated movie without someone 21 or older. They gave me a shit load of attitude and came back later with their mom. I gave her the same speech, she also gave me major attitude. So I watched them all enter the auditorium, then went up to booth a d watched them in auditorium through the porthole glass. I watched mom place her jacket over the back of the seat and stand there and explain to the kids exactly what to say if I were to come in there and try to kick them out. Then I watched her walk out and leave the building. So I let them sit through all the pre-show, all 20 minutes of trailers, then kicked them out the instant the movie started. Mom came back and demanded refunds. I told her no because she had done the very thing I explicitly told her not to do, then asked her to leave. It felt so fucking good.
> People who buy tickets through a 3rd party like Fandango or Atom. What's the problem here? Just people not understanding that they have to go to that vendor for refunds?
That's exactly why, actually. People just don't understand that
Yeah, that tracks. I remember having to tell people that when I would work box office and they'd ask for a refund or exchange. Now I'm a customer and for reasons outlined in another comment, I prefer Fandango. But I actually know who to contact for what issues, so I'm not your problem customers.
Sometimes it can cause issues if they want to refund the ticket or swap seats, but being they got those tickets from third parties instead of with the theater directly. I always strongly encourage customers to book tickets with us directly.
I get that it's frustrating, I've been on the customer end of that myself a few times recently. But I know it's not the theater's problem, it's between me and Fandango. The reason I started using them a few months ago instead of direct theater bookings is because for every 4 tickets purchased through Fandango, I get $5 in credit to use on another purchase, or a rental on Vudu or something. And that's on top of my theater benefits. So it doesn't cost me extra and it has a direct benefit for me. The only hiccup I've run into is trying to reschedule a ticket where I used some of that credit to pay for it, they block the refund. It's not a perfect system but I'll take the benefits. But I'm sure this vent exists because most of your customers are not me, and do not know that they need to work with Fandango for their issues, so I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I have also been on your end of things and it was never a fun conversation.
Yeah I buy all my movie tickets through fandango as a lot of the times I get a credit for rentals or purchases on their site.
Okay you were so spot on with these 😭
I hate when people think its MY responsibility to make sure they can share their popcorn???? Someone said they didn't want the hot dog boat to share popcorn (thats usually what we hand out), so I gave them pretzel bags instead and I guess they were okay with that but I feel like they're the same size
[удалено]
I can't say for other theatre chains, but at mine, yes, they can. Kinda. Everything is controlled off-site. So if we have to adjust the temp we have to either call the company that monitors the temp or log into the website. But even then, there's only so much we can move. It's also worth noting that these are large auditorium. It's going to take a while for the temp in the room to noticeably change. So if you come out and bring to our attention the temp is off, and we make the change right then and there, most likely *you* won't notice the change (or if you do it won't be until near the end of your movie). Also worthy of note is that if you're coming to watch a really popular movie, especially during its opening weekend, the auditoriums are just gonna be hot no matter what we do. You have hundreds of people packed into a room with food for hours at a time, there's only so much that can be done.
All of these are valid except one. What’s wrong with Apple Pay?
I can't do refunds for people who paid with Apple Pay.
Groups of people paying separately for 4+ tickets, especially if there is a line.
Especially if it's family members doing it. And one has a large amount of money that could have covered the entire transaction. Like pls just figure it out after. Just ask for a receipt. Ridiculous waste of time.
Total is 40$ for 4 student tickets. 1st person 2 5$'s 2nd person a 20$ 3rd person all singles Last person a hundred dollar bill. "Sorry bro I don't have anything smaller"
God. One time, this trio of teenagers were buying tickets, and one of them was adamant that they should all pay separately. She goes first. Pulls out a hundred dollar bill when it's time to pay. Her friends join me in just staring at her.
With reserved seating, I laugh inside when someone online buys a ticket between the seats of the group that is buying individually. Brings me joy. Like sorry, should have bought them together.
People that want "custom" orders like "can I get popcorn without the seasoning salt" "can I get a pretzel without the salt". Asking for things that are not on the menu like "cherry coke" or "French fries with cheese". People that ask for another bag or large popcorn bucket without paying extra for it - I will give them a courtesy tray but they do not want a tray but a bag..... Why not bring your own bowl/cup from home since larges are free refills.
