W6: The art of upselling and other secrets of movie theater popcorn

 

Yummmm. Photo from Popcornblogs.com.

I'm a coffee addict, sure, but first and foremost I am obsessed with popular culture. My love for all things entertainment lays at the heart of why I went into magazine journalism, but it also made working at Showcase Cinemas the Best First Job Ever.

Three words: Free. Movie. Tickets.

Three more words: Endless. Fresh. Popcorn.

I spent so much time making the stuff (one of my first thoughts upon turning 18 was "I get to learn how to use the popper now, awesome") and even more time eating the stuff that I figured it'd be a great subject for the food histories presentation.

Who knew popcorn was so old? According to a nifty site called Popcorn.org, the oldest piece of popcorn dates back 4,000 years. The site also says that evidence has been found to prove that the Aztecs and other ancient Peruvian people used the fluffy corny goodness was used in ceremonies. In the 1800s, people became obsessed with maize (a fancy agricultural name for "corn") and the invention of the plow helped them plant the stuff all over, ergo more popcorn for everyone.

The yummy, buttery and/or salty snack we've come to know and love really came on the scene thanks to Charles Cretors. According to Cretors.com, the man had a mission, and that mission was to commercialize the act of popping popcorn. In 1893 he unveiled the world's first mobile popcorn machine at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Leisurely snacking (and movie-going) would never be the same.

At first, movie theater owners didn't like popcorn. It was an invasive little brat sold by vendors outside their theaters. It drew away customers from buying overpriced candy. Theaters discouraged installing their own poppers until they saw what a huge hit the snack was during the Great Depression. Bags of popcorn were sold for even-cheap-at-the-time prices of 5 or 10 cents during the Depression, which made vendors and customers happy. Toward the end of the 1930s, theaters finally started installing poppers and capitalizing on the lucrative POPularity of popcorn. (Sorry. I had to.)

During World War II, a lot of sugar was sent overseas to troops, so popcorn continued to be the average American family's go-to snack. Sales dropped noticeably with the invention of television, but the popcorn was determined to succeed and microwavable popcorn became the first use of microwavable heating in the 1940s.

Cool, old-fashioned popper. Photo from us-machines.com.

Popcorn is still a huge part of movie theater culture and Cinema-Astoria.com reports that Americans consume an estimated 16 million quarts of the stuff a year.

Judging by the amount of upselling I did during my days as a concessionist, I'd say that's about right.

Without all that fabulous, shiny buttery delight that concessionists convince you to put on the popcorn, a cup contains 30 to 50 calories and lots of good stuff -- fiber, vitamins, even potassium. Give in to that urge and you'll not only need a handful of napkins to wipe your greasy fingers but also an extra 439057489 hours of exercise to work off the 400 to 1,200 calories you just consumed.

Popcorn continues to have a love-hate relationship with movie theaters, but now it's mostly with the customers who moan and whine about ever-increasing prices. But, if you want to keep ticket prices down, then you'll have to cough up some more money for that bag - or bucket - of airy, buttery, crunchy golden goodness.

And when the teenager behind the counter asks if you'd like to make that a large for just 75 more cents, don't get annoyed. It's their job. And really, movie theater popcorn is so good that it's worth it. --

*additional sources:
Wikipedia
Gizmodo
WebMD