Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<White is the way to go!!! And I am moving to Japan...>> You do realize their castle isn't white, right?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I'm more tolerant to a drop in service when a company or product is advertised as being low priced; I don't expect good or even any service from places like Walmart, Best But, etc. But a company like Disney is mostly selling premium products at premium prices, so my expectations for service are likewise high.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>You do realize their castle isn't white, right?<<< No, but there's never was. Besides, the one out there has such texture and depth to it, with the rock work. Ours looks odd in the different shades.... It should have just stayed white, as Hench originally colored it. (He did so to match the sky, surroundings, and even tone of the sun)
Originally Posted By DISNEYSEA---ker I am back and thanks for your shared concerns about this extremely troubling trend in america.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I'm more tolerant to a drop in service when a company or product is advertised as being low priced; I don't expect good or even any service from places like Walmart, Best But, etc. But a company like Disney is mostly selling premium products at premium prices, so my expectations for service are likewise high. ---------------- agreed that SHOULD BE the premise- however I can tell you high end restaurants , hotel chains, car dealerships , clothing stores etc..-- all have seen the same drop in service as it is harder to find workers who give a darn when they know the comapnies do not reciprocate and you are a number - until they can outsource you, or let you go and hire contract workers with no benefits etc. Today when I shop- travel et. when I do receive quality service I am stunned, and usually it's just because I found an employee who cares about everything , not because their job demands it.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 recently attended a college seminar in Chicago's Hilton Hotel with my daughter - the schools there together who were pitchin their universities:\ Brown/ Columbia / University of Chicago / Cornell & Rice. None of these schools is under $50K per year with room & board. You know what they had for the attendees of the 2 hour + seminar ? Nothing - that's what. No giveaways, no food and no water. If fact when asked about a bottle of water one would think you asked for the keys to the faculty lounge. Poorly set up, no concern for the attendees - just looking for your cash. 5 quality universities travelling under the banner "exploring educational excellence" and they forgot one thing - who needs who- who the customer is.
Originally Posted By DISNEYSEA---ker ====I'm pretty sure it's not a real castle.==== When I said "real" I meant: high quality, pretty, substantial and inspiring. I wasn't talking about a historically accurate one. I think we all know that this is a building made for a Disney Park and not a castle from the 1100's.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 hey the castle at WDW not from 100- it's actually an oil rig - let's be glad it wasn't built-maintained by BP
Originally Posted By DISNEYSEA---ker ===Not getting why everyone suddenly wants to beat up on our Castle. Lol.=== start rant, american castles are not as grand as paris. those frenchmen get a more gothic with flying butrusses, asymetrical features, fantasy inspired detailed castle. We get squat, heavy looking ones that lack imagination. They get a living dragon and we get posters and murals. they get beautifully terraced grasses and we get swan and bird poop. The fourth of July is fast appraoching and those frenchmen, even though they don't like americans much, beat us at our own game like building a better mousetrap or in this case a better disneyland. end rant. thank you for bearing with me during this very trying time in american disney parks. SMILES, SMILES
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Absolutely. If you ever get a chance to go to a gas station in Japan, you will be reminded of days gone by. The attendant comes out of the gas station in a clean neat uniform. Pumps your gas and cleans your windshield. << But how much is a litter of gas?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> And I am moving to Japan... << They eat raw fish, live in tiny little rooms in crowded buildings, and everything cost a fotune. But it's worth it for the cheap non-government approved Sake, and the Akadama wine.
Originally Posted By Roger55 I don't recall the price, but that isn't the point. I could give many more examples of how the service is in Japan at stores, restaurants, hotels, trains, taxis, etc. The people working service industry jobs in Japan do their work with more pride, and the people receiving the service show more appreciation and respect to those providing them service. In the USA, I think a lot of people providing services do not always take much pride in their work, and a lot of people receiving service do not always appreciate or show respect. I don't know which came first, but I do think that it is one of the reasons why service in general has gone down over the years in the USA.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> In the USA, I think a lot of people providing services do not always take much pride in their work, and a lot of people receiving service do not always appreciate or show respect. I don't know which came first, but I do think that it is one of the reasons why service in general has gone down over the years in the USA. << Funny how Americans manage to rank #1 in productivity year after year. Culturally the Japanese have been trained from birth in their fuedal class system. That is slowly starting to change however. All the pride of working as a team, and maintaing face seems to have deminished somewhat since the lifetime job system is disappearing over there. At least that is what I am reading. Please feel free to correct me though if I have been misinformed.
Originally Posted By MPierce Man I need to learn how to type. These dyslexic fingers I have, let me down once again, maintaining, and diminished.
Originally Posted By Roger55 >>At least that is what I am reading.<< You need to try to go see for yourself and not base your opinions solely on what you read. Attitudes in Japan post WWII continue to evolve, as they are in the US. While maybe not the same as in feudal times, the current attitude and perspective of the Japanese service workers is still far superior to what you might typcially experience in the USA.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad I think part of the problem is American companies spend all year cutting hours and employees, Cutting hourly wage, cutting costs, laying off experienced workers and replacing them with low priced part timers. Then if they have a good year the company head will send out a video for employees to watch telling them what a good job they have done and how valuable they are to the company. It just destroys any loyalty and trust the employees have or could have in the company because they know at any time they could be next regardless of how good a job they do. So the attitude becomes that every job is temporary and thats what the level of service reflects. Disney for instance, pay cm's a living wage and encourage long term employees and you will get people who become knowledgeable and good at there jobs and will take better care of the guests. Minimum wage just attracts place holders who are working this job till something better comes along. This is chain world in the US. Hopefully this world will change.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> You need to try to go see for yourself and not base your opinions solely on what you read. Attitudes in Japan post WWII continue to evolve, as they are in the US. While maybe not the same as in feudal times, the current attitude and perspective of the Japanese service workers is still far superior to what you might typcially experience in the USA. << I'm a crippled up old man. I can no longer jaunt around the globe as in my youth. I have to rely on the multiple sources that I read, and the multiple sources I watch on TV, and my friends that still very much travel around, for my world views.
Originally Posted By MPierce I stand corrected in what I said earlier. My wife said the latest report by the Wall Street Jopurnal has The Kingdom Of Norway number 1. The Republic Of Singapore is number 2, and the United States has fallen to number 3 in productivity. I attribute that to the fact that I've left the work force.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> While maybe not the same as in feudal times, the current attitude and perspective of the Japanese service workers is still far superior to what you might typcially experience in the USA. << Most of the service workers here can't speak English, and or not Americans even. So I would agree that Japan is probably far superior in that aspect of productivity. We are developing a poor working class of untrained labor in this country that is going to cause our downfall.