YES! I swear some people think they’re gonna pull some “life hack” on me but no not today
when i'm at usher greeter, i tell someone which theater they're in, and they say "well i'm gonna go this way and get popcorn first" like okay?!? i don't care?!? everyone does it!! multiple times a day!! you don't have to tell me?!?
If I have to go to the bathroom I’ll go to the closet one down a diff hallway from my theatre so I’ll tell the ticket ripper so he doesn’t think I’m dumb going down the wrong hallway lol
I actually had a guest ask me "Are we NOT allowed to buy popcorn?" when I told them where their auditorium is.
What do you mean I have to pick a seat?! I can help whoever is next. (As they just proceed to stand where they are at and not move at all) I don’t want to sit in the front because I don’t want to be right on top of the screen! Why can’t I used my Fandango or AMC gift card here? What’s playing? As if the internet doesn’t exist and that there isn’t multiple TVs displaying showtimes or countless posters showing what’s playing.
When I worked there, I was the movie guru so I was always being called to Guest Services to provide a synopsis and/or opinion. It’s cool until a certain point.
I do up to TWO descriptions of movies until I point them to our information sheet. I had one guy try to give a plot description of every single movie we were playing at our megaplex and I'm not going to do that.
Yeah, I learned real quick. These people don’t care about movies…if they did, they wouldn’t be so lost or willfully ignorant. Same with people asking for movies and times on the phone. The first few times, I’d go through the list and picked up that there was a particular movie or two they had in mind…they just didn’t want to sound stupid I guess 🤷 I started asking if they were looking for something in particular - “Yeah, Quiet Place. What times y’all showing it?” “We have over 20 shows. What time frame are you looking for?” “10””Ok. We have a 9:45 standard and 10:30 IMAX…doors lock at 10:45 and concessions closes at the same time.” 10:50 hits - People banging on the door and yelling over the catwalk. “Aye! Y’all closed? I called earlier. I think I talked with you.” “Do you have tickets?” “No, we are trying to buy them.” “Box office is closed so if you don’t have e-tix or can’t buy them quickly online while still available, I can’t help.” “The manager said we could come in after close.” “I’m the manager and I was the one who spoke with you earlier. Instead of arguing with me, I advise you to purchase your tix online before the apps and sites make it unavailable.” 🙄
I love sitting up front, there is no one in front of me to ruin the movie, and it's so much more immersive. Especially with reclining seats, I don't understand the disdain people have for the front row..... Unless it's an off center front row seat. That I understand.
If I had a dollar for every time I said “This movie is in 3D so grab some 3D glasses!” And the customer (who bought the tickets at home) goes “?? It’s in 3D?” I’d be rich.
..."No, it's not 3D. That's why I just said that the 3D glasses are out the door, we just want to make the image darker for you."
"Can I get 2 tickets please? " For what film? What time? What ticket types?
"Two senior tickets." "To what?" "Honey, what's the name of the movie we're seeing???"
How did I forgot about this one 😂😂😂
"Are the drink refills free?" "Its self service" Probably happened once a day
I went to a subway one time that had self service fountain drinks but charged 30 cents for refills.
9/10 their follow up question would be "So are the drink refills free?" or "What if I buy a soda and then get an Icee?"
When people walk into a theater while the previous showing’s credits are still playing. When I tell people that there’s no post credit scene and they don’t believe me When guests get upset at me for not knowing what all the food on the menu tastes like
Guests walking into the next show while the previous one is still playing is absolutely infuriating, because it not only disrupts guests IN that showing, then they just sit there and watch you while you clean, completely oblivious that they aren't supposed to be there. Some people even do it when we tell them the theatre isn't ready yet. If we catch them and they give us attitude when we ask them that they should be waiting outside , we make them exit while we clean.
Ok, to be fair, I’ve been told there was no post show scene, and there actually was.
Havent worked at a theater in a decade but my biggest one was people complaining to me about prices. Yeah man I personally priced that bottle of water at $12 just to piss you off.
I would give a crash course on movie theater economics and why the concessions are so high. Made them feel stupid lol
When customers fight with each other over who’s paying and you’re just awkwardly standing there like: 🧍
That's when I have said whoever puts the payment in my hand first
When it’s a straight couple…I usually just grab the males but if it’s a group of friends, I ask for whoever ordered the most items 😭
Oh that’s so smart!
