Since the start of the pandemic many businesses have been impacted by social guidelines and mandates, many companies have tried their best to adapt the best they can.  Some places such as the movie theater have been greatly affected. Marcus Theaters has been at full capacity for months now but the pandemic has impacted the numbers greatly.

“[Before the pandemic] we were about forty percent busier attendance wise,” Operations Manager Danielle Kruger said. “We went through a period where we showed retro films and it impacted our overall sales numbers because we would not average as much money per ticket in the box office.”

Since the reopening of the theater many new precautions have been put in place to protect the safety and security of customers and employees.

“We have plexiglass barriers, wear masks and gloves, and put bags over popcorns for refills,” concessionist McKenna O’Connor said.

After everything closed and reopened after the pandemic many businesses have been short staffed and are constantly trying to hire new workers and old. As well as the pandemic affecting supply and demand of cleaning supplies and utilities, many businesses tend to struggle.

“It’s made us become more health conscious,” concessionist Emma Bostelmann said. “A lot of these protocols were things that should have been done before, but at least we are doing them now.”

The ticket booths have also evolved to fit the current times and make sure that customers and staff are also staying safe.

“I try to be respectful and understanding of everyone’s situation,” Box Office Employee Meghan Armstrong said. “As well as being considerate of people and maintaining social distancing guidelines as well.”

Many businesses such as Marcus Theaters have had to follow these such guidelines, and many and many of those guidelines have had an effect on their customers and business. It has made an everlasting impact on how Marcus is run, and some say it will be this way for a while.

“This whole experience has taught me a whole lot about empathy,” Kruger said. “The way people connect with each other and how they interact with each other, I hope that we come out of this on the other side with a better sense of community as we work together to eradicate this pandemic.”