Originally Posted By Blacksheep Uncle and re#11...can anybody name say 10 places where the wages have kept up with the cost of living increase since the 80's?...I sure can't (or I'd be working there )
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech I think more and more though, those benefits are of less interest to the CM's that they hire. Yes getting into the park and signing your friends and family in for free are great for the Disney geek who can't get enough, but how about the guy who can't stand the place? Or the CM's who spend 40-50+ hours there already because there aren't enough CM's. Why would he spend his few nonworking waking hours in the park? And merchandise discounts? Also something that only appeals to those who want a lot of Disney stuff around.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<The expectations were made clear and there were consequences for not following them.>> But see, I think that's part of the problem (and guys, I don't pretend to know lol. I never been a CM or anything, just speaking from the 'hip'). IF the CM behavior is getting worse and worse like people are saying, I think maybe the consequences aren't as serious as before, right? Why is it NOW that the issues are getting worse and the worse its ever been? Also, I DO think money is part of it. Don't get me wrong, SURE, if you are a good employee who cares about your work and how you treat others, care about your company and etc, it doesn't matter if you are making $50 or a dollar an hour. Let's make this clear: I'm not saying just because the job pays low, it automatically mean you are going to treat it like crap. Like its been said, the majority of them do their job and do it well. I was a boxboy for 5 years at a grocery story in high school and college starting with the then $4.25 minimum wage and I probably worked 10 times more harder than I do now (of course, I didn't have my own desk and computer with the internet like I do now. It was a lot of standing around and trying not to smash eggs or putting the soap in with the meat ;D). But, the reality is that low pay isn't going to attract a very high standard of people, period. As far as I know, there is nothing 'competive' about working at Disney versus any other low wage end service job and unless you are in it for the looong haul, its not a job most would probably keep in the long term unless they truly liked the company and wanted a higher career within that company. So, again, who are they attracting for the money and benefits? How many people with college degrees and/or a high number of customer service jobs are working there? I have NO clue, but I imagine for a CM level job, probably not many and maybe its starting to show more than normally.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal " If you populated Guest relations with nothing but uninterested schlubbs (is that a word?) it wouldn't matter how well you regulated behavior. It wouldn't make an uninterested CM behave in a way that he/she didn't believe in." It's very true that there are stringent hiring practices for GR, including an extra interview that most CM's don't even have to go through. However, I didn't stay in Guest Relations the entire time I was there and the same rules applied in the other departments as well. I still say that it's the role modeling and enforcement from the leadership that makes the difference. You're absolutely right in that it won't make people behave in a way in which they aren't prepared to behave, but then they'll be disciplined or terminated. There is a lack of discipline taking place and just like they cracked down on attendance, they should crack down on show issues and start writing people up for violating the policies. I read Pirate John's story about the girl who hadn't been told about not using her cell phone onstage (although I know she heard it at least once in orientation). I truly believe that if the policies were clearly communicated and infractions were disciplined then there would be change. I also think that, for the most part, the new labor force doesn't have the same work ethic as before. One could blame this on many things including overindulgence and the whole "Me, me, me" thing but I think at the core most CM's want to do a good job. They're just not being told HOW. How do we make Guests feel welcome and preserve the Disney magic? Look at Guests in the eye and smile. Don't talk on your phone while onstage. Don't eat while onstage. Don't talk have inappropriate or personal conversations onstage. Etc...Unless they hear it and see it from the leadership, they'll take the path of least resistance - do what they want.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<WD.. I just responded to a post of your in a meet thread that you posted in August. And I feel super bad about not responding before but I didn't see it. LOL! >> Wow, hi Tiggirl!!! LOL, don't worry about it, just as long as you remembered my name (and not sending me weekly death threats like I know Blacksheep Uncle is...I KNOW its you man!!!). Hey, I'm dead serious about meeting you....and, uh, any other LPer of course blah, blah, blah when I'm back in America this winter. Of course, if I'm turning out to stalkerish for you, well you were lucky to catch your instincts early . And yes, I meant it, I WILL enter DCA just to meet you for more than 30 seconds....but only if dinner is involved and LOTS of drinking with Darkbeer .
