I've got a bone to pick

There's an old saying: The customer is always right. In south Asia that's not necessarily the case, but every warm-blooded American expects that kind of service and mentality in the good 'ol U.S. of A.

In south Asia, customer service is...well, lacking. Last year in south Asia, I was desperate and had to purchase 2 shalwar kameez in a rush from a ready-made store where I don't normally buy clothes. The store is 2 floors, and they sell lots of nice styles of ready-made shalwar kameez (for women) for decent prices (about $25-30 USD).

I got the shalwar kameez home, and they were fine at first, but then even before washing them, the stitching on the kaam started to fall apart. This is NOT something that should happen with quality work!

I was desperate, but I was NOT stupid. I went back to the store, armed with American self-righteousness. Before we got out of the car, my husband and I had it all worked out: he was going to be bad cop, and I was going to be good cop. Once we got inside the store, let's just say that things did not go as planned. You see, my husband believes in the "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" ideology, whereas I, only wish I did. I let my husband talk for a few minutes, but when I heard they were not going to exchange the clothes OR refund us any money, I mustered up all the Urdu I could think of...and proceeded to give them a piece of my mind, half English-half Urdu style. It was NOT calm, and however incomprehensible it ended up, it was NOT nice. When I finished my tirade, the shopkeepers looked bewildered but steadfast, and even though it came out half English-half Urdu, I think the fury in my eyes and the look on our cousin's face conveyed all they really needed to understand. Needless to say, I did not get the clothes exchanged OR get a refund.

But that was then and this is now, and I've got a new bone to pick.

Let me set the scene for you: On the weekends, I like to CHILL. Sometimes we go to San Francisco, sometimes we go to dinner, and sometimes (quite a lot of times, actually), we go to the movies. There's a multiplex AMC theater in our area, so it's easy to catch a flick even if we decide to go at the last minute. AMC (and this particular location) has been my go-to movie theater for the last 10+ years. They've raised their ticket and concession stand prices over the last several years, but that never bothered me much because I LOVE seeing movies on the big screen (and eating movie theater popcorn!).

We haven't been to the movies in at least a couple of months, so we were long overdue. We decided to go see The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler on Friday. (Cute movie, btw.) We felt like eating a "light" (or at least not heavy) dinner before the movie, so my husband and I both agreed to just grab fast food and eat on the way or eat in the theater.

By the time we got to the movie theater, he had already finished his dinner (all except his drink), but I hadn't gotten mine yet, so he went to grab the tickets while I ordered something from a nearby (fast food) restaurant. Herein lies the problem: Apparently, as of Jan 1 (2010), AMC has started a new rule that they're enforcing at the entrance: no outside food or drinks are allowed in the theater.

I get it, AMC wants to make (more) money, but this new rule is RIDICULOUS. AMC hardly sells any food items of any substance (unless you count nachos and hot dogs in that category), not to mention how unhealthy they are. Check out this article by Dallas Health Examiner Steven Carter where he says:

Virtually all food offerings at movie theaters are high in fat, sodium, sugar or a combination.

From what I can tell, AMC has recently started trying to sell (frozen?) pizzas and chicken tenders, but I hardly think FORCING people to go hungry OR buy expensive crap at the concession stand = more sales for AMC. The more likely scenario is that it's just going to piss people off (and they're still going to eat elsewhere).

I sure wish I'd known about this new rule before buying something to eat! Our movie started in 10 minutes, and the ticket taker was not letting me in with that food -- NO way, NO how. So I sat and GULPED down my dinner bitterly and watched as several other people were told they couldn't bring in a Starbucks coffee or a half-drank bottle of water (yes, really).

This is just not the kind of treatment I expect in the U.S. If people were bringing in an extra large pizza box OR homecooked food to share with other patrons, that might make some sense to me. (I haven't seen that happening...ever.) Or if people were bringing in the same exact food items (I'm not talking about Skittles and Milk Duds) that are sold at the concession stand, that might be a different story. But talk about a "Sophie's choice": making a woman quickly suck down a scalding cup of Starbucks coffee OR throw it away?!?! Does AMC even KNOW how much a venti caramel macchiato with double shot and soy milk or a grande vanilla frappuccino costs these days?!

I'm not going to make (idle) threats and say I'll never see a movie at AMC theaters again (because I may, you never know). But I'll definitely try to watch more movies at home, or I may start trying other movie theaters (after all, I'm not married to AMC), or I may just eat a full meal before going to the theater. What I DO know is that I won't be buying any overpriced food items from AMC.

(Incidentally, a quick Google search revealed that I'm not the only one who's not happy with AMC. Aziz Ansari (actor/comedian who plays Tom Haverford on NBC's Parks and Recreation) also has a bone to pick with AMC theaters about their IMAX screens. Check out his blog post here for more information.)