Disney email survey, Q about Disney being "Greedy"

[bwang123]

i dont think its greed. they are just pricing their product to what people will pay. every product is priced to make a profit. why is Nabisco not greedy for making 50%+ profit off a bag of Oreo's when they could be "less greedy" and make only 5%?

 

[Dr. G]

Yes. It said something like," do you think Disney is Greedy" with a check box next to it. It also basically had the same statement, in a more polite manner, right after the greedy statement.

Thanks for the reply! Fascinating to me that Disney would dare use the word in one of their surveys. So many times the wording in a question can plant thoughts in the reader's head, so I would have thought they'd avoid words with negative connotations. It would have seemed more "Disney Corporate Speak" to ask instead "do you think Disney is Generous enough..." Thanks again for replying!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

It's greed, but it's OUR greed. We demand bigger and better and Disney listens. And Disney is giving it to us. We want Star Wars Land. We want Cars Land. We want spectacular shows and parades and holiday extravaganzas and we're getting it all! If you think we don't want this, well I beg to differ. Look at park attendance over the past 15 years. We, as a collective of millions of visitors, are attending in skyrocketing numbers as a result of Disney's continuous ability to provide world class entertainment and expanding attractions. We're getting what we want, and attending more often as a result.

You can say that you don't want all this new stuff and you liked Disneyland just the way it was (so you can keep your low ticket prices), but doing this leads to stagnation. Other parks are doing amazing new things but poor Disneyland is becoming a time capsule. In short time, ticket sales drops. Attendance drops. People will spend less days in Disneyland and more days elsewhere because 'elsewhere' is a lot more interesting. Light crowds sound lovely, but it indicates the company is eroding from the inside.

Somewhere along the line people are led to think that profits are greedy, but Disneyland needs profits to keep the Disney magic happening. If Disney decided they would forgo profits and forgo ticket price hikes and instead, dip into assets to fund their expansions and entertainment, their stock value would plummet, and then they would nave no money at all to do anything except simply keep the doors open - and that would cease too when they stay in the red. Without profits, Cars Land never would have happened. This 60th Anniversary celebration - never would have happened. Completely forget Star Wars Land. That would be light years' out of their budget.

Stockholders are not a bunch of fat old men smoking cigars. Do you ever watch your 401k performance? Do you understand that investment companies like Fidelity invest your retirement money in portfolios founded on strong performing companies like Disney so your nest egg will grow? Do you understand that if big business took an anti-profit approach and stopped being "greedy", the NASDAQ would tank right along with your retirement portfolio?

Profits facilitate: Renovation. Innovation. Expansion.
Profits brought us California Adventure, Paint the Night, Cars Land, WOC, new parking structures, continuous ride refurbishments.

Of course it hurts to pay these new ticket prices. No one wants to pay prices that are breaking the budget. The rising ticket prices are making me spread my trips out more. I don't like that at all! But as I see it, my trips are becoming better and better each time I'm there. Back in 2005, I really loved Disneyland. But last year, my Disneyland vacation was absolutely phenomenal, making the 2005 Disneyland vacation pale by comparison. I can't go as often, but I'm getting so much more (than before) out of my trips!

 

[DoingDisney]

They are a business, and as such have the right to charge whatever the public is willing to pay. I don't understand why people think that is greedy. Starbucks charges $5 for a coffee. Taylor Swift charges $100+ for a ticket. Why does Disney get labeled greedy. They have a duty to their shareholders to make money. --I personally do not like their high prices, however, based on the crowd levels, it seems that they do not charge enough.

MANY companies don't. There is a difference between making a profit and gouging your customers and showing disloyalty. For the many people who supported Disney through the rough years that are now being priced out of the park/resorts, this is greed.

Record profits ... cut back workers, raise prices, cut back other's hours ... Greed.

 

[Indiana Scott]

MANY companies don't. There is a difference between making a profit and gouging your customers and showing disloyalty. For the many people who supported Disney through the rough years that are now being priced out of the park/resorts, this is greed.

Record profits ... cut back workers, raise prices, cut back other's hours ... Greed.

