Disney Stores NOT owned by Disney anymore?

[micknpluto]

I called central reservations today to try and purchase Disney Dollars. A few weeks ago I went into TDS and was told they were out of them and wouldn't be getting them back until May. The CM told me to call CR to order them. After calling, I found out I have to send away in the mail to get the Disney Dollars and it may take a while to get them. When I asked when TDS would have them again the girl proceeded to tell me she didn't know anything about the stores because they were no longer owned my Disney. They were sold a few months ago?? Whats that all about? Who bought them? She also said some stores may not carry park passes, only if they choose to... This came as a shock to me. Does anyone know about this???

 

[aeryn]

The sale of the Stores was finalized in late November to a company called "Hoop Retail", they also own The Children's Place. You *can* still buy Disney Dollars at the store, but many stores are currently out, so you may want to call before making a trek to the store. They also all still carry the park passes.

You can prolly do a search on 'Disney Store' here on the Dis to find all the details of the sale out.

 

[micknpluto]

Hey thanks for the info!!

Here's a question...Do they still get Disney CM perks? Like Discounts/park passes....Probably not, right??

 

[DisneyDotty]

The Disney Store is now a shadow of its former glory. It's like Disney meets Marshalls (no offense to Marshall's fans, but...) They used to carry a great selection of adult clothes--now it's all cheap tshirts and plastic toys. I'm sad.

 

[rwodonnell]

The Disney Store is now a shadow of its former glory. It's like Disney meets Marshalls (no offense to Marshall's fans, but...) They used to carry a great selection of adult clothes--now it's all cheap tshirts and plastic toys. I'm sad.

That's true but it hasn't changed that much since November, from what I can see. The stores declined a lot over the last 5 years, and frankly, I dooubt the new owner will make them any worse. We'll see, of course, but given the course they were on, perhaps the change will do some good.

 

[RadioNate]

Hey thanks for the info!!

Here's a question...Do they still get Disney CM perks? Like Discounts/park passes....Probably not, right??

No they don't at least not like before. There are some small Disney benefits but if that's your only reason for working at TDS they aren't worth it.

 

[kandeebunny]

Nope, no passes, no company d access, nothing. Which is why I left when they changed hands, there were no pay raises and no perks, so not worth it to me.

 

[Lil_Tink]

Hasn't anyone else noticed...That disney stores are slowly disapearing out of malls....

 

[micknpluto]

Are the people who work there still known as Cast Members????

Now that I know it isnt owned by Disney anymore, It feels weird going in there, not th same..Even though the store hasnt been the same for LONG time..

 

[doombuggy]

micknpluto, that's b/c the Cherry Hill store was one of the first with the new design that flopped. The store I used to work at accross the river and down 202 was the last pipe rail store, opened a few months before CH's rehab, if memory serves. I was at CH for the first time about a year & 1/2 ago, and it made me sad.

I have to hand it to all of the TDS CM's who hung in there through the holidays. It know it had to be tough. I would be in that same boat if I hadn't moved to Orlando last summer and transferred before the sale.

 

[micknpluto]

micknpluto, that's b/c the Cherry Hill store was one of the first with the new design that flopped. The store I used to work at accross the river and down 202 was the last pipe rail store, opened a few months before CH's rehab, if memory serves. I was at CH for the first time about a year & 1/2 ago, and it made me sad.

I know someone who is a store manager at the Cherry Hill store, he's been there for a long time. I always feel like asking him about how he feels about the whole transaction/change, but he is always so busy when I see him at the store. I guess it doesnt matter anymore if you a true Disney fan to work at TDS, now that it isnt owned by them! I am surprised to see a few people still there who have worked there for a while, like 5 years or more.

 

[DeanDoug]

My wife began working for the DS just before the change to "Hoop Retail"... the CM benefits are severely limited (but yes, they are still called CMs)... they do get a few park tickets each year and a decent in-store-only discount. It still seems odd that they don't get more of the CM discount, since they are selling Disney merchandise, and contrary to what some have said, the quality is very good.

If it matters to anyone... the new company is very good to the employees... the company is still very family-oriented and good to work for. Support the DS, the CMs there are still committed to Disney and still work hard!

 

[barbara ann]

The CM's still work with the spirit of Walt in mind, even if they are not owned by Disney. We can only hope TCP gets the stores into an upswing. As far as perks, I know here in New England, it especially bothers the older CM's that while almost all of their perks were taken away, the employees of ABC/ESPN still get their full discount at the store.

 

[All Aboard]

The CM's still work with the spirit of Walt in mind

Not the ones hired in the stores in our area after the purchase. Last night, one was on her cell phone having a rather "naughty" conversation (inside the store) with who I would guess was her boyfriend. She saw that I was in earshot and quickly hung up. Shortly thereafter, two other employees (they aren't really cast members anymore, right?) came in to talk about their raises and share their displeasure with them to the same cell-phone wielding employee. The manager didn't seem too concerned about the goings on. Now that store pretty much operates like any other.

