Boxoffice-April.07.1958

eis and popcorn. I have charged 20 cents,
30 cents and 10 cents, respectively, when
the surrounding theatres were charging
five cents more on each item. I have increased
the prices, as stated, in a couple
of theatres, and I must say there has been
absolutely no di.scussion at all from my
customers and, I might add, the quantity
of items sold did not decrease proportionately
to where I had not raised prices.
"It is still my opinion, and instructions
to my managers, that the great majority
of their time be spent in old-fashioned
showmanship, rather than in concerning
themselves about the increase of prices of
food."
Harold Chesler of Theatre Candy Distributing
Co., Salt Lake City, reports:
"Concessions prices will not be increased
this year. We had our raises two years ago
and last year, and we are pretty much
leveled off and consistent. Customer reaction
was not too good two years ago, but
last year we didn't have any particular
complaints, except on ice cream. Taking
a five-cent advertised item to ten cents
did hurt. We solved this by concentrating
on an ice cream sandwich for ten cents
and an ice cream bar for ten cents.
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"We are very much holding the line on
concessions prices. We are not anticipating
any raises, but are trying to get more money
from the customer by selling 'BIG' on
everything—BIG drinks, BIG hamburgers,
BIG hot dogs.
"We haven't cut down on the sizes of
hamburgers or hot dogs, which sell, generally
for 30 cents and 25 cents, respectively.
The major theatres have gone to
15 cents on popcorn with the same size box
or bag. Buttered corn has two prices. The
smaller situations charge 20 cents and the
larger ones, 25 cents."
"We have recently increased our hot dog
price from 20 cents to 25 cents, and the
same on our French fried potatoes," says
Edwin Gage, executive vice-president.
Walter Reade Theatres. "At this point it
is a little early to say, but so far there has
been no adverse customer reaction.
"We are, however, trying not to raise
prices if at all possible, and we are not reducing
the size of any of our items. Although
several other theatremen have been
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raising prices generally, wc are not going
along with .some of these other increa.sps.
and only increasing prices where we find it
ab.solutely
necessary."
Hot dogs have been upped from 15 to 20
cents, and popcorn from 10 to 15 cents in
larger situations operated by Jefferson
Amusement Co., Beaumont. Tex., according
to Mortie Marks, but there has been no
reduction in sizes. There has been no adverse
reaction.
"I would like to hold the price line if at
all possible," says Lee Koken, RKO Theatres.
"We are holding the price line, with
no cut down in size or quality. Our only
increases, and those only in some areas,
have been a shift from 25 to 30 cents for
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Mound, Joys and .some Mason box candies.
There has been no bad reaction."
A Texas concessionaire reports that popcorn
prices in theatres served by his company
were increased five cents last summer,
going to 15 cents for plain and 25 cents
for buttered, without changing the size of
the container. There were a good many
complaints for two or throe weeks, and
after that practically no complaints. Also,
the theatres did not sell any less unit sales.
No reductions were made in the size of
the portions of any items.
When ice cream was raised from ten to
15 cents there were very few complaints,
because the theatres .switched to a new
product by a different ice cream company.
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