Posted on 03/29/2014 10:26:17 PM PDT by kingattax
That’s bananas!
A Brooklyn movie house in health-food-centric Park Slope called the cops on a diabetic customer — just because he was munching strawberries that were sold outside the cinema.
“It was embarrassing. I didn’t expect it. Two police officers came and told me to leave with a full theater of people watching. I said ‘Is this for real?’ and they said, ‘Yes, you have to leave,’ ” said Michael Kass, a 41-year-old financial analyst.
Kass, who has Type 2 diabetes, couldn’t eat the junk food for sale at the Park Slope Pavilion, so he brought a carton of prewashed strawberries to keep his insulin level in check during a showing of “Divergent” on Sunday, he said.
But before he could watch the action flick, a worker cut him off near the theater entrance and checked his bag — demanding he toss the forbidden fruit and explaining no outside food is allowed, Kass claims.
The strawberry-stashing father of three tried to explain his disease, but “they didn’t seem to care,” he said, so he asked a manager to refund his $12 ticket.
When the manager refused, he stuffed his snack back in the bag and took a seat in the theater, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I brought food in for Harry Potter and to the circus for my kids. I am not spending $50 on crap food at that place.
So, if the theater wants to act like this they can kiss the $12 ticket sales goodbye too. Since fewer Americans go to the movies anymore, attitudes like the theater’s will just hasten the death of theaters.
Yeah, if they want to implode their businesses
Yes, the manager could have given him a refund and the incident would have been avoided.
About diabetes, what you stated is correct. Since he was not insulin dependent, I doubt he was going low. If he was, he could carry glucose tablets to counteract that condition.
On the other hand, he should have had his blood sugar under control before going into the theatre. Diabetics must watch the carbohydrates, not so much the calories, of what they eat to control their condition. Carbohydrates raise the blood sugar and insulin produced in the pancreas lowers it. Cells must have insulin to efficiently consume glucose from the blood, otherwise glucose remains in the blood at higher than normal levels for too long a period of time.
It’s a shame the general public knows so little about what diabetes really is and is not.
Fast fingers, slow edit, no bueno.
Sure, movie and eating. Their movie and their food, not somebody else’s movie and not somebody else’s food.
They weren’t stopping him from watching a movie, just not allowing him to eat food he shouldn’t have brought in the first place.
If it weren’t for their overpriced food, theatres would have to substantially mark up the price of tickets.
well, just like the horse and buggy business, who needs it?
And like any other business, they need to make allowances for people with disabilities.
If they don’t want to make those allowances they have an ethical obligation to refund the money to the disabled. The manager, and every single one of his defenders was both too stupid and too immoral to understand how that works.
The manager called the cops. His right. But it was a stupidity move from a business standpoint. Not that the manager or any of his idiot defenders have much upstairs in the comprehending business department.
Predictably, the diabetic called the press. Thats his right. Now the theater will lose more money from the incident than they make in a week. If not more, just read the commentary from the locals at the original site.
Predictable outcome, and the theater owner should explain all of this to the manager while he is firing him.
....and toast.
I didn’t see where it said that he didn’t use insulin in the article. Am I missing something?
Strawberries are incredibly messy. It was stupid for him to bring them in and I don’t blame the theatre for not wanting to clean up his sticky mess.
Stick a fruit and nut bar in your pocket and call it a day.
If he has had a previous heart, liver, or kidney problem and needs medication to control his blood sugar he would probably be on Amaryl or Glimperide, which are the same. If he is also on aspirin or other anti-inflammatories, clonidine, or blood thinners he would be subject to low blood sugars.
One time, I wasn’t allowed to take into a movie theater my doggie bag of leftover steak - we had just had dinner next door. I didn’t want to walk all the way back to my car in the rain, so I had to leave it in the manager’s office. They obviously don’t pay employees to have common sense.
Good catch! Slow news day?
“the confrontation was forced when the manager didn’t offer a refund. he should have”
Sounds like the confrontation was forced when the diabetic forced himself in despite the rules. Nobody forced him to buy the ticket, so it was his individual responsibility to understand the rules.
Have been on a glipizide and it is no fun and have learned the hard way to always carry food regardless when you last ate. How long you can go without food can be highly variable.
I agree, you would die waiting for strawberries to bring up your glucose. Strawberries do not pass the smell test.
As an underwriter, your 'asshole' title would belong to me.
If I accept the risk for that theatre, I get to make some rules. There will be no pogo-stick contests, no dwarf tossing, and no food brought in from outside.
No underwriter would insure this and allow outside food.
If I found out, I would cancel immediately.
The manager is not an 'asshole'. He is saving the owners business.
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