People handing me their loyalty card AFTER I tell them the total and go to the checkout screen... or worse, asking if I I can put the transaction under their account after the transaction is complete. I've had way too many older people get mad at me for not being able to put the points on their account, and they surley don't care enough to figure out how to add them themselves online...
If that happens when I help at a kiosk for our points card, I tell them to contact the help line to have your points added. I have even had people go "OH, I DO have my points card" after I have done the entire transaction.
I just tell them to see the managers and they can fix but then the customers give me attitude anyway. When we switched over to the new company, a lot of rewards weren’t switched and when I tell them to see the managers and they can fix it, they act like we told them to run a marathon
Not a fan of when an adult brings up a gaggle of kids they’re paying for and then don’t stay involved in supervising the order, I would very much like to sell them the 10 boxes of skittles they requested but I assume they’re not allowed to make that grand of a request, so now I gotta get the kids to pause while I attempt to get the uninterested parent involved in their bill
I’m sure this hasn’t changed: People waiting in a long line, and when they finally reach the counter, they STILL don’t know what they’re getting yet.
So real because it starts to make me feel like I’m holding up the line
I starts asking people to step to the side if it was really egregious.
When people bitch to me about the prices or portion sizes as if I made them.
We literally just work here 😭😭😭
When managers bend over backwards for asshole customers at the expense of employees.
THIS!! luckily I remember once my manager was literally on the floor fixing like the drain and I was using the register right by him. It was quite dead but I kid you not, out of all customers this one lady comes in and harasses me for a discount, to use my employee discount, and just complaining. She was like “let me speak to a manager” and the smirk I pulled was devious!!! The look on her face when my manager popped up from the ground was hilarious 😂😂😂 The only time they had my back though. She ended up leaving because the prices were too much
not me checking this to make sure i don't do any of this. 😂 *i don't phew also i looooooove assigned seating. unless you manage to get to a movie super early you're probably not getting the seat you want. now i just wait until a booking has the seats i want. and it's even better because you can ensure that a group can definitely all sit together.
Lol! Right!? I literally don’t even know why people ( typically older folks for me ) complain
OMG, i totally agree about a family not ordering together. It's always mom yelling in all directions across the lobby at her various family members
Right! We have a little arcade in our theater and it’s across from the concessions so it’s crazy how many times a parent will be yelling across the room to try and order for the kids like??? Wow it’s so crazy to me
BRYNNLEE! BRYNNLEE! WHAT DO YOU WANT??????
People who on a week day morning, stand next to the "please get tickets at concessions" sign and then complain that no one is in the box office People who tap their cards at the speed of light and then get upset when the card reader can't read their card People who interrupt me as I'm helping a different customer "One large popcorn, anything else for you?" "No that's it" *payment goes through* "Uh where's my drink" People who hit on me "The lights aren't turned on in the bathroom" but it's a motion sensor and all they do is crack open the door and then come complain
The complaint about box office not being open is so real. There’s a lady who comes to my theater a couple times a month and complains every time and questions us and I try to explain that it’s a Monday morning and not busy so we don’t see a point in paying an extra person to sit around for most of the day.
If I am working lobby/podium I always just send them to concession when they start complaining that we're "taking away jobs and replacing them with robots", yet have no problem watching a movie that is completely automated through digital projectors.
It's a classic but whenever you work on a holiday and get "sorry you had to work on a holiday". Ma'am, I know you mean well but you're literally the reason we're here.
"Thanks for coming to work today!" is always met with me with complete silence or a courtesy nod. Total cringe.
Yeah when I worked Christmas I was so shocked at how many families came…Now I know every family is different and things but I’m still not over how theaters are open all year round like that is crazy to me
Yeah I don't super understand the appeal of seeing a movie *on* Christmas. Like, don't y'all have presents to open and meals to eat?
