Experiences with Merchandise?

[SmellsLikeJapan]

I was Spring 2010 CP at Everything Pop! Pop Century's gift shop. I adored it and still miss it. It wasn't as difficult or busy as it would be in the parks but we still had a lot to do! We were considered the busiest gift store out of all the resorts. I loved it for the consistency of hours. Since it wasn't a park we always opened at 6 am and closed at 12 am. I was really lucky to be in a resort. I remember wanting to cry when I was told I was going to be at Pop! but I learned to love it and actually preferred it. My managers were amazing as well as my fellow CMs. My managers noticed when we were actually giving an effort and they commended us. Every morning we had Disney trivia and the winner or winners got a prize. We were a very close knit family. I really miss it, but I get my dosage once and a while, seasonal has it's perks!

 

[disdude89]

Hey, just got offered an extension to my program in merch. Im currently a custodian but im not that into the job itself. Was wondering if anyone could compare the roles? Or maybe just throw out some more experiences as a mercy cast member.. that'd be awesome Haha thanks.

 

[peterpan2011]

I worked merchandise in HS and am returning as seasonal. I primarily worked in Prop Shop, Stage One (Muppets), AFI, Tatooine Traders and a few select carts. I loved it as it was diverse and you had an opportunity to work different locations/rotate. You can also watch the Pixar Pals Parade come through if you are outside which is fun. I worked during ESPN The Weekend and Star Wars Weekends including the reopening of Star Tours, so it was CRAZY busy, but fun to see all the spirit of things, especially the Star Wars fans. The Star Wars Parade was pretty different too! I was deployed for 2 weeks to Frontierland in MK and to Epcot as well at a large pin location. Those were also awesome experiences. In Frontierland, I watched The Main Street Electrical Parade come through twice nightly, and at Epcot, I learned more about the pin enthusiasts (and I thought I was one!), haha. So merchandise was a real treat, and the best thing was that if you wanted extra hours, they were more than abundant, plus you could go to whatever location interested you. Hope this helps!

 

[DisneyGeek1989]

Noticed there was one for QSFB so i figured i'd start one for Merch.... Just post all of you past experiences, good or bad, working in Merchandise.

IDK thought it would be cool to see how some of the past CP's liked it and what they thought. So yeah, go for it!

I did the CP fall 2009 and I was in Merchandise. I worked in Epcot's Future wrold north which was the first 4 gift shops and the front of the park. At first when they told me I was working there I was not pleased because I wanted to work at Hollywood Studios

After working at Epcot, Im must say that it was fate or a sign from above because I LOVED IT!!!!!! The atmosphere, the people, the guest, everything was amazing. Also the fact that I was working up front which means we are the last people to leave when the park closes, also made the experience amazing. Me and my fellow cast members have crazy stories and memories just from going around the park at night to pick up strollers and wheel chairs. Also, I know i sound bias but our team of managers are awesome

So I must say that when I do the program again I wouldn't mind going back to merchandise.

I also picked up a few shifts in Animal Kingdom which was fun and for Thanksgiving I got the chance to finally work at Hollywood Studios, however, I thank God that I didn't do my program at studios because EPCOT was ten times better.

 

[Minnieobsessed91]

I'll be working in merchandise in spring 2012!! I'm super excited, especially after reading what everyone posted on this thread. So what areas do college program members work in? Do you always work in an area and not a specific store? Do you rotate the stores everyday? When do you find out where you work? Thanks!

 

[peterpan2011]

I'll be working in merchandise in spring 2012!! I'm super excited, especially after reading what everyone posted on this thread. So what areas do college program members work in? Do you always work in an area and not a specific store? Do you rotate the stores everyday? When do you find out where you work? Thanks!

