Movie Theater: You Want Me to Pay What for Popcorn, Soda and Candy?

$4.69 was the price of a movie ticket from twenty years ago, back in 1998. Now it’s $10.79. Okay, I get it, but don’t even get me started on the ridiculous price of a popcorn, candy or soda.  According to the AMC Theaters website, it is $7.69 for a regular size popcorn or $8.69 for a large. Really?! Candy starts at $3.99 up to $4.49 though I can get them at my local store for about a dollar. Sodas are $5.69 or just a dollar more for an extra-large. Want to upgrade? No! No, I don’t! I want reasonable prices. I mean, I know we pay a little bit more for convenience, but those prices are just insane! Icee’s start at $5.89 but I can still get one at a gas station for about $1.19.

Who gave them the right to do that? Why do we even pay it? Any other women out there bring their larger than normal purse with their own snacks? I most certainly do! I will admit it! If taking a child with me who will want candy, I stop at my local store and grab what she wants for $1 and I sneak in two small bottled waters. Do I even feel guilty? No! Not even a little bit! If I paid for everything at their concession stands, I would not go to the movies at all, so I look at it as a “win” “win” for both parties. Right?! Am I wrong to think that way? I will still pay the insane price of a soda (sometimes) and their popcorn because it is nice, fresh and warm, but it is almost the price of a movie ticket. Why?!

I have paid their prices before. More times than I would even like to admit. I have purchased water, soda, candy, popcorn, and sometimes even food. I almost hate myself afterward, but I have handed over my debit card to them cringing inside because I just can’t believe the thieves they are, and they are getting away with it. Can we actually do something about it as a society? Is it because they are not making enough money out of movie ticket sales that they have to upcharge for all concessions? Can we ALL just stop paying their ridiculous prices and boycott them until they bring the cost down or is this a lost cause? Do you guys do what I do as well? I can’t be the only one that does this, right? I have even popped my own popcorn before and brought it in small bags when coming with a larger group. I just can’t afford their prices otherwise?! If I only buy the movie tickets though, I will sometimes feel a little bit guilty.

What if I want healthy snacks though? My sister is definitely more health conscious than me and so, if I take my niece with me and I am allowed to give her popcorn, we will definitely share it. If she’s not allowed popcorn, I have to bring cheese sticks or apple slices, carrots, cuties and so on. Speaking of being more health conscious, do you think it would be a good time to get movie theaters to start providing fruits as snacks as well? They could have apples, bananas, cuties, applesauce and hummus with carrots and or celery sticks. Is that taking it too far? They already have a way to serve chips and cheese, so they could serve the hummus and carrots in the same container. I can easily see those things transitioning into theaters at some point. With the newly health conscious wave that is making its way into our grocery stores, I wonder how long before that starts to happen in movie theaters. However, I also wonder how much those things would cost. My guess would be that they would start at about $4 each, maybe $5 because it is a healthy option? Everything healthy seems to have a higher price. Every notice that too? Please don’t get me started on that conversation either. You want to lose weight? Okay, pay more money for your food and just so you know, there are no coupons for fruits and vegetables.

Maybe it is not even worth it to even consider fruit or healthy snacks as a future potential option. I’ll just keep bringing my big purse with me when I go and pack up whatever fits until they lower their prices. I just hope they never start checking what is inside my purse. That would be embarrassing! I would flat out say that I simply can’t afford their concession stand prices, but that I can afford a movie ticket price and so I make a choice. Do you think that would be okay with them? Just please do not send the large purse police while I am hiding in a corner with my own, less than half the cost of your concession prices and we are good to go!

Image courtesy of Ideasaminute.com

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