Is it tacky to bring your own snacks to the movie theater?

[Guest]

The hide on the right looks like a turtle shell in the small pic, a deformed one but one none the less

Oh yeah, I guess it does!

By the way, yes, I'm an immigrant. I think, being one makes me more cognizant of the rules because I kinda have to know them - especially since a lot of them are different from where I came from. A lot of times, an American doesn't even realize there's a rule against something when popular culture contradicts it.

Here's an interesting tidbit as an example. In the Philippines, you don't have to go to the theater at the appointed schedule. You can go into the theater at any time - even in the middle of the movie. Then you can stay as long as you want - a lot of times, when you go in the middle of the movie, you stay until the next show starts and when you get to that part of the movie that you have seen, then you leave. A lot of teen-agers watch the same movie over and over all day long until they "get" it. English not being the first language and all, sometimes we miss a lot of the conversation. Sherlock Holmes for example, would be one of those we get to watch over and over before we get that "a-ha, I get it" moment.

So, when I started going to the movies in the U.S., I had to figure out the "rules" of movie-going because they don't let you stay past one showing... so, catching the movie in the middle of the showing would have been a big mistake.

[john doe]

BYU allows you to bring in an empty water bottle and fill it at their drinking fountains for free, but you can't bring the bottle pre-filled. I always thought that was a silly rule, but I guess it's effective every other year when the Utes come to town.

[pam]

When I was in my teens, that's how a lot of theaters were. We could stay all day and watch the same movie over and over. But the thing was..the theaters were filthy. With people staying, they didn't have the clean up crew come in after each showing to clean it up for the next viewing. I think I like it better with the way it is today. At least I can come into a cleaner theater.

Edited January 11, 2010 by pam

[hordak]

When I was in my teens, that's how a lot of theaters were. We could stay all day and watch the same movie over and over. But the thing was..the theaters were filthy. With people staying, they didn't have the clean up crew come in after each showing to clean it up for the next viewing. I think I like it better with the way it is today. At least I can come into a cleaner theater.

Was that before or after "talkies":p

[pam]

Why is their a blank space between my last post and this one?

[Bini]

When I was in my teens, that's how a lot of theaters were. We could stay all day and watch the same movie over and over. But the thing was..the theaters were filthy. With people staying, they didn't have the clean up crew come in after each showing to clean it up for the next viewing. I think I like it better with the way it is today. At least I can come into a cleaner theater.

Things might have changed since I was last in PI but this is what I remember about the cinemas there.

You could bring your own food and drink. It always smelled like Jolly Bee or Pizza Hut.. People hung out in their seats all day it seemed. Like, camped out. The only time you'd get people getting up is when everyone was expected to, for the unconventional routine of playing the Philippines National Anthem, before the movie started. Believe it.

[WillowTheWhisp]

It used to be like that here too in the olden days.

Please can I emphasise once again that I have never 'sneaked' food into a cinema or anywhere else if the rules forbid you taking in your own food. For example I know of places to eat where there are shared outdoor tables. You can buy food and drink from any outlet and then sit and enjoy it. No rules against eating something you have brought with you. I also know of a shop which has an attached restaurant. When the restaurant ran out of lemonade one day it would not permit someone to drink lemonade there, which they had bought in the shop, along with their meal which seemed a bit harsh to me as it was still the same shop's lemonade.

I had to smile at:

there's a service desk apart from the ticket counter

Our cinema doesn't even have a ticket counter! We have to buy the tickets from the refreshment counter!

[RipplecutBuddha]

Okay, I actually read the entire thread (including the diversions into preffered truck manufacturers and who makes the best burgers), and I'm surprised no one has said this before;

Put the shoe on the other foot and assume you run the theater. Most movie theaters are owned by larger companies. The owning corporations are the ones that set the ticket prices, because they have to pay for permission to play the movie in their theaters. The theater itself only gets a small part of that money. The rest of the employee's income has to come from concession sales. Not to mention the cost of running the facility, paying taxes, and all other expenses associated with running any business.

Ask yourself this, As a theater manager, would you allow your customers to bring in their own food? Of course not, because it hits you immediately at the bottom line, and that is covering your expenses. Paying your employees rightful wages is an expense to any business.

