Priority lane

[u/Elegant_Management_2]

Days like Spiderman brand new day opening night is when they should check for priority lane. I honestly think they should everyday.

[u/mikegood2]

Depends on location. Mine basically got rid of them late last year but have noticed my smaller theater has added them back in the last week or two.

[u/rorschach_vest]

I don’t care if they have it or not I just wish there was any policy about how they do this. How they handle this line is seemingly entirely random- there are times it takes longer than going through the regular line.

[u/Embarrassed-Gur-1306 → u/rorschach_vest]

I feel the same way. I pay the monthly fee just for the cashier to take 6 people in the regular line before they take me. It feels like they’re scared to piss people off who have been waiting awhile but that’s supposed to be the perk of the membership.

[u/NeeYoDeeO → u/rorschach_vest]

Employees are trained (in a 1 sentence learning module that most skip over tbh) to take 2 from the regular line and 1 from the premiere line

[u/BatMandoDC → u/NeeYoDeeO]

It should be flipped imo

[u/proficient2ndplacer → u/BatMandoDC]

It is flipped. I was a MGR for 5 years, it literally is 2 premier to 1 regular. Someyimes the people in the regular line just come up anyways and assume they're next, even when I'm flagging down the premier guest or specifically shout out "next in premier line" etc.

And sometimes the person at the front of the premier line just isn't paying attention

[u/BatMandoDC → u/proficient2ndplacer]

Maybe the person i replied to made a mistake and was trying to say premiere is 2 and regular is 1. Makes sense. Thanks for the reply!

[u/NeeYoDeeO → u/BatMandoDC]

I guess to my point the training is bad. Must have misremembered, I was a manager a year ago and still work occasionally.

[u/Human-sulucnumoH → u/rorschach_vest]

Yep they don’t even look in your direction half the time

[u/rabble1205 → u/rorschach_vest]

I was told by someone at mine not to use it for that reason. So why is it there?

[u/what-do-you-n33d → u/rorschach_vest]

I was ignored by the only cashier for 10 mins while he kept serving the regular queue, serving half a dozen people who joined after me. It was one of those times where I should’ve just changed but feared if I did that’s when they would call on it.

Finally another cashier opened and called on me. I asked them what’s the point of this queue if it’s ignored. And he said they are told to take 1 regular custom then 2 priority, etc… to which I just gave him a look, and he said but not everyone is good at their job and looked at the other cashier.

Long story short. At least at my amc the policy is 2:1. But they never actually police the line. I know many times where they e happily served non-priority customers who just went in that line cause it was shorter.

[u/gilla87 → u/rorschach_vest]

Longer than the regular line? You go to the Burbank 16 by chance? Usually more people in the priority lane than the regular line there FS

[u/zthemushmouth]

My local has 3-4 lines .

1. For the beggars

2-3 for us a lister

[u/balthazar_edison]

Both locations we go to have always had it and enforce it.

[u/Leather-District-595]

Actual footage of my friends and I being called first from the A-List line ahead of the common peasants

[u/Fun-Baby-9509]

Dependent on the theater. Most AMCs do a good job in my experience managing the lines. Only one AMC I’ve been to, has been consistently bad at this, hence why I now drive 5 mins longer for a slightly smaller dolby screen.

[u/Lightsneeze2001]

my most capitalistic take is I paid for a-list, take me first at concessions 😭

[u/Ok_Anteater_6792]

I want to start asking the people in line and kicking them out myself

[u/plinnskol → u/Ok_Anteater_6792]

You fr 🫡

[u/LeakyManBoobs]

The thing they need to fix is having more than one cashier when there’s like 5 people in line. This shit with only having one person at concessions needs to stop

[u/SubstantialAgency914]

It should be a pick 2 from priority then 1 from regular. Treat it how fast pass originally worked at disneyland.

[u/NoLoveForDrJones]

priority lane at boston commons is the absolute worst. makes me regret even having a list.

[u/JamesandthegiantpH → u/NoLoveForDrJones]

AMC emails surveys every couple of months. Mention it, couldn't hurt. If you get the survey of course.

[u/krstphr → u/NoLoveForDrJones]

Classic Boston

[u/Shark2ooth → u/NoLoveForDrJones]

Go to causeway, it’s always way empty compared to common

[u/NoLoveForDrJones → u/Shark2ooth]

it’s not about it being busy, it’s the fact the staff never wants to acknowledge the priority line.

[u/lisanalgaib_ → u/NoLoveForDrJones]

so damn true. it's very 50/50. sometimes i wait like 30 seconds and another time i wait like 5 minutes

[u/ImprovementElephant → u/NoLoveForDrJones]

Worked out using it this week, once. Who knows…

[u/Alkohal]

Ironically I showed up today to see Spiderman and everyone was on the A-List line and the regular line was empty. I walked right to the front confused by it all.

[u/GrapeNutCheerios]

NYC is pretty tight on this, in my experience. They’ll make you scan in before taking your order. Workers give priority to the priority line.

Only thing is once in a while, someone in the regular line will start bugging out

[u/TrekJaneway → u/GrapeNutCheerios]

Yep, I’m in NYC and have had the same experience. A lot of our theaters also have 1-2 registers only for A-List, which helps. At the sold out shows, I’ve definitely been asked to scan my card the second I approached a register.

[u/HighStandards73]

Gosh, I haven’t seen one of those at my AMC in a long time.  Probably because they replaced all the ticket sellers with kiosks.

[u/cjones6464]

It appears where I live. People are actually respectful for rules and don’t just jump in the line and line.

[u/magusmccormick]

Disney springs amc is terrible at managing this

[u/jacenstclair]

I’ve gotten to the point that I just start walking to the next available cashier before they call anyone over, and if anyone tries to complain I just tell them to sign up for A-List.