That was so well put.
I worked for a very large corporation that was not greedy. They paid well, took care of facilities and when we traveled they put me up in the best establishments. We also had liberal policy's with our customers that ensured our ability to please them even if it meant a policy change that meant lower profits. Our profit margin could have been better if we had been more like Disney but we didn't want to operate that way.
Disney does not pay well and delays or cuts maint. entirely. As time goes on, they gouge people where ever they can. They fail to spend even the most modest amounts on CM's that would keep bathrooms clean or relieve congestion at park opening or improve the experience in a myriad of other ways.
So yes, put me down as seeing them as "greedy". I've worked for big corps long enough (40+ yrs) to know it when I see it.

 

[Love Tink]

I think what Disney is worried about with these surveys is public sentiment and what it can do to a company. There are so many people who hate Wal-Mart or McDonald's or George Bush or whatever, but they can't explain why. They're just "supposed to." Why are Target and Burger King okay? It's just public sentiment. Disney doesn't want to become one of "those" companies.

It is not a sign of an intelligent, open mind to believe (and say) that people who hold opinions that you do not hold are simply holding them because they are too stupid or misinformed to know better. Many educated, informed people hold opinions that are very different from those of other very educated, informed people.

There are a lot of valid reasons to dislike various companies. Some companies treat their workers and their consumers well, but some treat them like washcloths to be wrung out for every last drop. It is perfectly reasonable for some of us to respect that Disney is a public company, and that it exists in a capitalist society - but to also believe that Disney has a larger responsibility to its employees and guests.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hmmm.

Without diving too far into this debate, which always comes up when Disney increases prices, I think about what other premium entertainment experiences cost. Which helps me and maybe can help a few others have a better balance of perspective.

Rather than write it again, let me just link to what I wrote before - hopefully food for thought:

DLR is expensive. But so are lots of premium entertainment experiences. I end up writing this every year...

1. Lift Ticket at Breckenridge Ski Resort Dec 1, 2014 - Today's online advance price $85 (for 7 hours of skiing)

2. Ticket to tonight's Colorado Rockies game vs. SF Giants - second level, average seats, $67 (for a 3 hour game)

3. Tickets to Denver Broncos game I attended last October - pretty good seats on first level - $250 (for a 3 hour game)

4. Tickets to Broadway show Wicked on Friday next week - good seats in center section - $210 (for a 2 hour show)

5. Tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert at Fiddlers Green venue in Denver in July - good seats in front section - $121 (for a 90 minute concert plus other warm up bands).

6. Tickets this evening to see the Godzilla movie in Real 3D - $14 (for a two hour movie)

Compared to these, with DLR parks open 10-16 hours a day, their prices are reasonable - especially on a $ per hour basis. Almost the same cost per hour as seeing Godzilla tonight. And much cheaper $ per hour than the first 5 items above.

1. Lift Ticket at Breckenridge Ski Resort Dec 1, 2014 - Today's online advance price $85 (for 7 hours of skiing)

2. Ticket to tonight's Colorado Rockies game vs. SF Giants - second level, average seats, $67 (for a 3 hour game)

3. Tickets to Denver Broncos game I attended last October - pretty good seats on first level - $250 (for a 3 hour game)

4. Tickets to Broadway show Wicked on Friday next week - good seats in center section - $210 (for a 2 hour show)

5. Tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert at Fiddlers Green venue in Denver in July - good seats in front section - $121 (for a 90 minute concert plus other warm up bands).

6. Tickets this evening to see the Godzilla movie in Real 3D - $14 (for a two hour movie)

Compared to these, with DLR parks open 10-16 hours a day, their prices are reasonable - especially on a $ per hour basis. Almost the same cost per hour as seeing Godzilla tonight. And much cheaper $ per hour than the first 5 items above.​

 

[bakerudall]

Hmmm.

Without diving too far into this debate, which always comes up when Disney increases prices, I think about what other premium entertainment experiences cost. Which helps me and maybe can help a few others have a better balance of perspective.

