Stories to be Told
I've asked all my friends who work at the movie theater with me to tell me their favorite stories, whether it was an angry customer or a happy one. Here are the some of my favorites!
Ricky the "Snake Rangler"
In theater 11, while cleaning, the ushers had found a snake wandering around. How did it get there? That's not important. What's important is how it's going to leave. Fortunely, the brave soul that my friend Ricky is, grabbed the nearest dust pan and swept away the beast! Ricky had saved the day and the mystery of how the snake got into a movie without a ticket is forever a mystery.
Water you upset about?
Before he became a manager, my friend Matt, had encountered a very happy customer. This happy customer grabbed a water bottle out of the cooler and, while smiling, placed it on the counter to purchase. Matt had told him the price (the water has always been around $4). Then, at a flip of the switch, the customer was screaming at Matt. Same stuff, different day!
Umm, I don't think that's right?
Almost every week we have people who try to use expired coupons. One day, my friend Bailey had to talk to a customer because she tried to use an expired coupon, and not only that, but an expired coupon for the wrong food. After trying to explain how we can't take EXPIRED COUPONS, the lady was still not having it. She called Bailey a "Nazi" for not letting her use the coupon.
New Year's Eve with Family
"I was only supposed to work 3 days a week to pick up some extra cash on break, but they put me on the schedule 14 days in a row through the entire Christmas season (the busiest time of the year). By the time New Year's Eve came around, I was exhausted and upset. I was missing my friends' parties, I wasn't enjoying my break, and everyone else had called off, so I was the only person working concession the entire night. The shift ended just a bit after midnight. When 12:00 came around, everyone who was actually working had our own little New Year's celebration, complete with sparkling apple juice and plastic "wine glasses". We told each other jokes and complained that we had to work, but in that moment we were happy. Even though I was mentally and physically drained and I had another shift in the morning, I ended up staying late just to hang out with everyone outside of the building and mess around. As silly of a job as the movie theater is, it has a way of pulling me back in every time I'm in town. The work sucks sometimes, but something about the theater makes it impossible to hate. As I get closer to the day where I have to get a "real job", I start to miss all of the great times I've had there and the great people I've become friends with. Whether or not it's a real job, it's definitely a real family, and in a lot of ways, I've grown up in that theater." -One of my longtime Cinemark friends, Stew
The Good 'Ol Regulars
The head of department for concessions, and also a great friend, Erika had once been a box office employee. She had worked for a while as an employee so she was able to build some relationships with regulars. She had told me she loved when regulars would bring her in little presents, like chocolates, or bracelets, and even one time some snowflake earrings. It's just a nice connection that brings joy every time you see them.
Sleeping Beauty
One of Autumn's favorite stories, another friend of course, was when she was able to witness an elderly person tried to be woken up after a movie had ended. They couldn't wake him up, even though he was still breathing. Ricky, the same usher who was mentioned before, had said "Excuse me sir" progressively louder as the other usher were banging their dust pans to try and wake the sleeping beauty. Autumn had compared the moment to a "gorilla chant." He finally woke up. She had mentioned that waking up the elderly happens often and is always very awkward.
Life Lessons
Joe, who is another longtime friend of mine, had talked about a slow Thursday morning. A grandfather, who didn't want to sit in the movie anymore with his wife and granddaughter, bought a coffee and sat at a table in our small restaurant. Joe had sat with him for two hours having a conversation about their lives and ideas of the world. The grandfather talked about if he had accomplished his dreams, and gave Joe plenty advice. The man had told Joe that no matter how daring something is, dedicate fully and put your heart into it. The conversation had changed how Joe looked at things.