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We have a small lobby and the line backs up quickly to worship at the shrine of Cornholio. Our trick is that the two staff go over the heads and don't wait for each sale to be totally completed. One finishes the sale and the other staffer keeps it in motion.......... "Hi! Can I help you?" keeps them moving.

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

That's the way we teach them here. But they quickly lose focus and revert to intoverted, wait until the customer speaks. So we get behind the stand at every oppertunity to lead by example.

We try to teach them to move on to the next customer. We try to teach them to count out change instead of entering it in to the cash register. We try to teach them not to enter the items in to the cash register until the sale is complete. But they always seem to revert to the old ways. We just keep pushing.

Being polite and milling with your customers is always a good idea. People enjoy feeling like they are welcome in your theater. Its surprising how a good movie experience can be spoiled by a rude concession stand employee or ticket taker.

Training of concession staff is very important. These are the first people who interact with your patrons, and they set the tone for the patrons whole experience. My wife is the Director of an Interpersonal Skills Training Centre in Toronto, and she uses simulated clients to train workers in a variety of fields. This is a very effective training technique, and could be applied in a theatre environment.

Just like in the customer service film they showed us and in Monsters, Inc. Role playing is a good tool.

By far, the best movie example of customer service must be "Ghost World."