Originally Posted By TheHoop Great insight iluv and fcuk-did I just say that?--- I find learning about the inner workings there at DL interesting. One of the parts of a CM's job I don't envy is delivering 'bad news' (see the Rainy Day topic). THAT, would be tough to do because you sure aren't going to win any popularity contests telling guests an attraction is closed. Thanks for sharing iluv'...
Originally Posted By TheHoop edit to the edit: The post I was referring to was Small World Holiday Gripe, not Rainy Day. I'll just be quiet now...sorry!
Originally Posted By pecos bill The Castmembers who go out of their way to enhance the guest experience are a precious commodity. They understand that Disneyland really is a special place to so many people, and put out that extra effort. A good castmember is every bit a professional in my opinion. They are also the ones who are thinking about a sucessful career, and working at the park will not fulfill that goal, so they have to move on. So once again we are back to the bare bones wage policy. Management is putting less and less emphasis on the fact that it's staff is what makes or breaks a guest's visit. Without it's employees, Disneyland would be as dead as the surface of the moon.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "On the other hand, CMs who are sincere and genuine gripe because some guests can be plain rude for no reason." I can only imagine. Well, for whatever it's worth, thank you for being a "good" cast member. Your positive attitude and actions contribute immeasurably to what makes the DLR special.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>I'm curious 21titans, and any other Disney employees, does the fact that you are working for the magical place, Walt, etc, does that alone carry you to smile and go the extra mile?<< I think it does, for most people. I think that's a big part of why DLR CM's are, on average, superior to employees at other parks that pay the same wages. Unfortunately, you can only do so much with pixie dust. At some point, you have to spend real money.
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech Alex Book said "This is one of those questions that recur in this section. I've concluded that it really comes down to the observer's attitude. Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? The glass-half-empty observer asks the question, "Do DL employees deliver service at the same level they did in the days of yore?" The answer, of course, is No. The glass-half-full observer asks the question, "Do DL employees deliver service at a superior level to the competition?" The answer is a resounding Yes." You're kidding right? This only applies to your observations, it doesn't negate the facts, the ratio of good CM's to bad. Just because you tend to ignore the bad doesn't mean it's not there, affecting someone if not you.
Originally Posted By GoogieMountain I hate to be shallow about this when we are really discussing the far more important issue of Guest Service, but I for one have noticed how the downward spiral of CM quality is really reflected in their appearance. It used to be that Disneyland CM's were the creme of the crop and that onstage positions were filled with the beautiful people. Now that certainly isn't fair, or nowadays legal, however it seems now that even though Disney has grooming guidelines they don't seem to be enforced very much. There was a lot of talk of enforcement when Matt Ouimet came aboard but I never saw much of it. Sure some people got a slap on the wrist for improper makeup, or wearing white socks with black shoes, but I guess good grooming doesn't apply to some of these older women in the Emporium who decide they don't need to comb their hair. Yikes! Seriously I am amazed at some of the old lady's I see who look like some sort of addict- no makeup (or so much they look angry!) with this giant pile of frizzy hair pinned to thier head or just flowing inthe air conditioning. Stores seems to be a big part of it, perhaps because their are so many older people there, though goodness knows my grandmother is old and the picture of good grooming. Do I think Disneyland should discriminate against someone who isn't pretty? Absolutely not. However just because you don't have perfect cheekbones and full Angelina Jolie lips doesn't mean you can't pick up a hairbrush.
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech 21 Titans said "On the other hand, CMs who are sincere and genuine gripe because some guests can be plain rude for no reason." Absolutely. On the third hand....Gripe Off Stage! Not sure if you meant this to be an excuse or what, but there's certainly that feeling of entitlement in today's culture "I feel offended so I'm entitled to act out". A good CM is good when it's difficult not just when it's easy.
Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech From a previous post: "I'd say that in general CMs appear to be more indifferent, less professional, less able, more distracted, than ever before." Absolutely. True for society in general and thus, the cross section that Disney hires. Disney drills the "smile and ask if you can help" into them pretty good, but there just aren't enough rules and catch phrases to correct everything that we as a culture have let devolve in the past decades.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Lot's of interesting discussion. One thing I'll say is that DL and WDW haven't exactly been lacking for guests, so spending more money on CM's probably won't net Disney much. Sure, satisfaction with CM's might go up, but if the parks are already packed, overall satisfaction probably wouldn't change much if at all. CM attitudes is just one aspect of customer service. People want clean parks, new rides, and low crowds too. Put another way, I think if people had to prioritize what they want out of a Disney visit, I'm willing to bet clean parks, new rides, and low crowds are more important than higher paid CM's who may or may not be more service oriented.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>You're kidding right?<< Nope. As Doobie noted above, "I still find Disney park employees to be a cut above just about everything else." I'm not saying everything is wonderful, but I'd still rather deal with a typical Disney CM than a typical CM at another park. I was also trying to make the point that one's attitude has a lot to do with one's experience. I know there have been days when I've gone to DL or DCA in a bad mood, expecting the place to cheer me up, and it didn't. All I could see was how boring and old everything was and how rude and noisy the people were. Was the place really dirtier those days than on the other days when I went and enjoyed it? Was the service really poorer, and the CMs' costumes sloppier? Or did I just decide to notice those things?
