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AMC Theaters "Doesn't Carry Nickels?"

consumerist.com — "Reader Anthony says he paid for his movie ticket with "$8 and some change." The transaction resulted in AMC owing Anthony a nickel. But AMC doesn't carry nickels. They told Anthony that if he wanted his nickel he'd have to go get it from the "Guest Services" desk. So he did. But instead of a nickel, he got attitude."

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  • jcblitz, on 10/10/2007, -4/+120Should have just given the guy a dime back and took the $0.05 loss.
    • SpectralSounds, on 10/10/2007, -18/+8How come Anthony should get to pay less? If he gets too, we'll should all get too, IT'LL BE ANARCHY!

      Money all spends the same. If they dont have the ability to function when somebody brings in change, they should re-evaluate their business procedures.
      • crawfishsoul, on 10/10/2007, -3/+40Did you just make a contraction out of "we all"?
        • SpectralSounds, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Whoops. I guess I should have proofread. Good call.
        • lengau, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6I think SpectralSounds was typing faster than thinking (or vice versa) and ended up with a combination of "we'll all get to" and "we should all get to", though I don't know where the extra o came from (perhaps "we should all get too, too").
        • LMaxey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3That's honestly the first and probably last time I will ever actually laugh out loud at a comment concerning someones grammar on digg.
    • Anpheus, on 10/10/2007, -17/+6We sometimes have to do that at the theatre I work at. It doesn't make sense to make a coin order for anything smaller than ones and quarters because all our prices, with tax included, are multiples of a quarter.

      It's not surprising, and shouldn't be sensationalized. What the hell are we supposed to do, make pennies, nickels, and dimes appear out of thin air? Believe it or not, it isn't an employee of the theatre's dying wish to please every last customer by, what, going outside and looking the gutter for some change?
      • yunus, on 10/10/2007, -6/+15You the ticket counter employee should not be held responsible for this problem, its the management that decided not to carry change that is the problem. You direct your anger towards the customer when it should be directed towards management for allowing this obvious problem to exist. Or management should just come out with the policy of eating the loss and giving the customer the smallest denomination available. In this case a dime causing the company a whole 5 cent loss.
      • calu99, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9Would you let him in if he was a nickel short?

        What you are supposed to do is be in a customer service business, that includes being able to provide correct change. Too bad it makes your job a little more difficult, that's part of your job. I don't expect you to make everyone happy, but this was the theater's mistake, they need to take care of it.
      • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1No, you're right it doesn't make too much sense to make an order for dimes, nickels, and pennies but common sense would tell any manager to have at least 5-10 of each in every drawer for situations such as this one. It wouldn't be THAT much harder to count at the end of the night would it?

        Now you're going to ask where you get those coins if you're not going to order them.... I'll answer your question with my own.... what did they do with Anthony's coins?
      • Anpheus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0I'm replying to myself to reply to the three posters above:

        First, I work projection now most of the time, so I don't have to deal with silly management issues (instead, I have to deal with under-maintained projectors.) I agree it's the management that's at fault, but in mane cases the customer just gets pissed at us. In fact, in 99.9% of cases in which something has gone wrong in which the employee was not at fault, the employee usually being 16-18 years old, the customer would start yelling at them and they'd have ***** all idea what to do, and the manager would have to intervene on the part of the employee. At that point, the customer has crossed a line. Box office and concessions employees deal with peak rushes of several hundred to a thousand people over a short period of time, in the worst case you can get over a thousand people showing up in fifteen minutes and you have to deal with that rapidly.

        Second, yes, I would let him, and have let people in when they didn't have enough money. I've given people concessions when they paid in change and didn't have enough money. Most of the time it's children that have their pile of change that comes awful close to the price of the item and I just don't want to tell the kid no. Our profit margins are high enough.

        And to the third person, it seems like if Anthony's coinage could have been returned to him such that he'd get his nickel, he would have. I don't know the exact circumstances, but if he has coinage that only allows him to overpay a nickel, then he can't possibly have paid with a nickel or five pennies. That only makes the problem more unusual, as most theatres keep prices in multiples of quarters. I don't know how he overpaid by a nickel, and if he was paying with change and that change included nickels or pennies... why didn't he just give them a nickel or penny less? It's very confusing.
        • butters69, on 10/10/2007, -0/+23 Quarters 3 dimes ... rtfa thx
          • Anpheus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0"I don't know the exact circumstances, but if he has coinage that only allows him to overpay a nickel, then he can't possibly have paid with a nickel or five pennies."

            I was responding to the third poster who said something along the lines of "why didn't they just use some of his change to give him a nickel back?"

            Simply put, if you're overpaying by x amount, then you can't possibly have been carrying coinage equal to x. You can't overpay by a nickel on something -with a nickel-. They'd just just hand it back.

