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Greetings,
Wondering if anyone has implemented a concession deal where you charge someone an upfront fee for all you can eat popcorn and/or drinks for a set period of time (e.g. a semester or a year). I saw a deal in a local coffee shop where you buy a special cup for $100 and you can bring that cup back for a year for free coffee refills.
Anyone have experience doing something like that in the popcorn or soda world?
Does that sound like a reasonable idea for a start-up theater that is looking to maximize cash flow over the first few months?

Look at past posts with similar ideas. Pros and cons which was free refills on pop and corn!

I can't help but wonder how grossed out I and onlookers would be at the sight of some grubby patron bringing in an even grubbier cup or bucket clearly showing a year's use! Accumulated food or drink with dozens of greasy finger marks now turning brown along with lip marks on the cup might make me lose my lunch right there. What to do?

[This message has been edited by jimor (edited September 15, 2006).]

I think it could be done, but would have to have a new cup each time.. maybe they could buy a card for 3 months or however long and just flash the card each time...mind you then people could share the card amongst their friends...although if you charged enough it wouldn't matter...or you could just stick their photo on it.. there would be ways..but why would you want to do that? You make the most money from those 2 items. Just having combos and specials gets people their soda and corn cheaper..don't give it away

We sell refillable cups ( again see other posts discussing free refills ) People including me use the same cup for years. The only bad looking part is the logo after a year or so does start to wear off in the diswasher.

People bring them back for a discounted price, not a free refill! They have our logo and pepsi logo on them so we know they are ours.

Here maybe is a better idea. I used this for an auction item our local newspaper does around the Christmas. I billed it as a a night at the movies a month for a year. Basically I then gave them 24 passes and 12 certificates for 2 sodas and a large popcorn. I did not date them so if they wanted to bring 24 people to the movies at once they could. I would think you could sell a package like this for $200

[This message has been edited by dsschoenborn (edited September 18, 2006).]

Jimor you made my night I laughed my ass of with your description of the popcorn bucket. So true.

Glad you liked it Jack, but sure hope you never have to see it in fact! I guess we can depend upon human nature to eventually ruin a program like this, and then if we rely upon documents (pass cards, certificates. etc.) there is always the problem of counterfieting. If just one teen manages to get concessions through a counterfeit means, in lightining speed all other area teens will too. Best Wishes, Jim Rankin

One theatre I had worked at was a small town cinema and to prevent people from keeping the cups and using over and over for refils was to have the date stamped on the bottom.
Refils were only good that day!
This way you don't have to change cups just dates!

I guess my worry with unlimited popcorn and/or soda would be waste and sharing. I don't want to provide free ammo to a bunch of kids having a popcorn fight....

Hadn't thought of that one, but it would certainly be a reason not to have unlimited refills.

We only refill our large popcorn buckets... once. We use a felt pen to mark the bottom with a large "R".

Soft drink refills are out... one reason being that we don't need them... another being the extra non-income conjestion in the snack bar, and the last being the inability to prevent people from dumping their pop into another container and coming back in for more.