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Adam Glennon - and his protest.
Thrown out of cinema for taking his own sweets
Victoria Morley20/ 2/2008
A TRIP to the movies was less than sweet for film lover Adam Glennon - and his protest is now showing at a cinema near you.
Adam was refused entry to Cineworld in Grand Central for trying to take his own sweets and snacks inside rather than pay for treats on sale at the cinema.
He said he spent £5 on M&Ms, a multi-pack of crisps, sweets and two bottles of cola from the discount sweet shop opposite the cinema.
However, if he had chosen to buy treats from the cinema he would have had to pay £4.80 for two tubes of Pringles and £6.10 for two large drinks.
In protest at the cinema’s strict ‘no food’ policy, postman Adam, 26, of Crosby Road, Cale Green, gave out leaflets and free sweets near to Cineworld in Grand Central last Friday.
He enlisted the help of his girlfriend and printed out 200 price comparison leaflets entitled ‘right to choose’ to hand out, along with sweets and treats.
He said: "It costs a small fortune to buy sweets from the cinema and they don’t take this into account when people with little money just want to watch a film."
He added that pricey extras can make trips to the cinema out of reach for some people, especially those with children, and said: "We should have the right to choose not be blackmailed into maintaining their ridiculous profits.".
Adam told us how after he had paid for his ticket he was approached by a security guard demanding to know what was in his bag - he assumed he was looking for alcohol.
Humiliated, Adam was given a refund for his ticket after refusing to dump his discount stash on principle.
"Money is tight at the moment and I begrudge paying the prices they charge. I was so furious that a one-man peaceful protest seemed the ideal way to get across my point and raise awareness of their unfair policy.
"I received a very positive response, with many people agreeing with me and some even chanted ‘power to the people’," he added.
Cineworld said it does search bags in case recording equipment is being smuggled in and if food is discovered will enforce its no food policy.
Spokesman Luke Roberts said: "Cineworld terms and conditions outline that all food consumed on the premises must be purchased at one of our concessions, which is in line with most cinema chain policies.
"We do offer a full refund if a customer chooses to leave."
An employee at the Sweet Sensation confectionery shop, opposite Cineworld, says the cinema’s crackdown started this month.
"We’ve had people coming in and buying sweets to take in, they’ve been refused and come back asking for their money back but we can’t give refunds on sweets," she said.
The cinema now has a notice on the door which says: "No external food please, we kindly ask that you do not bring any food or drinks in that have been purchased externally."
Determined to see his campaign through, Adam will be returning to Grand Central this Friday at 5pm and welcomes anyone passing through to stop by and have a chat.
Most recent 2 of 8 user comments
How many pubs do you know where you can take your own food in to enjoy with your pint?
This man has a choice - watch films at home on DVD.
25/02/2008 at 17:00
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