Originally Posted By Tiggirl Dinner and drinking? I'm IN! Sounds fun so let me know when you're coming. ) And I'm very sorry for the hijacking of the topic at hand. ~Beth
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^I'm not . DON'T worry, you will be one of the first....after I called Mr. X and tell him I made it home okay and I miss him . Wow, I think you just agreed to have dinner with me!!!! Hey, a real reason to see America again . Yes, I will let you know as S-O-O-N as my plans are finalized. (Okay guys sorry, we can continue now, but hey, can you guys blame me???)
Originally Posted By GhostHostJeff I'd have to agree and disagree with your comments. I work at Cold Stone and they have basically taken the rules of Disneyland, but put it towards ice cream. Well, first sometimes guests can have the most vile and ugliest of manners and all I want to do is strangle them, but that would get me fired he he. Anyways, I think its ok for Cm's to have fun on the job, but if there ignoring a customer then its wrong, but do let them have some fun. Make the job what you can. But I do totally agree that if there ruining the experience (other then cell phones while there walking, hmmm maybe it was important?) ya well theres two sides to every story, and I'm sure allot of Cm's are sick of some guests as well.
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech If Coldstone has taken Disneyland's rules, and applied them to their business, then it must be rules of Presslers era. Nothing I've ever seen at Cold Stone has made me think that they are different from any other food chain. They may preach customer service in teh back rooms but just like Disneyland nowadays it's not working. No offense to you personally; I'm sure they have their good and bad employees, same as anywhere else. If the cell phone call was so important than the CM should have stayed backstage to finish their call.
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>DCA CM who flat-out told me (I'm a pin trader) that she wouldn't trade with me because her pins were only for kids. Sometimes, this is true. The reason for this is because the "kid lanyards" often contain some pins that are 1) intended for kids, and 2) considered very valuable on e-Bay. So there had been a problem with overeager adults trading for the valuable pins and leaving the kids with the dregs. So the solution to the problem was that certain lanyards would be designated for trade with kids only.
Originally Posted By John_CM I just have a few more additions after reading through the thread.. I agree that MOST of the CMs are there because they want to be. I could be at In & Out, or Costco, or any number of places where I might start out making more money than I did with Disney, but I didn't want to work there. And I think that the majority of CMs are Disney lovers. It always surprises me, though, that there are some that are there "just because it's a paycheck". They don't know anything about Disney. Not even the films. I had one tell me that they hated all of the Disney films. Those are the people that need to be weeded out in the hiring process. But when they're desperate for workers, which they are again now, you can't really pick and choose. As I've said before, I'm not disappointed with my wages. My starting wage was $7.21, now five years later I make almost $12. It's not great, but it does reward those who stick with it. I don't know anything about plans for increased wages, but there are union negotiations coming up for stores, attractions and custodial, and I've heard that it's been addressed. One thing I heard specifically was that they were trying to increase the yearly cost of living raise from 3% to 5 or 7. One fellow CM, who also has ties to the union, thought they might be able to get it this year because of the high cost of gasoline. As for the pin trading laynards, it's been covered, but yes.. if the CM was wearing a teal/green lanyard, it's for kids only. They started doing that sometime in the last 3 or 4 years. The CM can't trade with you if you're older than 12. But the CM should have explained it better, and not been so rude.
Originally Posted By John_CM Oh, and the other thing I wanted to mention was guest service. I went to WDW last year, and we were appalled by the level of service we received. I had heard that before I left, but didn't know what to expect until we got there. Many store CMs were very rude to us. Speaking of pin trading, we not only had a manager turn away from us so we couldn't see his lanyard (until he thought we were gone and then told a nearby guest, "good, it looks like she left"), but we also had a CM on main street at the Emporium refuse to trade with us because "the park was closing". He still had the lanyard on and everything. For the most part the CMs were great, but there seemed to be a lot more bad seeds than what we have in CA. Of course as a CM myself (and I was with 11 more of them), we might be a little more picky when it comes to the level of service we receive.
