Tim's Web Log #3

Tim's Web Log #3
Thoughts and opinions of an opinionated person

Sat, 02 Aug 2003

What a nation of sheep we have become, myself included.

I went to a movie last weekend. Besides having the unmitigated gall to charge me $7.50 to force me to watch 15 minutes of bad television advertising, they actually have the nerve to try to sell soda for $3.50, $3.75, and $4.00 for a 24 oz., 32 oz., and 44 oz. cup, respectively.

Holy carbonation, Batman! Why aren't we outraged at that? They're charging $3.75 for a paper cup with colored sugar water, when I could buy the EXACT SAME cup of colored sugar water at Seven-11 for $1.19, or at McDonald's for $1.50 with unlimited refills. Plus, neither Seven-11 nor McDonald's forces me to watch paid advertisements from Coke while I'm drinking it!

The time has come to end the "no outside food or drink" regime at our nation's theaters. You can't tell me that movie theater owners would go bankrupt if they cut all the concession prices by 50% tomorrow. I say we enact some civil disobedience and start smuggling in our own treats. Theater owners do not have a constitutionally-guaranteed monopoly on snacks.

[23:56] | [opinion] | # | G | Comments(2) |

# From wari at Tue Aug 5 00:42:11 2003:

Ah yes, when I watch movies, I'd have a harversack with me stuffed with useful chewable goodies (and drinks), where the total price of stuff in my bag, can only afford a small drink at the theaters.

Why do they have to piss their customers off is beyond me.

# From john at Thu Aug 7 16:32:21 2003:

Actually movie theaters rely completely on the MPAA for survival, and as part of their contract a huge chunk of your $7.50 goes the Hollywood to sign the next up and coming actor for X million dollars. To survive movie theaters need concession stands that rely on trapping the consumer. A similar example are nightclubs, that generally have more overhead than net profits at the door, so they rely on the bar to generate cashflow.