Movie Rewards?

How many of you are members of a movie rewards club? We have one of those cards that whenever we go to the theatre, we swipe our cards, add points, and get special offers from Regal Entertainment Group. We get a few extra emails in our inboxes, but I think it’s worth it. We occasionally get a free popcorn or candy—sometimes a free ticket.

We don’t go out to the theatre for every new movie. We simply don’t have the disposable income for it. My husband and I enjoy date nights out, but we can’t afford to drop a hundred bucks in one night. Who can? That’s why we like our little rewards card.

As I type, my husband has a coupon for a free ticket in his wallet, just waiting to be redeemed. I’m dying to go to a show, but I can’t decide which one to see. We tend to reserve the big screen for action-adventure movies, because they have a greater impact when they glow forty feet wide.

Our hometown Regal theatre is the (slightly) more expensive of the first-run cinemas in Amarillo. I have friends who say they make up the difference in the rewards points by visiting the cheaper movie houses. However, the Regal is several miles closer to our house, and with gas prices, I’m sure we probably break even.

What do you think about these kinds of promotions? They encourage brand loyalty. Is that good or bad? They glean more information from their patrons. They probably can track all of the films I’ve spent money on in the last four years. That’s more than I can say for myself.

Does this kind of information-for-cash trade-off make my movie-going experience better or worse? Do the theatres track which types of movies make me want to buy popcorn? I don’t know about this. I just wonder.

What do you think about rewards cards? Is there something better out there? I’d love to hear your ideas!

That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading!

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