To be fair, there are some people who don't celebrate Christmas. I go because I don't exactly celebrate and there's really nothing else to do. However, I don't say all that to an employee. I've worked long enough in retail/customer service that I feel that it was justified getting my ass kicked if I ever said that. 😆
But Christmas is one of the biggest moviegoing days of the year, in fact, I think it is the biggest other than like release days of megablockbusters. I don't think that business boom is coming from people who don't celebrate Christmas and have nothing better to do in late December.
when customers order and you get their order and when you turn around, they’re gone and at a different counter space on the other side
Omg this 😭 and for me the next person in line is already up at my counter like sheesh…can I at least get to call you next up
and when they start ordering before you can say anything. now you gotta be like “give me one second i gotta finish helping this customer first”
- When people ask for popcorn that's coming from the popper when we have a full warmer full of recently made corn. Or when they demand we make a fresh batch. - When they all decided to pay separately instead of all at once when we have a line behind them. - When people leave their trash like buckets and cups full of soda. I don't care if you spill popcorn, that's an easy clean. But pick up your fucking garbage. We have a trash can out. If you can pick it up when it was heavy and full of food, you can carry it out of your theater. - When people call about prices and showtimes where all the information is readily available online. - When they ask for unsalted pretzel bites when we have a warmer full of salted pretzel bites. - When people look at the menu for 10 long minutes deciding what they want as if they're studying it to see how they can save money only to then ask for a comp cup. - When people ask what the best deal is or if we have any specials or deals. Sir, ma'am, this is a movie theater. There's no such thing as 'the best deal' - People who don't know sales tax are a thing. "Oh, the menu said it was $6.45." yeah the menu doesn't include sales tax and there's a fine print that reads that. - When people ask what this one item cost. I have a menu above my head, it has all the prices and info you need. Use those reading skills you were taught in Kindergarten. - "Can I get this item in place for this part of the combo?" Where does it say you can get that size in substitute with the combo? - And the price complainers. Yes, I know our prices are expensive. But believe it or not, there is a valid reason. We actually hardly make money on the movies. If anything most if not all of the money in the box office goes to the studios who give us permission to show these films. So if you want this place to stay in business, that popcorn will be $10. - Kids. I just hate them. Parents need to learn to control their child. And they ALWAYS want an Icee. I remember hating Icees as a kid. Sometimes I wonder 'Was I like that when I was a kid?' - Those hot dogs that never wanna get up to temperature or finish cooking.
You hit the nail on the head with all of these….especially hotdogs like after this weekend Im so tired of hotdogs like I need my theater to get rid of them. I can make everything and don’t mind the other foods but whenever a hotdog is ordered all the floor staff look at each other like who’s gonna take one for the team
I had someone order 12 yes thats right 12 hot dogs then and the next customer waiting watched me box all the hot dogs we had and give em to him and still demanded a hot dog
**The STUBS Premiere line.** It's a great idea for big cities that can afford large staffs. But at a small location like mine, with a small staff? It's just a nightmare. First of all, half the time no one pays attention and like 30% of the people in the Premiere line aren't even Premiere members, and get all haughty when told they can't be in that line next time. Second of all, it's the *absolute worst* if it gets unexpectedly busy and you have a ton of people in the regular line... ...but you have to prioritize and call over Premiere members first... ...and the people in the regular line *freak the fuck out* over it. And I can't blame them. They've already been waiting for a while, and now they have to wait even longer and be ignored because some rando's spent an extra couple bucks *months* ago? It's pretty messed up. *(Well, I can't blame them for being mad... I can blame them for being mad at* ***me*** *specifically though, since it's not my fault.)* So like, ground-level employees are put in a shitty position... get yelled at by Premiere members if they aren't helped quick enough... or get yelled at by non-Premiere customers because they got ignored in favor of Premiere customers. I really wish that perk was either abolished or theaters would be allowed to phase it out. Far more trouble than it's worth for smaller locations.
30% is lucky af i feel like at least 80% aren’t in the right line & they come in saying “it doesn’t matter!” to go thru the premiere line 🤦🏽♀️
Wow this sounds like a complete nightmare, yeah they need to abolish that or change it or something because I can imagine they’re probably daily petty arguments because of it
People that come to my theater think that we get a normal pay but we actually rely on tips. We get $3 an hour, we bring your food TO YOUR SEAT, we offer REAL FOOD, please just tip us. Even 10% is ok!! Our tips get shared amongst each other, so we really need tips to survive.
THIS!!!
Tipping is a thing? Legit no clue. I pick up my concessions so, again, had no clue
I work at a theater where we sell actual food, like burgers, pizza, mac n cheese, chicken sandwiches, wraps, desserts, etc. and we also have a bar. We have a bunch of servers who take orders at the customers seats and then bring it over to them! We are like a restaurant theater :3 at normal theaters they get a normal wage, so theres no need for tipping.