Originally Posted By TheHoop "DL isn't lacking guests..." Agree. I believe that there is still enough revenue to instill in the CM's that they are a physical, living extension to the magic and to play that role to guests. I remember the HM CM would stand at the front door to the mansion and look me down as I walked in, boyyyy it gave me the creeps and that what they were supposed to do!!! They got into it back then (small example). Disney can afford to expect and maintain that level of quality from their CM's, and as we all have said, it will come with cost as employees stay on longer and develop tenure. Isn't this the quality that DL is/was known for? Wouldn't one do what it takes to keep this acumen?
Originally Posted By pecos bill That is certainly the way Walt Disney would want it, I dont think anyone would argue with that. The problem is that his directives and philosophies seem to mean less and less to current management as the years roll by.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Disney can afford to expect and maintain that level of quality from their CM's, and as we all have said, it will come with cost as employees stay on longer and develop tenure. Isn't this the quality that DL is/was known for? Wouldn't one do what it takes to keep this acumen?>> They can probably afford to pay the CM's more, but what does it net? Does a CM corp that is 99% great make more money for Disney than a corp that is only 80% great? I don't know the answer for sure, but as I said in #51, the parks don't seem to be lacking for guests. I am not advocating that Disney intentionally keep CM pay depressed, but I think the lack of training and focusing on Disney values is at least as much to blame for fewer quality CM's as anything else.
Originally Posted By juicer Why can't they (disney)pay the same as what other local hospitality companies pay? - Why does it have to be so much lower?
Originally Posted By TheHoop I think it's b/c the folks on the board want more profit in their pockets; isn't that usually the bottom line? Profit?
Originally Posted By ecdc My random 2 cents, as a manager of a group of mostly young people in the customer service industry: I think lack of quality employees in all service industries is a combination of corporate greed and generational gaps. It's well known that in most companies, if costs need to be cut, the first thing that goes is employees. They can be laid off instantly and those remaining will pick up the slack without question because they just saw what happened to their coworkers. Employees are no longer valued or respected; too many managers don't care that employees are there to pay their mortgage and feed their kids. Employees then return the favor by working just hard enough to not get fired. They spend more energy trying not to get caught doing the wrong thing than just doing their job. I can't help but wonder though how much of the perception about employment and work overall is a generational issue. People 40-50 years and older frequently talk about "taking pride in your work"; it's as if there's an expectation that no matter what you're paid, who you work for, or what the environment is, you're supposed to do your best because it's the American way, or something to that effect. Younger people are labeled as "lazy" and quickly blamed for the decline in good customer service. Conversely, those same young people label others as foolish for toiling away for a huge corporation that makes billions while employees barely scrape by. Some even question the entire American labor industry, wondering (I know I do) why they are expected to "take pride" in seeing co-workers more than they see their own families. They see customers as rude and demanding, with outrageous and shocking entitlement issues. Just my observations. I know these aren't cut and dry and exceptions abound, but I think it's at least part of the explanation.
Originally Posted By Altadisdude I too had those same thoughts ecdc in my first two retail jobs. I don't think that this generation is any more lazy than any other generation. I simply think that the "don't care" attitude they have is a reflection of that same "don't care" attitude that corporations display towards them. Pay the lowest wage possible, treat them like crap, and they will have no loyalty, or motivation to display any action other than doing enough not to get fired. My Grandfather had the "do the best you can no matter what" attitude, but he was a Janitor for 25 years and owned his own home. I doubt he would have kept that line of thinking when if he had that same job today he wouldn't be able to even afford an apartment in the area he used to own his home in. Rent itself would be more than he could make in a month at that same job today. As for Disney, bottom line the park will hit capacity even with grumpy CMs. The park won't sell that much more merchandise with high quality CMs. The cost of raising the standard to old Disney quality would be more than the gain made from the increase. Therefore they won't fix the situation. However I will say that Disney CMs are on average better than the average ones from other parks in the area.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>My Grandfather had the "do the best you can no matter what" attitude, but he was a Janitor for 25 years and owned his own home. I doubt he would have kept that line of thinking when if he had that same job today he wouldn't be able to even afford an apartment in the area he used to own his home in. Rent itself would be more than he could make in a month at that same job today.<< Exact same story with my grandfather. He worked in a steel mill while my grandmother stayed home. They were home owners and would be considered middle class throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s. He was forced into early retirement in the 80s. Today, there's no way they could afford their home, let alone two cars and trips to Disneyland on what he made.
