Is This Really Necessary?

Something new to add to my "Is This Really Necessary?" list .... reserved seating in the movie theater.  I'm not talking about advanced ticket buying which is actually a convenience.  I'm talking about reserving a seat, as though you were going to Carnegie Hall.  This, however, is a multiplex where seating, typically, is a free for all, much like flying Southwest. 

Perhaps this is a good idea on a crowded weekend evening for a blockbuster film, but is it really necessary for a mid-week matinee?

Let me tell you about my recent experience.  There was no ticket line since it was the aforementioned mid-week matinee.  I told the person which movie I wanted to see but before taking my money and printing a ticket, he asked me where I would like to sit.  Mentally I responded with a snippy "preferably in a chair, you idiot"  but in my personal quest to be less sarcastic and more polite I kept it to a simple "excuse me?"

He explained the reserved seating procedure and turned the computer screen around so I could choose a section and row. Here we are mid-week, midday. Imagine my surprise when I had my choice of any seat in the house. 

I pointed to the general area where I'd like to sit but the young man insisted, with a smile right out of a training manual, that I be specific. I pointed. He printed.  Off  I went to search for my assigned seat in a completely empty theater.

Did I sit in my assigned seat when there were hundreds to choose from?  I most certainly did not.  I seized the opportunity to defy the system --- and waited anxiously for the voice of authority to tell me to move.