            So, read the ***** post kthxbye
    • jsballardx, on 10/10/2007, -7/+20This is the most worthless story ever, it seems all these Consumerist stories are lame as well. The manager gave me "attitude" so I slinked away and cried on the toilet in the bathroom.
      • itspuddingtime, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2...and them complained about them on the internets
      • brutalentropy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4YEAH you tell 'em! Thanks to you, the next time somebody pisses me off in a store, I'll just go get my piece from the car, and put a hole clean through their head!

        What would you like people to do? In a lot of cases, employees refuse to give their names because they know you're going to get them busted... Of course, if they were doing their job in the first place, they wouldn't have anything to worry about.
        • arobar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8A company cheating someone out of money isn't a "worthless" story. It calls attention to the shoddy state of customer service in America at this time.
      • toonworld, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't think it's totally worthless. He is questioning the tactics and ethics of AMC. sure it's only a nickel, but it's not THEIR money. What happens if they decide to stop carrying all change and they charge 8.50$ ? "Yeah you gave me 9$ but I can't give you your 50 cents back because we don't carry change".

        do that to 1 000 000 customers in 1 year and they just made an extra 500k.
    • drewjoh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13I used to work for AMC and the only change they keep in the drawers are quarters. I never had a problem with it. All the prices (tickets and concession) were rounded to the nearest quarter. Made things a lot simpler and easier if you ask me..... unless you pay with dimes I suppose.

      Probably stupid on the part of the employee for not telling him ahead of time "we don't have change if you pay with that".
      • POOLin18, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I work for AMC right now and it's still the same way...we only have quarters because everything is either a whole dollar or $~.25, $~.50, or $~.75...it makes it easier for me, not having to deal with dimes, nickels, or pennies.
    • Mitchl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I think that is the obvious thing as well. You pay 9.05 and if they can't give you .05 back, then they need to give back a dime. There is a cost of their doing business without change-- either that, or you can walk.

      And then of course the other option is to not worry about it (I sure am not going to concern myself with a nickel) -- but the next time I might just pay with nickels and pennies knowing that AMC is hard up for change. It is not beyond me to pay with a sockfull of pennies with a dollar or two of nickels.
    • JamaicaJames, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0What I wonder is if they carry Dapper Dan. I don't want "Fop", goddamn it! I'm a Dapper Dan Man!
    • DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I work for Sears, and we don't have any dimes. But we have plenty of nickles. Next time use plastic and STFU. I hate stupid customers who cry about stupid things like stupid nickles. If I was him I wouldn't even bother to go and try to get the change.

      Everything is adjusted to come out to the nearest 25 cents so the lines move faster, for your benefit. If you can't understand that, or aren't willing to put up with it you are a stupid piece of *****. Next time you go into a place to so graciously "give" them your business, check your attitude at the door.
  • pcharles23, on 10/10/2007, -40/+6or 5 pennies... what the ***** this is ***** stupid... or use your debit card like everyone else ....
    • 0ddity, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17What's a debit card? I still use rocks...
      • TheSabre, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I barter with bear and deer furs. It's funny to watch them try and stuff those in a cash drawer.
    • t4ll3y, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Who the ***** uses a debit card for such a small amount of money?
      • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1... Too many people these days. I have friends who never carry cash. I hate having to split bills with them cause they always ask for the cash so they can "put it in a card" and then they take the cash and end up tipping less than they should and pocketing the extra.
        / rant (sorry!)
    • sephiroth965, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I do. I buy my tickjets online ahead of time.
      • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1tickjets are always ahead of time
  • cspring007, on 10/10/2007, -6/+60Im going to start a company that dosen't carry dollar bills. You pay a 7 dollar tab with a 10 dollar bill: Sorry, No change for you. You want to complain? Well have fun walking through the maze that is our complaints department.

    I'd go to another theater if i could, but they bought all the other theaters out in town using those leftover nickels.
    • cam2009, on 10/10/2007, -1/+20"No change for you."

      Change Nazi?
    • Raian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1My Lawyer detector is going off in AMC's general direction.... like nothing I've ever seen before.
      • black|math, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Doubt it, AMC could require everyone to pay in exact change if they wanted. This guy could have gotten a refund and gone to another theater or not gone to a movie at all. His rights were in no way trampled.
        • sephiroth965, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Legally, if any business refuses to accept any american currency you're not obliged to pay them.
          • black|math, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3True but irrelevant in this case they are not refusing his money, they just cannot provide proper change.

            And that law exists to prevent rouge currency from forming, it would be illegal to force someone in America to pay with pesos for example, not to force companies to provide change. Its a courtesy to the customer not a mandated law.
  • allaboutdatiki, on 10/10/2007, -3/+86"Can I have butter on my popcorn?"

    "No"

    "Why not?"

