Regal Movie Theaters Guest Response System

[MrsSpringsteen]

How many people here ever complain about behavior (or the sound/picture) in the movie theaters to the manager and/or employees? Maybe something like this would help people feel more comfortable complaining, as long as it's not abused. Obviously they can't tell from this which specific people are creating problems.

At the theater I go to most often no one ever comes in for any sort of regular "auditorium monitoring", not that I've ever noticed. One time last winter one of the managers was in one movie I went to and told someone to put a cell phone away, before the movie even started.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC - News), a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, today announced 114 locations are now utilizing the Regal Guest Response System (RGRS). With RGRS, patrons can utilize an in-theatre paging device to alert management of any disturbances in an auditorium. In addition to Regal's existing program of auditorium checks by staff members, RGRS provides another way for management to be better informed and to react more quickly.

"Our initial test of the Regal Guest Response System was a success, and we are happy to offer this service to more of our moviegoers. The Guest Response System works in combination with regular auditorium checks by our staff to assist managers in providing superior customer service," stated Dick Westerling, Regal Entertainment Group Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. "We work hard to ensure the best possible moviegoing experience in our theatres, so if a guest has a concern, we want to know about it. With the Guest Response System patrons can be our extra eyes and ears to alert us if there is a disturbance without having to miss part of the show."

Regal Entertainment Group theatres participating in the Guest Response System invite selected patrons to carry a paging device with them into the auditorium. One patron may participate for each of the theatre's auditoriums and for each movie showtime. The Guest Response device is a hand-held pager with four buttons. Each button alerts local management of a different problem such as: sound, picture, piracy or other disturbance. When the patron pushes a button, a message goes to a pager worn by a manager which tells them the nature of the concern, and in which auditorium.

Those patrons assisting in the Guest Response System are also members of the Regal Crown Club loyalty program. Through the Regal Crown Club, moviegoers accumulate credits at the box office and concession stand to earn free popcorn, soft drinks and movies. For their participation in the Guest Response System, Regal Crown Club members receive extra credits toward earning these great rewards. Regal Crown Club membership is free and is available either at REG theatres or online at www.REGmovies.com.

The Guest Response System was initially tested in 13 Regal Entertainment Group theatres. After receiving positive feedback from both managers and guests, Regal now offers RGRS in 114 locations. Regal will continue to roll out the Guest Response System as the program is further developed.

 

[Lancemc]

If there's a problem I never feel awkward telling somebody. I paid 8 bucks for the movie and 1,358 for my popcorn and soda, I WANT THE FULL EXPERIENCE!

 

[joyfulgirl]

I have to get up and complain at the theatre almost every time I go, and I'm not exaggerating. It's not that I'm fussy--it's just that I want to see the movie, hear the movie, and read the subtitles. The theatres here are awful, run by kids who don't give a shit. So I get up to tell them the movie should have started 5 minutes ago. I get up to close the door, because no one else does. I get up to tell them to dim the lights. I get up to tell them the subtitles are cut off at the bottom of the screen. I get up to tell them the picture is crooked. I get up to tell them the volume isn't loud enough. It's endless and kind of a joke here.

Usually, though, if an audience member is obnoxious the rest of the audience will take care of it. For instance, someone was talking really loudly on their cell phone during a movie and the group response was fantastic. Everyone yelled at him to leave and he did so, giving us all the finger on his way out.

So yeah, gimme one of them monitoring devices so I don't have to keep getting up.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Stuff like this is why I almost never go to the movies. I think the last time I went to the theatre might have been around Christmastime, and before then I saw Pirates 2 during the summer.

I prefer spending less money, being able to stop and start the movie at my own convienience, and having total quiet as I'm watching.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I prefer spending less money, being able to stop and start the movie at my own convienience, and having total quiet as I'm watching.

Me, too. I have a nice flat-screen TV hooked up to my stereo. But sometimes I just need to get out of the house and see something new on a big screen (sneaking in a latte and a chocolate goodie, of course). And then I need to complain about the filthy seats and the kids who run the place.

But what I want to know about this monitoring device is if there's a button on there that will notify someone that (1) there is someone clipping their toenails two seats down and (2) that there is someone flossing their teeth two seats in the other direction.

That really happened to me, during the same movie, I swear to God. I have witnesses.

 

[Edgette]

I used to work at a movie theater and people would come out to complain all of the time.

At our theater we had to do theater/bathroom checks every half hour. But we really only paid attention to that on the weekends because during the week, especially during the school year, we'd only have two employees working. One in the box office and one in the consession stand. So neither one of those workers could do the checks.

Our theater was a smaller one, only 6 screens. And generally on the weekend, we'd have three to four ushers on duty. That would mean one would rip tickets and direct people to their theaters, and the other three would clean the theaters. Now, if four out of the six theaters empty out at the same time, which happened a lot, the other two would go unchecked. Same with a theater starting and the doors open or the lights on. It's hard to get everything done on time when you're understaffed. I worked as an usher on my own plenty of times, it wasn't easy.

But whenever anyone would come to complain for any reason, it was always taken care of first.

 

[LMP]

Is working at a movie theater good for a first job?

 

[Lancemc]

Is working at a movie theater good for a first job?

If you hate your life, yes.

j/k, I have no idea.

But you should be a busboy instead. Work for tips. That's where it's at.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Yes the theater I go to is understaffed until the summer when the teens get out of school.

The rudeness and talking and cell phones make me want to stay home too, but I also like to get out and see movies on a big screen when they come out. I don't have a flat screen/HD or any of that. I do think having all of that at home causes some people to behave in a theater as if they're at home, along with a general decline in consideration for others that creates problems. I like to try to go to weekday matinees, the weekends can be unbearable. It's not just kids who behave badly though, it's all ages. If you can't sit quietly for two hours without talking and texting and checking messages then I think you have a problem and should just stay home. No offense to senior citizens, but they can be just as bad with their talking and narrative comments.

 

[Edgette]

Is working at a movie theater good for a first job?

I think it can be. It's basically a fun job even though it can be a lot of work.