Do You Think Non-Dis Vets are Beginning to Notice Penny-Pinching?

[Aluminum Falcon]

But they do have the authority to give out vouchers for free shirts if some one isn't dressed appropriately (we've all seen those fb stories)? Or "pixie dust" someone and give a voucher for pants if their kid spilled something all over themselves? We see stories all the time on how CM gave someone something for free, or a discount. Suddenly this is where they draw the line???

those are clearly things that have already been addressed with cast members to empower them to unilaterally make those decisions. This is something that literally just happened, and they probably needed to run it up the chain of command, (something that happens in most businesses) before they could just give a discount. Everyone is making this seem like it lasted for months, when in reality we're talking about 2 days, or potentially no time based on some posts on this thread.

 

[dez1978]

those are clearly things that have already been addressed with cast members to empower them to unilaterally make those decisions. This is something that literally just happened, and they probably needed to run it up the chain of command, (something that happens in most businesses) before they could just give a discount. Everyone is making this seem like it lasted for months, when in reality we're talking about 2 days, or potentially no time based on some posts on this thread.

So they can be unilaterally given permission to give away things that aren't disney's fault, like coming to the park dressed inappropriately.... But not for things that Disney absolutely SHOULD have known was coming? Because they are or should be well aware of their inventory of things and since you have to have a reservation to build a light saber, they knew when they would run out. And if they didn't thats something else they need to address with their horrible IT. This is something they should have been prepared to deal with ahead of time and it is their fault 100% that they weren't.

 

[starlite_]

So they can be unilaterally given permission to give away things that aren't disney's fault, like coming to the park dressed inappropriately.... But not for things that Disney absolutely SHOULD have known was coming? Because they are or should be well aware of their inventory of things and since you have to have a reservation to build a light saber, they knew when they would run out. And if they didn't thats something else they need to address with their horrible IT. This is something they should have been prepared to deal with ahead of time and it is their fault 100% that they weren't.

This is my issue with it. Sure supply problems are everywhere right now BUT, someone at Disney inventory knew that they would run out of bags, droid boxes, etc. And instead of pre-emptively figure out a solution (this time it was the 10% discount) they just gave guests a plastic bag and told them to deal. Covid is not an excuse for poor customer service, specially since Disney is know (or was known) for exemplary customer service. As it was pointed out, they have protocols to give shirt vouchers to guests dressed inappropriately. WHY then do they not have protocols ready to go for when they deliver an incomplete product? I sincerely hope that this 10% off stays whenever they have similar supply issues in the future.

And yes, I do expect more from Disney.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

So they can be unilaterally given permission to give away things that aren't disney's fault, like coming to the park dressed inappropriately.... But not for things that Disney absolutely SHOULD have known was coming? Because they are or should be well aware of their inventory of things and since you have to have a reservation to build a light saber, they knew when they would run out. And if they didn't thats something else they need to address with their horrible IT. This is something they should have been prepared to deal with ahead of time and it is their fault 100% that they weren't.

I'm sure there was a time when Disney wasn't giving pants and shirts away for those situations, and then they made a decision to give them away,(i can assure you that a cast member didn't make that decision on their own) you're making it sound like that was a rule from the beginning of time, someone, somewhere along the way made that decision. Exactly like someone made a decision to give out a discount on the packaging for a lightsaber.

I'm sure it was an oversight on Disneys end, but they addressed it quickly, which in my opinion is what matters, companies make mistakes all the time, and in this case Disney addressed the mistake it made

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

This is my issue with it. Sure supply problems are everywhere right now BUT, someone at Disney inventory knew that they would run out of bags, droid boxes, etc. And instead of pre-emptively figure out a solution (this time it was the 10% discount) they just gave guests a plastic bag and told them to deal. Covid is not an excuse for poor customer service, specially since Disney is know (or was known) for exemplary customer service. As it was pointed out, they have protocols to give shirt vouchers to guests dressed inappropriately. WHY then do they not have protocols ready to go for when they deliver an incomplete product? I sincerely hope that this 10% off stays whenever they have similar supply issues in the future.

And yes, I do expect more from Disney.

