The Honeymoon is Over 17 June, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: Fools Gold, In Bruges, multifunctional, sales per person, supervisor, training
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It’s a Thursday night so it should be relatively busy. Fools Gold is on the main screen which is not a good sign. The weather is warming up, so crowd pullers are needed to keep the profits coming in. In Bruges is all we have tonight.
I find out that the day has been appalling with even the shift managers joining the mulitfunctionals for a chat. This is not good. Already they are not showing late night films and Concessions had only one rush all evening. The Sales Per Person is holding up compared to other sites but, as I check the screens, the numbers are poor. One screen has no one in it. It usually takes at least two multifunctionals to clean a screen but I manage on my own even with a rush of change overs. It’s a slow night all round.
After three weeks’ training and then a stern effort to impose those standards it appears the rule book is being thrown out of the window to hold on to customers at any cost. On the floor I am presented with a customer with a ticket to see the wrong film. The rules are he needs to exchange it for a correct one so the system has an accurate record of attendances for films. Bollocks to that, the manager says just let him in.
I’m on the floor tonight which means cleaning screens between films. The manager’s job is to construct the screenings for the night. Oh look, in one screen the film finishes after the next one starts! Luckily ( or not for the company) no one is actually watching the earlier screening so projection cuts the film early in time to start the next film. Projection diplomatically point out to me that the times for another screen are completely wrong. It’s not clear at all that the duty manager tonight has any idea of this.
A lot of staff have left already and another batch will go when University finishes for the Summer and there will be no one here to train the new crew. So far only one multifunctional has been appointed to supervisor. But will they cull the establishment numbers to keep costs down?
Building Site 16 March, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: Ben and Jerries, Carlsburg, Coffee Republic, ice cream, popcorn, training
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There is only a number of days to go before the site is open to the public. Seven in fact. The first day is for family and friends. The second day is for VIPs. The third day is the soft launch and the fourth day is the media launch. But you’d never guess it from looking around the site. First off is that it’s not all open to us the workers. The builders are still building. Next off the site is quite simply full of stuff. Stock and equipment is everywhere sharing space with the builders tools and rubbish. A consequence of this is that no one knows where anything is or even if it has arrived. Carlsburg, Ben and Jerries, and Coffee Republic are on site to train us but it’s not that easy. The East European trainer for Ben and Jerries is missing equipment. The French coffee trainer is also missing equipment. The Cheshire know-it-alls from Carlsburg have a leaking bar. But they can’t even turn that into a decent joke.
So as we weave round the site dodging various hazardous piles and grinding in the the muck and dust in to the new carpets (not that all the screens have new carpets yet) we suspend our disbelief that this site will really be ready. But, hey, the kids don’t care because they get to line their stomachs with delicious Bohemian Rhapsody ice cream.; the Carlsburg training is a damp squib as they want to drink the beer not the wine (those that do drink – as well as religious reasons some just don’t – good on them); the coffee training (the man spent an hour teaching us what can be reduced to pressing a button, these kids are the internet generation for heavens’ sake) is hilarious as the kids will only drink the hot chocolate.
Popcorn training? Box Office training? Forget it – the popper is stuck in customs and the box office is, well, it just isn’t ok?
Dysfunctional Training 11 March, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: training
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Training to be a Multifunctional is a long drawn out affair. Three weeks to be precise. No stone is left unturned: cash handling, box office, food hygiene….We are trained in a local football club conference room because the new site is being built. The group is in its early twenties and multicultural reflecting more the educational and life chances facing young black and Asian people than the make up of the area.
Recruitment for the Love of It 2 March, 2008
Posted by Drop Box Junky in Entertainment, Movies.Tags: interview, job satisfaction, recruitment, training, wage, young people
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The recruitment process for becoming a Multifunctional is spread over three stages. The first stage is the group interview where the interviewer sifts out those that cannot communicate or communicate so badly they cannot be put in front of a customer. The five minute chat serves no other purpose than information giving. About a hundred hopefuls apply. Competition is actually tougher for the company as there is already a local cinema and also a whole new mall open with top brand name stores competing for excellent customer service skills.
The next stage is the one to one interview. Reaching the destination was a challenge as the office complex gates had been kept locked that morning preventing entry. The interview itself took less than fifteen minutes with the interviewer using up most of the time to repeat the information given to us in the group interview. I was asked two questions and then it was his show. Why was I applying? Yes it was okay to need the money and to choose a cinema because I love films. How was I going to cope with working a sixth day of the week. The interviewer listened to my robust response and then answered the question himself by emphasising how easy the work is. But I was not sure that answer was really directed at me. He seemed to imply the work was easy but the ability of some of the applicants to focus was questionable. Perhaps more difficult questions could filter them out? Dealing with difficult customers? Handling complaints? What is customer service?
The third stage is the training. It’s length (three weeks) and assumption of knowing nothing beforehand could potentially put off the good ones. In fact there are drop outs straight away. It is not gruelling but some will still fail.
This is not highly paid work. The premium offered over the local rival cinema generates no desertions. The apparent depressing atmosphere at the local Sainsbury grocery store is a big driver. But Tesco pay substantially more and have no vacancies. Ken Livingstone spoke this week of over £7 an hour as a minimum wage – way more than what we are being paid. The benefit? Real evidence of lower turnover and higher job satisfaction. That’s a win-win and what these young people want more than seeing a film for free.