You could be placed in merchandise locations within a specific park, ie..Frontierland at MK, or Backlands area at Studios. OR...you may be working merchandise in a shop within a resort itself, such as Pop Century, etc. You may also be working at Downtown Disney. In the parks, there is usually some rotation involved, in other words, working different shops as well as outdoor carts in a specific LOCATION, ie. Fantasyland. You may also be deployed to different places during your program. I was deployed from HS to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. In those instances, be prepared to make some time to figure out which costume you need and where to clock in. You would not want to be running around at the last second trying to figure it out! It is fun to try new things, and the register system, of course, is universal.

 

[Rachellee413]

I'll be working in merchandise in spring 2012!! I'm super excited, especially after reading what everyone posted on this thread. So what areas do college program members work in? Do you always work in an area and not a specific store? Do you rotate the stores everyday? When do you find out where you work? Thanks!

I'll be working merchandise in Spring 2012 too!! I got merch for spring advantage. I COMPLETELY forgot about the pin trading until reading this thread. That just made me even more excited! I'm so curious to see where Disney puts me. I'm nervous about possibly having to work a cart by myself, but on weekends I work in a hospital gift shop by myself and manage that okay?? haha. I know Disney will be way way busier, so it should be a fun & interesting experience!

 

[hellojamie]

I worked merch on my program in Fall of 2010, and I had sort of a weird experience. In that Disney sent me EVERYWHERE, even though I wasn't a park-hopper.

I was statused in DAK in Dinoland, where I mainly worked a bunch of carts outside, occasionally got to work a register in the main store or at the end of the Dinosaur ride but that was very very rare. I think I was scheduled there like, twice. Once I was games-trained I spent nearly every shift out on the midway games. That was not a great experience, not because the games weren't fun, but because so few people were games-trained and their rotation was so messed up, you would spend ALL day out there, and it was very easy to be 2 hours late for your scheduled break (the max they can leave you out there.) I also occasionally did stock, which was AMAZING. Basically they give you the keys to the stock shed, you keep everything stocked, they leave you alone. Those were my favorite shifts ever.

I also got deployed a lot, which happened to a lot of people in DAK. It was kind of annoying, because I never got paperwork telling me what to do, I would just check my schedule and be sent to these weird locations. I had to go check out new costumes, which was a pain sometimes because you can only have five, and sometimes I would be scheduled 3 different locations in one week, plus need to keep my 2 Dinoland costumes for when I went back to my regular location. I had to figure out where the new costuming locations were, where to check in for work, but usually all you have to do is ask any Cast Member and they're happy to help. It was really stressful though being a fresh little CP.

I worked in Epcot future world a few times, mainly at the Gift Stop? I worked one strollers shift that consisted of cleaning bird poop off of the strollers because I wasn't trained for anything else. I worked at Downtown Disney almost every other week and LOVED it. D-Street was the coolest place to work, and I got so into Vinylmation and the costume wasn't terrible. New Years week I was deployed to MouseGear in Epcot, which was absolutely crazy. It's hard working in one of the megastores if you haven't been trained in it.

My advice, just be cool with whatever Disney throws you. I HATED being deployed at first, but by the middle/end of my program it was like, hey a vacation I get to work with new people. Try to look at everything positively. I would have had a better program initially if I'd been less resistant to that and just gone with it. Try to learn everything you can about your location and give the best service you can to the Guests, because that is the best and most rewarding thing you can do is know what you're talking about and to be able to help someone have a great day.

 

[Melinda22]

I worked at EPCOT Towers and Glow. Towers are the 2 stores in between Mexico and Canada at the beginning of the World Showcase. Our location also had 2 kiosks in between Future World and World Showcase. We were also in charge of Baby Care (which is part of the merch rotation). Baby care was nice cause it was pretty slow so I got to watch movies. Our area also included Mexico and Norway, however we weren't allowed to Merch there unless you were Mexican or Norwegian I did stock Norway a few times and that was fun.

We also did the Glow Carts for World Showcase. I loved Glow shifts. We were in charge of glowing in all the different pavilions. My favorite spots were Germany and the UK. You basically play with all the light up toys all night and watch the fireworks. Rough, huh?

