warehouse associate

team member

theatre team member

assistant manager

Harkins Theatres

Harkins is a very fascinating company. They had a cool history of how they went from a small theater to being the largest theater chain in Arizona. They went from being the most innovate to the least innovative company in the theater space. It is insane that Harkins doesn't treat their employees especially during a time where people do not go to the movies anymore due to options at home.
 
The perks of working here is that you get flexible scheduling which is perfect if are going to school. Another perk is you get free movies and there is room for growth and upward mobility to TL or to Manager. 

Some employees love their job and some hate it. Some leave early some stay for like 40 plus years. So overall any position like Box Office, Usher, Concessions, TL, or manager is what you make of it. 

Here is cons of working at Harkins

Micromanagement is the biggest con. You are being micromanaged. For example no soda or Icee are allowed while on the clock. I mean it. Harkins has a lot of cameras and management is monitoring your every move. It is very easy to get suspended. These type of  micromanagement rules from corporate creates toxic management at the theaters. Whether or you have good management that cares about their employees will depend on the location. Bad management can ruin employees. I know people who transfer to different locations just to get a promotion or get away from the bad management. It is not about disciplining employees, it is all about power and control. Harkins runs their company like the military because I have been told that is how they are better than their competitors. It is insane that the employees are getting paid around the minimum wage and we get treated like this. They deserve to be paid more and be treated fairly.

Harkins has an old mentality that is stuck in the 1950s. Harkins has a hatred for their competitors despite competition is healthy for the theater industry, and they want to have a complete monopoly in Arizona. Upper management are the ones that makes decisions for the company, like things must be done, look, and be in the certain way. This leads to the corporate office being disconnected and out of touch from the people at the theater. This company has issues treating its employees. The company culture makes working here not very fun. Even with pandemic that happened and today, Harkins company culture has not changed at all.

Turnover is insanely high. Micromanagement strictness and constant writeups is what drive away potential great talents. Know your worth

Harkins is a frugal company. You do not get concession discounts. They make their employees pay for everything when other competitors give discounts to their employees. Even though you get free movies you cant watch them on weekends at different locations or an premium formats but managers can. And they are slow on remodeling, if Harkins wants people to go back to the movies, Harkins has to remodel all their theaters.

It starts up top. It is time to ditch the old school 1950s mentality and adapt to the modern times. Get rid of ridiculous rules that causes micromanagement and makes managers more accountable. Stop being frugal and actually spend money on making your theaters better and be more innovative. Treat you employees better because they are need in order for Harkins to survive. People don't go to the movies anymore. You have to innovate, change, and treat your employees or else your theaters will close in the future and your competitors will get you. People care about this stuff and will go to your competitors. The strictness is the reason why you can not get and retain good talents and continue to have high turnover. I want Harkins to do well and don't want theaters to disappear, but they aren't doing enough. It is up to Harkins that determines the future.

Theatre life was a good life, and a refreshing one as well! You fluctuate between roles of Box Office, Concessions, Usher, Door, and some other odd jobs but with the fluctuation you learn a handful of essential skills and everyday feels new. Usher was my favorite because I would be able to talk and have fun with my team the way I wanted to! Not to mention new hires are only trained in usher for the first bit so usher saw a lot of newbies and training them to sweep the "correct" way was my favorite thing. You have no idea how many people come in sweeping like a stiff robot and I was a speedster sweeping up theatres solo in that time. 
Organization and growth for this company is insane compared to other jobs I have experienced thus far. Only major downside to this is that they take the job of Movie Theatre manager to a level of seriousness I didn't believe was possible.
Big Pros were Free Popcorn (tried it with every seasoning/every pretzel seasoning/ranch/jalapenos) never got old that way. And free movies at any time at home location and to see one at another you would have to call 30 mins before.
My review is a bit skewed due to the fact I worked at the slower but BEST location Shea 14! This theatre had some of the best people I've had the pleasure to meet and some have become life long friends. Not to mention the managers were so effective at teaching me life long skills and memories that I will never forget! Workplace culture with some of the managers was absolutely great! Every once and a while a manager would suck and have heavy favoritism towards girls, or be extremely condescending but for the most part I had little issues with management if I showed up on time and followed the "majority" of the rules. Make no mistake I was no perfect employee but I ascended to Team Leader and was aspiring to be a manager but my journey was cut short. Learned lots of life lessons for sure with a job like Harkins and skills and people that will help me for the rest of my life. All round some of my best memories were forged in these theatres. 

A typical day is working many jobs and sometimes in one day. Usher was cleaning theaters, cleaning up restrooms, assisting guest to their theater, and lobby usher which was restocking the condiment stands. Door consisted of Greeting Guests, accepting their tickets, answering guest questions such as movie times and directing them to their appropriate theater. Concession consisted of selling food items, upselling food items, making food products, serving drinks, and assembling food product boxes, or carrying trays also known as brown boxes. Lastly Box is selling tickets, distributing 3D glasses, distribute movie tickets, popcorn vouchers, and selling Harkins products or movie gear which can also be accomplished at concessions.

