10 Things They Don't Tell You About Working In A Cinema
4. The Popcorn is Rarely "Fresh"
"Let's cook" - Walter White, Breaking Bad
Some cinemas do indeed make their own popcorn, and it is hands-down the best shift you can be given. You get to suit up in a big rubber apron, gloves and visor to cook large batches of salt and/or sweet. There's a lovely fantasy of being Walter White as you measure the correct balance of oil, salt, sugar and corn. Science, bitch!
However, not every cinema does this. Some find it a better use of staff time and money to purchase huge pallets of pre-made popcorn, housed in flimsy plastic sleeves. The delivery day is always the moment the mask slips for some cinemas, as staff drag these huge pallets around the corridors revealing the dark secret to customers. Chances are your local multiplex has a cupboard somewhere, which is stocked floor to ceiling with sleeves of salt and sweet popcorn. Like a softer, more comfortable version of Scrooge McDuck's swimming pool.
It's not a perfect system though, the plastic sleeves are quite flimsy and easily punctured, leading to popcorn going soft and stale. Other times, you may find a little visitor has hitched a ride on the delivery lorry. A small rodent with big dreams of running his own cinema in some mash-up of Ratatouille and Cinema Paradiso.