    "It might, in a dim light, look a little bit like butter. It might, in a stench filled theater, smell vaguely like butter. It might, if you dragged your tongue across the parking lot for one hundred yards, then into the lobby and up over the counter, taste something like butter. But trust me on this, it's not butter."
    • ernasty10050, on 10/10/2007, -0/+25We use "buttery topping" which is really 99% peanut oil. It tastes nothing like butter and makes me sick every time I've had it.
      • intilli4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually AMC switched over to use Coconut Oil instead because it has a closer taste to butter.
      • coolman3375, on 12/16/2007, -0/+0No they switched over to Coconut oil due to people with peanut allergies.
    • panda018190, on 10/10/2007, -17/+1The AMC I used to work at had self-serve butter, frankly I don't understand why I should have to butter your popcorn if I don't know your preferences, and it come in a powder in a bag that is heated into a liquid. And when they stock the cash drawers the only coins entered are quarters, mainly because the only people that use change are children and they always have correct change
      • Nitesmoke, on 10/10/2007, -2/+25You should have to butter my popcorn, frankly, because im the customer, and i said to put butter on it, bitch.
        • panda018190, on 10/10/2007, -11/+0really be happy I didn't spit in it, so guess what I never once buttered anyones popcorn, because I shouldn't and I don't see why anyone ever would. and don't think you are unique by bitching at the counter, because by the time you actually see the manager they won't care anymore that I did
          • brutalentropy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Nevermind, that's not nice.
          • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Panda... Go get a job you like. If you don't like people don't work in a service industry, plain and simple. You get buried now.
          • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1i don't understand your attitude on where you work vs. you being proud of not buttering anyones popcorn and your manager not giving a ***** if you do or not.
  • mortigon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Managers run the world you know. They know everything and when they are proven wrong, or made to look stupid by customers, they have the right to act like assholes.

    ...
    • guitarh3ro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I work at AMC theatres...and yes, it's true. And very annoying, although I've never had to direct anyone to Guest Services for it >_>

      So, yes, it IS true, but we will use the nickels customers give us for change. We just don't carry nickels automatically.
      • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0YES! Someone with common sense!
  • Error601, on 10/10/2007, -11/+58Another fake Consumerist story. I have a nickel in my pocket from an AMC theater (don't bother seeing 1401). How long before people get that this site is full of *****?
    • completerobot, on 10/10/2007, -18/+2"RTFA" was invented because of people like you.
      • kh99, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11Why? What is there about that comment that makes you think he didn't RTFA?
        • frimple, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3He doesn't know, he was just spouting ***** without RTFA
    • ChromaVita, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3It's 1408, but i agree totally. It really sucks.
    • dbz253, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11i can believe it. i used to work at regal and all they had was quarters. but everything added up to the nearest quarter, so it pretty much always worked out. i did get some whiny bitch one time who insisted on paying with dimes and then threw a hissy fit because i didn't have a nickel to give back. it's really sad actually.

