Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Maybe that's how it should be for Disney, but I am not thrilled with the prospect of yet more resort hotels and DVC units.>> You aren't alone about that. I'd like it if none were added until supply demand caught up with supply and Disney didn't have to discount year-rond to attempt to fill them. <<More rooms will do nothing but further diminish the benefits of staying at a Disney resort. For instance, what good will "extra magic hours" be if a zillion people are able to take advantage of it?>> Indeed. Also, I failed to mention a new park will be added to WDW likely within the next five years ... but it will be a water park, likely near Wide World of Sports.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Can they just reopen a revamped River Country with water that is not taken from the darn swampy Bay Lake??
Originally Posted By Disneymom444 I'm a CM at a Disney store and we are not aloud to have wild hair, wild makeup, or flashy nail polish. If you wear a belt it can only be black or brown. Shoes too you can only have black shoes and black pants, no black jeans. When we leave the store we have to take off our name tag. We don't have to change our shirts if we don't want to. We only get 30 min for lunch so sometimes we don't have enough time.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Can they just reopen a revamped River Country with water that is not taken from the darn swampy Bay Lake??>> That would be great, but it's not gonna happen. And the Bay Lake water was not the reason RC was closed, despite rumor to the contrary. The lake water was filtered as it entered the park. I loved that place! Can't believe it's been over five years since I last swam there.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I'm a CM at a Disney store and ...<< Are you still employed by Disney or are you employed by Family Store??
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Are you still employed by Disney or are you employed by Family Store??>> You mean the Children's Place.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Yes, that is what I meant.. I could not remember the proper corporate name. Thanks.
Originally Posted By kennect TDL, Your original post almost sounds as if it is the cast members at fault showing up at a Publix store in costume...The problem is truly management that is allowing such to happen...Apparently it is also a problem out west here...Hopefully someone might get the idea to correct things....I personally would never want to be seen in public wearing what would be consdiered a costume as opposed to something like a uniform...But I have no clue never having the experience...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Your original post almost sounds as if it is the cast members at fault showing up at a Publix store in costume...<< I didn't mean to make it sound as if they are to be blamed for that but if I was a CM, you would not catch me dead in a WDW costume in my local Publix supermarket or the like. And yes, management is to be blamed for most everything that kills the magic at WDW, including seeing CMs parading themselves in ugly costumes from WDW outside property.
Originally Posted By kennect You know TDL, I guess for some it would just seem normal...But apparently neither you or I would be caught dead in such garb out of the workplace...
Originally Posted By keller If you go into the Publix in Windermere or some of the ones on 192 often enough you get used to the costumes. People usually pull out the shirttail so you can see the bar code. For me, I lost my shame a long time ago about wearing weird clothes to Publix. I was a professional horse trainer for years and wearing boots and breeches in public places will really dull your worries. Plus, they wear seafoam colored vests and peach neckties there. Who looks weird now?? Has anyone mentioned the fact that it's just really a pain in the neck working at WDW, esp MK, and that it takes a lot of effort to do it and management is grateful for every soul that shows up? Every store at every mall around here has help wanted signs, and do you think they start at under 7.00/hour, and do you think that you have to show up in the parking lot forty-five minutes before your shift begins to catch the bus, or spend an hour in the costuming warehouse trying to figure out the bizarre sizes and shapes of the costumes for THOSE jobs? Of course there's no pride. There's exhaustion, and bitterness, does that count for anything? You can't find 55,000 Disney freaks who live and breathe Guest Service and Disney magic in the Orlando area. So you are stuck with whatever you can find.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<Has anyone mentioned the fact that it's just really a pain in the neck working at WDW, esp MK, and that it takes a lot of effort to do it and management is grateful for every soul that shows up? Every store at every mall around here has help wanted signs, and do you think they start at under 7.00/hour, and do you think that you have to show up in the parking lot forty-five minutes before your shift begins to catch the bus, or spend an hour in the costuming warehouse trying to figure out the bizarre sizes and shapes of the costumes for THOSE jobs?>> It's a pain in the neck at my job, too. I work for two of the most difficult physicians in the department and have to deal with loads of ridiculous BS day in and day out. I'm a state employee, so I'm certainly not paid what I'm worth. There are many days when I could walk out the door and not come back with a good heart, but I have to pay my house note, so I don't. However, I still take pride in my work and do the best I can. I'm as pleasant as I can possibly be in the office, because it won't serve me or the university for me to be a jerk. If I could, I'd come to work in my pjs because I hate sitting in an office dressed up all day long. Why should we expect less from WDW employees because they have a "tough job"? I don't ANYONE these days who doesn't have a tough job. No more excuses for less than stellar service or appearance for WDW castmembers!