The second half of my program, I started getting scheduled almost exclusively for stock shifts. I loved those because of all the freedom that came with it.

 

[taigirl87]

Hey, just got offered an extension to my program in merch. Im currently a custodian but im not that into the job itself. Was wondering if anyone could compare the roles? Or maybe just throw out some more experiences as a mercy cast member.. that'd be awesome Haha thanks.

I was going to say that in merchandise where I worked( fantasyland) there was a position called area stock where you were in charge of taking all the garbage out to the big garbage compressor thing in the back of the tunnels. I guess it could be comparative to custodial? You aren't in charge of rounding up all the garbage though, the stockers for each store were supposed to do that. You just went around and told them what time to have it in by. I loved running the garbage because you got to drive the pargo(the golf cart sort of things) and if you did it around when wishes was going off, you got to see some of it from the back stage area. With area stock you also had the freedom to walk around where you wanted( in your land) as long as you had checked all your carts to make sure they were stocked.

Other than those things, merch is pretty similar to being in any retail place, you stock things, help people find what they want, and ring them up. (but of course there is that extra Disney magic that makes it different from other retail places ) you're usually pretty confined to the shop you are assigned to, but you do get moved around a lot!

 

[leshunlenese]

I worked future world north merchandise at EPCOT in spring 2007 aka mostly strollers but i loved the people. We also did the shops under spaceship earth, gift stop at the front entrance with package pick up and we also did the photos at leave a legacy when it was there. I knew some people did not like strollers because they had to stack them but at the time we were the only ones who did not. I loved the most was closing and we rode ECV's around the park to get any strollers people left behind. The one thing i did not like was mouse gear runs to go get packages for package pick up it was good to get out but pushing that buggy in the hot days was no good and i do not know why but i did not like glow stand probably unless i could do it on the segway which only happened once.
Merchandise is fun but some places can have late hours as some people mentioned. During regular hours when EPT closes at 9 we usually get off at 11:30

 

[MrsSparrow..]

I'm working Merchandise next summer and after reading this, I can't wait!

What's the deal with the pin stations, do you sell them or trade them? In all my visits pin trading has never interested me, but I'm excited to get into it now

 

[peterpan2011]

I'm working Merchandise next summer and after reading this, I can't wait!

What's the deal with the pin stations, do you sell them or trade them? In all my visits pin trading has never interested me, but I'm excited to get into it now

The parks and DTD sell pins in many of the shops of course, but in each area there is a central pin location with a larger selection. In HS, it is under the Sorcerers Hat, in MK it is in the Trading Post, in Epcot it is in front of the Fountains/ between the Breezeways. I confess...I do not remember where it is in AK. At DTD, it is at Pin Traders. In these areas, pins are usually purchased and pin enthusiasts and new pin traders can also consult with cast members regarding pin releases and Limited Editions, etc. (there is a binder in these locations with this information). Many Vacation Club and Annual Pass Holders or D23 folks come for specific pins as well. As far as trading goes...most Merchandise cast members wear a hip or neck lanyard and are given a specific amount of pins to wear on it. Any Guest who desires to trade with a cast member need only ask, and they trade a pin for a pin, up to 2 pins at a time. The only rules that I know of are this: the pin must be a Disney pin (logo on back surface), and if a cast member already has that specific pin on their lanyard, then they are technically not supposed to accept a duplicate, but I have seen this happen. Guest may also trade with other Guests. There are certain lanyards which are green, and the cast members who wear these trade with children only. It is a lot of fun and can be very addictive, haha. People get very specific as they sometimes chase sets of pins/hidden mickey pins and they spend the day doing it, too! The hardest part in Merchandise is this...I cannot tell you how many times a Guest has approached me in the middle of a transaction to ask to see my pins. My rule of thumb is this...the Guests waiting for me to ring up their purchases come first. Unfortunately, the pin trader needs to wait. They don't always want to...I try to address the pin thing as quick as I can, but you also cannot have 8 people get upset because they are also waiting for your attention. Gets tricky sometimes!