      /btw, i ended up giving her one of her dimes back.
      • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2hahaha i thought you were sarcasm quoting the story. oh man i'm going to sleep for real this time. dugg.
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I don't doubt that you got a nickle in change at an AMC. That doesn't even begin to disprove this story, however -- as you may have noticed, not every store in any chain behaves exactly the same as the others. This guy's local AMC obviously just has ***** management.
    • Fergawa, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2That doesn't prove anything. I work at a movie theater and we too only stock our drawers with quarters since all of our prices are in 25 cent increments. HOWEVER, I get people that will pay with two dimes and a nickel to cover the $0.25. VOILA! I have a nickel in my drawer to give someone change with. Well that was hard.
  • brklynmark, on 10/10/2007, -2/+84He got a movie ticket for under $10?
    • Asno667, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3Never paid more than 7
      • gr0ss, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1It's 7 here too, and during the afternoon hours its like 5.25-6.25 depending on where you go, and then 7 at darker hours.
        • TheSabre, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Darker hours? So, in the summer, is it cheaper later? It doesn't get dark here until at least 9 in the summer. I should start seeing more movies around 8.
      • rojaz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2In my small, hole-in-wall town, it only cost $4 and $3 if you go before 5pm.
        • geometry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Are they "talkies"? How much to see the movie in color?
      • sephiroth965, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It used to be 7 here, It's 9.50 the last time I checked though.
    • nreynolds, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3it's $10.75 at the only theater near my house that plays anything good. And now they're upgrading the theater to an Arclight, so it'll probably be close to $15.
    • DarthPoo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1At the ***** hole excuse for a movie theater in my town of Springfield, TN, it's 3 bucks on a Friday night for a ticket. But then again, there is no DTS, no THX, no FUN, and did I mention it's in Springfield, Tennessee?
    • OhROFL, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Surprising. In LA, going to a decent theater is 11 bucks.
    • SouthsideIrish, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Paid $8.50 yesterday at an AMC Theatre yesterday to see the new Simpson's movie. A coke almost costs as much as the movie did.
    • Gryffydd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Theaters around me (Olympia, WA) run around $8--and that's with all the DTS/THX stuff you want.
    • Kypt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wow guys, here in Dallas movies are from 6-8...I'd hate to live where you guys are at :P
    • fuelvolts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Jeez, I paid $4 to see The Simpson's movie in complete surround sound and very clean last weekend...Cinemark in Grapevine, TX on a Sunday afternoon.
    • skyfire1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It costed me $5 to see Rescue Dawn. It wasn't worth it. Turns out some guy sat in a load of ***** right before the movie started and he had to let everyone know.
      • TomTruelle, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2who the ***** takes a turd in the movie theatre???
    • PunkRampant, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5It cost me several minutes to read all these stupid personal anecdotes.
    • Shorties, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They cost 7-8 bucks near me, but we used to have a "Cheap theater" that got the movies a month or 2 later but tickets were only 3 bucks, they got rid of the theater because it was hurting the other theaters in the area (All the theaters in my county are owned by one company).
    • Tsen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Dude, move to Utah. $4.50 for the main theater (Cinemark and AMC Cinaplex), $7.00 at night and on weekends.
  • talan64, on 10/10/2007, -2/+43If this is true (which I doubt), next time just pay for the ticket with 180 nickels. They can't tell you they have no nickels then.
    • kosmoX, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9And I'm pretty sure that they can't refuse the nickels, because they are valid payment for all debts, personal and private.
      • sparcnut, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9IIRC, they can refuse payment like that in the US. When you go to buy the
        ticket, a debt has not yet been incurred; they can then restrict what currency
        you use. If you had incurred the debt already (like if you paid on the way out
        of the theater), then they would have to take any US currency.
        • turquoisefish, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Yup, it isn't a debt if you pay in advance.
        • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Oh, for Pete's sake.... the day some teenage brat refuses any American Currency because a "debt hasn't been incurred yet" is the day I punch said teenager in the face.
          THIS is what's wrong with Americans (and yes, I am one too) no one can use common sense, everyone needs a rule, policy, guideline, or law to tell them what to do. THINK FOR YOURSELVES!
        • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2..........AND PAY FOR EVERYTHING IN SMALL CHANGE!
    • ImOnlySleeping, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3I'm not sure how this works in the states, but in Canada you can refuse to accept more that 100 nickels as payment.
    • justinjstark, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2While they cannot refuse the nickels on an owed tab, they can refuse to do business with you before the transaction takes place.
  • jhnewt, on 10/10/2007, -17/+6Who gives a ***** about a nickel. We really should get rid of nickels and pennies anyways.
    • Calcularius, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11you can send all of yours to me.
  • m1s6, on 10/10/2007, -17/+8why not just ask for 5 pennies instead of being a douche bag
    • kinghajj, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13Read the article. It says that AMC doesn't have ANY change.
      • onlyclave, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3He paid with 3 quarters and 3 dimes. Did that ***** up their bookkeeping that night?
  • KanosWRX, on 10/10/2007, -12/+3Who cares, its only a Nickel. I mean pennies are worthless these days, nickels will be too. Its like playing monopoly with 1 dollars. not worth the trouble.
    • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1FYI, it already costs more than their face value to produce both Nickels and Pennies these days.
  • mablco, on 10/10/2007, -6/+38chocolate rain
    • Nitesmoke, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14some stay dry while some must feel the pain.
    • DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1There used to be a time on digg when everyone would get that.
    • atomic811, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0History quickly crashing through your veins.
  • Urusai, on 10/10/2007, -11/+3This is illegal in the US. Sales tax must be added after the total, and it must be to the penny. Whether they round up or down, they are not collecting the sales tax properly. Somebody report them to the IRS (or the equivalent state agency).
    • kh99, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3BS. Sales tax is a state thing. Not every state even has a sales tax, and the ones that do don't charge it on everything. Also I'd be willing to bet they don't all have the same rules for charging it.
    • kinghajj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6What? Movie theatres include tax in the listed price, probably because many movie-goers are children.
    • aedes, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4...or the total before tax might be such that with tax it equals an even number... that's how it works at the movie theatres up here in Canada.
    • m1s6, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5the price that you pay includes tax. so if you have 7% tax and your movie ticket costs $7, then the actual revenue for the theatre is $6.51 and the $.49 is tax
    • nreynolds, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1I've never been charged sales tax at a movie theater. It's always the exact "nice" amount.
      • nreynolds, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1why am I getting dugg down? Go to any movie theater in Los Angeles and see what you get charged. They probably just include the sales tax without really telling you.
    • breaker01, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6The state I live in doesn't have sales tax, so don't say it's illegal in 'the US'. In other states they probably figure in the sales tax to the price of the ticket and concessions before hand.
    • santaliqueur, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4US Sales Tax? No such thing. Sales tax varies state by state. Some states have none.
  • wishninja, on 10/10/2007, -3/+21I wish the government would pass a law allowing you to punch the manager in the face.
    • bovious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You forgot to say "Chocolate Raaaain"
  • JESUSREAM, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17Wow, that story was exhilarating
    • jsballardx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Hahaha you're the best person alive right now.
    • Aisha417, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Hahahaha I'm glad someone said it.
  • Seventus, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6They should clearly advertise to pay everything in exact dollar amounts then. If they aren't going to carry change, then they shouldn't accept cash.

    Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't it illegal to deny a person change from an accepted tender?
    • kinghajj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Technically, AMC is in debt $0.05 to this guy. And they have to pay him back. But, to get it, he'd have to go to court, which would cost more than $0.05.
      • expat001, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Yeah but he could win a lot more since AMC stole the money from him and in effect the lawsuit would make AMC have to post signs that say exact change only, etc... And it would be bad press for AMC.
        • LethalAmbition, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2and it would be sticking it to the man
    • SOhp101, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Some coinage act of 1968 or 1965 or something allows private businesses to restrict acceptance of certain legal tender i.e., no bills bigger than $20 after 10pm, no change accepted, etc.
  • Richandler, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2What retarded business doesn't have change in their drawers. Most people have no clue that movie theatres take debit/credit cards now. Besides some people don't want their name and info ending up in the servers of every company on earth.
    • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I have a debit card but I don't use it for small purchases. I use my cash. This is still American and we have legal tender that all businesses should take. I would have called the police and they would have given me my five cents or a full refund. I would have made such a scene that everyone in the place would know how stupid management is. Later, I would bother headquaters till someone got fired for publicly humiliating me. It's the principle of the thing. A good manager would have given a nickel from his own pocket.
      • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Oh this is dumber than the rest. You'd actually take this to the police? Really? So while they're there getting your nickel back someone is getting killed and there's no one nearby to respond. All because you have "prinicples". No one should be fired, there should just be some change in the drawer. Very simple. How a person handles simple situations speaks to their character.
  • dalex1, on 10/10/2007, -16/+11Nothing in a movie theatre is ever broken down further than a quarter price wise. So some jerkass takes dimes to pay for his movie ticket and then gets bent out of shape? The digg story should be about the jerk who's paying for his movie ticket in change, not the fact that AMC doesn't have nickels. Use your damn debit card, STHU and quit slowing the rest of us down. This is one tiny rung above the lady at the gas station paying for her morning coffee and doughnut with a check.
    • kinghajj, on 10/10/2007, -6/+31) Not everyone has a debit card.
      2) Coins are legal tender, and must be accepted for all debts. If someone offers you legal tender for a debt and you don't accept it, the debt is void.
      • Tabris, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yes, but if you haven't recieived the ticket or seen the movie, no debt has been incurred as you are paying in advance.
    • krummb, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Lesson learned, if you use cash, you are a jerk. I guess we should all carry around credit/debit cards for the convenience of dalex. Screw the fact that you'll be paying for that movie well after you've left.
      • dalex1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Reading comprehension is obviously not your friend. Paying with cash does not make you a jerk. Paying with dimes for a movie ticket does.
    • aedes, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1dude, I've been a cashier for 4 years, and there's nothing wrong with paying in change. From experience, it's actually faster than debit. Especially with elderly people. Often, it takes them 4 to 6 tries to choose the right account, enter the right PIN number, and kit OK instead of Cancel. I love being on express when someone pays with debit, cuz it actually gives me a chance to take a breather. Cash (inc change) and credit card are both substantially faster processes than paying with debit.

    • kh99, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4I agree - probably what really happened was the guy was a total jerk to the manager, went on a rant about the lack of nickels in the cash drawers and never actually even asked for his nickel back.
  • laserdog, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3I personally want to start a "Hold the Pennies" movement.

    It's a waste of everybody's time to count them out at this point.

    I know in theory you bring it home and toss it in a jar. But I guarantee that the increased frequency of having to take in your jar when it fills up faster due to pennies, compounded by the time wasted in line waiting for pennies to be counted out makes the entire affair a net loss of both time and money.
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2If you actually use your change, it's easy to get rid of. I've spent all the spare change in my car several times. The secret is, when your bill comes out to $2.17, and you have 17 cents in change, pay $2.17, not $3.
      • LethalAmbition, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1or dump them in the coin star machines. I swear to god those things rip you off tho
        • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1commerce bank does it free, account or not. its called the penny arcade. awesome before roadtrips!
    • willynilly, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yes, and then you go to your own ***** bank and are told they don't accept coins. Or they want you to sit in the corner and ROLL THE COINS. Or they tell you to take the coins to the grocery store, where Coinstar will rip you off for a percentage of your money.

      *****. A coin counter is basic bank equipment, just like teller drawers and safes. DO NOT let your bank punish you for its failure to outfit itself for business.
  • mannymix03, on 10/10/2007, -1/+33Ok here is the truth from someone who DOES work at an AMC theater:
    We do not stock nickels in the cash registers or box office register, however it should have been no problem to give him a nickel at customer service because we routinely get nickels from customers.

