Should Ushers/Usherettes return to cinemas?

Counting_Pennies_2

I have just been to what has to be the most badly mannered cinema viewing.


Sadly this is not the first experience of bad behaviour in the cinema


I was remarking to my husband why the cinema seems so unruly when I remembered us behaving really well when we went to the cinema some 20 years ago as teens. DH felt it was just a general decline in behaviour, but I suddenly remembered the effect an usherette had on us.


So I wondered what others thought, do you think it is time Ushers/Usherettes were brought back?


My first experiences of attending Saturday morning pictures allowed to attend on my own, the usherettes were there ensuring standards were kept.


Today after the showing, I gave my children immense praise that my 6 and 10 year olds sat quietly and still for the duration of the 100 minute film.


We witnessed:
teens on mobile phones and chatting throughout.
2 mothers who had arrived and chatted one end of the row and let their 8 children do what they wanted down the other end.
Scores of people getting up and walking around. In and out of the cinema
Children given mobile phones to play games on keep them quiet during the film
People texting, and talking on mobile phones.
Glow of lights throughout the cinema from devices


Previously there have been the issues stated above plus
people sat in the wrong seats (eventually discovering they didn't have any tickets at all, another time a lady had tickets for an earlier viewing but thought she would come to this one instead so sat in her named seats several hours later, but kicked up a stink for those who had arrived at the right showing)
Children kicking the seats of people in front, then parents screaming at the people in front asking them to stop their child.

ifstar

Cineworld in Edinburgh have people come in sometimes at the start of a film, but not usually for very long.


Anyone on their phone should get chucked out, just playing with it and having the screen glare is bad enough but having a conversation is ridiculous. Same goes with people chatting. Thankfully not had any kids running riot. I'd happily go out and ask staff to come in though.

Georgiegirl256

Personally, I don't think there's any need. If anyone is being majorly disruptive the staff are usually near enough by to either notice or for other cinema goers to find them and have a word. I've never been to any screening with the level of disruption that you've mentioned in your post, I can imagine that it does happen though.

balletshoes

I've only found that kind of disruption at viewings in cinemas where its a special price (ie the recent Frozen £1 tickets etc). It usually means the cinema is full, loads of kids, which means loads of noise, loads of spilt drinks/popcorn etc.

Counting_Pennies_2

balletshoes wrote: »

I've only found that kind of disruption at viewings in cinemas where its a special price (ie the recent Frozen £1 tickets etc). It usually means the cinema is full, loads of kids, which means loads of noise, loads of spilt drinks/popcorn etc.

Sadly we have paid the princely sum of £40 to attend, 2 adults and 2 children. After one awful time in a £1 viewing I vowed never to go again.


Sadly people just don't seem to care anymore.

Counting_Pennies_2

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

Personally, I don't think there's any need. If anyone is being majorly disruptive the staff are usually near enough by to either notice or for other cinema goers to find them and have a word. I've never been to any screening with the level of disruption that you've mentioned in your post, I can imagine that it does happen though.

I got up once when there was major disruption and the parent wouldn't stop it. I went out to speak to the manager I encountered so much abuse from the mother who came out when I was speaking with the manager.


I feared for my childrens and my own safety.


We live in a large town and as with most places there is a varied mix of backgrounds.


There just seems to be no awareness that their behaviour in the cinema should differ to that in their home.


I am getting to the point of dreading a treat to the cinema

zaxdog

The cinema in my town is a small community owned affair and the usherettes are older ladies. They rule with a rod of iron and so everyone enjoys the movie as disruptive folk are removed (and probably reported to their parents, it's a wee town)

mrcow

I think if you let yourself become bothered/distract by the behaviour of others, it can become excrutiatingly annoying.

When going to the cinema, try and sit nearer to the front, then a lot of the PDAs/people walking in and out won't annoy you (as you simply won't see it). Position the rest of your party either side of you, so no one annoying sits next to you. The cinema is usually loud enough to block out noise from others. Just focus on the screen.

Buzzybee90

What's an usher? Is it just someone that keeps order?

I think usher I think taking someone to their seat.

bigmomma051204

I hate going to the cinema for all of those reasons you have stated!

To be honest, I would rather save up the money I would spend going to pictures (extortionate!) over a year or two and buy a good quality telly - and then buy dvds for a tenner when they are out (or wait until they are a fiver lol!) and proceed to watch them in comfort of my own home, no nasty people with big gobs or bright phones... I can also buy some popcorn for the microwave for a quid, a big bottle of (fizzy) coke for a quid and some bags of sweets for, yep, a quid!

Putting aside buying a telly, Me and my 9yr old son have dvd night EVERY Friday without fail.... I buy the latest release (£10), we have some popcorn,
sweets etc (£3-4) and all for the same price that it would cost us to go to cinema ONCE a month!

Meant to say - To be honest, what would an usher "do" when faced with gobby, ASBO teens or parents these days?! They'd either get a lot of verbal, physical abuse or perhaps sued LOL! I would want danger money for doing that job! There should be security guards, perhaps.... they can stand inside the room and simply" eject" anyone being offensive

ciderwithrosie_2

I've noticed that people just can't sit still and be quiet anymore. I've been appalled and embarrassed at functions when there's a speaker or some sort of show going on and people just carry on talking normally or playing on their phones. It's very rude and if they don't want to listen, then go somewhere else.

My son works at the cinema and they do go in and tell people to be quiet if they get complaints, but to be honest, what can they do if people are determined to cause a disruption, there's not enough staff on a shift to deal with it as they have 10 screens, tickets to sell, clean up the mess people leave, serve people for popcorn/hotdogs/drinks/ice cream etc.

That's another side issue, why can't people watch a film for 2 hours without needing a vast array of snacks and refreshments?