Popcorn Economics
I used to work in a cinema. That involved some Candy Shifts, selling all that overpriced stuff people love to complain about. A typical exchange might go like this:
Portly Man: Gimme a large Coke, Enormous popcorn, choc-top ice cream, a Snickers and crisps.
Me: Okay, that’ll be $30. *sympathetic look*
PM: Thirty bucks! That’s daylight robbery! Ah.. how much are those mint things?
Me: $5.
PM: Okay, gimme those too.
Because everyone knows cinema snacks are unhealthy and insanely marked up, but for many it’s part of the cinema-going experience. And cinemas know this, they rely on that candy markup. Clearly, people feel strongly about it. Most suggest sneaking in your own.
Interestingly, the rich people I know refuse to buy cinema candy on principle. They can afford it easily enough but don’t feel comfortable spending $5 on a yellow tub of popcorn. This philosophy has mostly rubbed off on me, although occasionally my sweet tooth will win out. (But really, the popcorn’s pretty gross.)
Tomorrow: the economics of movie tickets
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pm
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