    Why don't we stock nickels and pennies you ask?
    Because everything that you can order is in 25 cent denominations. Small soda: $4, Small slushie: $4.50 Gummy Bears: $3.25
    so there really is only a need for quarters
    • Sunfightersix, on 10/10/2007, -15/+1um....sales tax?
      • mikalveli, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Sales tax is included in the price.
    • panda018190, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3sale tax is figured into the price, it actually cost less than shown, and the add the tax to the display price
    • dbz253, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1damn, $4 for a small soda. talk about a deal
      • chriskeyes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Actually, it's like $3.50 at my AMC. $4 for a large. And with a large, you get free refills. Too bad the lines are long though.
    • zetec, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5As another (well, former, I've moved on to better jobs) AMC employee, Manny's right, AMC doesn't carry nickels because they typically don't need to. That doesn't mean they don't have them or that the situation shouldn't have been handled better, but the guy went out of his way to make a scene over the ***** nickel in the first place, just so he could post about how he was "victimized". I have a feeling that the manager wasn't the only douchebag with an attitude there, especially if he's whining like a little bitch over a nickel, and is SO BOTHERED by it that even _after his movie,_ drives home and OMG MUST GO EMAIL CONSUMERIST! Anybody who's done any kind of service job knows his type: hes the guy that acts like an ***** just to set everybody else around him off, then gets off on feeling like the victim.

      And the next retard that says anything about sales tax needs to actually go out to a ***** theater. Theaters have been including sales tax for the last two decades, some even longer than that.
    • mishabear, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7unless someone uses 3 dimes instead of a quarter.....
    • judsond, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I used to work at a museum type place that did the same thing, it's not that uncommon. I don't remember it ever being a problem.
    • comineeyeaha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, I used to work for a Regal and they did the same thing. This guy sucks at the internet.
  • breaker01, on 10/10/2007, -11/+8what a douche bag. it's a nickel for crying out loud. in the time it took for him to get all pissy about it and talk to the manager, he could have gotten his snacks and drink, and been comfortably seated in his chair. hell, if he reached between the cushions of the seat he probably would have found his precious nickel, maybe even a quarter.

    it really doesn't make sense for a business to carry change they are never going to use.
    • witcompe, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Would you really want to reach between the cushions at a movie theater? I'd be afraid of what I might find.
    • g00ee, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10It's just a nickel? So if a nickel is so insignificant why doesn't AMC just give him a dime and take the nickel loss? You're the douche bag if you think a billion dollar corporation should get to keep the nickel instead of the average moviegoer.
      • kh99, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Maybe they should have, but I think the point is that it's not worth getting upset over. It's not as if AMC is charging $7.95 for a ticket then refusing to give out nickels. And the guy could have taken back his money and left if it was that important to him.
        • willynilly, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or he could have taken a dump in the lobby.
    • ChromaVita, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And they wouldn't be carrying change that they would never use, it's obvious that this guy has found a situation in which a nickel is required...
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Is it really so wrong to expect that, if you pay someone $9.05 for a $9 item, that they should give you back your $.05 in change?

      Refusing to give your customers their change is just ***** customer service, period.
    • willynilly, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1*****. That's the attitude that resulted in all of us being screwed daily with ATM fees, teller fees, phone-transaction fees, TICKETMASTER... the list is nearly endless. If you went back to the '50s and told people that in the future they'd have to pay a monthly fee just for the privilege of having long-distance service even if they made 0 calls, they'd tell you LIKE HELL.

      So apparently hell is populated by spineless, apologist cretins who decry those who fight back. You don't have the gumption to stand up for yourself, but you can shove your derision of those who do right up your suggestion box.
  • quez, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4Buried as inaccurate.
    • mikalveli, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Oh yeah. Well I dugg it just to cancel out you out. I wasn't going to digg or bury until I read your comment. Hell, I'm even going to make it my #1.
  • superpositioned, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7In all my years of retail, I never needed to dump a new string of nickels. Unlike any other coin, we gave out less nickels than we received. I'm not surprised that they didn't have any on hand. Poor customer service, though.
  • ernasty10050, on 10/10/2007, -5/+9My theater rounds all their prices to the 0.25 to speed up transactions and prevent crap like this.
    • Inverno, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2until someone pays with quarters and times. rtfa.
      • ernasty10050, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I assume you meant dimes. Well if people don't have exact change, we don't have to accept their money. We don't carry any change but quarters. After a year of working there, I haven't had one customer who didn't have a quarter.
  • jmohring, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7I worked for this company for like 3 years they really don't carry nickels or any change smaller than a quarter because they make sure after tax is included everything end is 25 50 75 or 00. usually they run out of money too because it is pretty expensive all the time so people pay on credit or debit so we never really had that much money, i always felt sorry for the people who tried to rob the store at christmas time thinking it was so busy and ending up stealing a drawer full of receipts.
  • eradicator, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2AMC's "Film Man" was unavailable for comment.
    • zetec, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1WTF? How did it double post from a single click?