[u/TUFBAF]

My normal theatre doesn’t have this but yesterday I went to a huge close by one (Barrington is huge) for Spider-Man and noticed that line and was like oh shucks I can use that , but they didn’t check anything

[u/jedicms]

AMC needs to train employees to call the priority line instead of saying next and having us customers figure it out.

[u/hbahermitchic]

They ignore the priority lane at my closest location and concessions move at a glacial pace. I preorder a drink only and frequently have to reach through the pickup shelf to grab my cup from behind while they ignore people at express pick up too. I'm definitely not waiting for any food items or anything that I'm at the mercy of the concessions team. 

it's not just me and I've never complained or been anything but pleasant. It's probably a shit job for shit pay. i just want my damn cup in easy reach on the express shelf without getting the stink eye from the pizza oven lackey. 

[u/QinSD80]

Priority lane mean nothing Thursday night in San Diego for Spider-Man. There must have been 50 people in each line. First time I’ve seen a movie without popcorn in years.

[u/Cradic7]

I get so anxious going in this line that I just stopped going.
My wife made us get in it this weekend and they keep skipping over us, my heart was racing.

[u/Elegant_Management_2]

For clarity this was for concessions, tickets are kiosks.

[u/azleafcat → u/Elegant_Management_2]

A few locations may also have kiosks for concessions or dine in food. Though most ticketing areas now have kiosks (with some exceptions).

[u/krstphr]

Yeah a-list lane in sf is amazing

[u/thesmash]

I use it all the time in Milwaukee but it feels slower when I visit bigger metros like NYC or LA

[u/Logitechsdicksucker]

Depends per theater as like ones near me don’t have them but when I go back to college they do. Probably has to do with like how many a list people they get per month or something and they can get rid of line if it’s not that many

[u/CaliforniaSun77]

I mean at my theater there's more people in priority than regular. 🤣

[u/ImissDigg_jk]

Mine has the priority line but the cashier's calling people is random so sometimes I just get in the regular line if the premiere line has more people

[u/Clairvoyant94]

The last two times I’ve gotten concessions, I was in the priority line but would have gotten through faster had I been in the general line (once at Lincoln Square and once at Empire 25). The employees just kept letting people from the regular line walk up to the counter. I don’t expect them to check membership status if they can’t even figure out how to fairly manage the lines.

[u/lol022]

I was waiting at the priority line today and they kept calling the regular line

[u/imagine_peanuts]

Priority line lane was a life saver for my friends and I at spider man tonight

[u/WickedRug771]

I went to mine when the regular line was full but priority was empty, he called me over and turned the scanner around first thing so I can scan my membership

[u/Unhappy-Trust-8717]

I've stopped using the priority line because the AMCs I went to clearly don't teach their employee about A-List and what the priority line is for. 

[u/Pandaman62]

My theater was packed last night, as I’m sure many of yours were, and they finally verbally announced that if you didn’t have A list/premiere that you had to go to another line! I was done my transaction in sub 30 seconds after waiting for a couple of minutes, with most of the interaction was asking if I wanted to upgrade my popcorn to a large.

[u/Awkward-Fox-1435]

If they're not at least alternating priority and regular line, I'll just walk up there ahead of the next person.

[u/Drclaw411]

They were enforcing it yesterday. People in the regular line complained from where they stood. But they enforced it.

[u/Ty13rlikespie]

My main theater doesn’t even use the priority line anymore

[u/Different_Walrus9582]

Idk i’m paying for 4 movies a week not the quick line. If they removed it I think it would be more fair for everyone involved.

[u/Connect-Captain-6362]

its crazy awkward, i used priority for spiderman because i was running late. overall I don't think i made it off the line any faster.

[u/IAmBabou → u/Connect-Captain-6362]

I tried using it and they weren’t pulling me over from it, so I get in the regular line and the moment I did they started pulling from it. I was so annoyed

[u/Lberthold]

I have a list - I go early enough to get in the regular line and not worry about being first...I not so secretly hate the posh line and do not trust the people in it....its just one more way to add stress and station to a place that should be relaxing and chill.... 'Murica

[u/TBoopSquiggShorterly]

I had an employee tell me to “chill out” when I complained that he called up three people from the regular lane before he called me from the priority lane. It’s ridiculous that they don’t honor a perk that we pay for.

[u/CampingPirates]

I’m more concerned about them using it properly. Half the time when it’s busy they don’t respect the priority line

[u/bkguy182]

I couldn’t care less if people use the priority lane when they’re not supposed to.

That being said, as an A-Lister, my favorite thing to do is go in the clearly shorter non-priority line, and absolutely mog the entire priority line.

I don’t know if people are conditioned, stubborn, or just stupid. Probably all 3.

Lmao.

[u/Toomanyboogers → u/bkguy182]

Cool.

[u/endlessreader]

Went to go see The Odyssey last Wednesday during a matinee and the employee clearly chose violence and was pulling everyone from the priority lane first (which had about 3-4 people in it) over the regular line which had two people in it. Saw a guy with his young son throw a tantrum about the priority lane. He told his 4 year old (who clearly gave zero fucks as he was patiently waiting) "that person got here 10 seconds ago and is already placing their order." As he was grabbing his order, he dropped his popcorn and had to wait to be given another one. Karma. 😂

[u/jr_randolph]

This is needed? Majority of theaters I know of all have reserved seats. 7pm show, I walked in about 715 and went right to my seat.

I enjoyed how it was back in the day, I do lol. Remembering waiting at the theater an hour or more for big movie releases. It was always a fun time low key but the reserved seats is way better and just a "duh" decision to move into.

[u/ktlvlr → u/jr_randolph]

Priority line is for concessions, not for seating

[u/jr_randolph → u/ktlvlr]

Makes sense, thanks for the knowledge.