Grim H.
06-18-2004, 12:37 AM
Now, as some of you may know (or don't know, depending on the number of people who actually read my posts) I work at a theater. This is no ordianry theater, I assure you. This is a real high-end classy art theater. That means more foreign films, independent films, and no Area 51 in the lobby.
As much as I love working there, you must realize I have to deal with a lot of stupid questions like "Is that movie in French?" and "Why didn't you get (insert hollywood crapfest here)?"
Working in the box office gets you twice the amount of stupid questions because that's where people come first.
The incident that comes to mind is opening weekend for The Day After Tomorrow. Being an artsy-fartsy theater, we weren't playing it.
Now, when you tell people the movie they want to see isn't playing, you can get different results. Some people just casually walk away. Others might see a different movie. But other people, other people can be really fucking stupid...
Now, apparantly, since we wanted more ticket sales, we were going to play Harry Potter. However, there was a problem and it was never shipped to us. My friend, who was working in the B.O. had someone yell at him for it. The guy asked for a ticket to Harry Potter (obviously not noticing the rather obvious marquee above him, which did not list Harry Potter). When my friend said we weren't playing it, the man got rather angry...
"What the hell do you mean you don't have it?"
"There was a problem and it was never shipped to us," my friend replied.
"That's not an excuse!" Then the man stormed off. I swear it's true.
If that's not an excuse, I don't know what is.
This brings me to the point I was trying to get at. Why, when people have a complaint about theater schedules, do they take it out on the staff, who can't do a god damn thing about it? This happens a lot when the newspaper screws up our show times. Somehow people think the newspaper knows our times better than we do.
"But tha paper said.."
"Well, the paper's fucking wrong now, isn't it?
I've had people yell at me cause it's against policy to accept $100 bills. Yes sir, I'd be happy to risk my employment just to please you...NEWSFLASH!!! Carry smaller bills, you yuppie asshole.
People walk out of movies when they realize they're in other languages. Gee, you seemed so interested in the movie before, so what's the problem? You can read, can't you?
For years, adults have been telling me to read. Now, it seems, all the people who've told me that have the attention span of gnats and don't want to "read" a movie...
Some people aren't pleased no matter what you do. I always here someone complaining about service at the concession counter. "Hey bitch, I'll bet you've never worked in the service industry in your life." Working concession is hard. At our theater, we don't just fetch popcorn, we actually have to make coffee drinks and other things. It's not all just ready-prepared and we can just grab it and give it to you.
Here's a tip: If you're ten minutes late: DON'T BUY FOOD Hold off on stuffing your fat cow face for two hourse...geez, no wonder America's fat!!!
I guess you can't teach the world to sing. Someone's always going to find fault with things. Mostly what I've observed are the pessimistic tendencies of people. They refuse to try something new (ie, foreign films) or refuse to just shrug it off (ie, certain movie's aren't playing). Working in the service industry you notice how nitpicky people can be...and it saddens me a bit. Because it's like a miniature scale replica of what's wrong the world. It's not necessarily too much violence on TV, or loss of family values, it's just that people never shut the fuck up and take things in stride. They hold grudges and take everything too seriously. They have no sense of humore, and hence can't laugh at themselves...
Once, I had one very cool customer...he asked me for some of the chocalates we carry. I asked him which flavor, to which he replied...
"I don't even care, you choose!" I gave him the milk chocolate. There's a man who knows how to live, I thought. Truly, a free-fucking spirit...
(Those of you who also work in service position, feel free to post your observations)
As much as I love working there, you must realize I have to deal with a lot of stupid questions like "Is that movie in French?" and "Why didn't you get (insert hollywood crapfest here)?"
Working in the box office gets you twice the amount of stupid questions because that's where people come first.
The incident that comes to mind is opening weekend for The Day After Tomorrow. Being an artsy-fartsy theater, we weren't playing it.
Now, when you tell people the movie they want to see isn't playing, you can get different results. Some people just casually walk away. Others might see a different movie. But other people, other people can be really fucking stupid...
Now, apparantly, since we wanted more ticket sales, we were going to play Harry Potter. However, there was a problem and it was never shipped to us. My friend, who was working in the B.O. had someone yell at him for it. The guy asked for a ticket to Harry Potter (obviously not noticing the rather obvious marquee above him, which did not list Harry Potter). When my friend said we weren't playing it, the man got rather angry...
"What the hell do you mean you don't have it?"
"There was a problem and it was never shipped to us," my friend replied.
"That's not an excuse!" Then the man stormed off. I swear it's true.
If that's not an excuse, I don't know what is.
This brings me to the point I was trying to get at. Why, when people have a complaint about theater schedules, do they take it out on the staff, who can't do a god damn thing about it? This happens a lot when the newspaper screws up our show times. Somehow people think the newspaper knows our times better than we do.
"But tha paper said.."
"Well, the paper's fucking wrong now, isn't it?
I've had people yell at me cause it's against policy to accept $100 bills. Yes sir, I'd be happy to risk my employment just to please you...NEWSFLASH!!! Carry smaller bills, you yuppie asshole.
People walk out of movies when they realize they're in other languages. Gee, you seemed so interested in the movie before, so what's the problem? You can read, can't you?
For years, adults have been telling me to read. Now, it seems, all the people who've told me that have the attention span of gnats and don't want to "read" a movie...
Some people aren't pleased no matter what you do. I always here someone complaining about service at the concession counter. "Hey bitch, I'll bet you've never worked in the service industry in your life." Working concession is hard. At our theater, we don't just fetch popcorn, we actually have to make coffee drinks and other things. It's not all just ready-prepared and we can just grab it and give it to you.
Here's a tip: If you're ten minutes late: DON'T BUY FOOD Hold off on stuffing your fat cow face for two hourse...geez, no wonder America's fat!!!
I guess you can't teach the world to sing. Someone's always going to find fault with things. Mostly what I've observed are the pessimistic tendencies of people. They refuse to try something new (ie, foreign films) or refuse to just shrug it off (ie, certain movie's aren't playing). Working in the service industry you notice how nitpicky people can be...and it saddens me a bit. Because it's like a miniature scale replica of what's wrong the world. It's not necessarily too much violence on TV, or loss of family values, it's just that people never shut the fuck up and take things in stride. They hold grudges and take everything too seriously. They have no sense of humore, and hence can't laugh at themselves...
Once, I had one very cool customer...he asked me for some of the chocalates we carry. I asked him which flavor, to which he replied...
"I don't even care, you choose!" I gave him the milk chocolate. There's a man who knows how to live, I thought. Truly, a free-fucking spirit...
(Those of you who also work in service position, feel free to post your observations)