Speaking of: Ticketless Movies

I went to the movie theater today for (I think) the first time since I learned the word "COVID-19," and admittedly I forgot how lovely of an experience it is. My Samsung Smart TV somehow just can't seem to replicate the experience of watching a film on a 90-foot mega screen with chest-thumping surround sound and plushy arm chairs. But that's not what I really want to write about.

What I really want to write about is that, despite this being an urban area IMAX theater with around 20 screens, nobody in the entire complex was checking tickets. Not a single person. I walked all the way from the parking lot to my seat in the theater and never once got asked for a ticket. In fact, I only saw one non-concessions employee working in the entire venue, and she was just there for customer service and queries. The entire theater worked off the honor system.

I obviously was not in the room when the decision to run the theater like this was made, but I have to imagine the business decision was this: the amount we're paying employees to ensure nobody sneaks into a movie without buying a ticket is less than the amount of revenue we're actually protecting. You're paying someone $15/hour to ensure the theater isn't screwed out of $10, and that doesn't make a ton of financial success. There's always the possibility that the theater was simply short on staff since, well, everywhere is right now. But if this is a permanent decision, then boy is it an interesting flood gate to examine...

Because let's be honest. Is the honor system ever a phenomenal business model?