Rather than write it again, let me just link to what I wrote before - hopefully food for thought:

1. Lift Ticket at Breckenridge Ski Resort Dec 1, 2014 - Today's online advance price $85 (for 7 hours of skiing)

2. Ticket to tonight's Colorado Rockies game vs. SF Giants - second level, average seats, $67 (for a 3 hour game)

3. Tickets to Denver Broncos game I attended last October - pretty good seats on first level - $250 (for a 3 hour game)

4. Tickets to Broadway show Wicked on Friday next week - good seats in center section - $210 (for a 2 hour show)

5. Tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert at Fiddlers Green venue in Denver in July - good seats in front section - $121 (for a 90 minute concert plus other warm up bands).

6. Tickets this evening to see the Godzilla movie in Real 3D - $14 (for a two hour movie)

Compared to these, with DLR parks open 10-16 hours a day, their prices are reasonable - especially on a $ per hour basis. Almost the same cost per hour as seeing Godzilla tonight. And much cheaper $ per hour than the first 5 items above.​

Great post. A little logic goes a long way.

 

[bakerudall]

It is not a sign of an intelligent, open mind to believe (and say) that people who hold opinions that you do not hold are simply holding them because they are too stupid or misinformed to know better. Many educated, informed people hold opinions that are very different from those of other very educated, informed people.

There are a lot of valid reasons to dislike various companies. Some companies treat their workers and their consumers well, but some treat them like washcloths to be wrung out for every last drop. It is perfectly reasonable for some of us to respect that Disney is a public company, and that it exists in a capitalist society - but to also believe that Disney has a larger responsibility to its employees and guests.

I'm sure you are very well-educated, but you totally missed the point of my post. I didn't call anyone stupid, and I wasn't talking about people who disagree with me. It is perfectly okay if you are unfamiliar with the growing segment of our population to which I was referring.

 

[cmwade77]

Hmmm.

Without diving too far into this debate, which always comes up when Disney increases prices, I think about what other premium entertainment experiences cost. Which helps me and maybe can help a few others have a better balance of perspective.

Rather than write it again, let me just link to what I wrote before - hopefully food for thought:

1. Lift Ticket at Breckenridge Ski Resort Dec 1, 2014 - Today's online advance price $85 (for 7 hours of skiing)

2. Ticket to tonight's Colorado Rockies game vs. SF Giants - second level, average seats, $67 (for a 3 hour game)

3. Tickets to Denver Broncos game I attended last October - pretty good seats on first level - $250 (for a 3 hour game)

4. Tickets to Broadway show Wicked on Friday next week - good seats in center section - $210 (for a 2 hour show)

5. Tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert at Fiddlers Green venue in Denver in July - good seats in front section - $121 (for a 90 minute concert plus other warm up bands).

6. Tickets this evening to see the Godzilla movie in Real 3D - $14 (for a two hour movie)

Compared to these, with DLR parks open 10-16 hours a day, their prices are reasonable - especially on a $ per hour basis. Almost the same cost per hour as seeing Godzilla tonight. And much cheaper $ per hour than the first 5 items above.​

The problem with this comparison is that you could get an annual pass to every other major theme park and zoo in southern California with no blackout dates and parking (aside from Universal Studios now, they no longer offer a pass without blackout dates or that includes parking) for less than the cost of the second highest level pass at Disneyland and many of these other passes include food or admission for two people or guest passes to bring friends once during the year, some even offer reserved seating at shows and some even provide free admission to all theme parks they own nationwide.

 

[HydroGuy]

The problem with this comparison is that you could get an annual pass to every other major theme park and zoo in southern California with no blackout dates and parking (aside from Universal Studios now, they no longer offer a pass without blackout dates or that includes parking) for less than the cost of the second highest level pass at Disneyland and many of these other passes include food or admission for two people or guest passes to bring friends once during the year, some even offer reserved seating at shows and some even provide free admission to all theme parks they own nationwide.

I do not see that as a problem at all. Just other data points.

I made a comparison to other premium experiences I personally experienced recently or was planning to experience soon. I did not experience the ones to which you refer. But it might help this discussion and the sense of balance I was trying to bring if you listed them and all the relative prices.

 

[DoingDisney]

Hmmm.

Without diving too far into this debate, which always comes up when Disney increases prices, I think about what other premium entertainment experiences cost. Which helps me and maybe can help a few others have a better balance of perspective.

