Another confirmation of Aussies getting ripped off

kirasuran on 21/07/2011 - 01:45
Last edited 21/07/2011 - 01:46

Hopefully this is the right place to put this thread. Just read this article and it dawned on me how much we are getting ripped off. I almost never go to the movies when it's not on a student monday or cheap tuesday, or without some kind of deal on it…because honestly it is NOT worth it at the full price EVEN concession.

It is disgusting the prices we pay, also to consider the price increases in the last couple of years. Just another thing that we in Australia get ripped off on. Also, are these companies (Event, Hoyts etc) Australian-owned or international ? If Australian that makes it even sadder, that we are ripping ourselves off.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/trip-to-the-flick…

General Discussion

Comments

  • 17833 on 21/07/2011 - 04:17
    +4

    Totally agree with you. A trip to the movies with a large family is a very expensive exercise!

    • altomic on 21/07/2011 - 12:51
      +1

      totally agree

  • kurogaga on 21/07/2011 - 05:26
    +2

    Yup, air ticket, price of electric goods (my gosh, why would the price of Macbook Pro in Aus cost more than US when AUD > USD), food. Heck, it is cheaper to go holiday overseas compare to holiday back at home.

    • cwongtech on 24/07/2011 - 20:22
      -1

      Its called transport costs, taxes and smaller population

  • m0nkeycheese on 21/07/2011 - 08:24
    +5

    And they wonder why so many people pirate movies/music THIS IS WHY!

  • lechuck123 on 21/07/2011 - 08:39
    +5

    One of the most annoying for me is the price difference in Games.
    How can they possible justify price differences in digital distribution?
    http://www.steamprices.com/au/topripoffs

    • FlyingKanga on 28/07/2011 - 22:21

      it's because retail game businesses are so successful. If people didn't buy so much from them, they'd have to bring it down.

  • punk on 21/07/2011 - 08:50
    +3

    digital distribution is just as bad when you think about it! why on earth are they charging australians more for something that isn't even packaged at retail. is there an aussie tax on it. Of course not! I pay more for my apps on my phone, music and games.

    and to further insult our intelligence, if you want the convenience of going online to buy movie tickets you can have a booking fee but not just on the one ticket but every single ticket you buy in one transaction. haha

  • andy19363 on 21/07/2011 - 09:00
    +2

    generally….. beyond any production costs…… the market determines the price of goods and services. If people stop going to the movies, you can be sure prices will drop until they start going again……

    • ESEMCE on 21/07/2011 - 09:18
      +6

      No, in that case what you can be sure of is that the Movie industry will claim that people are pirating movies and that justifies outrageous intrusions into people's privacy.
      It couldn't possibly be anything that the Industry is doing wrong! What rock have you just crawled out from underneath to think otherwise?
      /sarcasm

      • spal on 22/07/2011 - 04:52

        Question is the classical chicken first or the egg. Piracy or higher prices. I am sure we all know the answer.

    • Evil-Elmo on 21/07/2011 - 09:38
      +4

      That's what we've done. Instead of seeing movies at the cinema we buy the ones we want to see when they come out on BR, usually from Amazon UK. Sure, we have to wait a while, but it's considerably cheaper and we get to keep the movie (which in most cases is a good thing). I would like to go to the cinema more often, and I would like to buy my BRs locally, but it just doesn't make economic sense to me.

  • teyc on 21/07/2011 - 10:13
    +5

    I wouldn't necessarily compare with the US. The minimum wage here is very high. Plus there are state taxes in the US which is like the GST. A better comparison would be how many hours do you have to work on the minimum wage to pay for a movie.

  • StewBalls on 21/07/2011 - 11:19
    +3

    Then there's also the fact that we get screwed over on movie release dates rather frequently! I wanted to see Green Lantern the week it opened, only to find out it doesn't open here until 04 August; despite the fact that it opened almost 2 months earlier in a host of random countries (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/releaseinfo) including the US; but first in friggin NZ of all places…WTF? :o

    I like to see these kind of movies on the big screen first, but WB/DC will never see a penny of my money for this particular flick…my protest will be a download! ;)

    • A Banana4scale on 27/07/2011 - 12:31

      movie sucked anyways

      fellow pirate

      • StewBalls on 27/07/2011 - 15:48

        Cheers dude! The later trailer looked really promising, but as you say the reviews have not been stellar! I could've dodged the bullet on this one! :)

  • muzzamo on 21/07/2011 - 17:50

    Every single person in this thread has forgotten the impact of wages. Lower the minimum wage, and the price of movie tickets decreases.

    In America you will be served by a mexican or someone else earning <<$8 an hour when you buy your popcorn. Here it is closer to $20.

    Remember that the biggest cost for any business is wages.

    There is 0 political will in Australia to lower the minimum wage, so we need to put up with higher prices.

    • spal on 22/07/2011 - 05:00
      +1

      That is what the large retail would have you believe.

      First point - we are not sure that if majority of American cinemas or other businesses get labour @ <$8. My understanding is illegal immigrants work only in small and unorganized sector. Large employers would check you visa status due to substantial civil penalties.

