Spoke to the Manager at our local Disney Store........

[PrincessSheilah]

Originally posted by scott1981
Well, my bf is a manager at one of the flagship stores... all of what I said is true. Beleive it or not... it doesn't matter to me... [/QUOTE

I would double check with your bf if I were you. The castmembers are only getting the three free tickets a year. We are also losing our discount in the park. The managers get to keep their perks of getting into the parks for free and their discount in the parks. Which most castmembers feel is very unfair. I say if we lose the discount in the park they should also lose the discount in the park. Just like most castmembers feel Disney World employees should not be getting a discount in The Disney Stores anymore. Think about it most people who work in the Disney Stores are not working there for the money. We are working there for the perks we got. Because believe me The Disney Store does not pay well.

 

[DancingBear]

Originally posted by PrincessSheilah
The castmembers are only getting the three free tickets a year. We are also losing our discount in the park. The managers get to keep their perks of getting into the parks for free and their discount in the parks. Which most castmembers feel is very unfair. I say if we lose the discount in the park they should also lose the discount in the park. Just like most castmembers feel Disney World employees should not be getting a discount in The Disney Stores anymore.

Why would you want to take away benefits from the managers and the WDW CMs just because you lost yours?

What is the true situation about your in-store discounts vs. what scott1981 said?

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"We are working there for the perks we got. Because believe me The Disney Store does not pay well."***

I've read that sort of statement before & it really baffles me. If the store down the hall in Mall pays a better wage, why not work there to begin with. With more cash in your pocket how important is the discount ?

But, I really doubt the payscale in the TDS is much different then Payless Shoes or any other Mall retailer.

 

[perdidobay]

From a DS cm... the truth!
CM's working more than 3 years got a 35% store discount. CM's with less than 3 years got a 20% discount...... now everyone gets 30% discount, managment and reg cms.
Managers retain most all their WDW perks, while reg store CM's lose all of theirs, except for the fact that we used to get 2 park hopper tickets once a year ( used to be twice a year) , we now get from TCP 3 one day/one park tickets a year that you have to go thru many hoops to get.

I think it's sour grapes on the part of some CM's that say it's unfair for WDW cms to get a store discount... after all, Disney is the company that pays for that perk, and it is TCP that declined to pay for store cm's to get WDW perks.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Again, I hope this doesn't sound callous, but business is business, and TCP made a simple business decision as far as the WDW perks are concerned for managers vs other store employees. TCP would be in a bad spot if many of the managers up and walked. Hourly employees are much easier to replace. I'm sure that factored in to their decision on what benefits to offer to whom.

Sounds like other than park access and park discounts, not too much has changed from a benefits perspective. I can see how that could hurt a former CM who used to go to WDW often. I'm sure that the park benefits they used to get essentially saved them the cost of at least annual passes each year. For a family of 4 that is a $1,500 benefit, give or take. Of course, if the DS pays so poorly you'd only have to make $1 an hour more someplace else to make up that difference (in pre tax dollars).

 

[perdidobay]

ITA, disneykidds

The thing I am hearing most is " I wanted to work for TWDC, not just any old retailer" they felt like they were a part of the magic as long as their paycheck had Disney on it.

I however, feel differently. The "magic" is inside of me, not in the name on my paycheck.

 

[PrincessSheilah]

Originally posted by scott1981
I don't know who you guys have been talking to, but the cm's aren't really losing anything... Managers and dependants still get in the parks for free, cm's still get a discount on food and merch in the park, cm's still get 3 passes to the park a year, managements disc. in store goes down to 30%, but cms goes UP to 30%... I don't know what everyone is crying about...

What I am saying is she is saying cm's are not really losing anything. When we really are. CM's are no longer getting a discount on food or merch in the park. We are going from getting four one day park hopper tickets a year to three one day one park tickets a year. Where as managers and dependants are still getting into the parks for free with there silver pass soon to be purple pass. CM's who have been there for three or more years get 35% in store discount and we are now getting 30%. All I was saying was that most of the cm's in our store told our store manager we would rather get a discount in Disney World instead of the Childrens Place.

