Hollywood Candy — Attraction in Omaha

I visited Hollywood Candy with a small group of girls to take senior pictures. My senior specifically asked for pictures done in the arcade room because she had seen others have pictures taken there & thought it was a cool concept. We went into the arcade room, & even though Hollywood Candy was very busy, this specific room was not. There were no in-your-face signs stating no photography allowed/anything similar to the sort that I had noticed while looking around. The store was busy overall but this room was nearly empty, only a few people were using machines & another group was taking photos with a camera. There was not any traffic coming in nor out of the room & mid us taking our photos, we got stopped by an employee asking if we have some sort of permit. He came directly to the young lady that had her camera taking my senior’s pictures & she was taken back because she did not have a permit, nor was she required to have a permit (or even stopped at that) the last time she came in to do this for her older sister’s senior pics. Five years ago (& maybe this store was under a different ownership), I watched someone get their pictures taken in the same room, professional camera & all without permit/fee. The employee gave us some explanation that only pictures taken on personal cellphones are allowed. He then said something about us being allowed to take pictures for a fee if we have no permit. Then he walked away without addressing others in the room using cameras. My group was distraught because we drove up from Missouri to get senior pics & this was our second to last stop before leaving Omaha. I found the employee eventually & asked about the fee. He told me to ask the registers. After waiting in line, the cashier had no idea what I was talking about & left to find another employee, from the bar (At this point, I am getting antsy because we are on a time crunch to drive back home) who said it was $75. I asked how long this “fee” is valid (because I need to be in the car on the way home in 30 minutes). I’m not paying a business a $75 fee for 30 minutes of their space (simply to take pictures, not even clear the room out mind you) that is constantly used for pictures on a daily basis. This employee didn’t have a set answer for me on that question, & at this point I was fine with just leaving & finding a different location to take pictures. I told her that was okay, but if they’re going to enforce rules, they should enforce them for everyone. Other people were still taking photos with cameras in the same room, & no one stopped them. The bar employee then shifted explanations, saying it was a “no flash photography” rule. I asked if turning flash off would solve the issue, & was told no. Then they argued the problem was that our camera was “high-quality.” That makes little sense, how can staff determine quality on sight, & why should it matter? The camera wasn’t even a large professional model. The lady walked off & then the cashier started rambling about policies & what not. I ended up leaving because I no longer had time left to deal with any of this. I understand that policy is policy, but had we known due to the website, any signs upon entry in the store, signs upon entry into the room that has had thousands of pictures taken in it, that the only photography allowed was cellphone photography unless you have a permit or pay a $75 fee, we would’ve came more prepared with more time on our hands. To management & the owners: teach your team better on what your policies are. If you have an employee walking around enforcing these rules, they should know what the fee is. If they are telling me to go up to the registers for that information, the people working registers should know said policies & coverages. That was absolutely ridiculous. Also, have that on your website/on signs? Why throw your customers through confusing hoops when there are so many solutions on how not to? We all wasted valuable time jumping through confusing hoops. This experience was frustrating &...

Hollywood Candy is a great place to stop by while you are visiting Omaha, it is also a great place to go to find some delicious candy. The staff on the other hand aren't so great. My friends and I were looking at candy and we were about ready to check out and we were looking around the store because they have a lot of cool features, we were being very polite and we were being quiet as well. A staff member comes up to us and says we have to leave because we were dancing and taking pictures, we told him that we were not dancing or taking pictures and he still told us to leave. My friend was going to buy a Troll doll and he tried to take it from her, she told him she was going to buy the doll and he let go of it. After this encounter I was very upset because all we were trying to do was buy candy. I went to purchase my candy and I was pleasantly surprised. The cashier was very sweet to me and my friends, she gave me and my other friend who bought the Troll doll a discount. She completely changed my mood and made the experience a lot better. I wish I asked what her name was because I would have left a separate review for her and how kind she was. Hollywood Candy is a fun place to visit and has an amazing ambiance, I just wish my trip wasn't spoiled by that rude staff member. At least the...

TLDR: Like the other comments say, the staff is extremely cautious of everyone entering the store, and have no issue kicking people out without explanation, while also insulting you.

We were exploring the store and two of my girls found some old kiddie rides we assumed were just decoration and they wanted pictures with them--they are with adults. A man approaches us and tells us we need to leave, I asked him why, and he told me that if I can't figure that out, I must be dumb. Ok great, they shouldn't be on them, that's still not how you run a business. To be fair, he was an old man whose job is security at a candy store, he's probably very tired. I should have seen it coming though, as we were walking up to the store, a friend who went in before us said they were kicked out because they figured out a trick with their pinball machine. The candy is pretty much the same as other speciality candy stores, specifically similar to a candy store near the Twin Cities, but less of a selection at Hollywood. Ultimately, if these things are an issue, why don't they find better ways to deal with it, make the signs more obvious, have staff walk around, they act as though people are coming in just to ruin the store. We went in to buy candy, not ride the...