I learned how to work as a team and to work with different types of people of all ages, and personalities. You also learn to work individually. You learn time management skills, and organizational skills.

Management was awesome, especially balancing between guest concerns and other employee situations.

The co-workers I had worked with were good at their jobs and knew or learned what team work was all about. There was always help if you needed it.

The hardest part of the job, I'd say is dealing with discarded food items with a straight face. Lastly working a double shift was hard personally challenging on my feet.

The enjoyable part of my job was getting free popcorn, for a short time soda, and free movies was awesome. I also loved working as a team and on my own. I loved the many jobs we did in one day, I especially loved maintenance. I felt stronger in this area because I have always used tools to build or fix things. I feel I accelerated here more ad was able to show without trying hard, just how hard of a worker I am and how much I truly loved it. I also loved re-stocking condiment stands, and I really enjoyed communicating with guests while assisting them on their journey to their seat. 
Trust me, with huge croweds, IT'S A JOURNEY!

It was an adventure working at Harkins and I loved it. Even if it was minimum wage, it felt stress free. It was easy.


A typical day at work varies depending on whether you're working as an usher or at the concessions. If you're working at the concessions, you'll be stocking popcorn bags, setting up nachos, setting up displays, selling food and drinks at the cash registers, sweeping popcorn, wiping countertops, and taking care of daily chores.

These daily chores include but are not limited to: 

-cleaning cash registers 
-sanitizing ice chests
-dusting lights
-wiping down candy displays

As an usher you're either sweeping up popcorn from the hallways or the auditoriums. You're making sure the restrooms are clean whenever there's the opportunity to check. You take out the garbage at the end of the night.

I believe I learned how to work as a team at this job. It's very team-focused environment. 

Management is cool and professional. 
Team leads know their stuff and are quick to assist with any issues you may experience. 

Workplace Culture: I like the workplace culture here. Everyone is so kind to each other here. I truly feel like I'm a part of a team. It's not at all a hostile environment like I've experience at other workplaces. You may occasionally bump heads with co-workers but that's to be expected anywhere you work because of all the different personalities working together. The difference here is that nobody carries grudges and I appreciate that. 

Hardest part of the job: Difficult to say really. I personally never felt like much was hard about my job here. I suppose sometimes the guests can lose their cool but I find that it's rare here in comparison to other customer service jobs. Most people are going to the movie theatres to have a fun time so the likelihood of dealing with an upset customer is low. Of course that's not to say you never find yourself dealing with a handful of them sometimes. This is to be expected

Most enjoyable part of the job for me: The variety in tasks helps keep things interesting. Chatting with the guests helps my work not feel so boring and repetitive because you meet all kinds of different characters here. 

In general, Harkins is great as a first job or if you need part-time work while going through school. The free movies and snacks are great benefits for a minimum wage position. The job isn't difficult, but it can be stressful to not know if you're going to be sent home early when you really need the money, or if you won't be getting a break that day because the theater is understaffed and busy. 

In getting promoted from Team Member to Team Leader, it can be very quick, or sometimes take a while, especially if you're getting conflicting information on what you need to work on before you can be considered a leader. However, I would rather have a place that takes time to make sure someone is ready to be a supervisor over one that will promote "just anyone."

As a Team Leader, it can be difficult to manage your staff, as you're trying to give your employees breaks, yet are being firmly requested by management to keep more lines open. Some days, management would work with you and understand the issues going on and jump on a register and help, or pick up a broom, while other days, they would just watch from the lobby.

As a theater chain, I've had my best experiences at Harkins. The mantra of giving a customer an "excellent movie-going experience" has bled into everything that makes the company wonderful to experience from a customer standpoint. I wish the chain could be nationwide, so all of my friends could see what they're missing out on. 

I would tell people in high school or college that it is a fine job to have while in school, but to make sure to work on getting a career going when you are finished with your education. Be promoted to Team Leader or Manager if you can, as it will help with resumes to future jobs.

When I first started working for Harkins, I was about half way through my BS.  I was using this job as a brainless job to make some supplemental money as I completed my degree.  

I started under a wonderful manager that was supportive when he was on the floor, but was rarely available to the team members.  He spent a lot of time in the upstairs office attending to what I would assume to be theatre business.   About half way through my tenure at Harkins, that tolerable manager was moved to another location and his replacement was a completely insensitive half-wit.  He constantly tortured any employee that was over the age of 40 in a thinly veiled way to get them to quit.  Eventually, he was promoted to district manager over the East Valley.

Aside from the managers, the job was decent.  I personally lost more than 30lbs while eating anything I wanted as a team member.  That is to say that they will keep you running until you are toned and ready to fit into those skinny jeans again.  

