Marky B

A young man was ordered out of his local cinema for bringing his own sweets into the cinema. As money was tight,he bought cheaper sweets at a local shop rather than pay the excessive prices they charge in the cinema.
I am in a quandry over this one. I don't buy anything to eat at the cinema,in fact I don't eat anything whilst I am watching a film at the local flix. I usually go to the cinema in the afternoon,and if I have anything to eat,I'll ruin my appettite for my tea.
However,if cinemas allowed people to take their own food in,it might give people the impression they can take their own food into cafes (believe me,it happens),or their own drinks into pubs and clubs (which I had an argument with someone who brought their own bottle of wine into my club).
Yet,it could be argued that a cinema is there to show films and not cater for food,and their profits are from the sale of cinema tickets. In most clubs,whereas you are not allowed to bring in your own liquer,you can bring in your own snacks,even though they do sell crisps,nuts,pork scratchings,sandwiches,pies,toasties,because clubs rely on wet sales.
Views on this anyone?
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

GRAEME

I think this is outrageous!

What next? Are they going to start searching us as we go in?

Cinemas charge exorbitant prices for their sweets and drinks and I have always taken my own.

Now, bringing in an entire fish supper... Or a bottle of scotch... (er, both of which I've done... in my shameful youth )

You have to be reasonable - as long as it isn't causing offence to other watchers then I think it should be ok. Just banning brining sweeties because they want to sell us theirs is a con. We pay enough for the ticket!

It isn't like eating your own food in a cafe. The principla business of a cinema is showing films. It is more like being on a train - you pay your ticket price for their service and you can buy their food stuff for convenience if you want to - but they should not stop customers bringing their own.

batman

We take drink and sweets to the cinema simply 'cos the cinemas charge too much money. I pay to go to see a film, not to buy the sweets on sale there .

I wish I had claws.

ShirlGirl

Yes I think that's really over the top. In fact, the theatre management very likely is in the wrong from a legal aspect. I can't see how they can dictate... "we allow our patrons to take food and drink into the cinema but we reserve the right to specify that it has to be only the food and drink which we provide on the premises and not from any other source ". Bull****! That's not democratic, it's communism!


IMO, food and drink should be banned from cinemas, because too many people make too much noise and make irritating pests of themselves. The constant rattling of confectionery wrappings throughout an entire movie can be infuriating.

Such a ban will never happen of course, too much money is involved.

Windthrop

The big cinema chains actually go into profit via no-ticket sales (I presume you are talking about either the Stockton Showcase or Middlesbrough Cineworld) food, drink et al. The staff have it drummed into them presumably and are therefore following managment instructions. In a bizarre way the public are subsidising the cinemas by buying the food and drink. Such are the vagaries of the financial world.

Still time to enter 'There Is Nothing Like A Dame' Quiz

Everett Sloane

I think it's fine to bring your own food, within reason.

When I saw Lawrence of Arabia on one of its re-releases the people in front of us went out to the local Chinese during the interval and came back with a full takeaway - sweet and sour chicken, chow mein, the lot. That was pretty distracting.

suzepulcheria

My local cinema, the Peckham Premier, does search for food, although this tends to be limited to teenagers. Their ticket prices are very reasonable indeed so I have some sympathy.

"I've come a long way you know!" "Equally long way to go back..."

Marky B

It would put me off as well. Anyone who brought fish and chips in with lashings of vinegar on,would make me walk out of the cinema.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

Marky B

Now that I do agree with. I remember many years ago (in the seventies),I went to the Classic Cinema in Stockton to watch a Peter Sellers double feature (The Return Of The Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again) and a woman brought her two sons in. Anyway,she left them and when she was away,myself and others were forever telling them to shut up. When she finally came back,it seemed she had purchased two bottles of pop from a local shop,and then if it wasn't their chatting,it was a constant glug,glug,glug,glug,glug.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

marker

no wonder I no longer go to the cinema

Cheers Marker

batman

They really search people for food .... for what reason? To stop them annoying other people with it, or to make them buy even noisier food (a bargain bucket of popcorn and a gallon of fizzy pop) at three times the price.

No cinema has the right to search it's customers .... it can refuse to let them in, but to search people is well out of order!

If any cinema asked to search me to find out if I was carrying a concealed Toffee Crisp, I'd make them call the police, they are the only people who have the right to search an individual.

Ooh ... me dander is all up!

I wish I had claws.

David Brent

What, to go out and buy your own cod and chips I suppose?

It is always a surprise to me to see how much stuff people actually consume during a film. You just have to see the piles of debris people leave on the cinema floor.

Although, with some films today running longer than 3 hours you do need a fair amount of supplies to keep you going.
I recently saw 'American Gangster' and during the last half hour I was bursting to go to the toilet (too much bottled water) but didn't want to miss the finale.
The joy I felt in the 'Gents' after the film was I'm sure heard around the cinema.

Dave.

Dame Starry

Oh Dave! Now you've just made me think of Leslie Neilson in that 'Naked Gun' film!

(You weren't mic'd up, were you?)

YDSL x.

faginsgirl

Instead of all this food being consumed during the film, I think it worked perfectly well when films had an interval and the ice cream lady came round, that way most of the ice cream and sweets were eaten in the interval without being annoying throughout the actual film.

I think getting a take away is INCREDIBLY inconsiderate, some people dont want that smell up there noses for a start!

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

suzepulcheria

Sorry, 'search' was shorthand. I did not mean a breach of human rights! What I meant was, the staff don't let teenagers with big bags (rucksacks, carriers, etc) in unless they open them to demonstrate they are not smuggling in cans and kebabs.

"I've come a long way you know!" "Equally long way to go back..."