Rather than write it again, let me just link to what I wrote before - hopefully food for thought:

1. Lift Ticket at Breckenridge Ski Resort Dec 1, 2014 - Today's online advance price $85 (for 7 hours of skiing)

2. Ticket to tonight's Colorado Rockies game vs. SF Giants - second level, average seats, $67 (for a 3 hour game)

3. Tickets to Denver Broncos game I attended last October - pretty good seats on first level - $250 (for a 3 hour game)

4. Tickets to Broadway show Wicked on Friday next week - good seats in center section - $210 (for a 2 hour show)

5. Tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert at Fiddlers Green venue in Denver in July - good seats in front section - $121 (for a 90 minute concert plus other warm up bands).

6. Tickets this evening to see the Godzilla movie in Real 3D - $14 (for a two hour movie)

Compared to these, with DLR parks open 10-16 hours a day, their prices are reasonable - especially on a $ per hour basis. Almost the same cost per hour as seeing Godzilla tonight. And much cheaper $ per hour than the first 5 items above.​

Sure, but for the most part you are comparing The cost of Keys to the world to price of entry, things which are purposely elite and exclusive. You are also comparing things with extremely limited capacity, and growing (not shrinking like Disney) overhead/costs. In some ways it would be like comparing the price of a hotdog at a Ball Game (just park of the experience) to the price of entry at WDW. There are many more things involved in the cost of a WDW trip, all increasing in price, thus increasing each of them in turn increases the total cost.
Sure you can break this down to a $/hour argument, and if you are stretching out the cost over 10 or 16 hours a day, make the math seem to work in favour of Disney. But for your 85$ lift ticket, I can't take my family to WDW, for the Tickets you paid for your Colorado game, I can't take my family to WDW. Heck even if I paid for my family to go to your Bronco's game, I could only take my family to WDW for a day or 2, and of course that's not including the price of travel.

If the cost continues to increase beyond what people can afford, comparing it to other costly things is beside the point.

This is particularly sad to see when the company continues to report record profits, cutbacks and yet increases the cost and prices many of its most loyal fans out of their vacations.

 

[HydroGuy]

Sure, but for the most part you are comparing The cost of Keys to the world to price of entry, things which are purposely elite and exclusive. You are also comparing things with extremely limited capacity, and growing (not shrinking like Disney) overhead/costs. In some ways it would be like comparing the price of a hotdog at a Ball Game (just park of the experience) to the price of entry at WDW. There are many more things involved in the cost of a WDW trip, all increasing in price, thus increasing each of them in turn increases the total cost.
Sure you can break this down to a $/hour argument, and if you are stretching out the cost over 10 or 16 hours a day, make the math seem to work in favour of Disney. But for your 85$ lift ticket, I can't take my family to WDW, for the Tickets you paid for your Colorado game, I can't take my family to WDW. Heck even if I paid for my family to go to your Bronco's game, I could only take my family to WDW for a day or 2, and of course that's not including the price of travel.

If the cost continues to increase beyond what people can afford, comparing it to other costly things is beside the point.

This is particularly sad to see when the company continues to report record profits, cutbacks and yet increases the cost and prices many of its most loyal fans out of their vacations.

Obviously the cost is relative to where you live. If you live near DLR then the cost to visit is less than someone who lives out of state and must travel and get a hotel. Same thing as the cost to go snow skiing or see a Broadway play in NY or, in some cases, a sporting event or concert.

There is no way to make this an apples to apples comparison for everyone because it depends on where you are relative to the entertainment venue. So I just listed the cost of the ticket which (for the most part) has zero dependence on where you live.

 

[sherilaine]

There is no way to make this an apples to apples comparison for everyone because it depends on where you are relative to the entertainment venue.

I 100% agree with this - there are many people, hard as it is for some on this forum to believe, that would not pay $5 to go to a Disney theme park but would pay top dollar for a hockey game or a Broadway show.

It is all about supply and demand and anyone complaining should be happy that Disney is not pushing those limits as I am pretty sure they could DOUBLE their prices and you know what - the park would not drop to half empty - they could do that and have lower operating costs as there might be fewer people and look at the $ they would have rolling in!

I think maybe people should take this price increase and wipe the sweat from their brow and not complain - I was actually hoping it would go up more in an attempt to try to manage the crowds they are seeing better. But oh well, maybe next time?

