Some movie theater chains sell discount passes at Costco that can save you over $2 per person. Not a bad deal… if you don’t mind waiting in five different lines before you sit down in your seat at the theater.
Over at Cockeyed.com, Rob broke down all the work that goes into saving $2.25/ticket at his local theater.
1. First, you need to go to the Costco cashier to purchase the cardboard placeholder for 2 movie tickets.
2. Then it’s over to the Costco gift card “cage” where they actually exchange the placeholder for the pair of theater passes.
3. Now you’ve got to stand in line and wait to have your receipt checked against your purchases.
So now you’ve left the Costco (assuming there’s no line of cars waiting to get out of the parking lot) but you’ve still got at least two lines left.
4. You’ve got movie passes, so now you’ve got to stand in line at the theater box office and turn them in for actual tickets to the movie you want to see.
5. Then finally you get to wait in line outside your movie until it’s showtime.
Of course, there’s also the line at the concession stand, but that’s optional.
So is it all worth it?
Standing in Line Five Times for the Movies [Cockeyed.com]
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Something here really doesn’t pass the sniff test. If you’re in Costco anyway, these discount movie passes are usually near the checkout anyway as an impulse buy. Unless this particular Costco’s still living in the stone age, it usually means grabbing a gift card for (insert movie theatre chain here) and going to the checkout with it. Once there, the cashier will swipe said gift card in the same swiper (s)he’ll use to swipe your memebership/credit/debit card to activate it after purchasing. How many more lines did you end up in? ZERO! You’re there buying things anyway, unless you, for some real strange reason, just had to go to Costco for the sole purpose of buying a discount movie pass. Sounds pretty trumped up to me IMHO.
This post is a waste of time
If you are shopping at Costco anyway it’s not an extra line. If you are you buying is the tickets you don’t have to stand in line to exit.
AND if you are going to the movies already you will be standing in the last too lines anyway. Not to mention you only stand in the last line if the movie is a new release. There I have solved your line problem.
Wah, wah, wah! Who would make a special purpose trip to Costco to save $2.50 anyway? Time is money. I was at Costco the other day and saw the discount ticket display, If I picked some up, I would have waited in the same checkout line (they bring the tickets to the register at my Costco by the way), and waited two seconds to have my receipt checked.
The discount deal never promised expedited tickets. How else can they track seats for each screen if they gave you a blank ticket good for any movie?
I would, but the movies nowadays are so lame that I still have unused tickets from before. Even the older ones where I don’t have to pay extra to watch it in IMAX or 3-D.
In Costco Russia tickets buy you! rimshot…
The biggest waste of time was this article. When I buy movie tickets at Costco, I use the self-checkout lane, and the employee who hangs around that area to scan large items (like soda) will get someone to get the movie card for me. I save a lot of money without losing any time.
This article only makes sense if you’re reading it on Pirate Bay.
So you made a special trip to Costco just to buy these? That was stupid. The idea is that you ge them on your normally scheduled trip to Costco. Then only 1 extra line, to the bird cage.
I go to Costco weekly … I don’t see the problem in saving a few bucks by tossing movie passes in my cart while I’m there.
(This applies to the Regal-United Artists-Edwards Theaters tickets only. I do not know what the AMC and Cinemark restrictions are.)
The blue Costco Movie Park tickets are unrestricted. It says “Premiere Super Saver Movie Ticket” in the front. Red tickets, aka “VIP Super Saver Movie Ticket,” are restricted, and you cannot use it on opening day. However, there are still certain surcharges for the blue “Premiere” tickets:
The disclaimer printed on the back of OLDER (and no longer available for purchase) “Premiere” tickets:
Premiere Super Saver ticket is UNRESTRICTED.
Valid for all movies and all showtimes
The Premiere Super Saver ticket is honored at all Regal Entertainment Group locations nationwide (Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres, and Edwards Theatres). Super Saver tickets will not be replaced if lost or stolen. Super Saver tickets are non-refundable. $1.50 surcharge applies if redeemed at any Manhattan, NY locations.
