Las Cruces sucks almost as much as Huntingdon, PA did for seeing a movie. Specifically, the problem is a lousy chain called Allen Theaters. First, they show commericals before the movie. I boycott any theater that does that. Second, they don’t sell tickets online. Third, and this is what really pissed me off this morning, they are cash-only. I was willing to swallow the first one because I really want to see Cars. The second doesn’t matter too much, though I had hoped to get a free ticket with my Diet Pepsi promotional codes. The third I didn’t know about, as the last time I saw a movie there I was watching March of the Penguins on a free pass after giving blood. Now how the hell in this day and age can you go cash-only? So I’m going to continue never going there. I don’t care if you are a chain that’s been locally in the state for nearly a century, I hope Century Theatres puts a theater down here in Las Cruces and eats your lunch because they actually know how to run a business in this freaking century without pissing me off.
So now my choices are to either drive to El Paso (and I hate El Paso) spending twice as much on gas as I would on a ticket or wait three weeks and see Cars on my next trip to Albuquerque. So I’ll be seeing Cars sometime in July. Fuck you, Allen Theaters.
Ads before the main feature? Dear God, why aren’t the Armed Forces quelling the riots?
No ticket sales online! My God! The Horror of having to actually go to the theatre and buy tickets by talking to a real person! I’m sure there will be Questions in Parliament over this!
Cash only? Like it would kill you to stop past an ATM and get some cash out earlier in the day.
Sorry, no sympathy at all from me. I haven’t seen a movie theatre without ads before the feature in years. Show up 15 minutes later if it bothers you that much.
As for the online ticket sales thing- are you really that insanely, hugely busy that you can’t get to the theatre 15 minutes earlier and simply buy the tickets then?
If you are, then perhaps you haven’t really got time to be going to the movies. If you aren’t that busy, step away from the keyboard and head on down to the theatre before the show starts.
And as for Cash Only- I’ll grant it’s a minor inconvenience, but really, if you’re planning to go to the movies and you know the theatre is cash only, go to an ATM first.
I give this Pitting 2/10, and those 2 marks are for managing to spell your name correctly at the top of the page…
Sorry to bust your bubble, but the Century Theaters near us shows advertising before the shows. Not only are there actual live action ads before and after the trailers (which are also ads), but between shows there’s a constant slide show of ads for local businesses and Coke.
See previous pit threads about ads in theatres. Trailers I don’t mind, though most movies I don’t want to see. Static ads killing time before the movie starts are okay. They’re no worse than those dumb trivia things that are sometimes used. It’s the freaking other ads that piss me off. And since the Century theaters in Albuquerque still don’t show live ads before the movies, guess where I go, even if it does cost a little more.
As for online, there are very good reasons I want that. In this case, it was because I had plenty of credits to get a free movie ticket because I drink lots of diet soda. I am more willing to put up with ads if I’m getting in for free. Not much more, but a little more. Plus, it’s just easier. I normally don’t buy online because of the service charge, though there are times where it makes life easier.
I didn’t know it was cash-only. Didn’t you see when I said the last and only time I saw a movie there it was also for free? It’s getting close to payday, so my bank account is getting low, and I didn’t want to pull $20 AND pay a bank charge ATM fee. There’s an ATM on the other side of town where I can pull as little as $5 with no fees but screw that. If they don’t want to accept payment on my terms I’ll withhold my business in favor of a place that offers what I want.
Only movie theater I know doesn’t show the usual ads before a movie. Maybe at some point I saw an ad for a local business, but I don’t think so. The only ads they show are for the theater itself – how to order food, how to buy gift certificates, and any special events they have coming up.
It’s one of the major reasons I go to the Drafthouse. I think I’d revolt if they stopped the movie in the MIDDLE for commercials. :eek:
They must not be, because the theater near my house doesn’t show ads before the movies. They don’t have those still slides with ads on them before the show, either.
They still suck, though, because the seats are too small and the floors are nasty and sticky, and there’s no stadium seating, meaning that tall people can sit in front of me and ruin the movie for me with their big fat heads.
Also, to the OP…I’ve vaguely heard of being able to buy movie tickets online, but it never occurred to me to do so. Are there really such tremendously long lines at the ticket counter that it is a necessity to already have tickets when you get there, lest you stand in line for 45 minutes and miss half the film?
The cash only thing would sort of piss me off too, just on principle, but unless movie tickets are much, much more expensive in New Mexico than anywhere else, it’s not too much to ask that you have less than $10 cash on your person.
As I said, I rarely use it. However, I have used it a few times. It’s especially good for times where you want to see a popular movie on what will be a busy day–any time on Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth, Labor Day weekend, on/after Thanksgiving, and on/after Christmas are really good times, especially if you’re trying to go with a large group. And as I said, this time I was hoping to cash in on a promotion but I could only do it with a place that does online ticketing through Fandango, because the other way requires 8-10 weeks to get the gift certificates. And yes, $5 or $7 isn’t much for a movie, but it’s the principle of the thing and I very rarely carry cash anyway. Heck, I can even pay my bar tab with my debit card these days.
The simple answer- and the one most film enthusiasts prefer- is Never go the cinema when it’s going to be busy. Public Holidays, Long Weekends, Friday/Saturday Nights during School Holidays- these are not the viewing times of anyone who wants a decent Cinema Experience.
That’s hardly the movie theatre’s fault. There’s all sorts of hassles involved in accepting Credit/Debit cards, and I can see why they’d think it wouldn’t be worth it for a $5 movie ticket. If you know you’re going somewhere that doesn’t take cards, go to an ATM. Especially since the alternatives you’ve mentioned involve spending a fortune in petrol to drive to a different city and/or waiting several months.
Be honest… you realise that’s just silly, right? Either go and see the film at your local theatre in spite of your disagreement with them- hell, write them a letter, they might care (I doubt it though)- or accept it’s going to be a while before you can see it somewhere whose policies agree with your thoughts on how the world should operate.
So? We’ve been able to do that here for the last 15 years or so. America is WAY behind Australia and NZ when it comes to EFTPOS- and even though pretty much every retail store in the country has EFTPOS, most people I know keep a bit of “walking around money” in their wallets anyway…
Both theaters in Las Cruces are owned by the same group. If I refuse to go to one, I logically have to refuse to go to the other. Thus, the closest town that I can go to would be El Paso.
Bah, I’ll give up cash the day that they start putting personal identifiers to trace its use. Last thing I need is the FBI knowing I went to see Shall We Dance 14 times. Think of what that would do to my street cred!
I gotta chime in here to say a cash only policy for movies is, I agree, assenine. By the time you buy two movie tickets, some popcorn or snacks, and overpiriced half-gallon of pop, you can be out close to 50 bucks. If you’re planning on any other cash-only events (ever try to pay a club cover charge with an Amex?) that evening, you are gonna have to have a significant wad of cash in your wallet, and that’s not always the wises or the most feasible thing to do.
Agreed. The Century 25 in Union City has a cash only policy too. Not only that, I think the ATM machine on the premisis has a little boy inside with a can on a string, that calls your bank to verify funds. A trip for the family is easily $60-$75. I go there anyway because the Jack London here in Oakland shows TV commercials. Local ads and trailers don’t bother me but TV commercials; as if I don’t sepend enough time sitting on my ass.