After having worked at a diner for several months now, I can tell you that food cost vs. profits is a very serious issue. Do you actually think the theater owners want to charge such high prices? Or do you think they'd love to be able to slash their prices and get a bigger slice of the market? Imagine a theater that only charges 50 cents for any concession item while the competition is charging multiple dollars for the same stuff...where would you go?

Going to the movies is not an entitlement, it is a luxury purchace. If you don't like the high prices, wait until you can rent the movie for far less, and watch it at home where you can eat any food you want at no additional cost to you.

I normally don't go at all, unless I really really want to see the movie in the large theater format. Then I'll be prepared to pay whatever prices they charge because I'm seeing it at their facility which is run by their employees, who deserve to be paid for their work.

And no, I've never snuck in food to a movie...it's just never been that big a deal to me. I already know the prices are gonna be high, so I'm ready for what it costs to have what I want.

[WillowTheWhisp]

But there is absolutely no reason why anyone should feel obliged to buy food at the cinema. Surely by your reasoning it is even worse for the cinema owner/manager to have people stay away from seeing the film because they cannot afford the food. The food should be an optional extra. Yes going to the cinema is a luxury and so few people go these days that there have been times when the place is more than half empty. If I was the cinema manager I wouldn't want to turn more people away. I'd be glad of them spending money to watch the film even if they didn't buy refreshments.

[Guest]

But there is absolutely no reason why anyone should feel obliged to buy food at the cinema. Surely by your reasoning it is even worse for the cinema owner/manager to have people stay away from seeing the film because they cannot afford the food. The food should be an optional extra. Yes going to the cinema is a luxury and so few people go these days that there have been times when the place is more than half empty. If I was the cinema manager I wouldn't want to turn more people away. I'd be glad of them spending money to watch the film even if they didn't buy refreshments.

Willow, the issue is not buying/not buying refreshments. The issue is bringing your own refreshments. You do not have to buy refreshments. But any theater owner knows that movies and popcorn go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly. So, chances are, if somebody goes to watch a movie, he would want a popcorn. So, bringing in your own munchies from outside is a guaranteed-loss-of-potential-sale for the theater owner.

[WillowTheWhisp]

But Anatess I am between those two points of view. Sometimes we wait and settle for watching the DVD later at home which is cheaper but there are times when we can afford the cinema and enjoy watching something on the big screen but not with the added munch. Some of the people here seemed to be saying it is not fair on the cinema owners not to buy the refreshments. When we do go to the cinema we often go with an 'Orange Wednesdays' discount voucher because we are on a limited budget but I assume the difference is made up by Orange.

[Guest]

But Anatess I am between those two points of view. Sometimes we wait and settle for watching the DVD later at home which is cheaper but there are times when we can afford the cinema and enjoy watching something on the big screen but not with the added munch. Some of the people here seemed to be saying it is not fair on the cinema owners not to buy the refreshments. When we do go to the cinema we often go with an 'Orange Wednesdays' discount voucher because we are on a limited budget but I assume the difference is made up by Orange.

Nobody in this thread that I have read ever said you have to buy refreshments. Of course you don't. Unless there's a rule posted at the theater that says, "You have to buy refreshments with your movie ticket". And I have never seen a single theater in my years of attending movies in America that has that rule. The refreshments are there as a "sales opportunity" using the movie as the "attraction". Theaters make money on the refreshments because of the cultural tradition of refreshments with a movie and not the imposition of refreshments with the movie.

[WillowTheWhisp]

OK maybe I have just misunderstood the posts saying that the refreshment profits are part of the budget of the theatre and we should not deprive them of those profits. I was mainly going off what Ripplecutbuddha just said about the theater itself only getting a small part of the ticket money and the rest of the employee's income having to come from concession sales, plus the cost of running the facility, paying taxes, and all other expenses associated with running any business. Then saying if you can't afford the prices stay home. I took that to mean that we shouldn't go if we don't also buy refreshments along with our ticket.

[RipplecutBuddha]

That's not what I meant to say. I meant that that's how I view it when I go to the theaters. You shouldn't feel obliged at all to pay for something you don't want at the theater, especially if the prices bother you.