 

[ericamanda01]

There is still hope for TDS. TCP doesn't own TDS it is just a long term lease. So we can still hope that Disney won't renew the lease once it's up.

 

[eeyore kelly]

I understand that there is some disappointment in the selling of Disney stores to CP. However, CP is not the enemy. If CP would have decided not to buy/lease TDS, I truly feel that a lot/most TDS would be shutting down.

CP is a great company to work for. The are employee and customer service oriented. As far as having a naughty telephone conversation and talking about raises on the sales floor, that is the short comings of the manager and CM's.

As assistant manager of a CP outlet, I have warned and written up employees for non-kid friendly talk on the sales floor, and when we handed out checks Fri. with their yearly review raise, we warned them, if you discuss your raise or check on the sales floor, we have the write up papers handy.

BTW, cell phones are not allowed on the sales floor of any hoop retail store.

 

[mking624]

I've been a Disney Store CM for nearly two years. I can tell you that MANY TDS CMs are upset about the sale of the stores. SEVERAL left when the closing date in November came...which left many stores in a predicament as they didn't have enough coverage for the holidays and those who DID stay were overwhelmed (I know I can personally vouch for that). I think the biggest mistake they made was doing the closing date only one month before Christmas, because TWDC knew that many CMs would walk out and that's not exactly the thing that TWDC or CP needed at such a busy season.

TDS CMs have had their Disney perks cut drastically. These are the perks we'd get: discounts on Disney hotels, complimentary tickets twice a year, discounts on regular tickets, discounts on food & souvies at the parks, access to Company D, and I believe a few others. It went down to getting 3 comp tickets per year. Our previous comp tickets would last about 1.5-2 years. The comp ticket we get now expire at the end of the calendar year. TDS employees were divided into two groups: A & B. Group A had a 20% discount, group B got a 35% discount. You went into group B after 3 years of employment. After the sale to CP, the discount leveled out to a straight across the board 30%. Great for those in group A, but the MANY who were in group B just had their discount lowered. We also used to get service pins. After a year, you'd get a pin, then it started in increments of 5 years. After the sale, the service pins were wiped out. This was a disappointment to many because it was nice to have our service recognized. I was fortunate to receive my one year pin before the sale. CP does now offer us a 30% discount in their stores, but to be quite honest, most Disney Store CMs didn't exactly apply for the job because they could eventually get a CP discount...they got it because of the Disney perks and because they wanted to work for TWDC. Now, both of those things have been taken away from us. We have to give TWDC employees discounts when they come to our store, but we do not get a discount with them. Kind of backwards, don't you think?

Anyway, we ARE owned by CP (not just leased), but we are licensed by TWDC. From what I understand, the license contract agreement is for 5 years. The guests will not be affected by the change at all...to them, everything is the same. The only thing that DOES affect them is that we no longer carry the catalog, we no longer honor discounts for the Vacation Club, and we don't know how much longer we'll be accepting returns from the parks or the catalog/internet store. Aside from that, everything is the same to them. The only people the sale has affected are the CMs themselves.

 

[eeyore kelly]

I know and emphasize with the changes TDS Cm's have face. I have a very good friend who is the store manager for our local TDS, but in her words not mine, "it could be worse. Instead of selling us, they could have just closed us down. Then we wouldn't have any discounts or a paycheck."

In my previous post, I was pointing out that the behavior a guest saw at a TDS is not common or had anything to do with The Children's Place, it had to do with bad employees and worse management.

 

[mking624]

I know and emphasize with the changes TDS Cm's have face. I have a very good friend who is the store manager for our local TDS, but in her words not mine, "it could be worse. Instead of selling us, they could have just closed us down. Then we wouldn't have any discounts or a paycheck."

I can see a manager's point of view because this is a full time job for them...but all regular CMs for TDS are part timers and the good majority of them use this as their income primarily for vacations...not for actual income. As many CMs put it, we have "big girl/boy" jobs as well. Where we stand now, most CMs wouldn't be too distraught if we were shut down, because that's how it feels to most of us. That's why so many have left...because the discounts aren't worth it and the pay isn't that great to begin with. Store managers are still getting their full time pay & benefits and have a lot more options through CP than regular CMs do. So for part timers, it wouldn't necessarily make a huge difference if there were no discounts or paychecks anymore.

In my previous post, I was pointing out that the behavior a guest saw at a TDS is not common or had anything to do with The Children's Place, it had to do with bad employees and worse management.

That's fine, I wasn't commenting on that at all. In fact, I wasn't making any comments at all about any of your post. I was just stating from a TDS Cast Member point of view how upset we are about this.

 

[eeyore kelly]

I understand that you and other CM's are upset, and I am sorry you and other's feel slighted. The sale is still a new change, less than six months ago. Hopefully, the hurt you and other CM's feel will lessen with time. I know it's CP is not disney and CM's don't feel as special anymore, but CP is a really good company to work for.

Good Luck!

P.S. From a "guest's" POV, I would be upset if TDS's shut down. I was a guest long before I received my extra discount.