A woman alleges in a viral video that a Cinemark employee laughed in her face and refused to let her pay for a snack pack.
TikTok user Katrina (@thegingerbreadmom) sits in the seats of a movie theater as a preview for the new “Paddington in Peru” film plays. With a bag of popcorn and ICEE on her lap, she recounts the incident at the concession stand.
“I’m a little disappointed with Cinemark,” she writes in the text overlay. “Teen employee laughed in my face and said I couldn’t order the sack pack. I had to order regular sizes.” However, the content creator says she didn’t listen. “I smiled and walked away to the next cashier without a problem,” she says.
Cinemark snack pack combos
There are three snack pack combos: The Costar Combo, the Star Combo, and the Megastar Combo.
The Costar Combo is a kids’ pack that comes with a 30oz popcorn, 12oz foundtain drink, and a small popcorn for $6. The Star Combo includes a small popcorn and a 16oz fountain drink or ICEE for $7. Finally, the largest combo includes a small popcorn, a medium-sized fountain drink or ICEE, or a 20oz water bottle for $8.
Redditors weigh in
Even on Reddit, people are taking notice of this generation’s customer service standards. In a post to r/Millenials, one user asked, “Has anyone else felt like there’s been a total decline in customer service in everything? And quality?” Many Reddit users were quick to chime in.
“The other day, my cousin was getting married in Las Vegas and I called her resort to see if they could put some rose petals or [champagne] or chocolate in her room. I was totally willing to pay for this. I had found an old service menu online so I know it was something they used to do and was hoping it was still available,” one user shared. “The person at guest services at the hotel cut me off as I was asking and yelled ‘NO’ and hung up on me.”
“I called a company today and the guy immediately started talking over me going ‘MHM YEAH, OK, WELL WE GET THIS QUESTION ALL THE TIME. KAY. KAY. ALRIGHT. OK. MMHM. OK, BYE. THANKS. BUH BYE,’ and then hung up on me. I didn’t even finish my sentence,” a second commented.
“Got new wheels for my Jeep and paid to have them mounted and balanced at a shop I’ve been to for service several times. Guess they forgot the ‘balance’ part as I could barely make it to 20MPH,” a third recalled. “Picked up food from our favorite Chinese restaurant on the way home. Missing half the order when I got home. Again, been customers of this place for over a decade and never had an issue.”
How rude employees impact customers
Being mean to a customer can lead them to take their business elsewhere. “Rudeness can lead to dissatisfied customers, damaged relationships, and loss of business. Customers expect respectful and professional treatment; when they encounter rudeness, they may take their business elsewhere,” per Oak Innovation.
A recent survey cited by Forbes found that more than half of customers surveyed feel customer service is on the decline. And more than a quarter of respondents say the change it’s dramatically worse.
This sentiment is also manifesting online. For instance, a Sephora employee was recently accused of making a customer cry. Another Sephora shopper said she was shamed for not wearing makeup to one of its locations. Another shopper said she couldn’t get help at her local Sephora.
That’s not all. A Chipotle customer said they felt “villainized” after requesting more side ingredients. And a T.J. Maxx worker is also accused of making a customer cry over a return.
@thegingerbreadmom Seriously…🤣
♬ I think you should treat yourself – Luke Franchina
The Daily Dot reached out to Katrina via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Cinemark via press email.
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