Originally Posted By keller The difference is, a CM can walk out the door and get a new job that pays twice as much and work half the hours within the afternoon. You see it every day. You have to pay your house note, but ask front-line CMs and see how many own a house. Most are sharing apartments at the rent-controlled joint across from the MK parking lot. $250/week, including overtime, doesn't go a long way in Central Florida. There are a lot of beaten-down, depressed CMs out there. And I got news for you, after you see 20,000 people before noon, you lose interest in the other 30,000 that are gonna walk past you before midnight.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Why should we expect less from WDW employees because they have a "tough job"? I don't ANYONE these days who doesn't have a tough job. No more excuses for less than stellar service or appearance for WDW castmembers< you shouldn't expect less. Everyone has a tough job from one standpoint or another and few people outside of CEO's are paid what they are worth...it is NO excuse. I am on call 24 x 7 - have had different positions ( all salaried) where 60 - 70 hours a week was the norm... yet always gave my all. In a country where right now major corporations are off shoring jobs to low cost countries to the tune of 10,000,000 jobs in 7 + years...and telling others " be thankful you have a job" as they see no raises, benefits cut, pensions taken away etc -- it is a tough old world out there. If I was that unhappy at my job, I would find a new one.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>And I got news for you, after you see 20,000 people before noon, you lose interest in the other 30,000 that are gonna walk past you before midnight.<< Funny because after 4 yrs of service at WDW, I never got bored looking at guests days in and day out... maybe because I was proud to be a Disney CM unlike many there now? And yes, Disney doesn't pay enough, which is the only reason why I left, and not because I was bored. >> The difference is, a CM can walk out the door and get a new job that pays twice as much and work half the hours within the afternoon.<< Depends... Many of the puerto rican CMs hired in the island, came to WDW with university degrees in various fields. They had hoped to come here and use WDW as a platform to move up the ladder into professional jobs they left trained/studied for. I have three such friends who gave up and went back to Puerto Rico after finding no opportunities in their fields inCentral Florida. The job situation in Central Florida is not that plentiful besides tourist or retail related jobs.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <The job situation in Central Florida is not that plentiful besides tourist or retail related jobs. < Trust me, from a traditional 'career path' employment situation, it is not just Central Florida. Services jobs can be had anywhere, and in many cases are being filled by those losing their jobs elsewhere in industry.
Originally Posted By keller That's an excellent point, TDL. My husband once had a doctor from Cuba stocking merchandise in his store. He held out for two years before left the country. Not sure where he went. And this was in a university town with a huge hospital culture where you would have thought he could have found something, somewhere. I think a lot of people end up there because of the radio ads for Casting job fairs, and they feel like they're above the job. That goes back to there not being enough people that are there because they want to be a part of Disney. I think in the winter time, when a lot of snowbirds are down, the general attitude of the whole place is more cheerful. They're happy to be there, what a concept! Sadly, though, what I say about finding a new job that pays more.. I MEAN in the retail/service industry. They don't have the perks of a Disney job, which I've spelled out to people before when I was trying to figure out why they were leaving and trying to keep them on board, but a lot of the younger CMs just don't care about the theme park perks. That's not why they're there. They just want a job. That maybe doesn't require their presence fifty hours a week. Or their interest. And I admit, one day I wore brown shoes. Because I forgot my black shoes. And I thought my manager would appreciate it more if I showed up and didn't leave them hanging than if I called in and said, sorry, don't have the right color shoes. And no one noticed.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<The difference is, a CM can walk out the door and get a new job that pays twice as much and work half the hours within the afternoon.>> And you think I couldn't? I could make a LOT more money in the private sector, and buy a much larger condo than I'm purchasing at the end of October as a result. I stay because the benefits are excellent, I like the people I work with and I like working with the residents. <<There are a lot of beaten-down, depressed CMs out there. And I got news for you, after you see 20,000 people before noon, you lose interest in the other 30,000 that are gonna walk past you before midnight.>> It gets pretty tiring listening to two doctors all day long who practically expect you to wipe their noses, but that doesn't give me an excuse to do less than exemplary work. <<You have to pay your house note, but ask front-line CMs and see how many own a house. Most are sharing apartments at the rent-controlled joint across from the MK parking lot. $250/week, including overtime, doesn't go a long way in Central Florida.>> Then they should get a better job. If it's that bad that you can't afford to live to the standard of living you ascribe to, then find a better paying job. Don't take it out on me because you're unhappy. The same thing happens at McDonald's - grumpy workers who are ticked off because they only make $7.00/hr, and I'm the one who suffers for it. If it's that bad, get another job. I'd love to work at Williams-Sonoma, but I know I couldn't afford to live on a Williams-Sonoma paycheck. I'm not going to give up my job, go to Williams-Sonoma and make minium wage and then expect your pity because I took a menial job.
Originally Posted By keller Well, you've come back to the heart of the manner. That WDW doesn't pay enough, is therefore understaffed, and desperate for every soul that shows up, and can't send people home because their hair is the wrong color.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ^^^Here here! Well said, and to quote you again... NO ONE notices the infractions. Life must be sweet for some CMs there.