 

[DancingBear]

I wonder what percentage of CMs took full advantage of their WDW perks--anybody have any idea? Four one-day passes and discounts on food and souvenirs would only make a dent in the cost of the cost for a CM outside of FL/GA to take a family of four to WDW.

 

[raidermatt]

...TCP made a simple business decision as far as the WDW perks are concerned for managers vs other store employees.

Its a business decision, but not a simple one.

We all know that most companies give increased perks as you move up the ladder. Some perks are implied, some explicit.

However, there is a balancing act that needs to be done, and if employees perceive things to be unfair, it has a negative impact on your business.

I'm not saying that is what has happened here, because I have no idea how many CMs/employees really consider this a problem. But I do know that this is one of those things that I would be very concerned about if it were my decision. Its one of those perks that I'm guessing many are emotionally attached to, probably moreso than things like whether there's free coffee in the back room.

Yes, they made a decision, but that doesn't mean it was the right one.

 

[raidermatt]

I wonder what percentage of CMs took full advantage of their WDW perks--anybody have any idea? Four one-day passes and discounts on food and souvenirs would only make a dent in the cost of the cost for a CM outside of FL/GA to take a family of four to WDW.

Not sure. I agree its not like its an all expense-paid trip. I'd guess it was more widely used by those who were closer to the parks (Anaheim too, correct?). It must be important to somebody, if the perk was retained for managers.

 

[ksoehrlein]

Originally posted by DancingBear
I wonder what percentage of CMs took full advantage of their WDW perks--anybody have any idea?

I certainly did, as did most others in the 3 stores (in NJ, DE, and AL) I worked in during my time (10 years!) as a CM. Distance to the parks didn't matter to us. WDW was simply where we went on vacation, just like many "civilian" DIS Boarders. Working at TDS just helped us get there a little more often and spend a little less while we were there.

Most of us worked at TDS in addition to a full-time job, which was how we were able to afford to go to WDW. The pay wasn't great, but many of us did not work there because we wanted a retail job -- we wanted to work for Disney because we were Disney fanatics. We knew we would spend hundreds, if not thousands, each year on theme park and Disney Catalog merchandise anyway, so we really did see that discount as part of our compensation package.

Anyway, it wasn't just about the dollar amount of the free passes and our discounts; it was also a feeling of belonging that we enjoyed whenever we visited the parks. A sense of "Hey, you're a Cast Member? I am too." I remember getting goose bumps as I watched The Lion King for the first time, knowing that I was a part of the company that had created such a beautiful movie. It's a difficult thing to lose even when walking away on one's own terms, and I feel very sympathetic toward those CMs who are now losing it through no fault of their own.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I wonder how much of a perk it really was to begin with. All Disney was doing was giving TDS employees a reason to go to Disney and spend the paychecks they'd just earned.

Maybe they should have offered to double their wages if they could been paid in Disney Dollars.

 

[Planogirl]

If someone has mentioned this I missed it but I think that a lot of CM's hired on at the DS not only for the discounts but also for the chance to be a part of "the magic." At least so I've been told and that benefit is also going away which must be rough.

Edited to add that I just saw this posted above. Ok, well I agree then.

 

[doombuggy]

If disney is keeping their stores in LA does this mean that they have the same discounts to dw and at the parks. It would be nice to have some extra money and get discounts on the stuff that I love.

The store that is part of the parks & resorts out there is on the Disney Studio lot, so unless you are a cast member, you won't be able to shop there.

I was a bit insulted by some of the comments made RE: TDS pay. When I started at TDs back in 1996, I was paid $5 per hour, the starting wage at that mall. I left Bloomingdale's back in 1991 being paid $6.25, so this was a cut for me (please note, i worked a f/t job as well when I started at TDS). Bloomie's would not give me the flexibility I wanted, but TDS could. Yes, the park perks were what I considered part of my pay. They made up for the $1.25 difference per hour that I was not getting. As an aside, when I transferred to another store, the starting wage there was $6, due to its location.

