We took our kids to see Shrek the Third this afternoon. We arrived early to purchase tickets for a later show. The ticket counter was quite busy with 10 or so people lined up behind each of the six counters. I walked past the crowd and up to the automated, Fandango branded, ticket machine. I purchased our tickets in less than 60 seconds. No mess, no surcharge, no waiting in line. Anyone could have done the same thing. I just happened to know it was there as there’s not a single sign to point it out which it needs since it’s around the corner from where the lines form. At the very least, the theater could have someone stand out front and direct people to it.
After we took our seats inside, I decided to grab some popcorn for the kids. The concession stand was packed. I was surprised at how slow the lines moved until I was near the counter and could see the problem. The person taking the money was same person filling the drinks, grabbing popcorn, scooping cheese for the nachos, etc. A second person to assist would have made the line go much faster. I noticed a number of people approach the concession line, hesitate and then return to their seats which is a huge loss to the theater given the markup on the food and drink.
As I stood in line I noticed large signs promoting “combo meals”. There were four different combo meals, one of which was a medium drink and medium popcorn which is what I was after. But none of the combo meals had a visible price attached. Not that I’m expecting to get a deal at the theater, but it would be nice to know if there’s a savings in buying the combo vs. individual items. The answer to that was “no” when my order totaled $10.50.
On second thought, maybe the theater leaves the prices off the combo meals for a reason.
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