Beacon Cinema manager explains bag search policy

Patrons of the Beacon Cinema will be checked for outside goods. The request has raised some outrage among patrons.

PITTSFIELD – If you bring a bag to The Beacon Cinema, expect that it will be checked for outside goods.

“We politely ask if we may have a look,” said John Valente, general manager of the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield and the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. “It usually takes a few seconds.”

This policy was put into place over the summer because, according to Mr. Valente, the Beacon was having large amounts of outside food and drink being brought into its theaters.

“It got started because we increasingly found…empty alcohol containers and food containers in the theater,” he said.

The Beacon Cinema sells food and beverages including alcohol, although it generally limits alcohol purchases to two drinks per customer.

“We have to be very careful about what is consumed on our property,” said Mr. Valente, adding the Beacon had to go through substantial scrutiny to get their liquor license.

He also said there were two incidents where staff cleaning the theaters had allergic reactions to the remains of food products not sold at the cinema, one of which resulted in an employee having to go to the hospital.

“That could have happened to a customer,” said Mr. Valente.

Because of these concerns and the amount of outside food and alcohol being brought in, the bag search policy was implemented.

“It was past what we considered was the normal cost of doing business,” said Mr. Valente.

He said the bag search procedure involves asking customers to open up their bags and, if necessary, asking them to shift some of the contents inside. The staff never touches the bags or their contents.

“We don’t let anything in that we don’t sell,” said Mr. Valente.

Customers do, however, have the opportunity to take any forbidden items back to their car, and the staff will hold any non-alcoholic food or beverage items until after the movie if a customer so desires.

“We’re not trying to confiscate anything from anybody,” said Mr. Valente.

In general, he said the policy, which is printed on the Beacon Cinema’s tickets, has been accepted by the public, but there are those who object to it.

“Honestly, I would say for the most part people comply, but those who don’t make it very difficult,” said Mr. Valente, who added those who don’t want their bags checked generally either oppose the measure on privacy grounds or believe they have a right to bring outside food and drink into a theater.

Some of these patrons have written letters to the editor of  local papers expressing their dislike of the policy.

“I have been disappointed by the reaction of those folks who don’t seem to understand our rights and obligations,” said Mr. Valente, who expressed particular disappointment with those who feel entitled to bring in outside food items and those who take out their frustrations on the Beacon’s staff.

Mr. Valente did say, however, that the measure wasn’t introduced to increase concession sales, and no increases have been recorded since it was implemented.

A bag search policy also isn’t in place at the Triplex Cinema, the other theater that that Mr. Valente is the general manager of, a discrepancy he says is due to the Triplex not having a liquor license and because the outside food issue isn’t as severe there.

“Frankly the problem isn’t at the same level,” he said, adding bringing in outside food and beverages is prohibited at the Triplex as well.

Posted by Bera B. Dunau on September 20, 2012. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry