Floating or Sinking? 5 April, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: Box Office, concessions, management, sales per person, suggestive selling, upselling
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It’s the end of the shift and it’s time to go into the metal plated room otherwise known as the Cash Office. When I take in my float I get that sinking feeling. It’s a bit like going through customs where you have that sensation of being potential guilty without reason. So how did I do? Am I short in which case are my pockets stashed with notes? Have I keyed everything in properly or have I filled in my forms properly to show my mistakes? The money side of the business is the serious side. Firstly, because we are not trusted by default. Secondly, because, on concessions, this is where the real money is made. We are expected to upsell and suggestive sell – if our sales per person is low then we get another bollocking.
Because of the computerised nature of it all myself and others have run up huge amounts of virtual money that has to be tracked back through how sales are recorded. It’s so easy to make mistakes on the Box Office where there are many options for ticket sales to consider: students, senior citizens, disabled people, gift tokens, and more. It is not difficult to work out which button to press but the capacity to miss a particular process is very easy. This creates ghost money on the system and keeps managers guessing.
The real concern is when one’s float is down. Any margin for error in your psychological profile and you are put “under investigation.” That margin can be as little as £3 for one transaction where you made an error of judgement. If you’re face does not fit then it may not be a mistake in the company’s view as one multifunctional found out. No one’ s figures add up but when it runs in to tens or even a hundred pounds then the managers need to make a decision about you. And if you’ve had a run in with the management already then you will get that sinking feeling again.
It’s raining again 24 March, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: 10 000 BC, Box Office, concessions, popcorn, sales per person, suggestive selling, The Other Boleyn Girl, upselling
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Outside the box office but up on the first floor inside the mall the rain drips steadily onto the marble floor. Its a brand new building and its failed the first rain shower test.
Today I start on concessions. Word is out this is the place not to be: long queues, customer aggravation and ice cream to prepare. But this is where the cinema makes its profits. This is where the upsell (“go large for 50p?”) and suggestive sell (“chocolates with your popcorn?”) must be built in as well as remembering all the food, drink, confectionery, ice cream and coffee. It’s daunting. But the approach is you have done the training (for about an hour as a group in a different cinema a fortnight ago) so you know what to do. The external managers and supervisors from other have no guidance from the internal managers and have been left to run the place. It’s crucial to gradually bed in staff: watch the manager, support the manager and then the manager watches and supports you. But no. No time. Watch me for five minutes and then your on your own. There is no price sheet. I have no idea how to log in and despite being shown by a manager she still fails to get it right herself and I get the blame at the end of the day.
Two staff are missing today. One turns up and the other goes AWOL. So the bar stays shut till more staff arrive at lunchtime. The kid on the checkbox tears his hair out as he has few colleagues to clean the screens and managers are missing. The rain means it’s a slow day until the afternoon. 10,000 BC is popular. Some films such as The Other Boleyn Girl are quiet except for a few women leaving the end of the film crying. The beheading clearly did it for them.
A customer wants some jalapenos on his nachos. But the can opener is missing. Then it’s found but doesn’t work. Eventually it’s sorted out. But the customer has gone, disgruntled, by then. So why is there only one can opener in this place?
Eventually, we run out of popcorn and I am put on the popcorn kettle. The manager reassures it’s okay for another kid to use my float. The kettle may be new but one of the two kettles is still bust. I have never been shown how to boot one up and the poor internal supervisor is as perplexed as me. I figure it out in the end and off we go. It’s noisy, boring and repetitive, and not popular with the kids, but hey, it’s a break from some of the more boring jobs: making up the nachos trays. Now how boring is that?
It’s time to go and a kid has been asked to make popcorn. He calls me over as he and the internal supervisor are struggling – the kettle won’t heat up. I explain he has left the oil switch on and its flooded the kettle. If staff had been properly inducted into the job then there would not be problems like with the popcorn kettle.
It’s busy and I can’t get off my station. I eventually take my float and two external manager decide to escort me down to the cash office – there is no tube available to send it down. I then get told off for not coming down and collecting a tube. I bite my tongue. I have no silver so I get told off again for not having cash changing skills. I want to slap this patronising upstart. I then get told off for letting another kid use my float. I want to let rip but she then praises me on my sales per person.
Enjoy The Film 1 March, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: customer experience, multifunctional, popcorn, suggestive selling, upselling
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Enjoy The Film. That’s what we say. After every sale. After every encounter. Make it special for the customer. We are different because we focus on that customer experience. That way we can improve the spend per person. If they are happy customers they will come back. We can upsell and “suggestive” sell of additional products. They might even treat themselves to the VIP box. Enjoy the film.
Late last year I found myself struggling to afford my mortgage. As well as working as a full-time manager I took a part-time job with a top cinema chain as a multifunctional. By day I manage a budget and negotiate targets; by night I serve popcorn and implore my customers to “enjoy the film” as part of making the customer experience special. That way, at the weekend, I can provide for my son and not need to find the cash to go to the flicks with my mates – because I’ve seen the film already. But the real show goes on “noises off” behind the scenes. As I change my tie for a baseball cap I mix with young people instead of managing them. I adopt a different persona and count the hours till clocking off time.
This blog is a diary of my journey in to new territory: the cinema, a new state of the art venue, a new group of young people entrusted with giving the customer the highest quality experience and the success of the company’s reputation in the town. It’s an adventure for everyone and it’s not going to plan – even before the cinema has opened.