Issued by Regal CineMedia Corp. NO EXPIRATION.
The disclaimer printed on the back of the CURRENT “Premiere” tickets.
Premiere Super Saver ticket is UNRESTRICTED. Valid for all movies and all showtimes. Not valid for special events or private screenings. Surcharge Fees apply to all IMAX, Large Format or 3-D Films and Manhattan, NY locations. Regal Entertainment Group reserves the right to change any surcharge fee without notice. Super Saver tickets will not be replaced if lost or stolen, are non-refundable and carry NO EXPIRATION date. Issued by Regal CineMedia Corporation.
(Note: I assume that the “special events” or “private screenings” refer to shows where, a) tickets are not purchased, e.g., free, or not available to the general audience, unless invited, e.g., by family, or belonging to a certain group, e.g., the press or academy members, b) it’s an extremely limited-engagement show (as in only one show), c) a Q&A session with the cast and/or director is available after the show, or d) other circumstances. It is unlikely that a typical Friday night moviegoer will run into those problems, unless there was already a 3-week wait around-the-block line for a next Star Wars movie and you were not in line.)
——–
I also found the article below online.
(Note: Costco only sells #2, the “Premiere Super Saver Movie Ticket”)
From http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Get-Regal-Cinemas-Discount-Movie-Tickets&id=3273324
1. VIP Super Saver Movie Ticket: Save up to 40% when you purchase the VIP Super Saver ticket. A restricted pass, it allows you to see any standard feature at the low price of $6.50, 12 days after the film’s release. This ticket has no expiration date – you can use it any time. Plus, you can opt to have it upgraded.
2. Premiere Super Saver Movie Ticket: Valued at $7.50, you get 35% off on tickets. Unlike the VIP Super Saver, this pass gives you access to any standard feature at any time. No expiration date.
3. Ultimate Premier Pack: The perfect gift for the movie-buff couple, this pass gives its bearers two unrestricted premiere movie tickets, plus $10 gift certificate good for any concessionaire or box office purchase. It also has no expiration date so the couple could opt to use it for any movie they wish to see, at any time!
AMC theatre tickets are 2 for $15.99 at Costco. A single ticket at our local AMC is $11. I’d say the savings is worth it. It’s not like you’re not standing in line to get out of Costco anyway, because who goes to Costco and just buys one thing.
Why does Consumerist even bother posting these stupid “rants”? Just when I thought you hit your lowest point with the “24 hours at the gym” guy’s “story”, you post this.
I’ve bought tickets at Costco. Assuming I buy other things there, my only “added” time is getting the tickets, which at my store takes about an extra 30 seconds.
Handing over the passes at the theater is the same thing as buying tickets with my Amex.
I’m probably the most avid costco defender you will ever meet. I live my life based off the costco free samples and $1.60 hotdogs. But a few things I’ve noticed:
1)Costco lines move faster than most. There is a scanner and a bagger
2) On busy days they have the pre scanners to make it move faster. I’ve seen the entire line of cashiers clear everyone in less than half hour.
3) If this is a problem buy a whole bunch of tickets. Costco’s return policy will let you return it years later
4)Know when the lines are. Sat/Sun at 11.30 and 1.30 are the worst.
5) Get lunch while you are there. You will save even more money with the $1.50 hotdog and free sample walk
Is this a real question? Uh, yeah. It’s worth it. At least all the times I’ve bought movie tickets at Costco, there isn’t all this waiting around. This is idiotic. No one is so important they can’t wait a minute or two for a Costco employee to bring them a movie ticket. And it’s not like I buy the movie tickets then head straight to the theater. I buy them, unload my groceries, then use the tickets a week or two later. Hardly jumping around waiting in all these lines.