      The gods must be crazy.
    • zetec, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2His name is "Clippy". Just FYI.
      • eradicator, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Thanks for that. I always wondered what his real name was...
  • clichecow, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2its a nickle, get a job
    • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's a nickel, learn to spell.
  • pensivewombat, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2I think it's far more likely that AMC carries nickels, but the register was out and the kid working it didn't want to go get one so he just made something up. That's probably what I would have done.
  • sheik, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4Prime example of mis-information in story clipping

    Furthermore, it's a ***** nickel, grow up
  • richard67, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2The fix for this simple. The next time you go to AMC for a $8 movie, pay them with 160 nickels, or better yet, 800 pennies. Can they refuse it?
    • jonfelder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Yes they can.
    • kuyman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yes, as has been pointed out in the comments several times already :)
  • mannymix03, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3@allaboutdatiki

    Yes it is gross, it comes in a plain white 5 gallon jug, and can last almost a year before spoiling, however its rare that we actually keep it for over a week or two since its very popular.
    Oh and btw, the butter topping seeps down into the rest of the popcorn, so stop slowing down my service by telling me to "layer" your popcorn by filling it half way, get buttery topping (yes we have to call it that, since its technically not butter and its in the training videos) then fill it up again, and get more butter.
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4You'll layer the butter if I ask. So bugger off or get a real job.
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If people are paying $4 for $.05 worth of corn, you'd damn well better put the butter on however they tell you to. Don't worry, your manager can afford the extra 10 seconds of your minimum-wage labor.
  • whiterussian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I used to work at a small, independent movie theater and all our tickets were to the dollar and our concessions were in increments of 50 cents. We never carried coins other than quarters and not once did we have a problem. Perhaps it was because we were a 80+ year old local theater, but most people just said, "keep the change," and often tipped a dollar or so on top of that.
  • sodypop77, on 10/10/2007, -1/+15If I had a nickel for every time this has happened to me ...
  • wherl78, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2More corporate BS!!!
    • dalex1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Yes, I can just picture the evil fatcats in the corporate HQ with their cigars, laughing maniacally about all the profit they make from the people who pay $9.05 for a $9 ticket. They also probably pad their retirement accounts with all those ill-gotten nickels.

      Won't someone think of the common man! I'm gonna go play some Joan Baez now.
  • Laughsatyou, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17lol i love how people are okay with businesses ripping you off for a nickel.

    OMG ITS JUST A NICKEL!

    gimme a break, its bad business to nickel and dime your consumers.
  • kethraal, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"But trust me on this, it's not butter."

    I believe it!
  • expat001, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7That's called stealing.
  • cfd339, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4I see to recall a case many years ago where a man paid his income taxes to the IRS by bringing in a large jar of pennies. They were refused. He sued, and he won. I'm sorry I don't recall the details. Could be an urban myth but I doubt it.
  • Typhoon2009, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Bah, just start installing those MasterCard "PayPass" stations everywhere. Swipe and go... no need to fumble around with PINs and change.
    • optize, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Which is such a stupid idea. Where's the security of no pins? Can I have your address to 'check out' your paypass card please.
    • IntensePuppy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What a great idea mastercard rep
  • Aisha417, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1That's just dumb on so many levels.
  • intellecks, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Talk about getting "nickeled and dimed".

    "THAT'S HOW THEY GETCHA!" [/Grandpa]
  • frenchtoaster, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8I don't think 90% of the people who commented understood.

    You all say that your theater rounds everything to quarters, thus only has to use quarters. This is EXACTLY the problem. If something costs 3.25 and you pay with 3 singles and 3 dimes then you have to pay back 5 cents. Your "only quarters because we only change increments of 25" is probably exactly the flawed thinking that this article is in refence to.
    • comineeyeaha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1in situations like that you either hoped to have a nickle sitting either in your till or in your pocket. Aside from that you just take the hit and be $0.05 short on your register. Big ***** deal. The situation could have been handled way better.
  • paulpavlish, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3I used to work at Regal theaters, and they never carried coinage below a quarter. Everything (including tax) ended on a quarter of a dollar. As a cashier, it was so easy to count out your till, I loved it.
    • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I've worked retail, I've worked at a bank....unless you have a severe problem change is incredibly easy to count in small quantities such as a cashier drawer or teller box. I can teach you how if you'd like.
  • elblots, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Being a former employee of AMC, I can tell you that they don't carry any other denominations other than paper or quarters. At least not standard. nickels, dimes, pennys etc are of course in the till providing a customer has paid with them. The reason for this is to expedite the transaction process. Making it as simple as possible for the employee. Is it good business? no. Is it justified? no. But its the way it is.

