Movie Morsel: Check Your Movie Times

I was really seriously considering making this a “Jerk at the Movies” article, but I thought it would be a lot more helpful to have this as a Movie Morsel instead.  It does have to do with a less than pleasant experience I had this weekend, but in the end it should help out a lot of moviegoers.

We live in an age where the internet is king.  Lots and lots of people use the internet to check movie times (I know I do), and many are using it to purchase their tickets as well.  However, just as when you check the paper for movie times, you have to be careful that the information that you have is accurate.  That’s basically what happened to me this weekend.

It was nearing the end of my shift, when I got called down and was asked to speak to a guest.  She was not happy at all because of our movie times.  She had emailed her friends and made plans to catch a 3:50 show of Sex and the City.  Sounds like a great plan, and a good time to be had by all.  However, she had checked the times on Thursday (and apparently one other time during the week), and was shocked to find that on Saturday afternoon, the 3:50 show was no longer available.  She felt that it was the theatre’s fault for false advertisement, and that the website was at fault.  I tried to explain to her that she should check to make sure that she had selected the correct date so that she would get the times for the right day, but that wasn’t enough.  I even checked the website again to make sure that it was right. (It was.)

She wanted us to provide her with something since the show she thought she was going to be able to see wasn’t available.  I don’t know what you think, but I don’t feel that we deserved to give her anything… she had improperly check the times.  I did feel bad, but I didn’t feel that she needed to escalate the situation the way she did.  In the end, she stated that we should not have a website that gives out false information, or have one that knows what day people want to see a movie.  I don’t think the latter is possible… and the information wasn’t false.  She had simply checked the wrong day.

So, the basic gist of what I’m saying here is… when you check your movie times, please make sure that you are checking the right day.  Some other things to keep in mind are:

• New movies come on Fridays.  The schedule will generally change on Fridays.
• Sunday is usually different than Friday and Saturday, as people don’t tend to go out as late.
• Monday - Thursday are generally the same, unless there are special screenings, or a movie opens early, like Hancock.
• When you go to the website, you’ll generally have a pull tab to pick the date, make sure it’s the right one!
• When in doubt… call the theatre!

Hopefully these tips help you out when you go to the movies.  Just trying to avoid unnecessary anger from guests, and frustration for myself and my employees.  Let me know if you have any other questions or comments!  And.. yes, the banners I’ve put up for Fandango are affiliate links.

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