Cinemark = Excellent 1st Job for High School Students - Anonymous employee Cinemark Employee Review

4.0
26 Dec 2009
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free Movie Tickets (2 per day--usable for special events and surcharged screenings at no extra cost) Free Popcorn and Beverages (Only during employee breaks) Cash Management Experience (If you can't handle a cash register, you probably can't handle your wallet. Additionally, employees can observe textbook economic theories through real-world situations: elasticity of demand, power of suggestion, price lining)

Cons

Few Upward Mobility Opportunities (See previous reviews) Hourly Wage (I won't lie; I started at a decent wage about 2 bucks above the federal minimum, which is to say 2 bucks above the standard wage at all the local mall retailers. However, raises are infrequent and often delayed.) Company Philosophy = Customer is Always Right (Actually, the customer is almost always wrong. Who knows the theatre better? Customer or employee? Many moviegoers complain about pricing and act shocked at the "unexpected" price gouging, knowing full well that concessions are ridiculously marked up. Tellingly, almost all customers voice their disapproval while in the act of purchasing said overpriced food items. If you're smart enough to realize you're getting ripped off, then why are you dumb enough to buy it? Personally, management has always backed me up in customer disputes, but a few complaint-resolution situations have gotten downright nasty, especially when cranky, antisocial misers--almost always elderly males--decided to take out their life's frustrations on the pale-faced teenager scooping popcorn into a cardboard tub for the nth time that evening.

Explore other reviews about Cinemark

5.0
13 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Super chill job to work at

Cons

The hours can fluctuate heavily

1.0
9 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most of my coworkers and assistant managers were great. I connected with a lot of them and some of my shifts were more pleasant because I got to talk with them.

Cons

Higher management and other assistant managers will punish you for the smallest or no reason at all. You can be a hard worker, greet everyone with a smile, have other assistant managers who actually work with you try to vouch for you, and they will still give you a written warning for something silly. I also got to my shifts on time in the morning, and I would clock in late because management would keep all points of entry locked with very little barrier to communicate to them the doors need to be unlocked. The one time I asked them to alter my timecard I was told it is timecard fraud for them to manipulate it on their end, which is ridiculous. They will give you a PCR if you are standing around on a quiet day for 2 minutes while your station is clean but not fix the fact they are committing wage theft, which is illegal. I recently filled out the Voice of Cinemark survey which is filled out on company time and is supposed to be anonymous, but an assistant manager was in the room the whole time I was filling it out. There are a lot of issues with the Cinemark in Walnut Creek. There are plenty of great, hard-working people I had with me on my shifts. However, I quit because the issues I stated have been longstanding ever since I started working there and have never been resolved, even though I offered solutions for certain problems. Other people, including assistant managers, told me they are sick of this treatment as well and are leaving. Practically everyone I knew at this job had issues that frustrated them constantly, so please do not work here.

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