    When it comes down to it tho, AMC has a very strict employee standard (especially with managers) that you should go the extra mile to keep the customer happy. The initial teller may not have been able to provide the nickel (in strict fear of being held accountable for ANY type of shortage in the till), but the manager could have easily provided it, and would have..without a 2nd thought. They fear people calling the home office, so they do what they can to prevent that :)

    I call ***** on this. Its a damn nickel. They wouldn't be assholes about that. ...however they DO hate when you pay in other denominations other than the standards ;)
    • culrodwen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I too used to work for AMC and about a year after I started working there all our coins (other than quarters) disappeared. They do it to make transactions simpler, and I always wondered what would happen if someone needed change like this...guess I know now. I would say most people would normally not be too upset about being out a nickel, but after working there for two years, I know people will complain about anything. (Case in point, I was once called a racist for not being able to sell someone a hot dog after the concession stand closed).
  • fpsjake, on 10/10/2007, -8/+4That's *****. I work at an AMC. This is how it works. When you open your drawer for your shifts, there are ones, fives, tens, and 4 $10 rolls of quarters. The way AMC works is that no matter what you buy and no matter how you pay, the change can be given out in just quarters. ($1.25, $5.50, etc.) If people give us extra change we have to count it and make sure we can give their change back in quarters, otherwise we have to refuse to take the extra money. Sounds to me like the teller screwed up, but it was also this guy's problem. Who cares if you have some extra change? Keep it to yourself and don't take up the time of the people working there and hold up the line because you couldn't carry a few dimes.
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2"Keep it to yourself and don't take up the time of the people working there and hold up the line because you couldn't carry a few dimes."

      RTFA. The guy paid with 3 quarters and 3 dimes.
  • Speciou5, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2If you're going to whine about it and post it, I'll give you the freaking nickel myself.
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Why don't you just give the nickel to AMC? They seem to be the ones in most need.
  • TheBigBad, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Typical of the current state of customer service.

    Most of the chowderheads posting on this story with the "Get a job, it's only a nickel" comments don't understand that it's not about the money it's the principle that through the stupidity and lack of forethought by a multi-million dollar company, this man is being hassled for a nickel that he is rightfully owed.
  • clide, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Sounds like he was arguing about their policy and not for his nickel, he never said if they he got his nickel from the customer service desk, which he probably did.
  • Patchfoot, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2 I think this is pretty SOP. I work as a manager at an independent theater and we have our prices set to always end up at a quarter. This is really just to simplify making change for the employees. Most of the employees we get already have a hell of a time just make that change correctly and so we never put anything less then a quarter in the drawers either. If a customer was bent out of shape about wanting that nickel I'd just give him a quarter or dig up small change from one of the drawers, but c'mon people: it's a nickel. I know someone could turn this into the first step to some dystopian future, but I'm gladly have my change rounded to the .10 cent or something anyway.

    btw, the greatest thing we ever did at our theater was to make a station where customers put on their own "butter". I love never having to touch that nasty crap again.
  • bkalinow, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12First comment (and probably last) ever:

    Weirdly enough, I think I saw this guy. I was at an AMC theatre in Michigan to see a movie a few days ago, and I saw this late-20's guy come up to Guest Services and start bitching about needing to get his change. He had a definite attitude--and upon being told the policy, he immediately asked for a manager in a snide tone of voice. I didn't stick around to see what happened with the manager.

    I suspect this guy's attitude is part of the reason that the manager got short with him. I used to be a manager with AMC, and honestly I would have just gotten a nickel from one of the concessionists--they usually do have extra spare change, especially at the theatre in question.

    One of the tags on this article is "Michigan" so I'm pretty sure this is the guy I saw. Small world.
    • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1So you don't think the guy should have an attitude when a company tries to steal from him? That's messed up. He has every right to expect his money back.
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Even if the guy was a dick, people generally expect better customer service from management -- especially when the customer is so easily satisfied in a case like this.

      If you're a manager, and someone wants a nickel in change, you give 'em the ***** nickel. That's a manager's job. You come out when people are pissed off, and give 'em what they want, if their demands aren't unreasonable.
    • Rizmaster, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Which AMC? I'm an OC at a Metro AMC theatre. And yeah, no coinage below a quarter.

      Honestly, when, and it's very occasional, that anyone pays like that, they round down rather than deal with the *****. No one is accountable for a quarter. And to get into Box Office you need to have nigh infallible cash handling skills.

      So this guy was probably a douchebag. Then he whined to Consumerist. Who lately has been alternating between legitimate tales of corporate greed and ***** Jerry Seinfeld whining about the random ways people do business. It's a free market, assholes.
    • reflection717, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Shouldn't have even had to get to the manager. Simple enough to just tell him to keep one of the dimes. Most places won't fire you for being a nickel short in the drawer.... especially one that doesn't stock nickels!
      • Rizmaster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Some kid isn't going to chance that, though. He played it safe, he sent them to the desk. Trust me.

        Movie theatres are full of ***** who don't want to deal with the absurdly high prices and then bitch and moan to the entire staff. The best advice you can give anyone who works there is to let management handle everything once an altercation begins.
    • Godlike, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I would have given the dude a nickel from my pocket, I mean holy hell... to just dismiss the one person a year that pays with change? Worth it.
      • comineeyeaha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I lost so many nickles doing that very thing in the 3 years I worked for Regal.
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