The Exhibitor (1956)

Candy Merchandising Tools The proper location of a refreshment stand is very important, and should be given careful consideration. By setting up a special area to handle the sale of refreshment items to children, the theatreman can boost his volume of business considerably, and make it easier for adults to make purchases. THERE was a time when most movie patrons made their purchases at the stand in the lobby before taking their seats, and there wasn’t too much in the way of repeat business during their stay at the theatre. Now many people make a purchase on their way in and also at various times throughout the perform¬ ance. Or, they may not make a purchase at all at the beginning of the show but wait until sometime later. The confec¬ tionery stand must, therefore, be of easy access and neither the obstacles of too much distance nor of having to secure a doorman’s permission to walk out into the lobby should be placed in the path of the patron’s purchase. In our opinion, the best location for a stand is in the foyer, either directly in front of the center standee rail or recessed into this section. This provides a head-on view of the stand as the patron enters and not only extends an invitation for him to make his purchase at that time, but he also knows that it is within easy reach. Whether or not he makes his purchase when he first enters, he has been exposed to the displays and has a good idea of what is being sold at the stand. Although we have not found general agreement on the following point, we believe that the best location for an auto¬ matic drink machine is also recessed into the center standee section to one side of the selling area. The head-on view provided by such a location immedi By STANLEY WERTHMAN Manager, Confectionery Div., Schine Theatres ately informs the patron where he is able to purchase a soft drink at any time he should become thirsty. In setting up stands, try to arrange for the emphasis to be placed on the displays of merchandise. Although the back¬ grounds and decorations should be attrac¬ tive, they should not be so glaring as to distract attention from the primary pur¬ pose of selling the full range of confections. Use Merchandising Aids We highly recommend the use of dis¬ plays and merchandising aids placed on top of the confectionery counter. Not only will the merchandise show a rapid turn¬ over, but the displays will dress up the stand giving it the appearance of being a real honest-to-goodness confectionery shop instead of just a shov/case filled with various candies. Although there are many promotions which serve the useful purpose of momen¬ tarily increasing the sale of certain candy items, there is only one definite method I know of building maximum candy sales, and that is to provide each theatre with an assortment of items which comes closest to tieing in with the overall tastes of the people v/ho patronize that theatre. In the final analysis, it is the patrons, by their purchases or lack of purchases who will build the assortment which they like best, and that is just the way it should be. It is the job of the candy buyer to con¬ stantly try new items which show promise and to weed out those which have been given a fair chance but have not proven to be good sellers. The candy buyer should keep himself attuned at all times to the brands which are being given the impetus of extensive national and local advertis¬ ing, and to make certain that the theatres have items such as these available when¬ ever possible. Big Advantage The confectionery stand in the theatre has one big advantage over a regular store located on the main street of a town, other than the fact that we are dealing with what is often referred to as a “cap¬ tive audience.” The retailer never quite knows exactly what type of clientele to expect and hopes that his merchandise will appeal to the majority and that he will only lose a small amount of sales. With theatre operation we are usually able to foretell the makeup of an audi¬ ence based on the type of motion picture being exhibited. This information pro¬ vides us with one of the most important selling aids available — merchandise for the type of audience expected. If it is to be predominantly adult, we suggest a concentration of higher priced units. If it is a fairly even breakdown of adults and children, then the case should be stacked with a good variety of price ( Continued on page EP-6 ) December 12, 1956 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR EP-3