So you have a no prisoners approach to anything Disney, and that's fine. My opinion is that people are holding them to such high standards now a days, because they don't like Disneys latest maneuvers, and are trying to stick anything they can to them. I believe this would have been a nothing story back in 2019, but it seems like there's a taste for blood out there right now

 

[dez1978]

I'm sure there was a time when Disney wasn't giving pants and shirts away for those situations, and then they made a decision to give them away,(i can assure you that a cast member didn't make that decision on their own) you're making it sound like that was a rule from the beginning of time, someone, somewhere along the way made that decision. Exactly like someone made a decision to give out a discount on the packaging for a lightsaber.

I'm sure it was an oversight on Disneys end, but they addressed it quickly, which in my opinion is what matters, companies make mistakes all the time, and in this case Disney addressed the mistake it made

The difference is Disney knew and had time to prepare for this issue and they failed to do so. You can't tell me they just realized that morning they were out of cases. Whereas them giving things away for other reasons is much more of a spur of the moment thing where someone needed to decide "ok if x happens we do this". Businesses know there are supply issues and they know they will be out of things before they run out and they should have a plan for when that happens. Not be reactionary and figure it out afterwards. Sure they figured something out later, but it should have been done before it was an issue. No guest should have ever been told "sorry, no refunds, take a plastic bag" when they knew it would happen before it happened. And those CMs should have never been in the position to tell that to a guest.

 

[starlite_]

So you have a no prisoners approach to anything Disney, and that's fine. My opinion is that people are holding them to such high standards now a days, because they don't like Disneys latest maneuvers, and are trying to stick anything they can to them. I believe this would have been a nothing story back in 2019, but it seems like there's a taste for blood out there right now

I'm not out for blood at all, I hold them at high standards because Disney themselves have set these high standards. I am not gonna be an apologist for things that they should have seen coming and had a plan to address.

Disney for example, can't help that food costs more now than 10 years ago. So I don't care when they raise prices on food.

IMO Disney is generally know for innovation and awesome customer service. The customer services is failing recently and while some of it is excusable because of covid and what not like new cast members, the lightsaber thing was a huge oversight that I'm sure left lots of guests with a bad taste in their mouths.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

The difference is Disney knew and had time to prepare for this issue and they failed to do so. You can't tell me they just realized that morning they were out of cases. Whereas them giving things away for other reasons is much more of a spur of the moment thing where someone needed to decide "ok if x happens we do this". Businesses know there are supply issues and they know they will be out of things before they run out and they should have a plan for when that happens. Not be reactionary and figure it out afterwards. Sure they figured something out later, but it should have been done before it was an issue. No guest should have ever been told "sorry, no refunds, take a plastic bag" when they knew it would happen before it happened. And those CMs should have never been in the position to tell that to a guest.

I can only speak to my work experience as a manufactures rep, but i can tell you that sometimes we are not notified by our suppliers that we are out of something, until our customers are far past the expected date, this applies to packaging as well, we've had manufacturers complete change a products packaging because they ran out, and again we are not notified until a customer catches the change, or our warehouse notices it. In the real world, these things happen, companies react/ adapt, and move on. People on these boards seem to oversimplify things to be "right", when in reality things are a lot more complex, not everything can be a flip of a switch. Even if it is Disney

 

[dez1978]

I can only speak to my work experience as a manufactures rep, but i can tell you that sometimes we are not notified by our suppliers that we are out of something, until our customers are far past the expected date, this applies to packaging as well, we've had manufacturers complete change a products packaging because they ran out, and again we are not notified until a customer catches the change, or our warehouse notices it. In the real world, these things happen, companies react/ adapt, and move on. People on these boards seem to oversimplify things to be "right", when in reality things are a lot more complex, not everything can be a flip of a switch. Even if it is Disney

Disney knows what they have on site.... Regardless of the supply/manufacture's issues. They should know they have 10 bags in this store, and there are 12 reservations so we are going to run out today. Its not rocket science. Nor anything to do with what is incoming. They should be aware of what they have on hand and a way to deal with it when it runs out. If they really just were like "omg, we just sold the last one, I had no idea we didn't have anymore" thats a problem with their system. Either bad IT or poor managment.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I'm not out for blood at all, I hold them at high standards because Disney themselves have set these high standards. I am not gonna be an apologist for things that they should have seen coming and had a plan to address.