 

[MrsSparrow..]

The parks and DTD sell pins in many of the shops of course, but in each area there is a central pin location with a larger selection. In HS, it is under the Sorcerers Hat, in MK it is in the Trading Post, in Epcot it is in front of the Fountains/ between the Breezeways. I confess...I do not remember where it is in AK. At DTD, it is at Pin Traders. In these areas, pins are usually purchased and pin enthusiasts and new pin traders can also consult with cast members regarding pin releases and Limited Editions, etc. (there is a binder in these locations with this information). Many Vacation Club and Annual Pass Holders or D23 folks come for specific pins as well. As far as trading goes...most Merchandise cast members wear a hip or neck lanyard and are given a specific amount of pins to wear on it. Any Guest who desires to trade with a cast member need only ask, and they trade a pin for a pin, up to 2 pins at a time. The only rules that I know of are this: the pin must be a Disney pin (logo on back surface), and if a cast member already has that specific pin on their lanyard, then they are technically not supposed to accept a duplicate, but I have seen this happen. Guest may also trade with other Guests. There are certain lanyards which are green, and the cast members who wear these trade with children only. It is a lot of fun and can be very addictive, haha. People get very specific as they sometimes chase sets of pins/hidden mickey pins and they spend the day doing it, too! The hardest part in Merchandise is this...I cannot tell you how many times a Guest has approached me in the middle of a transaction to ask to see my pins. My rule of thumb is this...the Guests waiting for me to ring up their purchases come first. Unfortunately, the pin trader needs to wait. They don't always want to...I try to address the pin thing as quick as I can, but you also cannot have 8 people get upset because they are also waiting for your attention. Gets tricky sometimes!

Thankyou

 

[kevvvvv]

As an attractions cast member, am I allowed to wear a pin lanyard to trade with guests? What if I pick up a shift in PAC, can I wear one then?

My brother's a manager at a restaurant in DHS and he always wears one and has one of the pins backward as a surprise pin.

 

[Cest_la_vie]

As an attractions cast member, am I allowed to wear a pin lanyard to trade with guests? What if I pick up a shift in PAC, can I wear one then?

My brother's a manager at a restaurant in DHS and he always wears one and has one of the pins backward as a surprise pin.

All cast members unless it's a severe safety concern are allowed to and almost encouraged to wear pins. The idea being it encourages guest initiated contact. I know a few attractions have a designated "greeter" pin lanyard, but you can also get another one from your managers. They do have the different styles, not just the lanyard, but also a little flap thing. All of the pins you trade are the company's, so no trading your own on company time and guests must initiate.

As far as I know only managers and merchandise are required to wear pins. And your brother's idea is pretty good.

 

[taigirl87]

As an attractions cast member, am I allowed to wear a pin lanyard to trade with guests? What if I pick up a shift in PAC, can I wear one then?

My brother's a manager at a restaurant in DHS and he always wears one and has one of the pins backward as a surprise pin.

When working PAC, we were discouraged from wearing our pin lanyards so that we weren't stopped all the time. We usually just kept the lanyard in our pockets because during PACtivities(the games we played after setting up and waiting for the parade to start) we could wear it then.

 

[kevvvvv]

is it competitive to get PAC shifts if you don't work as a main entrance greeter/along the parade route?

 

[taigirl87]

is it competitive to get PAC shifts if you don't work as a main entrance greeter/along the parade route?

I never picked up any extra shifts as I was scheduled a lot already, but I don't think it's that competitive, unless it's during special events like mnsshp and mvmcp. I could be wrong so maybe someone else will have more info.

 

[caseydoll]

i will be in merchandise on my cp starting in january! i'm so excited and i cannot wait to see where i'll be working!