What is the real issue the author is trying to complain about? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.
where are these old timey theaters where they are making you wait outside? Every AMC,LOEWS, MARQUIS theater lets you hang out…hell some even have a starbucks or a bar.
forgot to add: I just go 10 minutes before the show starts. Of course I live within walking distance of a theater so…
You can buy better discounted tickets from AAA retail offices. Last I checked they were $7, which is still $4 off our theater’s $11 ticket price. Add to the mix that my girlfriend works for AAA, and the ticket is another $1 off. You normally have to stand in three lines, but I only need to stand in two.
No it’s not. I only go to a few movies anymore because they’re so expensive and I’m usually dissapointed with the movie experience. If you buy tickets online (to save time), forget it. You pay a “convenience fee” that more than makes up for the convenience and then you still have to have stand in line anyway. Not worth it at all. I give Costco credit for at least working the right way: pay less and stand in line.
Well, if you are shopping for other things at Costco already then you will not be standing in any extra lines. And if you are going to the movies, then you’ll have to stand in those two lines anyway as well… so not seeing the extra work?
I think the byline on this story is incorrect.
Well, the steps in the article are fundamentally wrong. You stand in 2 lines (unless you’re going to see a jam-packed premiere):
You stand in line at the Costco cash register. You’ve picked up the cardboard thing that represents blocks of two tickets as part of your shopping; there is no standing in any line to get this. The cashier gives the tickets to you. (#3 used to be the case, but not any more.)
You stand in line at the movie theater. Instead of handing the cashier money in exchange for a ticket, you hand them one of the coupons you got at Costco.
Completely fear-mongering, irresponsible “reporting.”
doesn’t AAA still sell discounted Regal movie passes? Way easier.
If I’m just buying tickets, which is most of the time, I never get my receipt signed exiting costco, therefore that is not a line. And why would you count the line getting out of costco, that is a fact of life, you might as well count all the lines you wait at for red lights ad stop signes too…in my book it is well worth it, plus I buy a bunch at a time.
It must be our location and the times we shop at Costco, but there’s never a line at the cage or when we exit…and we’ve never waited in line for a movie. Hell, there’s rarely anyone at the theater for the matinee shows.
That said, sure, they can come in handy. We give those free passes as little gifts…so we save money, and we’re not contributing to excess clutter in our friends’ homes.
I have an issue with a couple of points on that list of lines:
3) I don’t know what Costco is like getting receipts checked, but the longest time I’ve ever waited at Sams to get my receipt checked is probably less that 60 seconds.
5) I’ve never waited outside a theater in line for a movie… again, the longest line I’ve probably ever waited in to see a movie is 1-2 minutes.
But that’s just me, your mileage may vary.
My costco has runners bring gift cards to the register, and I’ve never waited in a line to get into a theater after purchasing tickets. At most that’s one extra line for me, since I never pay the $1 fee to print tickets at home.
The only line I hate waiting on is the one to buy your ticket. I usually go to Downtown Brooklyn theater and I just walk in, pay at the kiosk and walk out. Then it’s off to Chipotle to grab some burritos and a drink then stroll on back to the theater.
This is the dumbest article I have ever read on Consumerist. Wait? I am already at Costco so I did ZERO extra waiting. While I am checking out the guy runs my passes over to me. When I leave my receipt is quickly checked at the door.. JUST like it always is..
Sheesh.. You are really reaching for stories!
Huh. At my Costco, a runner takes those cardboard thingies and brings back your goodies by the time you’re done paying. Just pick ‘em up on a regular Costco trip and you’re fine.
Other than this story is utter whining to the 5th degree, the cost in savings to a family is pretty decent. If I want to take my family of 4 out to a movie, it’s not cheap. The $9 I save is good enough to pay for at least one of the family’s concessions. Regardless it makes it cheaper.
Going to Costco is literally a “stop along the way” for me to the movie theater. It is also an almost weekly trip for groceries.
I am thinking most of the people that write this kind of crap do not remember the “book of credit card numbers” at each register. You didn’t swipe your card back then, you handed it to someone, they made an impression, and then looked up your card number in a book to make sure your card was not blacklisted. This was when writing a check was actually faster than using a credit card.