So try to be a little bit more sensitive to those who are still working at TDS - this is tough for them. I am not there anymore, but still sympathize with their issues. I was one of them for nearly 8 years.

Have a magical day.

 

[hAm53]

so now since TDS aren't owned my Disney anymore, does this mean that they will no longer sell disney dollars?
that was the only reason we'd ever go in the store. but of course once we were in there, we'd always end up buying something.

 

[mickey4ver]

For now, we are selling Disney Dollars and Park Hopper Passes. I would hope this will continue...but for sure, who knows. Once TCP gets their plans in place, things could change, but for now, we are treating guests and selling the same things we did yesterday.

 

[mjtm610]

From a customer point of view, one of the aspects of the change over will be the loss of the excitement. I remember going into our local DS and talking to one or another CM. Frequently, they would mention a ride that had opened, or a new venue, or a resturant they had tried and liked while they were at WDW. I think because they had Disney benefits which allowed them a little more access to the parks-----they were excited to share their experiences. Thats all going to be gone now. I think the loss of belonging to WDW is going to have an effect on how they view the merchandise. Their "excitement" and their "love" of Disney is going to be lost. And that's a shame. I think alot of people will miss that and I think that that will mean lost $

 

[Kristi1357]

Originally posted by mjtm610
From a customer point of view, one of the aspects of the change over will be the loss of the excitement. I remember going into our local DS and talking to one or another CM. Frequently, they would mention a ride that had opened, or a new venue, or a resturant they had tried and liked while they were at WDW. I think because they had Disney benefits which allowed them a little more access to the parks-----they were excited to share their experiences. Thats all going to be gone now. I think the loss of belonging to WDW is going to have an effect on how they view the merchandise. Their "excitement" and their "love" of Disney is going to be lost. And that's a shame. I think alot of people will miss that and I think that that will mean lost $

 

[DisneyFan09]

Originally posted by DancingBear
I wonder what percentage of CMs took full advantage of their WDW perks--anybody have any idea? Four one-day passes and discounts on food and souvenirs would only make a dent in the cost of the cost for a CM outside of FL/GA to take a family of four to WDW.

We also received a discount on resorts.

The loss of WDW perks is something that I could learn to live with but I signed up to work for Disney, not for Hoop Retail ! This is my main job so I'm really trying to stay positive but that's getting harder to do.

For all of you who are "not trying to sound callous", it's not working. Like some have stated earlier, it's really hard for non-cm's to understand. We at the stores have always been "merely tolerated" by the rest of the company but we always stayed excited about Disney and would happily talk to guests about WDW and even help them plan trips! And now everything has been stripped from us without even a thanks and we are all supposed to just go merrily along. It's all very sad!!

 

[Terry S]

As a DS CM, I just wanted to make a few comments:

1) Someone asked if the discounts were really used at WDW. Almost all of our CMs at our store go to WDW several times a year. I can tell you in my situation I saved a heck of a lot of money with my CM discounts. On my last trip in August alone I saved over $2,000.00 with my discounts.

2) Someone posted that the CM's will still get the merchandise and dining discount at WDW. That is NOT true for Part Time Cast Members. Only Assistant Store Managers and above will continue to receive that discount at WDW.

3) The catalog is no longer available at the Disney Store. Other than that, everything for the guest is the same for now. We still have Disney Dollars, park passess and still give 10% DVC discount.

4) The Childerns Place has told us that we will carry a full range of merchandise from infant to adult as well as toys. They have also said that they will start "everyday value pricing" meaning there won't constantly by these sales that are on one day and off the next. Oh and when we do have sales there will be a start and end date. Also, the Disney Store will eventually be taking over the old disneystore.com website and will carry the same mechandise as in the stores with the same prices.