CM comment- Would you be offended?

DisneyPrince1982 · Aug 4, 2015

Robo said:
They picked the wrong "corporation," for sure.

Perhaps not. If Disney continues to hire these types of CM's then clearly the corporation is pleased with their performance. Disney's new mandate might be "Get em' in and get em' out."

3DisneyFanz · Aug 4, 2015

Robo said:
They picked the wrong "corporation," for sure.

Maybe at one time but this fits the current model quite nicely. Guest experience has been replaced with guest herding.

Bullseye · Aug 4, 2015

scrapquitler said:
Not meaning anything in particular, just intending to make the rude person uncomfortable. But I do tend to get snarky when people say rude things to me, just to make them feel uncomfortable and maybe realize how rude they were being.

Actually I tend to do the exact same thing. If you're going to be rude, you better have a good reason because I can turn it around at a moments notice. I even tend to do it when I'm not involved, but see someone else being disrespected/bullied. My DW is usually reticent in these situations and tends to tell me about them later on. I always think "Dang, I wish I would've have been there to give that jerk what-for."

Kalliope · Aug 4, 2015

ArwenMarie said:
I agree with this whole comment. There is something very rough-around-the-edges about the CMs in the parks now, particularly at the attractions.

We had a CM at Splash make the "c'mon" motion with their hands at us on the boarding platform. Uh, sir? We can only go as fast as the people going in the row ahead of us. THAT annoyed me.

ArwenMarie · Aug 4, 2015

Kalliope said:
We had a CM at Splash make the "c'mon" motion with their hands at us on the boarding platform. Uh, sir? We can only go as fast as the people going in the row ahead of us. THAT annoyed me.

Yeah, exactly. We've had quite a few of those types of interactions. Like I get what they are trying to do, but there will just be this sense of annoyance or sometimes outright snarkiness.

One time at Buzz, we were talking towards a vehicle which was out of service, but it was hard to see that. I think there may have been a piece of brown cardboard taped on it? Anyway, instead of just saying, "That one is broken, please go to the next" the CM says, "Please choose a vehicle that ISN'T out of service." Just unnecessary.

Kalliope · Aug 4, 2015

ArwenMarie said:
Yeah, exactly. We've had quite a few of those types of interactions. Like I get what they are trying to do, but there will just be this sense of annoyance or sometimes outright snarkiness.

One time at Buzz, we were talking towards a vehicle which was out of service, but it was hard to see that. I think there may have been a piece of brown cardboard taped on it? Anyway, instead of just saying, "That one is broken, please go to the next" the CM says, "Please choose a vehicle that ISN'T out of service." Just unnecessary.

Agreed.

Maleficent Dragon · Aug 4, 2015

ArwenMarie said:
I agree with this whole comment. There is something very rough-around-the-edges about the CMs in the parks now, particularly at the attractions.

Could it perhaps be an age thing? I do not hold prejudice towards age or gender, but I find in general that it is younger males where customer service slips. I see that in my own hometown as well.
In WDW, it seems that they are more concerned with barking orders at people, complaining about who is sitting on a wall, etc than guest experience. Locally, I see the same thing when we might visit a fast food place, retail store, etc.

ArwenMarie · Aug 4, 2015

Maleficent Dragon said:
Could it perhaps be an age thing? I do not hold prejudice towards age or gender, but I find in general that it is younger males where customer service slips. I see that in my own hometown as well.
In WDW, it seems that they are more concerned with barking orders at people, complaining about who is sitting on a wall, etc than guest experience. Locally, I see the same thing when we might visit a fast food place, retail store, etc.

Could be. That's a good point.

crostorfer · Aug 4, 2015

I think that WDW is staffed by a large group of barely over minimum-wage making college students who are more annoyed to be working until park close in the heat with a herd full of vacation goers and whiny children, than they are overjoyed to be working at the most "magical place on earth". For most, this isn't their career, its their temporary part-time job. Of course they don't care. I'm not excusing anyone for being outright rude, (which I still don't think the CM the OP is talking about was btw), I'm just saying that if I put myself in their shoes I'd probably be pretty cranky too. Especially on an EMH night. They aren't worried about your experience, they are worried about the fact that they have to work til 2am and then get up and take a Biology final in the morning.