      Second point - have we noticed how many secondary school kids work in retail these days. I am sure some of us know how much are they paid. Do we know what happens to an employee who is made redundant. They join back as contractors at lower wages. What is this about higher wage cost. Opps forgot about the CEO's salaries have gone up, and the consumer needs to pay. I have a feeling that we pay for the CEOs to go on a overseas trip to spend their money on cheap movie tickets in US.

      Bottom line is businesses charge more as they are built on that model. In these days price is fixed by competition or lack of it. I am sure the cinemas do price modelling to forecast business plans.

      • [Deactivated] on 22/07/2011 - 08:15
        +2

        There is truth in both your arguments about labour costs in the USA.

        $8 an hour isn't the rate for illegals. Its the base rate.

        However lets compare the arguments with the original information.

        Labour costs of $8 an hour more for say 6 employees for a theatre for lets say 4 hours for each show, allowing for cleaning, backend work etc, rounded = an extra $200.

        Say an average of 100 people per session the net difference that Australian theatres would get $350 (550-200)

        But in Australia - you have to factor in that you are using the facilities, and facilities cost a lot more here than in the US. Rent would be triple if not more. In the US strip malls and shopping centres are everywhere. So competition is more intense. Power costs less, and thats not going to be helped here soon.

        So in reality its probably the overhead costs much more than the labour costs that increase or prices here. Plus there are far fewer independent theatres to give real price competition.

        • djones145 on 22/07/2011 - 09:55
          -1

          yeah its a question of demand and supply
          in USA, population of 250 million
          most cities have more popluation than Aussie cities
          chances of a theatre being sold out or close to sell out high
          Australia, besides blockbusters, usually not sold out
          ability to spread costs over more customers means lower costs

  • Choc83 on 22/07/2011 - 09:55

    A true ozbargainer would buy 10 x Adult tickets for $99 and take their own snacks and laugh at the chumps paying $18.

    Not showing the prices at the candy bar pisses everyone off…

    • interiordesigns on 24/07/2011 - 01:20

      i stopped going when the prices went from $13 to whatever it is now and ive always taken my own food in. the cinema i went to had a coles across the road. i wouldnt be caught dead in a theatre now unless the ticket was free. the last movie i went to was in bangkok and it was only $4.00

      • issh on 24/07/2011 - 09:34
        +2

        +1 to that
        I never buy the food at the cinemas

  • Cheeper on 22/07/2011 - 19:58
    +1

    Movies and pizzas are pricing themselves out of the market.
    Greed or stupiditiy or both?

    • kirasuran on 22/07/2011 - 20:26
      +1

      Both. They're also pushing consumers to DIY methods…that can be interpreted as you wish. haha

      • Cheeper on 24/07/2011 - 13:26
        +1

        I am wondering if anyone has made a time frame on the shrinkage rate of pizzas?
        Estimate the time when there will be just a crumb in the box?

  • Nutrino on 23/07/2011 - 21:32

    You can B@#ch till the cows come home. Nothing is going to change. If you think it's too expensive, don't go. If enough people don't go, they'll close, it's business.

    Supply/demand.

    eg. if something cost me $1, don't mean i have to sell it to you for $1.01.

    I'll sell it for how much i think people will buy it for.

  • samfisher5986 on 23/07/2011 - 22:41
    +1

    I always use the same, simple example as it avoids any ifs or buts.

    Electronic Arts will set a digital price of $49.95 USD in the US, and will then set it to $79.99 in Australia.

    It doesn't cost more to deliver a file download to an Australian compared to an American. Online digital overseas sales do not incur GST either.

    So this clearly shows that EA know enough Australians will pay $79.99, and so they price it as that.

    • amkssg on 25/07/2011 - 04:04

      True.
      But you have to remember that prior to the internet days, you would have to buy a game in cartridge or disc /disk form, which explains the price difference. Obviously even though it now cost nothing to download a game, EA is not going to pass on the savings to you.

      Simple example:
      Factory AAA use to manufacture crackers at 75cents a box in AUSTRALIA, and retail it for $1.50
      Let's say they relocate production to china.
      Factory AAA now manufacture crackers at 3cents a box in CHINA. It will still retail it for $1.50
      (In essence, the fact that EA now saves on shipping does not imply that they will pass on this savings to consumers. They are essentially a for-profit organisation)

  • ozb-442 on 24/07/2011 - 10:48

    Meh, I go to the iMax in Brisbane. $6.50 tickets - awesome screen, gives you something to do for the day. Even after the train fare it's cheaper than going locally.

    • samfisher5986 on 24/07/2011 - 12:00

      Looks like your a student then which makes it more worth it because of translink and cineplex

      For an adult it costs $8.50 and $8-12 on the train return.

      Then I have to factor in the close to 2 hours of traveling in total both ways. Event Cinemas would take 15 minutes and cost $18 I think?

      The rip off Event Cinemas works out cheaper for many people

      So unless you live close and are a student its not that cheap for most people unfortunately.

      • A Banana4scale on 27/07/2011 - 12:36

        woah IMAX at $6.50. There's event, hoyts and Dendy' in canberra and not of them charge less than $11.00(not including 3D) and this is for students. Dunno about adult tickets

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