Does management not do a good job letting customers know tipping would be appreciated?
Not really, we dont have any signs or anything. We do hand out receipts towards the end of the movie with a tip line, and they have to sign the receipt just like in a normal restaurant. Most people either cross it out or just leave it blank :(
Your management needs to do a better job it sounds like
It’s complaining that the popcorn is stale- when they just waited in a huge line, and that fucking popper has been churning non stop for 2 hours during a rush. BITCH IT HASNT BEEN STALE ALL DAY BECAUSE ITS BEEN RUNNING AT CAPACITY *GO TOUCH GRASS YOU PSYCHO!* I literally told the guy- dump that out in the trash and I’ll refill it for you, but I can guarantee you it’ll be the same, because this thing has been running since you came into the building.
No lie, one time a guest came up to me and shoved her popcorn bag in my face. "TASTE THIS!", she demanded at me. I asked what the issue was and she again told me to eat her popcorn and claiming it was stale and from yesterday. I know for a fact she got that maybe 20 minutes after it was popped. I turned this crazy woman over to my manager and I believe she got her another one from the same batch, and was happy about it.
When people are having full conversations at the counter and ignoring my question like we aren’t in the middle of a transaction. DO YOU WANT BUTTER OR NOT People letting their kids pay cash but not giving any direction on how to do it. So a kid will hand me a wad of cash with a random amount of money that I have to straighten and smooth to do anything with When I have to tell someone no and they go to a less experienced coworker and start a fight with them When I ask people about the next part of their order while I’m doing the first part and they won’t tell me until I’ve finished the first part. Im just trying to be efficient
Omg yeah people have a conversation or on the phone is a good one! I’m not the type to interject a conversation so whenever customers do that it is kind of overwhelming for me
"Can you LAYER the butter" accompanied by aggressive hand motions miming out layers like I don't know what they are.
It drives me insane when a mom comes up with a group of kids and they're all rushing past me with their candy and bottled drinks. Like PLEASE slow down, I need to see how many things you're getting so I can charge you for it.
Ooo this is a good one
you hit every one i was thinking, but also teenagers ordering separate in groups of 15 all standing at my register instead of breaking up n going to the next available register to make things smooth, or just putting their money together/cashapping eachother 🤦🏽♀️ or blatantly bringing food/drinks into the theater -esp since my theater has 2 trashcans outside next to the doors & one inside. i’ve had ppl bring in whole burger king, mcdonalds, and kfc meals straight from the restaurant still in their branded bags. OR “can u fill it halfway so i can put butter in and you top it off?” when we have a full lobby & i’m trying to get thru the line NOT stand and wait for you to put 13 pounds of butter and salt in your popcorn.
Yeah I hate big groups like ugh it’s already embarrassing enough to stand there while the whole group watches you. But yeah the butter layering takes the cake because like you said I have a lime and I’m stalling even more for you
For health reasons, we do not allow guests to walk over with a half bag of popcorn just to put the "topping oil" and then bring it back to concessions. That's a potential for cross-contimation, and also the reason we stopped doing refills per company rule. Big groups of people we URGE them to book ahead next time. With our reserved seating as well, it can also be a nightmare for everyone to book seats together.
yeah having to take the buckets grosses me out esp when refilling & it has hair n misc things in it 🤦🏽♀️ we’re just urged to not touch the scoop to the bucket & to not refill the bucket inside of the popper, only over the trash.
Had one guest call about their missing hot food….inside their theater when the film was going on. Another one is minor, but when they ask “wheres Auditorium G-14” Mostly a funny one 😅
Wow they are completely lazy smh but peoples reading and comprehension skills go down in theaters I guess?
