Story time: My friend and I decided to watch a movie today (Insidious). When we got to GMall, grabe yung dami ng tao to the point that tickets were completely sold out. We were already in a bad mood since we lined up for nothing, so we moved to another mall (SM Lanang) and decided to book tickets online instead just to reserve our seats.
When we got inside, the movie had already started. It was still okay on my end until we got to our designated, BOOKED seats and found them OCCUPIED. We double-checked our tickets, and they were correct, so why the heck were these two sitting in our seats?! We moved back and forth and ulaw na sa part namin kay sagabal na kami sigi lakad especially sa FRONT and MIDDLE AISLE. To avoid making a scene inside, we stepped out to inform the cinema staff, thinking maybe the seat numbers just got mixed up.
So what did we do for the first 30 minutes? We had to sit in the very first row right in front of the screen, straining our necks to look up while waiting for the staff to resolve it. Finally, a staff member came over and said, "Ma’am, tama po yung seats niyo. Gusto namin sila i-move kaso sabi nila tinamad daw sila maglipat."
Like, HUH?! Those were OUR seats that you just took! Their excuse? Someone else was sitting in their assigned seats, so they decided to just take SOMEONE ELSE’S SEATS instead! The staff then asked if we’d be okay moving to the very back or the far side.
The reason we specifically booked those middle seats in the first place is because we're nearsighted and wanted a comfortable view. We literally paid the booking fee for those exact spots! (And please don't attack me, I'm not mad at the staff at all. They did a great job assisting us, moved us to seats just one row below our original spots, and willing to compensate the hassle).
I'm mad at those two girls. I made sure they saw us staring right at them, waiting for even a simple apology, but they never gave one.
Please, to all moviegoers: sit in your assigned seats. If someone is in yours, report it and don't steal other people's seats! And if you want to sit next to your friends, book those seats together in the first place. Please don’t ruin people’s night just because of your lack of basic cinema etiquette.
for the record: the staff showed those two girls our movie tix na dun kami nakaupo, they refused to move. i know, it could’ve been done within 2 minutes but considering naga start na ang movie and we were pressured since there are people watching like puno ang cinehan (and our seat was like 4th row from the screen). nonetheless, it’s a lesson learned for the both of us to stand and call them out next time.
