They Find Your Lack of Christmas Show-Times Disturbing

(We’ve just learned that the theater will be opening over an hour early on Christmas Day, and that due to higher-than-usual ticket sales, due to a certain well-publicized space opera movie, almost the entire staff has had to be scheduled to work despite management promising to try and give people the day off who requested it early. I’ve just found out that, despite being promised that I would get the day off after having worked the past four Christmases, I’ll have to be there at 7:00 in the morning and stay until at least 4:00 in the afternoon. It’s the Friday before Christmas when a guest comes to buy tickets for Christmas day.)

Guest: “I need six tickets to [Space Opera Movie] for Christmas Day before noon. And I only want a showtime where we can all sit together.”

Me: “Unfortunately, all six showtimes before noon are either sold out or nearly sold out, and none have six seats together. Actually…” *checks all the showtimes on my computer* “…the only showtimes with six seats together are after nine pm that day.”

Guest: *blowing up* “It’s Christmas! Add more showtimes!”

Me: “Unfortunately, sir, that’s our schedule with added showtimes. They decided to open over an hour early that day to fit in more screenings.”

Guest: “Don’t ruin my Christmas!”

Me: “I’m really sorry, but there’s not much I can do. It’s possible they might switch other movies around to make more showtimes, but we probably won’t know for sure until that day.”

Guest: “I just can’t believe this. They know people are going to want to see that movie. They should open even earlier! You know you’re ruining people’s Christmas, right? RIGHT?! JERK!”

(He stormed out complaining and saying he was going to call our corporate office to demand we open even earlier. And he wasn’t the only one that day to complain about Christmas, or to try to tell us we needed to open even earlier just for them. I always love that people like to throw hissy fits about Christmas at the theater and say we’re “ruining” Christmas for them… yet we’re sacrificing our own Christmases for them by showing up and working while they get to spend the day with their families. Please be kind to people who have to work during the holidays, people!)