-When the mom and dad are upset or irritated with each other. Communication? Nope! One of them doesn’t want to be there so they’re making it harder on the other. -When tourists or people who once a year come to IMAX (the only non-renovated auditorium) and say we need to upgrade and keep up with the times. It’s like…bruh everything else in this theater is renovated! -The people who wait in the long line, order hot foods and have the audacity to get upset about the wait. Like yeah…it takes 7 minutes to cook and there’s 4 orders ahead of yours. Just get a popcorn idiot. The people who show up after trailers are over, wait in line, order so many hot foods and then say we’re making them miss their movie. Not my problem. -Running out of stock. One lady was upset we ran out of icing for the cinnamon sugar pretzel bites. Had a crew member grab me because she wanted to speak with mgmt. Expected me to give her a discount since that’s the only thing she wanted and waited for. Like no, the POS doesn’t allow me to that. I updated the menu board to say cinnamon sugar pretzels are out so only choices are salted or parm garlic. Told her to get something else at full price or leave. If we were out of popcorn, I will bend over backwards for you. You don’t go to McDonald’s, get upset that they’re out of Filet of Fish and demand free food. -Price complaints were always met with a crash course on movie theater economics and why everything is so expensive. Shut them up and made them feel stupid real quick. -I wouldn’t get too upset about unsalted popcorn. Just sprinkled seasoning salt on the rest of the batch and mix in with the existing popcorn. The only popcorn thing that irritated me was freshness. Popcorn is currently and visually overflowing with popcorn and someone asks if it’s fresh. Wtf…as fresh as it’ll ever be. 75% when taste tests…they say it’s good but that popcorn has sat there for an hour lol all of this hoopla over something that gets cold quickly and with butter places on top, it makes it colder even quicker. That’s why as an usher, I’d see so many tubs and bags not even half empty.
Definitely the first one even with couples too! It be so awkward like I could accidentally trigger one or the other. But yeah I agree with everything else, I wish customers were just more AWARE. But too add about the freshness of the popcorn…trust me…I open and people will come to the first showtime and still ask if the popcorn is fresh…I’m literally waiting for someone to ask me this week so I can be like no it’s from last night just to see there reaction😭
I have a lot, but the one that stuck with me from the end of my shift is people coming in reeking of pot! I'm the biggest pothead and pro weed person you'll meet, however that shits disrespectful as hell to those around you. Do dabs, rip a cart, WEAR A SMOKING JACKET, there's tons of options to still smoke before a movie and not reek. Ultimately it fucks me over because I'm the one who gets yelled at because someone stinks. Also when people get mad that they have to wait for a manager and act inconvenienced. Like uh I'm sorry that I do not have the ability to solve your issue. But sure let me just pull my handy dandy mini manager I keep in my ass out and he can solve your issue. Minimum wage minimum fucks.
[удалено]
Why I'm glad our kitchen closes at 10 when the last showings start between 10-11.
💀 I love when they walk away from the register without taking their food. This lady complained to me ab now getting her popcorn and drink and I was usher but had nothing to do. So I offered to go get it for her and she said “No”.
Yeah when you are helping a customer and someone cuts them or interrupts you for a refill or a complaint. Or when a family has been standing in line for awhile and they STILL don't know what they want. Or I am standing at one register on the other side of the water cooler/candy case and the family walks to the empty register with no one there. Or when I am doing something else such as stocking or getting a delivery or pick up order ready and they come try to order from me when I am obviously in the middle of another task. At this point I tell people I cannot pop popcorn w/o salt because even if I do there is still salt residue in the popper therefore I cannot guarantee that it will be salt free.
You reminded me when customers go to the empty register when you’re standing at another one clearly…..like that is a major pet peeve for me. Usually I say I can help you over here and most of the times they come over. But I dislike the people who just expect you to go to them like ouuuuu don’t piss me off today. Disrespectful customers themselves are just annoying
When people buy tickets online and show up for movies 35-40 minutes late and say, “oh well you guys have 20 minutes of previews so we only missed a few minutes.” Like no lady! We have 9 minutes before the movie starts and you missed 1/3 of the movie!
They're also assholes because now they will stumble into the movie late and likely shine their phone lights all over the place to find their seats and piss off the people who DID show up on time.
When people don't keep their tickets. I'm pretty good at recognizing people, which helps, and the vibe check does a lot of heavy lifting, but the tickets are there for a reason. And it's annoying when there'll be a large group of people, and they use mobile tickets, with them all being on one person's phone. So they *can't* each keep their own tickets (well they can, if they share a screenshot, but that's not immediately intuitive for everyone). But that's more of just an inherent flaw in the system.
Yeah I get this. I too am pretty good at remembering faces but it does “look bad” from my managers pov when they see me just letting people in but for the most part I know who came in already and who hasn’t
In my case, I have the advantage of having been there for several years, and the managers trust my judgement. But not everyone would be so fortunate.