The benefits (medical, dental, vision, etc..) were not an option for team members, but free movies, soda, and popcorn were fair perks that I would love to have again if I were a teenager.

The truth is that this is not a difficult job at all.  Unless you are new to working and have never cleaned up after yourself a day in your life.  You will sweep, mop, dust, pick up containers, wipe off bathroom sinks, etc, etc...

It is a fantastic environment for someone in high school or with little going for themselves later in life.  I wouldn't recommend this employer unless you cannot afford a gym to work out in regularly.

This is the first job I ever actually enjoyed. Management was top-notch and always listened to feedback and any needs or concerns we had with our work. Managers were always around to answer questions or help out when needed and even the head general manager was usually down on the floor helping us when things got busy, not up in his office ignoring what needed to be done like managers at other places i have worked. Even the managers were willing to step in and help with lower-level positions and more menial jobs without even being asked to do so. My coworkers were always friendly and welcoming and fun to work with. I never felt like i was alone if i ever needed help, and that friendliness extended outside of work as well, as we were a pretty tight-knit group despite not knowing anyone there when i started. Things were always kept well-stocked and we always had the equipment and product stock we needed. Another high point was the MovieTeam scheduling software used by the managers to issue weekly schedules. They always issues them on time, and if they ever scheduled you for a day you didn't want or couldn't work, you could simply offer the shift for other employees to pick up.

The only reason I am not still working for Harkins Theaters is the closure of the building due to Covid-19 related lease issues. But that was the fault of the landlord, not Harkins.

Harkins was a fun place to work, a very good first job for anyone. I have learned basic skill building for futre jobs and careers, such as communication between co-workers and costumers, keeping the work area looking presentable because it will be a reflection of myself, my co-workers and the company. 
A typical day of work would have been setting up every station before the doors open (Concessions mainly and condiment stands). When the doors open our bussiness picked up at every station. As an usher, sweeping was very essential. Our main duty was keeping the theatre presentable. Helping costumers if they looked lost or confused. Concessions was always busy and needed help from ushers (who were trained) with taking costumers orders, or with sweeping the floor (a lot of spilled popcorn). Box office especially got busy but it was easier to keep the pace going without messing with the quality of the work. The busiest days were the weekends, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Summer (Summer Kids moives every morning). Weekdays were slow and never busy 
My co-workers really made working fun. We were professional and knew how to communicate to keep the flow of our job (mainly cleaning) going. Our managers were fair and kept decisions professional without disturbing anyone elses feelings. They were good to us and showed they're appreciation by bringing enough donuts for our large group of employees.
The hardest part of  my job was leaving. 

I worked for this company for 4 years and the truth is one work. Corrupt bosses, specifically at CG-14, I noticed that movie culture changes a lot especially when the general manager changes more than anything. I will commemorate three managers that absolutely treated myself and other with respect. They are Ms.Chick, Mr.Retiz and finally Ms.Williams. These managers are the best, not only do they care about there employees, but most importantly they will take the time to build your leader ship. Another thing I found weird in the circus was that a general manager by the name Mr. Heet only promoted females for some odd reason. During this period I remember we had very qualified males for Team leader and Manager position. But I remember another female employee asking me that he wanted to promote her and none that made sense. Aside from that Mr.Bill the regional manager for a not play any games, he gets down to business and it’s so sad I never had a chance to tell him all the craziness at this location. Another shout out goes to the HR team. I remember a while back two HR representative took the time to speak to the employees and had us do a review on how we felt. Finally one more thing I want to bring up. THERE IS FAVORITISM, when given the opportunity to watch movies on your off time they allowed certain people that they liked and didn’t allow others. This was very alarming and lucky enough to say the least that some employees held that over another’s head. 

A typical day goes like this, you clock in and then you going to your assigned place such as an usher.  You go to the box office get your daily sheet as it known as.  After that you find your team leader and report to him or her, then they will tell you which theatre or restroom needs cleaning.  You take a break, and then you work for a while longer. After that you go home.

What I learned, I learned how to use a cash register, cleaning restrooms, cleaning theatres, and serving guests their popcorn and drinks.  

For management, it depends on the location and whether or not they follow policies to the letter, but they usually do their job properly and fairly. Some managers are more hands on than others, and some of them are more directors, then helpers

The workplace culture, is very energetic, difficult, and has annoying guests at times. For the most part however; it can be fun.

The hardest part of the job, is when the lines get busy and then that means more guests are using bathrooms, eating popcorn and more of a chance of things getting spilled everywhere.  Also keeping children from entering rated R movies. Guests themselves can be a bit of a pain, because they feel like they are entitled to everything. The theatres can be filthy when during the day.

The most enjoyable parts of the job is, when we were able to watch the movies for free when we were not working, but when we were working some of theatres got to be watching the movie as CSR or customer service representatives, that only occured during summer blockbusters in the summer or christmas time.

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