Golden Village tells why it has to give that warning

Golden Village has responded to Ms Cheah's protest about a warning sign placed on the ticket counter at its Jurong Point cinema.

According to Ms Cheah, "the sign warns us to be nice to the sales staff and action will be taken against angry customers." She took offence when she saw it and wrote to Golden Village.

In its reply, the cinema's Senior Manager for Guest Relations, Ms Annabelle Yap, thanked Ms Cheah for her feedback and gave the reason for putting up that sign:

"Over the past few years, Golden Village has seen an increased occurrence of staff being both physically and verbally abused by our patrons. We have witnessed an average of at least one such incident being reported per month to our management team. We believe the actual numbers are much higher as many of such cases are unreported.

"The reported cases include instances where our staff experienced food being thrown at them after reminding patrons that they have flouted house rules by bringing in food and drinks bought outside Golden Village premises.

"Our staff have also been spat at, pushed and had movie vouchers thrown in their faces when told that the vouchers have terms and conditions. Our staff were also subjected to offensive gesture and profanities despite making every effort to remain calm and providing their best to appease the angry patron.

"These unfortunate incidents have greatly impacted our staff morale and have prompted us to be pro-active in trying to promote a safe environment in which our staff can perform their duties.

"This signage does not in any way dictate how our patrons should behave but helps to highlight instead the need for mutual respect between the two parties to ensure a more enjoyable movie experience. On our part, Golden Village will continually strive to improve our service standards in order to provide the best service possible to all our patrons."