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Author Topic: How long do you keep ticket stubs? Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2006 01:06 PM                        ...and how do you store them? I used to keep our stubs in a daily envelope but on less popular movies I recently switched to a weekly envelope (just to save envelopes). It still creates a mess ... how do you deal with this?  |  IP: Logged Cory Isemann Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: White Plains, MD, USA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 05-18-2006 01:07 PM                        We keep ours for 3 months. We have 3 large plastic trash cans that get rotated each month. We keep the ticket stubs in plastic bags.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 05-18-2006 01:20 PM                        Since I'm not into the business side of theater operations, I have a question: Why would a theatre want to keep the ticket stubs after tallying and reconciling the daily counts? Just curious. Three months seems like a long time to me.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 05-18-2006 02:26 PM                     We keep a collection dating back since BC took over from Reading in 2003. We collect them nightly into wax bags & staple one ticket to each bag for dating. We've never been audited, but we play it ultra-safe.  |  IP: Logged Chris Mosel Film Handler Posts: 74 From: New Braunfels, TX, USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-18-2006 02:40 PM                     We keep for one month. 32 plastic shoe boxes with lids labeled 1-31 and extra. Toss out the appropriate box each day.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2006 04:22 PM                        quote: Paul Mayer Why would a theatre want to keep the ticket stubs after tallying and reconciling the daily counts? Just curious. Since we have a booker I don't deal with contracts directly but I'm fairly sure it is required by contract to keep them for a while, at least.  |  IP: Logged Matt Kerekes Film Handler Posts: 73 From: Rio Rancho, NM Registered: Oct 2004 posted 05-18-2006 06:47 PM                     I have worked at various theatres, each has been different. Some keep stubs a week, some 2 weeks, some 1 month or 2, and one didn't even keep the stubs, they just made a half-inch tear in the ticket and gave it back to the customer, when they left and came back, they got another tear. I have always been told they are for auditing purposes, but never seen them used in an audit. - Matt.  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 05-18-2006 07:12 PM                     We need stubs for auditors, not too sure what they want with them though. However the other major chain doesn't take ticket stubs, guy at the barrier just tears it. Our tickets are put in an envelope daily and it is dated and stored.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 05-18-2006 07:49 PM                        quote: Chris Mosel We keep for one month. 32 plastic shoe boxes with lids labeled 1-31 and extra. Toss out the appropriate box each day. I see you're prepared for when Congress enacts the 32-day month.  |  IP: Logged Chris Mosel Film Handler Posts: 74 From: New Braunfels, TX, USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-18-2006 11:27 PM                     I usually work at least 32 days a month. Sometimes more, so I have to cheat and double box a couple of days. Please don't tell anyone. If not that them someone always manages to screw up a day here and there so we can put back up CYA stubs in "Extra."  |  IP: Logged Jeff Arellano Film Handler Posts: 41 From: Monterey Park, CA Registered: Jul 2005 posted 05-18-2006 11:49 PM                     For the longest time, AMC Used to hold them 3 months. Bag them and throw them into a huge trash can (60 Gal), that after the 3 months, can be rolled out and dumped into the compactor.  |  IP: Logged Alexander Smith Expert Film Handler Posts: 128 From: Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Registered: Jun 2003 posted 05-19-2006 05:51 PM                     I don't know if this is representative of cinemas here in the UK, but we don't keep ticket stubs at all. The computer ticketing system produces an exhibitor's report at the end of each day for each film. The system keeps electronic records for, actually I don't know how long for. The printed exhibitor's reports are kept for long time, I don't recall ever seeing them being disposed of. I guess different companies have their own protocols for this type of thing. Alex.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 05-19-2006 09:42 PM                        It is an auditing issue. You should have the same amount of stubs that you have tickets sold. If you have less stubs than tickets sold it could be indicative of a cashier "double selling" tickets by ripping them and selling both halves pocketing the cash for one of the halves.  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 05-21-2006 11:03 AM                     We have one half that has 'customer copy' printed on it.  |  IP: Logged Dan Zastrow Film Handler Posts: 38 From: San Rafael,CA. USA Registered: May 2006 posted 05-21-2006 04:29 PM                        Keeping ticket stubs is really only useful for in house to keep an eye on your box staff. A good tell tale that you have some collusion with your box office and door personnel selling "half tickets" is when your concession cap strangely goes up during certain shifts. The studios used to send counters out (they may still do it but I haven't had one in years) who would introduce themselves to the manager, count heads at each show and then ask for your numbers at the end of the day to compare. Perhaps those of you working in the commercial end of exhibition can tell me if they still do that but in the art house world they don't seem to be too concerned. They seem to be more interested that the average ticket price doesn’t go down too much do to VIP and passes.  |  IP: Logged

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