Never Work at a Movie Theater

Seriously, don't do it. I've worked at a local Theater, owned by Cinemark, and it's absolutely terrible. Don't get me wrong, the work is easy and the managers are alright; it's what you find out about how the operation runs that gets me (and quite a few of my coworkers). Here's a small list of what goes on behind the scenes.
1.) As an "usher" it's our duty to clean each theater on time. This seems pretty simple, hell downright stupid for me to say right? Well, in reality about 60% of the time our cleaning takes longer than it should because people leave ALL of their trash behind. Not just a cup or two, or even the occasional popcorn bag; they leave plates, bags filled with wrappers (brought in from outside the theater), and literally everything else you can imagine inside the theater. Now I'm not sure how your guys' local movies are, but the one in my town serves pizza, popcorn, fries, hotdogs, nachos, mozzarella sticks. fried dough, funnel cakes, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches/tenders. Not to mention ice cream, Starbucks Coffee and a multitude of candy and drinks. Yeah, all sorts of messy foods that literally get EVERYWHERE. I don't know how, but people in the highest (back row) seats somehow manage to spill popcorn (large tubs of it) behind them. This weekend alone I have spent 20 minutes, with two other people, on individual theaters, multiple times over (it should only take 5-10 at most). Please, next time you're enjoying a motion picture CLEAN THE FUCK UP AFTER YOURSELF. I'm not here to point fingers, but it's the older people who leave their trash. I understand that we get paid to clean the theaters. That doesn't mean leave everything you bring in on the floor so we can fall behind schedule and get chewed out by our managers. The trashcans are by the entrance of the theater for a reason.
2.) For most theaters, large and medium popcorns are the SAME size.
3.)Be wary if you're seeing the first matinee of the day; popcorn (can) get recycled from the night before to be served at the first showing of every day. Seriously, you've been warned.
4.)If you're a germaphobe, don't order the popcorn; or at least ask how long it's been since they (the workers) made a fresh batch. Odds are the popcorn in the warmers and in the popper have been sitting there for over an hour (if it's slow, it sits longer than 3+ hours). For those of you who don't like science, in 3 hours some bacteria can become entire colonies. Don't get me wrong here, at my theater most, if not all, employees handling food wash their hands before they start work, after they use the bathroom and if they exit the food areas. But, and I know this is messed up, sometimes when we're busy employees (I've done it) are thrown right into the gauntlet, and forget to wash their hands. Albeit the warmers are wiped down at the end of each night, it's a literal hotspot for bacterial growth. Thermophiles are bacteria that grow in hot temperatures, and I can tell you that the warmers most places use are breeding grounds for these nasty suckers.
5.) If you notice a funky odor in the halls and auditoriums of your local theater, it's probably the trash compactors. Yeah, they're that bad. Luckily I'm still a minor, so I don't have to work near them (actually it's against the law for me to operate them), but on occasion I do have to bring trashcans down to them. It's literally like walking into a dumpster; mice and other small rodents run around everywhere, feeding off the stale popcorn and mix of melted Icee's and soda. And yes, mice are lurking everywhere in theaters; just last night I had to throw a dead mouse out into the parking lot because my coworkers didn't want to do it.
6.) 90% of our profit comes from concessions; that's why everything is grossly overpriced. We sling popcorn like gangs sling dope; it's the only place we're actually making any money. I'm not saying don't buy from us, because I'd end up out of a job (fuck it, I'm quitting soon anyway), but if you're not wanting to pay $12 for a popcorn and drink, then just stop by a local gas station or minimart before hand; you'll end up saving a lot of money. Trust me, we don't really check bags unless we have suspicion you're carrying a weapon and/or video camera.
7.) If you're underage and sneaking into a movie, don't draw attention to yourself. Seriously, I (and most of my coworkers) do not care if you go into a rated R movie. If we get a complaint about some obnoxious kids goofing around in a theater, we as ticket rippers will deny that we let you go in there (if we see you before hand). Understand that it's a HUGE liability to the theater if a kid comes out emotionally traumatized because he/she saw a few minutes of sex, and that we as workers can be fired and sued because of it. Be courteous of other patrons who are old enough to buy their own R-rated movie tickets; if we get a complaint, you're going to be kicked out of the movies and (on some occasions) not welcome back.

Have a goodnight.
-Disgruntled Movie worker, Theta