However, if you go to the theater, and bring in your own food, chances are you're gonna sneak it in...why? Because you know that odds are it's frowned upon by the theater. So...if you're gonna go to the movie, and you know you're gonna want to eat something during the film...the honest thing to do is pay for the snacks they offer.

You can go to the theater and not eat/drink/buy a single thing besides the ticket...I've done that too...not a problem.

What I have a problem with is people justifying sneaking food in (when they know very well it's the wrong thing to do) just because they don't like the prices.

The Prophets have consistently told us to live within our means. If we lack the means to comfortably attend a film at a theater and pay for the food the theater offers, then we can either go without, or just not go at all until we can afford what we want.

Again, this is just my opinion, but the facts are that most of the employee's wages come from concession stand sales...that's just how the bugeting works out in most theaters. They are very limited on how much money they get from ticket sales, so the rest of the money has to come from somewhere, especially in mosty empty theaters.

[WillowTheWhisp]

OK I think we agree on this - for me living within my means is buying the tickets but not the refreshments and I figure that me doing that is far better from the cinema owner's point of view than me not going at all. It still costs them the same to show the film if the theatre is full or half empty. If I was the owner I would rather have it full and make a small profit from those ticket sales than make no profit at all because people like me stayed home because of the high prices of the popcorn and hotdogs.

[Gatsby]

I think you have to sneak in food if you're going to bring in food from home because the AMC and Regal near my apartment don't allow outside food.

Anyway, I always buy a large coke. I don't eat any snacks while watching movies. I don't even finish my drink.

[MichaelCraig]

Can't sneak in snacks???? So I guess sneaking my camcorder in, filming the movie and selling the bootleg dvd's at the flea market is out of the question, huh? SHEESH! What's the world coming to??? Just kiddin folks. That has to be the ultimate robbery and as crazy as it sounds this is done and on a regular basis. I heard on the radio the new movie Avatar has broken a new record. It is the most bootlegged movie ever to date. Within a day or two after the movie hit the theater pirates had it uploaded to several bit turret websites and I think they said something like a half a million downloads had already been done. Talk about stealling. WOW!!!

[Bini]

^

Yep. This happens all the time.

[Wisc]

Here is my delima. These places charge $8 for a movie that will cost me $1.50 if I just wait 3 weeks to see on a slightly smaller if not same size at another theater down the road. Second they charge $5 for the exact same candy I could get for $0.85 at the gas station. Perhaps if they sold something in higher demand and less supply like a Wonka bar or Everlasting Gob-stopper I'd be willing to pay with my left arm but not for a Snickers bar!!!!

Ok maybe its cheating to bring your own food... but isnt it also cheating to demand people pay a 450% mark up? The term highway robbery ring a bell?

I say keep bringing in your own food. Then they will get the hint and make it actually convienent and make more sense to the customer to buy their products. I mean how did we get car makers to start making faster cars? We drove our slow cars as fast as we could!!

[pyxiwulf]

people have been sneaking their own snacks in droves for my entire 31 years, the only change I've seen is concession prices going higher and higher.

[Egowaffles]

Who brings their own treats to a movie? Thats disgusting you are basically stealing from movie theather

[coolreturnedmissionary]

I personally feel like it's a judgement call that one has to make between themselves and God.

[ttribe]

Here is my delima. These places charge $8 for a movie that will cost me $1.50 if I just wait 3 weeks to see on a slightly smaller if not same size at another theater down the road. Second they charge $5 for the exact same candy I could get for $0.85 at the gas station. Perhaps if they sold something in higher demand and less supply like a Wonka bar or Everlasting Gob-stopper I'd be willing to pay with my left arm but not for a Snickers bar!!!!

Ok maybe its cheating to bring your own food... but isnt it also cheating to demand people pay a 450% mark up? The term highway robbery ring a bell?

Then don't go....that's what sends the real message.

I say keep bringing in your own food. Then they will get the hint and make it actually convienent and make more sense to the customer to buy their products. I mean how did we get car makers to start making faster cars? We drove our slow cars as fast as we could!!

Are you suggesting that "two wrongs make a right", or that "eye for an eye" is appropriate?

[miztrniceguy]

There is a new theater in Kansas City that has comfy plush chairs and waitresses to bring you food before the movie.

[talisyn]

Ok, let's compromise. Drive Ins!!!