Early today I read someone discuss working at Microsoft and how the slow deteriation of the support staff - the janitors, HR staff, assistants, etc. - signified the deteriation of the company as a whole.
In my time working in the cinemas throughout the USA in the 90s and 00s, I identified another type of tell for a company heading towards its own demise. It was the simple trash bag.
I worked for some rather well established and prestigious cinemas. The well run ones all had the good thick 3mm trash bags. Only one was needed for containing the night's refuse. Then when the bean counters or a district manager was looking to make a name by cutting corners the bags would become thin and cheap.
The good managers would double and tripple bag their garbage. Others who didn't know better, or didn't care, or who were limited on their quotas of bags remained with just the one thin bag per trash can.
The one bag would rip. They always ripped. The ushers dragging the trash out inevitably pulled a snail trail of spilled cola behind them on the way to the dumpster. The carpets took a beating.
From that single ply garbage bag the demise of the cinema was written. I'd watch as well maintained cinemas became poorly policed and cleaned in the name of cost savings. Cinema chains would bleed off theaters in their control. A buyout would happen and more cinemas would close.
I'd watch it time and time again. The crappy trash bag was but a bell weather for things to come.