🚀 go-pugleaf

The Ghost of General Lee <ghost@general.lee> writes:

> On Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:35:43 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Calls for an investigation into monopolistic practices by US movie 
>>theater operators have been answered with a review by the Justice 
>>Department that could quickly turn into an investigation.
>>
>>On Monday the chair of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, Herb Cruel, 
>>wrote to the Justice Department, regarding theater operators abusing 
>>their power through price gouging, the use of pre-popped popcorn, 
>>sending the smell of popcorn through the HVAC system, adding excessive 
>>salt in order to stimulate beverage sales, and charging far more than 
>>the product costs to produce.
>>
>>Citing a report from UC-Irvine professor Richard McKenzie, Senator Cruel 
>>  said that movie theater popcorn had a 1300% mark-up. Patrick Corcoran 
>>of the National Association of Theatre Owners had a different take, 
>>stating "No one is required when they enter the movie theater to buy 
>>concessions. We're happy when they do." Professor McKenzie explained the 
>>economics of operating a theater stating "If you didn't pay high prices 
>>for popcorn and other concessions, you'd be paying high prices for 
>>ticket prices."
>>
>>There are alternatives to high popcorn prices McKenzie stated. "You can 
>>in fact buy or make popcorn and smuggle it into the theatre and get the 
>>cost, get the amount of the tub down to $1.25. You can also sneak in 
>>soda, candy, lattes, and a steamed whole fish. I even saw some Asian 
>>dude with a rice cooker plugged into a power outlet on the floor that 
>>was intended only for vacuum cleaners."
>>
>>Movie-goer William Zaufool was interviewed outside a Century theater in 
>>Daly City, California, and stated: "I know that the theater's cost of 
>>each piece of popcorn is less than 1/50th of a cent, but they're selling 
>>a box of popcorn with 600 pieces for $5.50. That box of popcorn costs 
>>them only them only 12 cents to produce, what is their justification for 
>>charging $5.50?" Zaufool continued, "I really only wanted to buy 5 
>>pieces of popcorn, but they told me that I couldn't buy pieces 
>>individually, and that my choices were only small, medium, large, and 
>>enormous. It's like the communists have succeeded."
>>
>>Herb Cruel's letter pointed to increases in the cost of popcorn as an 
>>indicator of the risk America is taking by having so few movie theater 
>>companies each with such a large market share. He described it as a 
>>"warning sign for the state of competition in the movie theater popcorn 
>>market"
>
> Touché.  Absolutely hilarious!

Absolutely stupid.


-- 
My real name backwards: nemuaZ lliB