We sometimes have a parent come in with their kids and the parent is not seeing the movie, but only has tickets on her phone which means kids won't have a ticket. So what I do is grab a small piece of till paper or an old stub and write down the auditorium number and seat assignments, and ask one of the kids to take it. I learned to do this the hard way, because this happened when I didn't write down their seats and kids forget their theatre and seats, then just sit in random ones. Another thing I won't allow is that parent to go into the auditorium to "tuck them in" (as we like to call it), because we have actually had parents scam us with this, and just go ahead and sit down for a free movie.
How badly women trash the ladies room. Like WTF?!? The trash can is right there. You actually just threw that paper towel on the floor less than two feet from the can. And flush the damn toilets, ladies!
When you tell customers the movie started almost 30 minutes ago and they reply “I know”.
“where are the straws?” as we have multiple signs
People who tell me that they're late for a movie, but then order so much concessions that I'm running ragged all over the kitchen for 10 minutes. All while yelling at me that I'm taking so long!
"THATS A SMALL????" no. I ignored your order and gave you a different size because I'm too stupid to understand words. Alternatively, ask me multiple times and you'll unlock the *secret real small* because this one is the *fake small*. Edited to add: so we have a really famous hot dog place in our area and it's *amazing*, like super good hot dogs. They open charcoal grill them right in front of you when you order them as you watch, put whatever you want on them, from normal toppings to crazy like caramelized onions to mac & cheese. It's a little pricey but not moreso than our crappy hot dog roller hot dogs. I mean, you get what you pay for with them. AND THEYRE TWO BLOCKS AWAY. Why are you getting a questionable movie theatre hot dog that has been on a roller for who knows how long?
Hotdogs have become my worse enemy at work. I feel you though it’s like no one is paying you to buy this hotdog from a movie theater like I don’t wanna hear it
1.The assigned seating thing pisses me off,like how hard is it to pick a seat and go to that seat!?! I get tired of having to boot someone out of mine,and most of the time people don't argue,but I've had a couple who didn't want to move or threw a bitch fit about it! 1B.And on a side note,if the theater is damn near empty,why are you picking the seat dead next to me?(I know everyone has a choice)but it's kind of creepy,like the guy who picks the urinal right beside you when there's 10 of those damn things on the wall! 2.People who make a mess in the theater,me and my wife make sure to pick up after our selves (which we make minimal mess to begin with), people next to us looked like they miss their mouth 90% of the time spilling popcorn all over the floor,and also leaving candy wrappers and half drunk drinks cups. I know a crew cleans up between showings but come on,just shows how some people weren't raised right! 3.People that order half the damn menu at concessions,and are indecisive to boot,especially when there's already a super long line. 4.A group of teenagers unsupervised...don't need to elaborate!
1) Totally agree, whenever someone chooses to sit next to a random person when a theater is dead I always try to make it known like hey, someone is sitting right next to you and they’re still fine with it…I just hope they end up sitting somewhere else lol 2) Yeah some popcorn spills yeah but when people have smushed kernels, drinks spilled, cheese on the floor, and just left their food it’s like dude Fr??? 3) It’s usually families for me like everyone will get one of something but will be so indecisive about it….fun times 4) 😂😂😂
i hate when i always read back their entire order and ask if thats all and they have that look on their face that theyre off in dreamland and then after paying "what about my drink?.." "i didnt want this.." when they shouldve corrected me..