Disney for example, can't help that food costs more now than 10 years ago. So I don't care when they raise prices on food.

IMO Disney is generally know for innovation and awesome customer service. The customer services is failing recently and while some of it is excusable because of covid and what not like new cast members, the lightsaber thing was a huge oversight that I'm sure left lots of guests with a bad taste in their mouths.

i think you're oversimplifying the issue

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Disney knows what they have on site.... Regardless of the supply/manufacture's issues. They should know they have 10 bags in this store, and there are 12 reservations so we are going to run out today. Its not rocket science. Nor anything to do with what is incoming. They should be aware of what they have on hand and a way to deal with it when it runs out. If they really just were like "omg, we just sold the last one, I had no idea we didn't have anymore" thats a problem with their system. Either bad IT or poor managment.

i can't believe i let myself get baited into having this conversation haha. Have a good one!

 

[Arielfan98]

i think you're oversimplifying the issue

I disagree. Respectfully, I think you're the one oversimplifying everything by justifying and grouping Disney as a typical company with standards that aren't malleable. Disney certainly has a choice and the initiative to make business decisions most mom and pop shop level businesses cannot make. I will raise my point again which was pre-covid about hotel parking rates. Totally unnecessary and they didn't need to implement it, but they wanted extra $$. Especially their logic in charging more for more expensive hotels. Hotel guests get earlier park hours still so there is still a benefit and if I recall correctly, I couldn't purchase my LL tickets until a certain time after Disney hotel guests.

 

[starlite_]

i think you're oversimplifying the issue

I think you are taking it personally as a manufacturer rep when the issue isn't that all. I don't begrudge Disney for having supply issues or blame the manufacturer for them, I am raising my eyebrow at Disney's lack of planning in response to those issues. If they have 5 boxes of something and won't be able to get any soon for X reason, this is something that they know (or at least they should know because if they don't then yikes) and should plan for.

This is not on the supplier.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I disagree. Respectfully, I think you're the one oversimplifying everything by justifying and grouping Disney as a typical company with standards that aren't malleable. Disney certainly has a choice and the initiative to make business decisions most mom and pop shop level businesses cannot make. I will raise my point again which was pre-covid about hotel parking rates. Totally unnecessary and they didn't need to implement it, but they wanted extra $$. Especially their logic in charging more for more expensive hotels. Hotel guests get earlier park hours still so there is still a benefit and if I recall correctly, I couldn't purchase my LL tickets until a certain time after Disney hotel guests.

to what i said previous, would you have rather Disney add those fees to the price of a ticket to mask it?, the point i'm trying to make is that Disney isn't adding blanket fees on every guest, they have spread them out so not every guest has to pay for them. To respond to what your saying about perks, just like everything else in life, you have to weigh out if the value your getting is worth the price, if the answer is no, you don't have to purchase anything, Disney should not have to drop pricing just to make an individuals value equation positive

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think you are taking it personally as a manufacturer rep when the issue isn't that all. I don't begrudge Disney for having supply issues or blame the manufacturer for them, I am raising my eyebrow at Disney's lack of planning in response to those issues. If they have 5 boxes of something and won't be able to get any soon for X reason, this is something that they know (or at least they should know because if they don't then yikes) and should plan for.

This is not on the supplier.

i just believe there are many variables to plug into this equation, you don't. Nothing personal, we just don't see eye to eye.

 

[starlite_]

i just believe there are many variables to plug into this equation, you don't. Nothing personal, we just don't see eye to eye.

...there is nothing variable imo about how a company choses to respond to a problem. Their original choice was bad and they know it because they fixed it later. I don't get where this variables you mention are supposed to be. One thing we can agree on tho is that indeed we will never see eye to eye on this issue, have a nice day.

 

[Arielfan98]

to what i said previous, would you have rather Disney add those fees to the price of a ticket to mask it?, the point i'm trying to make is that Disney isn't adding blanket fees on every guest, they have spread them out so not every guest has to pay for them. To respond to what your saying about perks, just like everything else in life, you have to weigh out if the value your getting is worth the price, if the answer is no, you don't have to purchase anything, Disney should not have to drop pricing just to make an individuals value equation positive

My point is the fees do not need to be added for parking period. If they're raising ticket prices due to inflation, then so be it.

