🚀 go-pugleaf

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"

Touch�.  Absolutely hilarious!