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm sure you are very well-educated, but you totally missed the point of my post. I didn't call anyone stupid, and I wasn't talking about people who disagree with me. It is perfectly okay if you are unfamiliar with the growing segment of our population to which I was referring.

I'm hoping you weren't getting political. Because that is against board rules.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm hoping you weren't getting political. Because that is against board rules.

Bernie. Donald. Hillary. Marco. Ted.

Not in order of preference but in alphabetical order.

Am I in trouble?

 

[bakerudall]

I'm hoping you weren't getting political. Because that is against board rules.

I was giving the most obvious examples of what trending public opinion can do to a company, celebrity, public figure, or whatnot. Disney wants to prevent their name from becoming attached to the word "greed"--thus the surveys. Allow me to expound.

There are already a lot of people who hate Disney without ever having visited one of their parks or knowing much about the films. They usually say "hate" in the same way as saying they hate blue cheese or Coldplay. When Disneyland raises prices, it enters every major news feed for a few days and will become a major topic of conversation everywhere you go. Now let's say someone makes a slew of witty memes associating Disneyland with greed and they are rapidly shared throughout social media, making it a trending topic. Now this is recycled into the news cycle and picked up by every comedian and talk show, which create video clips that are re-shared on social media, and the snowball continues. Soon, people stop talking in public about their trips to Disneyland, not because they fear an intelligent discussion with someone who disagrees with how Disney runs its corporation, but because they don't want to hear everyone else in the room simultaneously start talking about greed--like when you say, "Reeeeeeeed Robin," and everyone says,"Yum!" Millions will still go to Disneyland, just like millions of people still listen to Coldplay while eating McDonald's inside Walmart, but they won't tell anyone. Attendance will decline a little at first, but merchandise sales will plummet (who's going to wear a Disneyland shirt at that point), and the quality of the parks will decline.

No politics involved.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Bernie. Donald. Hillary. Marco. Ted.

Not in order of preference but in alphabetical order.

Am I in trouble?

Not just you, all Americans are in trouble with that bunch!

 

[sherilaine]

I was giving the most obvious examples of what trending public opinion can do to a company, celebrity, public figure, or whatnot. Disney wants to prevent their name from becoming attached to the word "greed"--thus the surveys. Allow me to expound.

There are already a lot of people who hate Disney without ever having visited one of their parks or knowing much about the films. They usually say "hate" in the same way as saying they hate blue cheese or Coldplay. When Disneyland raises prices, it enters every major news feed for a few days and will become a major topic of conversation everywhere you go. Now let's say someone makes a slew of witty memes associating Disneyland with greed and they are rapidly shared throughout social media, making it a trending topic. Now this is recycled into the news cycle and picked up by every comedian and talk show, which create video clips that are re-shared on social media, and the snowball continues. Soon, people stop talking in public about their trips to Disneyland, not because they fear an intelligent discussion with someone who disagrees with how Disney runs its corporation, but because they don't want to hear everyone else in the room simultaneously start talking about greed--like when you say, "Reeeeeeeed Robin," and everyone says,"Yum!" Millions will still go to Disneyland, just like millions of people still listen to Coldplay while eating McDonald's inside Walmart, but they won't tell anyone. Attendance will decline a little at first, but merchandise sales will plummet (who's going to wear a Disneyland shirt at that point), and the quality of the parks will decline.

No politics involved.

Easy there Chicken Little...I don't think the sky is falling anytime soon!

 

[Dr. G]

Just thought I'd report back that my wife got the same survey--it's linked to my email so I went ahead and answered the survey myself. Still amazed to see them use the word "greedy", but there it was! I didn't mark them as greedy, but I did say that the value I perceive for our AP is only "good". We don't usually have APs, but we do this year to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. The reason I said only "good" is due to the relative perceived value of my Deluxe AP compared to the great value of the SoCal APs. We always try to schedule our trips during the slow times so it is usually when SoCal APs are also valid. So I feel "overcharged" simply because of where I live. I told them I think the Deluxe price is reasonable, and what they really need to do is increase the price of the SoCal passes. Either that or let everyone buy the SoCal passes with those blockout dates, regardless of where they live. I know it won't happen, but at least I gave my opinion, whether I'm right or wrong...