Originally Posted By MickeyMouse1313 I didnt read the first post, but my son is a CM, and I think you guys stink for dissing them!!!!>: (
Originally Posted By belle42 Yes, if I recall, kid lanyards are turquoise blue and ONLY kids can trade from them. Usually the person also has a non-kid lanyard on also that you can trade from. I appreciate it because my daughter loves trading and having to compete against adults for little ones is hard for me and mean for her.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal "If Coldstone has taken Disneyland's rules, and applied them to their business, then it must be rules of Presslers era." O.K...I know you guys like to bash Paul around here and I usually stay out of it. But I worked there during the entire time he was President and worked pretty closely with him for one year of that time. His rules and feelings about Cast Members keeping the magic in Disneyland were pretty strict. He even hired an image expert to make sure all of the management CM's knew how to dress professionally, which most of them do not right now. The Disney Look expert went around to all areas of the Park and ensured that CM's were in the correct costume, nametags and the right colored socks were a HUGE deal, and there was big emphasis on no eating or drinking onstage. So...continue bashing Paul and his business practices all you want, but these current problems with lack of preservation of the Show aren't his fault.
Originally Posted By SFH >>Yes, but at In-N-Out you're not working at Disneyland. Nor are you getting to bring upwards of 40 people a year free to the Parks.<< Do the math. For the extra pay, you can BUY admission to the theme parks and have lots of money left over to do what you want with it. SFH
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech >>I didnt read the first post, but my son is a CM, and I think you guys stink for dissing them!!!!>: (<< Terrific. Hope he gets informed before reacting, unlike you.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney As a WDW regular who visits DL usually 1-2 times a year, I have to say that I firmly believe the CM pool at DL is of a much higher caliber and seem to care about their jobs and upholding Disney traditions that their WDW counterparts. I, personally, believe the CM mentioned in the OP shouldn't have gotten in the front gate with that shirt on whether it was Gay Days, Straights Days, or BiSexual Armenian Nuns with one arm Day. Offensive is offensive. That it was a CM proudly wearing the Cast ID should have resulted in serious reprimand/suspension. But the WDW cast has become so large and the pay so small that they just will hire about anyone and I see that in Anaheim. Look at all those Class of XXXX nametags. Almost every one you see is either 2004 or 2005. Maybe you'll find some that go back a while like to 2000. But before that? I can remember two in a week's stay in July. A concierge CM at the DLHotel with a 1989 hire and, something that shocked me, a monorail CM that was from 1977!!!!!!! Pay though will always be an issue in Anaheim and Orlando, although moreso in DL because the cost of living is so high. And to the poster that thought $25 an hour was too much for a front-line CM, my only response would be why should it be? No, I'm not advocating it, but I've often mentioned to my friends who work in managerial positions at WDW that if their minimum wage was suddenly raised to just $9 or $10 an hour, what a huge difference it would make in the caliber of CM. It takes a very special person, or desperate one, or one who just doesn't care and can't get hired anywhere else to work for $6-7 an hour. Then when you add in smiling and being nice to people, many who are obnoxious.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal "Do the math. For the extra pay, you can BUY admission to the theme parks and have lots of money left over to do what you want with it." With my extra $4.00 an hour I wouldn't purchase admission for 40 other people to a theme park, Disneyland or otherwise. Obviously if I had cash I'd probably save it or spend it on myself. My point is, that it's a nice perk to be able to bring your family for free. Again, for me it wasn't about the money. Maybe I'm in the minority...and that's a shame. And I don't think it takes a special person to take an entry level position for not all that much money. Generally speaking, if you want a job just out of high school or in college, you're not going to be paid all that much to do it. That's sort of expected. And if it's not, it should be. You're a high school graduate! Did you think you'd start a job making tons of cash? And once you graduate college you'll just have to figure out what's more important to you - tons of money, or adequate money, cool perks, and being a part of the Resort. For me, it was easy. I have a college degree and chose to stay there - true, I could have made more money elsewhere. But I WANTED to be there. I think one of the problems is people who THINK it should take a special person to act nicely and take pride in their role. That should be a part of anyone who applies to work with the public. I give up. I am definitely in the minority in that I don't think the money is all that crucial in maintaining good show. It's just not being enforced.
