Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Gift Certificates!

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Topic: Gift Certificates!

Paul Goulet
Master Film Handler

Posts: 347
From: Rhode Island
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-25-2001 06:06 PM

Anyone know of a Computer Program which is Windows based which could be used to Create and Print Gift Certificates for Theatre use? Has anyone used such a program rather then going to a Printer to have Gift Certificates made?

William T. Parr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 823
From: Cedar Park, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 03-25-2001 06:13 PM

Not 100% this could be done, but you might be able to create a Template in Microsoft Works to do what you need it to. I know I was able to customize evelopes and mailing stickers in it as well as create Fax cover sheets and Letterheads. The problem with this may lie within wether or not you want a background design or a solid color. Or better yet try messing around with Access 2000 and you can have it print sequencial numbers as well.

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 03-25-2001 06:36 PM

The trick is to make sure they can not be easily duplicated. If nothing else, I would go to a printer shop and have them make something professionally printed on glossy card stock. I know there are watermarks and such that can be added, but the theaters that just use photocopies of the free tickets are (in my opinion) just asking for people to copy them.

Paul Goulet
Master Film Handler

Posts: 347
From: Rhode Island
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-25-2001 07:12 PM

The card stock could be purchased from a print shop or a Ticket Company, I am just wondering if there is a computer program which can be used to make up the tickets, without the cost of actually going to a Printer to have them done.

Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 03-25-2001 07:43 PM

Get them made with watermarks or some other'official' seals and I highly recommend that they have individual serial numbers, Gift Certificate books here are treated as if they were CASH. I believe that some duplication or unofficial 'handing out' of the old-style gift cert books in the past led us to go with a more secure system.

Aaron

Paul Goulet
Master Film Handler

Posts: 347
From: Rhode Island
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-25-2001 08:45 PM

The reason for asking this Question is that the Gift Certificates which we are using now are so Darn expensive..Must be a "Cheaper" alternative..Any suggestions?

Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 03-25-2001 10:45 PM

It is probably cheaper in the long run to protect yourself with professionally printed certificates on safety paper. It costs more for printing, but the money you could be losing if they are easily forged ... If you can make it on your computer, someone else can too.

There is always the use of plastic gift cards like Best Buy sells, but I don't know the cost of equipment to magnetically "validate" the cards, etc. Depends on the volume of certificates you're selling.

Scott D. Neff
Theatre Dork

Posts: 919
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 03-26-2001 08:39 AM

I think you can get a decent Gift Booklet made from Globe or National Tickets for relatively cheap.

At Cinema West we were getting some generic ones done, and I had the same deal priced at Globe Tickets, and it was less expensive and they look MUCH MUCH better, with multiple colored safety paper and cardboard covers with our logo and some snazzy disclaimers and stuff.

Had I not found a cheaper vendor, the owner would still be using the easy to duplicate kind.

I know at Century, they issue theirs right out of their Ticketing system.

I suppose, if you have a computer automated system, you could just program a feature in called "GIFT CERTIFICATES" and have a variety of prices of "TICKETS" which you would sell, produce a ticket stub for. Give THAT to the customer and tell them not to lose it. You'd have a report at the end of each night that would say how many gift certificates you sold. There are MANY bugs in that method, but it would work if you had a fairly-trustworthy and reliable staff or were doing it yourself.

------------------
Scott D. Neff
"Biding My Time"

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Greg Borr
Film Handler

Posts: 39
From: Watervliet, MI
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-26-2001 10:05 AM

We have an electronic debit card system to replace paper gift certificates built into our POS software. We use standard two track mag cards, cost ranges from .20 cents to a $1.00 per card depending on the number of colors and artwork on each card. The cards are reusable, and can have monies added to them again at any time.

We also have the ability within our POS software to print a barcoded gift certificate onto ticket stock, a less attractive, but economical approach to gift certificates.

If you would like more information, feel free to contact me. gborr@rts-solutions.com

Greg Borr
Ready Theatre Systems www.rts-solutions.com

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Tom Ferreira
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 203
From: Conway, NH, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-31-2001 11:08 AM

The problem with using a debit system is that we have ten theatres with four different ticketing system, and we would like a universal solution that we can keep a very tight inventory control on, which has been the problem in the past. The gift certificate portion of the Sensible Cinema software has potential, but unfortunately, we only have that in two units. Most of the rest have Theatron. As Paul stated, our printing costs for the books we're currently using are quite high. It has worked very well for us printing the books in $10 and $25 denominations containing $1 coupons, as opposed to selling a certificate for the admission price.

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