THE UNOFFICIAL "VENT" THREAD: A Series of unfortunate events indeed.

[Anton Phibes]

Wow, Anton!  I'm surprised the employee even said he couldn't break a bill that size.  All Papa John's in my area have a strict no bills larger than $20 policy, and they will let you know "The Policy"!  ha!

I remember when gas stations used to say they couldnt break a $50 bill or larger either. Now it costs almost $75 to fill the car. $100 just doesnt go very far these days,lol. I went to K-Mart for a 24 pack of Coke and they broke the bill just fine. I had no idea the store had such a policy. 

[aura of foreboding]

I remember when gas stations used to say they couldnt break a $50 bill or larger either. Now it costs almost $75 to fill the car. $100 just doesnt go very far these days,lol. I went to K-Mart for a 24 pack of Coke and they broke the bill just fine. I had no idea the store had such a policy. 

I think it's weird, but they always point people to sign whenever I'm in there.  It's kind of funny. 

Gas stations around me have a $50 rule after dark, but none during the daytime anymore. 

[Flower]

I think that the price of gasoline is something to vent about .. 

[Anton Phibes]

Oh yes--- it sure is!!!!  Between gas and groceries---I have almost no money for anything other than bills,lol. I really think thats why Movies are flopping. Who has the extra money to just waste? I want to see "The Conjuring". I will be waiting until Tuesday. Shows are $5 at the Rave around here on Tuesdays.

[Flower]

Vent! The prices for popcorn and drinks at most theaters cause me heart failure.

[aura of foreboding]

Oh yes--- it sure is!!!!  Between gas and groceries---I have almost no money for anything other than bills,lol. I really think thats why Movies are flopping. Who has the extra money to just waste? I want to see "The Conjuring". I will be waiting until Tuesday. Shows are $5 at the Rave around here on Tuesdays.

I wish that we had that option at our theaters.  They charge regular/matinee admission no matter the day...   

[Flower]

Another vent .. the cost of tickets for major league sporting events. If 'they' lowered the cost of the tickets, they would have a great attendance, sell more hotdogs, popcorn, soda, beer .. etc. and in the long run .. a greater profit and happier fans.

[Fester]

Not to throw a wet blanket or anything on the venting, but there are some issues to consider:

The no large bill rule - -
This really has less to do with "the economy" than it has to do with robbery. 

Most carry out style restaurants have a policy of emptying the till several times per day.  When I was in college, I worked in a pizza place similar to the old Shakeys Pizza.  Several times, at the end of busy weekend nights, we were robbed.  I have looked down the barrels of cheap revolvers and sawed off shotguns enough to last me a lifetime.  After a couple of times where the robbers got away with $1000 to $1200 (in 1970's dollars!) The owner brought in some small cash bags and had the safe modified with a drop slot.  At regular intervals we had to drop anything over $250 in ones and fives into the safe.
The next time we got robbed, the guy with the gun only got a hand full of small bills.  I worked there for two more years and never got robbed again.
Taking lots of large bills and having easy access to them is asking to get robbed.

Not to mention, no one counterfeits ones or fives.  Twenties Fifties, and Hundreds are much more cost effective -- even with a good color copier/printer handy.

Concession prices:
After college, I worked at various sports venue concessions for several years. (What else does one do with a degree in History?)  The concession prices were always a focus of customer complaint.  But here are a couple of things to consider. 

The concession company has the following costs to cover in order to break even:

Wholesale cost of the food sold.
Wholesale cost of the packaging materials: cups, wrappers, straws, napkins, food boats, plastic utensils, etc.
Equipment costs--purchase, repair and maintenance.  That big Cretors popcorn machine runs about $6,000 if you want one for your home theater . . .
Utilities-- gas, water, sewer, electric.
Employee payroll (minimum wage, but still . . .)
Insurance.
Licensing, permits, fees.
Stand rent paid to the venue.
Spoilage:  leftovers that cannot be saved for the next event.

Remember, when there are no events going, all that stuff is standing idle--not making money.
AND most arenas, ball parks, and stadiums (stadia?) also have a contract for a certain percentage of the concessionaire's gross sales.  Not Net after costs--Gross--Off The Top before costs sales.

That's why you can buy an eight pack of Ballpark Franks (TM) and some buns for the price of one arena dog.


As for movie ticket prices? 
Read:

Economics Of The Movie Theater – Where The Money Goes And Why It Costs Us So Much
— Posted by John Campea
This article is a bit dated but the general breakdown holds true still.
And this guy tells it better than I could.

http://themovieblog.com/2007/economics-of-the-movie-theater-where-the-money-goes-and-why-it-costs-us-so-much/

[aura of foreboding]

Not to throw a wet blanket or anything on the venting, but there are some issues to consider:

I'm fairly certain we are all familiar with the reasoning behind these annoying staples of modern America, but I appreciate you taking the time to bring your personal experiences to the table.

Perhaps instead of ranting about food store policies, ballpark prices, and movie ticket costs, we should direct our frustrations toward robbers, corporate pricing, and people who don't go to the movies?   

