A Storm Of Protest, Part 4

It’s a Thursday night. There is a terrible winter storm that started around noon and could end up dumping several feet of snow on us by Friday night. By 5:00 pm, about half the staff has had to call off because the roads are unsafe, and the staff that is working is getting worried about getting home safely because it’s the opening night of a big movie, and we won’t be able to leave until after midnight since the last show goes in at 11:00 pm — especially several staff members who have to rely on rideshares and cabs.

By 6:00 pm, it’s terrible outside, and we’re being inundated with calls from customers asking if they can bring their tickets in on a later date to see the movie since they don’t want to drive. We’re obviously saying yes because nobody should be out in the weather.

By 6:45 pm, roughly 90% of the tickets we have sold have been canceled online or over the phone. Around 7:00 pm, my manager talks to his boss and is given the go-ahead to cancel every show after 7:45 pm so the staff can try to get home safely and only a manager will have to stay, especially since there are essentially no people coming into those times anyway due to the weather.

We stick signs up on every single door explaining that we’re closed due to the weather, and alerts are sent out online to anyone who still had tickets.

Right as we’re about to lock doors around 8:00 pm, a car pulls up into the parking lot, sliding all over the place in the snow and slush for a solid minute, losing control several times. A guy in his forties gets out and wanders in, COVERED in snow from the thirty seconds he was outside, ignoring all of the signs on the door. He wanders up to the box office, where my coworker is in the process of closing out the register.

Customer: “I’m gonna need four tickets to the 11:00 pm [New Release].”

Employee: “Unfortunately, we are actually closing in just a minute due to the weather. The conditions are terrible outside, and we’ve had to cancel the rest of the shows for the night so the staff can try to get home safely.”

Customer: “Oh, f*** you! I drove in just fine! It’s nothing! My kids need to see [New Release] tonight!”

I almost laugh at the “I drove in just fine! It’s nothing!”, as we literally just saw him nearly spin out about a half-dozen times just trying to park in a near-empty lot.

Employee: “Unfortunately, sir, the call has already been made, and I cannot sell you tickets for that showtime. They’ve even removed it from the schedule.”

Customer: “Well, I’m seeing [New Release] tonight at 11:00.”

Employee: “Uh, no, sir, you are not.”

Customer: *Narrowing his eyes and growling* “I ain’t leaving until you sell me tickets, f***-o!”

Employee: “Sorry, but I literally cannot do that.”

Customer: “Manager! Now!”

My coworker leaves to get a manager. The guy turns and looks at me and gives me a look and a shrug as though I’d agree with him.

Customer: “Stupid f****** kid can’t sell me tickets. Can ya believe it?”

Me: “Well, yeah, because we’re closing in a minute due to the weather.”

Customer: “Oh, for f***’s sake? You, too?!”

He begins ranting under his breath. About thirty seconds later, my manager walks up to him, while a supervisor walks by and begins locking the front doors, which makes them one-way — you can get out but you can’t get in.

Manager: “Yeah, we’re officially closed now. We can’t sell you tickets.”

Customer: “I ain’t steppin’ one foot out of this theater until you sell me a f****** ticket. My kids need to see [New Release] tonight!”

Manager: “You’re seriously going to bring your kids to see a movie at 11:00 pm on a school night in the middle of a horrible winter storm? Get out of my theater, please.”

Customer: “Hmmph!”

The customer turned and stormed back outside, and we watched him awkwardly try to drive away, at one point losing control and ending up halfway over a small curb. He finally made it out of the parking lot after another thirty seconds of awkwardly trying to correct his car and sliding more than once.

We got our closing duties done in record time and were all set to leave by 8:40 pm. It normally takes me about ten minutes to get a rideshare and another ten minutes to get home… but that night, it took me nearly thirty minutes to get a rideshare due to the lack of drivers and about another thirty minutes to get home because we couldn’t take a lot of the roads and had to drive at a snail’s pace the entire time.

Related:
A Storm Of Protest, Part 3
A Storm Of Protest, Part 2
A Storm Of Protest