I've been thinking more and more about the CM's, every trip we take. I always feel so free and happy on vacation, but the CM's around me probably feel as pent up and chained to their job as I feel when I'm at work. How I feel after 8 hours of a 10 hour day, is exactly how that CM in the Emporium, or that train loader at BTMRR feels, only my uniform is probably a lot more comfortable, and I make A LOT more money. Anymore, I honestly don't expect any CM to be outstanding. I know how they feel.

MYD714 · Aug 4, 2015

amerikiwiroo said:
OP--I'm sorry that you had a rude experience with a CM.

I'd be livid after a comment like that!! As a fellow Ironwife, I thought you may appreciate this:

This shirt is awesome! :rotfl2:

This is exactly what I am living through right now. We have two weeks until the Mont-Tremblant Ironman, and I'm counting down until life returns to normal again. However, I'm sure he'll choose to do another in a few years, and he'll still train for the regular triathlons in the area. It just never ends. :laughing:

asta · Aug 4, 2015

Maleficent Dragon said:
Could it perhaps be an age thing? I do not hold prejudice towards age or gender, but I find in general that it is younger males where customer service slips. I see that in my own hometown as well.
In WDW, it seems that they are more concerned with barking orders at people, complaining about who is sitting on a wall, etc than guest experience. Locally, I see the same thing when we might visit a fast food place, retail store, etc.

I agree about the age thing but in this case it was a female CM. Part of my feelings about this comment are probably influenced by having daughters close to the age of this CM and I would be shocked if either of them was this disrespectful to a stranger. Sometimes it is all about manners.

3DisneyFanz · Aug 4, 2015

Maleficent Dragon said:
Could it perhaps be an age thing? I do not hold prejudice towards age or gender, but I find in general that it is younger males where customer service slips. I see that in my own hometown as well.
In WDW, it seems that they are more concerned with barking orders at people, complaining about who is sitting on a wall, etc than guest experience. Locally, I see the same thing when we might visit a fast food place, retail store, etc.

I can honestly say we've never run into any issues at a chick-fil-a and they are always heavily staffed with younger workers. It's about establishing a culture of service which Disney really did well at for a long time but just isn't a focus now. The CMs will tell you their training is shorter now, their meetings are very focussed on moving people along and that they don't get recognized for positive comments the way they once did. The culture at Disney is what is changing more than the employees.

Ambear · Aug 4, 2015

crostorfer said:
I've been thinking more and more about the CM's, every trip we take. I always feel so free and happy on vacation, but the CM's around me probably feel as pent up and chained to their job as I feel when I'm at work. How I feel after 8 hours of a 10 hour day, is exactly how that CM in the Emporium, or that train loader at BTMRR feels, only my uniform is probably a lot more comfortable, and I make A LOT more money. Anymore, I honestly don't expect any CM to be outstanding. I know how they feel.

I worked in a resort type job and it's definitely true that while the guests are happy and stress free, the workers definitely aren't, and I think the guests sometimes forget that the workers aren't on that vacation high lol. Not that it is an excuse for outright rude behavior cause that wouldn't be okay at even a wegmans. And I did try to make everyone's vacation great but sometimes you do only care about how you're working the weekend and all your friends are hanging out without you. And so your default emotion is just, "let's just do this transaction and get you your paddle boat without tons of pleasantries." But that said, one super nice guest would change my mood completely and make me happy for a while haha.

So be nice to each other basically.

The Hub · Aug 4, 2015

DisneyPrince1982 said:
Perhaps not. If Disney continues to hire these types of CM's then clearly the corporation is pleased with their performance. Disney's new mandate might be "Get em' in and get em' out."

3DisneyFanz said:
Maybe at one time but this fits the current model quite nicely. Guest experience has been replaced with guest herding.

Might as well be; it certainly feels that way.