Yeah this really irks me too especially at my theater since we have a little screen that shows you what I’m clicking and your total so they have another chance to correct me
This is just something yesterday but it was a new one for me, guy was mad abt the AC being broken, which is understandable but he attempted to demand that we play the same exact movie at the exact same show time just in another auditorium for him, as if we don’t have a fulls schedule and movies in each auditorium 💀
Wow this is….something else lmao I have never experienced that 😭😭😭
People who leave their trash at their seats when there are so many trash cans. "The website says 'sold out', but it's probably only 80% sold." Recliners not being put down (there are a few exceptions) Ushers who were in before me only restocking restroom paper towels halfway Parents who teach their kids that it's okay to not clean up after themselves The amount of people who sit in the wrong seats and refuse to move
I've had several people get mad cause my theater didn't have Apple Pay too and I'd tell them "sorry but we just don't have it yet, cash or card?" Than they'll hold their phone up to me and say "BEEEP oh it didn't work, I'll pay with card," like they thought I was going to laugh at their joke or something, when there is literary a line of people waiting to order getting impatient and this person is taking their sweet time joking around and looking for their card to pay. We didn't have assigned seats, but people got mad about it and when the GM asked "would you like me to escort you to your auditorium and assign you a seat like a teacher would to her student?" They usually shut up about it and the only time we actually assign seats to anyone are the kids who are always running around, causing trouble and we've received multiple complaints about them, usually its to keep them away from one another and if they don't step managers will kick them out. Food is almost always a complaint cause we have hot dogs that are started when we start setting up concession stand, boneless chicken and pretzel bits that take about 3 minutes to cook and pizzas which is 5 minutes, which we always tell to the customers and they'll whine that "it'll take so long and I'll miss my movie, cant you just cook them that the same time and just take out my chicken at 3 minutes and continue cooking the pizza afterwards?" Which I have to tell them "no that could break the oven and it'll take a while to fix and that means nobody will get to order any hot foods," only to be questioned "what do you mean break the oven? I've never seen it broken before you're lying," I'm just relaying what I've been told by my managers and they've probably had to witness the oven breaking down more time than I have. The unsalted popcorn and drink sizes always frustrate me cause I'd always get those people who wants the freshly made salted popcorn, than those who don't want unsalted popcorn so for the unsalted we have to hold the bag or container up to the popper to catch the fresh popcorn for them, than stir it up with the salted popcorn to mix it back up. I hate those who don't want the large size cause it "costs too much" and go for medium, than comes back demanding their free refill and gets mad when we tell them "that's only for a large." The amount of time where I'll be taking an order for someone and I hear "HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST!!!' while they are waving it next to my register and I'm clearly trying to ignore them so I can finish my current customer's order.
Stop putting your feet on seats. Either in the one you’re sitting in and especially on the one in front of you. Yuck
I go to the movies twice a week with my son 11 with Autism and when appropriate my 6 year old daughter. Honestly I have nothing but nice things to say about all the employees. The employees at the concession stand are always so nice and the guy who takes the tix looks like Santa and is very friendly. This past week I got the manager to give a tour of the projection booth at my theater for my sons Birthday and my son can’t stop talking about it. It was such a nice gesture. I can only imagine the frustration you feel with some customers but rest assured most people are grateful for what you guys do at lest I am.
We don't have apple pay so people have to swipe their card. 9 times out of ten people will swipe with the strip facing the wrong way. Correcting them doesn't bother me. What does bother me is people asking how many times i have to correct people in a day. "How many times a day do you have to say that?" "About as many times as people ask me that question".
“We should sit all the way in the back because we don’t want to be craning our neck” [In our recliner seats] and they also look up when they say that. I see it so much it’s such a dumb thing to be annoyed by but I still am
When tearing tickets at the usher post. Me: “Enjoy your movie”. Customer: “You too”. 🤦🏻♂️
You should just abandon podium and join them in their movie at that point.
"I will when I go see this movie tonight, thank you!"
I had a lady audibly sigh yesterday when I told her our diet coke was acting weird. (Already tried to fix it but I was just not getting the nozzle reattached correctly and just went back) I just walked away and took my time but finally got it on correctly.) I had already been covered in sweat and now I was covered even more. Like fucking hell . Order another drink for the love of God.
"Are you sure you're not charging me twice"
People who can't figure out how turn off their headlights at the drive-in, or bring a vehicle where it's not possible to turn them off. People that sit in the designated walkway or park their car in it. People that sneak in as many people as they can, always amusing when they're not smart enough to unload unobtrusively in a back corner and get caught. I understand bringing in some food, but don't show up and spend nothing at the concession stand. They're making almost nothing on the movies when it's two movies for $9 per person or even a car load for $20.
Movie theater was my high school job, absolutely loved it. I COULD NOT STAND when the line was super long (20-30 minutes) and people would get to the counter and not know their order. Like damn bro, what was you doing the last 30 minutes!?
A customer trashing their seat and the floor then asking me to help look for their phone. Immmm too busy
Theaters that want you to pick out assigned seats. Fuck that. I'll sit where I please.
I will take great pleasure in having you sit in your assigned seat if you "skip" the seat selection.
Theaters will never enforce it because they're already desperate to fill seats.