Just when you thought the madness of the “Eras” tour was over, a filmed version of the Taylor Swift must-see concert made its way to movie theaters.
Since its release, the film has already shot to the top of the English box office and had fans singing, dancing, and even rifling through trashcans—but it’s movie theater workers who remain on the frontlines of one of the most highly-anticipated cinema events of the year.
Movie theatre employees have barely had time to breathe after “Barbenheimer” dominated screens all summer, but as Swifties flock to the movies to see the “Eras Tour” in all its IMAX glory, one Cineplex worker has taken to TikTok to show some of the less glamorous parts of the job.
As well as seeing Swift on the big screen, fans who head to Cineplex to watch the “Eras Tour” also have the opportunity to own exclusive, Eras-branded merch including a popcorn bucket, cups, and posters.
But Cineplex employee Aliyah (@kissyaaliyah) shared a TikTok showing how setting this stock up isn’t as easy as you might think—she filmed herself attaching the handles to each individual “Eras” popcorn bucket while on-screen text read, ‘When the manufacturer sends the Taylor popcorn buckets without the handles attached.”
@kissyaaliyah please tip your local cineplex employees #erastour #fyp ♬ cruel summer bridge –
With screenings selling out all over the world, we can only imagine how in demand these popcorn buckets are—and furthermore, just how tedious it must be to fasten handles on them one by one.
As Aliyah encouraged viewers to “tip [their] local Cineplex” employee in the video’s description, commenters insisted that they had no idea that this kind of work was happening behind the scenes.
“If it’s that much work, I’d happily take the bucket without the strap,” one commenter wrote. “I’m sorry they did it that way, that’s crazy.”
“I would’ve been totally fine being handed them separately,” another reiterated. “That’s ridiculous!”
“Should’ve handed the customer the bucket and handle,” a third suggested. “Some assembly required.”
But while Aliyah’s Cineplex moved forward with this time-consuming task, other movie theater workers in the TikTok comments admitted that their own employers had given up. “We decided to not include the handle,” one worker revealed. “The bucket alone is enough.”
This isn’t the first time a service industry employee has shared their gripes with branded buckets for customers. Last October, McDonald’s employees shared their frustration at having to assemble tons of Halloween-themed plastic buckets.
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.
