Daylight robbery at multiplexes and restaurants

A few days ago, we go to watch a film at a local multiplex - one of the big name multi-city franchisees - and after buying the tickets, make our way to the snacks section.  We order the usual stuff; popcorn and cola.  When the till keeper announces the charge, we are shell shocked to discover that the grub costs much more than the price of the tickets.  And what are we getting for the exorbitant charge?  Measly popcorn and highly diluted cola.  

You have no choice; you have to go for it.  Because they confiscate all the food items that you have in your bag at the entrance.  The security personnel tell you that you can always collect the food items that they have retained after watching the film.  But then how many remember to go back to collect them?  Also, at the end of the movie, you are let out of a different door than the one you entered the hall - usually a floor below the multiplex.  You would have to climb all the way up again to the main entrance of the multiplex to ask for your stuff.

Besides, during the weekends, the usual ticket prices are jacked up to twice or even more than thrice the amount.  If this is not daylight robbery, what is?

The blood suckers are at it in the restaurants and hotels too.  Just scrutinize the bill that you get at the end of your meal.  You are likely to find an assortment of extra charges in the name of 'hotel policy'.  First of all, they quote ridiculously expensive rates for the dishes listed in the menu; then they add 'service tax' to the final bill; and also VAT and/or luxury tax.  There is also an tacit expectation that you would tip the waiters after shelling out the bill amount.  Some suggest that according to etiquette - whatever that is - as much as 10% of bill amount is supposed to be given as a tip.  So, if the bill amount - after all the extra 'garnish' that is added to it - happens to be Rs 1000, are we expected to cough up Rs 100 as a tip?  If service tax is already included in the bill, why the hell should we pay anything more?

Who regulates these establishments?  It is particularly disappointing to note that in December 2014, a prominent minister in the Karnataka government said that multiplexes cannot be regulated!  He suggested that since they provide high quality conditions for customers, they should be allowed to charge as much as it tickles their fancy.  

It is high time that these pirates of the entertainment and hospitality industries are taken to task.  Boycott their services if you can.  If you are using their services and feel that they are over-charging, please make it a point to leave your feedback.  Say that they are over-charging, and that you are unlikely to come back.  Also say that you will be discouraging others from visiting these establishments; spread the message. 

If possible, write to the local minister or the consumer affairs department about this issue.

Update (October 2022): Based on visit to a multiplex to see the Kannada hit, Kantara...

...a word about the multiplex where I saw this film.  After a medical incident a few years ago when multiplexes were not allowing even a drop of water to be taken in and someone collapsed and didn't have water to drink, they grudgingly agreed to keep drinking water inside.  I looked for water in this multiplex, and found that the area marked 'free drinking water' had paper cups, and a regular washbasin with a tap over it.  It didn't look like the water came out of a water filter, and seemed more like a handwash area.  The water, though clear, tasted a bit funny.  

The doorstep confiscation of food items continues to date, because the multiplexes are out to make a killing by selling popcorn alone.  The ticket price for Kantara the film was ₹370, and that for a medium sized tub of popcorn was ₹430!! - more than the price of the best Kannada film in a long time!  Why is it that whoever monitors these multiplexes is/are not addressing this issue?  

Further, it was troubling to see many parents with children less than 10 years of age, allowed to watch what is, as I have mentioned above, a violent film with mature themes, depictions of substance abuse, sexual language/scenes, and several jump scare moments.  Who would be responsible if one of these children had an stressful reaction to such scenes?  Even if there is no immediate impact, the long term adverse effects of such scenes on a young mind can be profound.  

Also, these children are often restless and I have been in theatres where they were playing, running about, and shouting in the aisles, even as their parents enjoyed the film, unmindful of the nuisance they had inflicted on other audience members.  It is all very well displaying the censor certificate at the beginning of the film, but if its implication is disregarded by multiplexes, there is little point in having them.  

The CBFC, film producers, consumer board, or any other responsible authority should look into these issues if they are serious about enhancing viewer experience in theatres and drawing in more audiences.  

Otherwise, unless it is a landmark film such as Kantara, I will stick to OTT platforms, thank you very much! 

[I have forwarded this to the Central Board of Film Certification and the Consumer Affairs Helpline, in the vain hope that these issues would be addressed.]

Image source: https://bollywoodpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/leading-multiplex-chains-in-india.jpg