 

[dez1978]

I think you are taking it personally as a manufacturer rep when the issue isn't that all. I don't begrudge Disney for having supply issues or blame the manufacturer for them, I am raising my eyebrow at Disney's lack of planning in response to those issues. If they have 5 boxes of something and won't be able to get any soon for X reason, this is something that they know (or at least they should know because if they don't then yikes) and should plan for.

This is not on the supplier.

This... I don't begrudge them for being out of something. Heck they were out of almost every single item in my size that I wanted when I was there, but thats fine, I get the supply issues. We are all dealing with that. I do have an issue with the fact that they knew they would be out of a thing on a certain date and did not allow people to cancel without penalty when they found out about it, or have a plan to deal with it that day.

 

[k5xs]

to what i said previous, would you have rather Disney add those fees to the price of a ticket to mask it?, the point i'm trying to make is that Disney isn't adding blanket fees on every guest, they have spread them out so not every guest has to pay for them. To respond to what your saying about perks, just like everything else in life, you have to weigh out if the value your getting is worth the price, if the answer is no, you don't have to purchase anything, Disney should not have to drop pricing just to make an individuals value equation positive

I think defending fee increases by arguing that Disney is simply allowing guest to pay-opt in or out of services runs headlong into the historical EXHORBITANT inflation in Disney pricing.

Adjusted for inflation, the cost of a one-day ticket in 1981 was about $30 (in 2020 dollars), while it was $129 in 2020, an increase of 430%.

Party tickets were $17.95 in 1988 and are now $229. That's a whopping 1175% increase. ($18 in 1988 adjusted for inflation is around $42.)

Annual Passes were $165 back in 1988 and they are now $1383, a 738% increase. ($165 in 1988 is around $372 today.)

Someone else posted a couple of months back that they did a 6-night stay in December 2018 with park hoppers at All Star Music for $1,625. For the same week in 2022 it’s $2,650. And free Magical Express is now gone, so it’s at least $2,750 in comparison. That’s a 70% increase in 4 years before even getting to things like food and merchandise.

Disney has without question improved the parks in their 50 years in Florida. But their pricing has exploded.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I

I think defending fee increases by arguing that Disney is simply allowing guest to pay-opt in or out of services runs headlong into the historical EXHORBITANT inflation in Disney pricing.

Adjusted for inflation, the cost of a one-day ticket in 1981 was about $30 (in 2020 dollars), while it was $129 in 2020, an increase of 430%.

Party tickets were $17.95 in 1988 and are now $229. That's a whopping 1175% increase. ($18 in 1988 adjusted for inflation is around $42.)

Annual Passes were $165 back in 1988 and they are now $1383, a 738% increase. ($165 in 1988 is around $372 today.)

Someone else posted a couple of months back that they did a 6-night stay in December 2018 with park hoppers at All Star Music for $1,625. For the same week in 2022 it’s $2,650. And free Magical Express is now gone, so it’s at least $2,750 in comparison. That’s a 70% increase in 4 years before even getting to things like food and merchandise.

Disney has without question improved the parks in their 50 years in Florida. But their pricing has exploded.

would argue that they could have been undercharging back in the day, but that’s not really my point. No business raises prices based on inflation alone, they raise prices based on what they think they can get back. You don’t have to like it, I don’t love it either, paying less is always better for the consumer, but Disney has been raising prices above inflation for decades, (as you pointed out) and they have had NO problem filling their parks. Excuse the language, but why the hell would they change course now, because consumers don’t like price increases, isn’t a valid reason. Disney is a business first and foremost, and if they went to shareholder meetings telling everyone, we could charge more and get it, but we don’t think that’s fair, they would be taken to task. Disney will continue to charge more until people stop seeing the value in their product, if/ when that happens, they will either drop pricing, or try and add value to their product (ie. a5th gate), until that happens, they can and should charge more. Everyone’s personal feelings about this is garbage to Disney until they start seeing less crowds.