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We have 3 sizes. 12-22-32 self serve. 1.25-1.75-2.25. it seems like a pain in the butt!

How about two sizes small 1.25 and large with free refills at 2.25?

Or just one size 2.00 free refills?

The size thing seems silly.

Pound for pound this town is very price conscious , make that cheap, I'd like to find a way to make them happy and us too.

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16 oz at $1.50 (No Refill)
32 oz at $2.50 (One Refill)

I have four sizes and don't see it as a problem.
12oz-$1.50
20oz-$2.00
32oz-$2.50
44oz-$3.00 with free refill

Forgot to say, Refills for the 12, 20, and 32 oz. sodas are $1.

[This message has been edited by BurneyFalls (edited November 08, 2002).]

3 sizes in my 5 single screens--

12oz--$1.00
20oz--$1.50
32oz--$2.50---free refill,

I do need the 3 sizes to keep my customers happy, and also do not see a problem

The Rialto has the following sizes:

Coke
22oz $2.75
32oz $3.25
44oz $4.00

Popcorn
85oz $3.75
130oz $4.25
170oz $4.75

Average 3-bedroom/2-bath house w/ 2 car Garage, $400,000!

Last weekend I was in the LA area and visited a couple of Pacific Theatres (the fabulous Grove and the not so fabulous Paseo). Both are 14 plexes. Their new thing is that you buy your soda cup at the stand and then have to fill it yourself at a condiment/soda island separate from the concessions stand. So what is to keep you from reusing the same cup (one of theirs or your own) time after time? Nothing as far as I could see and I didn't see too many people getting sodas. Weird.

Mike:

Going back to the original question of whether you could cut the number of sizes and just do free or discounted refills. I think that you would be making a mistake. This sounds suspiciously like your can sales in Belfast which we have all suggested has been hurting you. You only had one size there so people just spent less. They didn't
have to think much about just getting the one size. They just got it and went in to the theater. Some few of them came back out when the can was finished and bought another one. But you lost lots of sales of bigger drinks. I firmly believe in the value of letting people make their own decisions and therefore feeling better about their choices. We just give them a lot of ways to feel good about getting a good deal. Some people love us for offering only a little drink $1.25 which is all they want. They don't have to spend $2.50 like they do at the competition just to get a drink. Others are thinking BIG. They don't even think about whether they can drink 44 oz or not. They are very happy to spend $3.50 and have this huge drink. Then there are the deals which cause them to buy a bigger drink than they might have otherwise but it can be shared and it comes with a bigger popcorn or candy which they want and they think it is a good deal. It is all about your customer creating their own brand of happiness. Since I have come out of the most bargain hungry side of this business and our 5 drink sizes have worked very well for us I believe that this philosophy of letting them decide would appeal to your cost conscious clientele. (We offer 12 oz plastic kiddie cup, 16 oz, 22 oz, 32 oz and 44 oz).
As others mentioned, it doesn't bother us to offer lots of choice. We are flexible.

the new idea on self serve is really taking hold. At Show East you serve yourself topping or butter and they (who should know) say that people use less than we put on for them!

Thanks to all for good ideas! I'm going with a combo of combos and : 1.00 refills!

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I'm thinking maybe two sizes. Go with your small size and the medium size. No refill on the small size and refills on the medium. But... I'm also thinking about people getting up and walking around during the show to get refills. Would others be distracted by them. Kids could use the refill issue as an exuse to get up and walk around.

we went with 1.00 refills for all sizes

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When I was with GCC & Pacific Theatres.
We had a large combo of a Large Popcorn
and a Large Soda. At GCC you got free
refills of both the popcorn and soda.
One day I was in the lobby near the
snackbar, I overheard this new combo
version. You buy the Large Combo and then
you ask for 3-4 of those free little
water cups and 3 carryout trays. Then
you go back and get your refill from the
snackbar. (What a deal, a $7-8.00 value)
Some patrons with a few kids would have
trouble buying a few of those Kid Combos.
The manager never knew anything about
that type of Large Combo. I was just a
union projectionist. (Staff making a new
combo was not my problem).
For six months, I was assigned to a Mann
Theatre. On night the chief of staff, went
into the snack bar supply room. And got a
box of coke and took it outside. I'm just
standing near the snack bar. (I think that's
my problem. I see the staff doing things, when the manager is in his office and not
on the floor). He comes back in 12 mins
with a large pizza. So I ask him about it.
Well the staff was trading soda boxes for
large pizzas. I ask him about how much a
box of coke cost? He said $15.00, about
that of a large pizza. Then I ask about
how many cokes can you get out of one box.
At that time a large coke was around $3.75.
He put 2 and 2 together, when he found out
how much each pizza cost.
But going back to the post as a patron.
I like the Large (32oz) soda and the
small popcorn. You can give all the free
refills of soda, but when you are spending
money to see a film. I would like to see
the film , not the restroom.

[This message has been edited by Avco (edited December 04, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Avco (edited December 04, 2002).]