First the chip shortage, now this.
Movie theater popcorn and candy are the latest victims of the supply chain shortage.
The Wall Street Journal reports how the current supply chain disruption, spike in inflation, and tight labor market—which is now well-documented to have affected everything from baby formula to public pastimes—has shrunken the supply of popcorn, candy, soda, and other snacks in theaters.
The New York Post continues to report how theater operators have also expressed the difficulty in finding basic concession stand items, such as the bags that popcorn is put into.
“It’s a mess,” simply puts Jeff Benson, CEO of Cinergy Entertainment Group and operator of eight theaters across three states, to the Journal.
Business Insider details that a few chains are turning to creative solutions as a way of dealing with said shortages such as using metal or plastic popcorn containers that could double as both marketing and memorabilia for audience members.
The only drawback to that, according to the same Business Insider article, is that these items are more expensive than the usual paper ones, putting an even greater financial strain on an industry that has already suffered under the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some [theaters] have used collectible vessels for a long time and see good sales upside,” elaborates Goldenlink North America sales director, Neely Schiefelbein. “Some are being forced to…as they are what is more readily available at this time.”
Whether the supply chain shortage is also affecting the amount of that other essential movie theater foodstuff—i.e., that warm, golden butter you can pour onto popcorn yourself—remains undisclosed.