Maleficent Dragon · Aug 4, 2015

3DisneyFanz said:
I can honestly say we've never run into any issues at a chick-fil-a and they are always heavily staffed with younger workers. It's about establishing a culture of service which Disney really did well at for a long time but just isn't a focus now. The CMs will tell you their training is shorter now, their meetings are very focussed on moving people along and that they don't get recognized for positive comments the way they once did. The culture at Disney is what is changing more than the employees.

That makes sense. I have never had any issues at Chick-fil-a and they are all very young. It is training and culture for sure.

As for the content in the meetings you mentioned above - sounds like FP+ as well as the new Disney culture is really just about herding guests.

GaryDis · Aug 4, 2015

DisneyPrince1982 said:
Yup, rude and I would have responded in kind most likely. This happens routinely at Haunted Mansion where the CM's seem obsessed with herding people in like sheep. They're extremely rude and I actually got into a bit of a shouting match one time with a CM as I was standing 6 inches behind the person in front of me and the CM wanted me 1 inch behind apparently.

In the specific case of the HM, the stretch rooms have a gating effect, and they really do want to pack people in cheek by jowl. Otherwise there's some five year old at the front of the outside line stuck standing there, annoyed at having to wait for yet another cycle.

The stretch rooms are fun, but they bring down the capacity of an otherwise highly efficient continuous loader. My attitude is to think of the sardine effect, even if more crowded than you're used to, as part of the atmosphere of the attraction.

JRawkSteady · Aug 4, 2015

ArwenMarie said:
One time at Buzz, we were talking towards a vehicle which was out of service, but it was hard to see that. I think there may have been a piece of brown cardboard taped on it? Anyway, instead of just saying, "That one is broken, please go to the next" the CM says, "Please choose a vehicle that ISN'T out of service." Just unnecessary.

Same as the OP's CM, I really don't find this offensive or even unnecessary. In fact, I find this kinda funny. More times than not, guests will mistake a humorous comment for being "rude." But then again, I have heard people complain to guest services that the CMs at Haunted Mansion were rude. People clearly just don't get it sometimes, so what are you gonna do...

ArwenMarie · Aug 4, 2015

JRawkSteady said:
Same as the OP's CM, I really don't find this offensive or even unnecessary. In fact, I find this kinda funny. More times than not, guests will mistake a humorous comment for being "rude." But then again, I have heard people complain to guest services that the CMs at Haunted Mansion were rude. People clearly just don't get it sometimes, so what are you gonna do...

Ah, I got the joke thanks.

summerw · Aug 4, 2015

I didn't read the whole thread, but we went to Disneyland a lot when DS was 2-3 and between him and whatever kid behind or in front of us he would make friends with in the line, there were definitely gaps sometimes. Some people honestly just can't handle it. I don't know if it's an OCD thing or a desire to follow the rules to the extreme letter, but some people just cannot handle even a 2-person gap in line.

I think it probably had more to do with the CMs own issues than anything. That he made a comment is unusual, I think at least, in the scheme of Disney's usually great CMs. Hopefully if you were offended you were able to brush it off as someone just having a moment. I probably would have been tempted to "tease" back by asking for very specific directions… "next I'll turn left and then right? Any speed bumps ahead or lanes merging?" Often mirroring someone's behavior to them without being rude can help them see how silly they are being.

Personally I never creep on people who are lagging in line. We're all going to get there and a few feet will make no difference at all in the long run.

Davey Jones II · Aug 4, 2015

The CMs have name tags. If one says something snarky/offensive, you can take note of their name and where they work, and lodge a complaint during or after your trip.

That said, CMs are underpaid, stressed and overworked. I would cut them a little slack.

CM comment- Would you be offended?

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Faithful Companion

Kalli

DIS Veteran

Kalli

Member Since 2004; lost previous login.

DIS Veteran

Gryffindor Gal

Please stand clear of the doors...

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Friend of Roy Disney

Member Since 2004; lost previous login.

DIS Veteran

Mousecessed DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Share this page