Do ushers have no authority in theaters anymore?

Question

I just got home from The Invasion. There was a pack of about 20 kids, who talked incredibly loudly throughout the whole movie. Being outnumbered (there were about four of us who didn't come with them) no one said anything. But it was infuriating. I complained to my mom and she said ushers used to patrol the theaters and address such issues. Is there a reason theaters don't handle these problematic people the same way anymore?

Answer 1

Did you inform the management? If not then how would they know. it was a long time ago when ushers patrolled the theatre's, it was before multiplex's. Now they don't have enough people to patrol every area. However, if you had let the management know the kids were being loud then they would have either been warned or kicked out....next time speak up!

Answer 2

Cost issues would be one reason. Movie theaters are becoming more and more expensive to operate and they can't keep as many ushers on staff, especially in these large multiplexes. Years ago, many theaters would have one or two screens, and it would be easier to have one or two ushers for each screen, but now, theaters usually have 10+ screens. The theater I work at has 14 screens and, on a busy night, about 4 or 5 ushers.

We rely on customers to report talkers and other people who disturb the movie, then we act. If no one says anything, nothing will be done. Usually, once a customer complains, the ushers or a manager will enter the theater and ask those people to be quiet. If, later on, they're still talking, they'll be kicked out. Usually, if a customer feels as though their movie experience is ruined beyond relief, they'll receive a rain check or refund.

Answer 3

of course they have the authority, they just don't have the time to check on things. back in HS i used to work at a theater and we went from a happy staff where we could almost stand there an entire movie, to a staff where 2 kids had to clean all the the areas and tear the tickets with the new multiplex opening up.

they headhunted me for asst. manager, but i said no when they told me the staff they would give me...

but then the low prices of the multiplex caused us to cut our staff to about the same ratio so it didn't end up mattering..

it's getting to be the same everywhere.. companies are trying to get by on the bare minimum which means corners will be cut and things will go unnoticed.. next time i would tell a manager otherwise i doubt any staff will check the theater.. i feel sorry for all those minimum wage workers out there b/c they are getting overworked and don't give me or anyone enthusiastic customer service..

Answer 4

I will put up with noisy, rude kids for the duration of one polite request to please be quiet... followed by one not QUITE so polite request.

After that - I will immediately report them to the management AND demand a refund.

Theatres rarely have "ushers" anymore to patrol the audiences and make sure nobody's ruining the experience for everyone else... mostly due to the cost restrictions (they just can't afford the staff enough to put people into EACH show) - they staff's all busy behind the concession stand... working the box office... or cleaning the cinema between shows.

...I've found that *most* of the time, the theatre is perfectly willing to help you out - but you need to come out and make your complaints KNOWN to them. Otherwise, they will simply go about their business and act like nothing's happening inside the theatre.

Answer 5

I also saw the Invasion today and there was a group of annoying teenaged girls there. At our theater we do have ushers that show up at random times throughout the showing and walk around. The girls shut up when they walked past and resumed after they left. Most theaters probably are understaffed, so they don't have enough employees to walk around trying to catch people who will know enough to stop causing trouble when they are around.

Answer 6

i have wondered the same thing. there are all kind of problems i have seen at movie theaters and the ushers hardly do anything. Its like they are afraid to do it or simply don't care. Now if there is a problem and they don't do a thing about it i simply leave the theater and demand my money back!

Answer 7

Money. It costs money to tire enough ushers to properly supervise the theaters. Also most of the kids working in these theaters are making minimum wage or not much more. They're not going to risk getting the snot kicked out of them by the customer they told to shut up.

Answer 8

Oh, man... let me tell ya...
I saw The Simpsons with my wife and another firend. The family in back of us had a small child with them, which cried out loud for 3/4 of the movie. Never left the theater, but at one point moved to the back. In the middle of the movie, their cell phone goes off. Husband says "hello, hold on", hands it to wife, who says "hey, is that car still for sale?" EVERYONE in the theater was looking at them. They left in a hurry after the movie, probably for their lives.
My wife also tells me that when she saw "Saw 3" and "Hostel 2" (I refuse to see such movies), there were kids in the theaters. As a teacher I can tell you my 1st grade students tell me that their parents take them to such movies. I have one friend who has the cajones to yell at idiots who talk on cell phone in theaters, but if anything come of your question, I'd love to see ushers kick those offenders out! Thank you for that overdue question.

Answer 9

Theaters don't have ushers in the theater anymore, but you can always leave and inform an employee about the problem.

Answer 10

ushers arnt hired anymore cause theaters figured out that movie showings are a cash crop so they eliminate any uneeded services like ushers(prolly cause when there still where ushers people were smart enough to shut up so it seemed unnecesary for them to be there) and jacked the prices to freggin kingdom-come. i like to think of it as paying for the food and the service of cleaning it up for me. seriously if you really want to stick it to the man just throw your trash on the floor. thats what they get for charging $20 for a bag of popcorn. that soda, let them mop it up. those chocolate raisins, make shure to stop em real good into the carpet.