[Fester]

Actually, I guess I was venting my spleen having been on the receiving end of the No Big Bills complaints and the Howcome Everything Is So Expensive? whines of customers.

Anton Phibes has certainly been on the receiving end of a good case of Life Happens.

IRS problems--well big organizations are not evil--just inept. Have you considered doing your own taxes via something like TurboTax?  Many years ago, I had trouble with H&R Block, and my uncle gave me crap for hiring someone to do my taxes. 
I told him I was bad at math. He handed me a pocket calculator and a pencil and sent me home to get all the stuff I was going to take to the tax service.  We sat down at his kitchen table and in 30 minutes I was putting a stamp on my 1040a envelope and mentally spending my refund. 
Only once in the last 40 years have I had trouble with the IRS, and it was my fault. I didn't put the refund amount in the correct box at the end--never mind the amount overpaid was in the box directly above--anyone with any sense could have figured it out. But the B-B stackers at IRS went ahead and decided to tell me I owed them nothing and they owed me nothing. 
Well long story short: After several notes back and forth with no resolution, I dropped a line to my local Congressman.  Within a week, I received a reply from my Congressman's office; a letter from the IRS  apologizing for the mix-up and telling me to expect a refund shortly; and a refund check.  Funny thing--the check arrived a day before the IRS apology.

Pizza guy with the No Big Bills sign?  I'll bet if you asked him why, he could only tell you that was the rule.  Odds are, he has no idea of the reasoning behind the rule--he just gets yelled at by the manager if he takes a large bill.

And inheritance issues?  As the old saying goes: You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you shouldn't pick your friend's nose . . . or is it: you can pick your friends but not your relatives--or their noses Something like that. 
Well, Where there's a will--there's a dead relative.  Few things are worse than family feuding.

Glad to hear your health is improving. It could have been worse.

Griping and venting are fine things to do. Just as long as it doesn't end there. I'v always found it therapeutic to vent, let the dust settle and then either work out a solution or accept things the way they are.

[Anton Phibes]

No one's crawling in a hole and dying over it, Fester. I just figured I was due for a little screaming out loud. I thought others might want to do the same, so I started a vent thread. Not being a baby about it, not letting it destroy me. Just felt like letting off steam, and invited others to do the same.

Apparently you don't feel the need to vent much. Except about my venting, and inviting others to do so. Which is a lot easier to avoid than having a bunch of "life happens" dumped on your existence,lol. An existence I wish to be as uneventful as possible. Peace.

[aura of foreboding]

Pizza guy with the No Big Bills sign?  I'll bet if you asked him why, he could only tell you that was the rule.  Odds are, he has no idea of the reasoning behind the rule--he just gets yelled at by the manager if he takes a large bill.

I don't know about that...  I would like to think that people on the front lines who handle a major company's money have the capacity to reason out the existence of a rule that directly affects their job performance, even if they don't openly share the reason with the general public.  I'm sure some don't, but I'd like to think that a majority (even if it's a small one) do.  But maybe that's just me and my positive thinking.   

[Fester]

No one's crawling in a hole and dying over it, Fester. I just figured I was due for a little screaming out loud. I thought others might want to do the same, so I started a vent thread. Not being a baby about it, not letting it destroy me. Just felt like letting off steam, and invited others to do the same.

Apparently you don't feel the need to vent much. Except about my venting, and inviting others to do so. Which is a lot easier to avoid than having a bunch of "life happens" dumped on your existence,lol. An existence I wish to be as uneventful as possible. Peace.

Please don't get me wrong Anton.  I am all in favor of venting. I do it all the time, albeit not on-line (just ask my wife).  It is good and healthy thing to do. And once it is done with, I try to find a way to deal with it.
Funny thing about it, After rereading my post about big bills and food costs, I realized I was venting and ranting about people who have vented and ranted at me when I was working in food service.   Damn! Talk about irony!!

I am originally from Northern Utah and currently residing in Spokanistan, so English is not my native language.   Seriously: in no way did I mean to dismiss what has happened to you.  You have certainly had a lot of stuff dished on your plate recently. As have we all. And it is a relief to have someplace to let off steam.   

I have also thought the UMA is a place where friends help friends.  Hence the stuff about the IRS.  Sometimes you can get back at the big faceless bureaucracy. And a letter of complaint to your Congressman can be effective.  After all, Congress controls the IRS' budget--you don't want to tee off the guys that write your paycheck.

I meant no harm or hurt in what I wrote.
And I apologize for my offense.

[Anton Phibes]

Hahahahaha!  No offense taken. I just kind of got lost in cyber translation-ville. It happens. My job always makes me wear a "happy face" even if I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. My wife doesnt want me complaining either. I got busted for letting out a heavy sigh in the supermarket when she gave me a piece of news I could've lived without hearing,lol.  So I came here to gripe a bit.  That's about the size of it. "Life does happen", but its better than the alternative of beign a dead 'un.

I just wanted you to know that my griping wasn't going to keep me defeated. Its laugh or cry. My wife and I have been laughing up a storm. It's kind of like: "Ok---what's today hold?",lol.

Your opening to this thread had me laughing---and for that I am most appreciative. I like to laugh. Peace and Long life my fellow monster brotha!