Just got back - disturbing theme....

[drcandon]

I guess I have been lucky...with only a few notable exceptions I have had - the CM's have been good...some even rating an excellent...

Handling the heat of the summer in full uniform and with hot tempermental tourists can't be pleasant - plus take the economy to account - which like it or not is on everyone's mind - can lead to a few incident's..

I have personally had more trouble with the restaurant staff, then with the folks in the parks.

DW does recall one incident (in all days/times we have been there) where a CM behind the counter was less then polite..but who knows what she just dealt with..now if that is her normal personality - then find another job - if you can...

So for the past and present CM's on this site - you do a great job in handling literally millions of excited - sometimes rushing - sometimes rude folks ...you are to be commended.

However..for those who think the job is just a crappy way to make money - then quit...none of us need that...most of us work very hard to afford the trip to Disney (especially if we come form other countries) and having my vacation blemished by someone who is consistently foul tempered is inexcusable...

 

[IloveDisney77]

I'm not going to jump in on the issue of CM's as I think everyone has beaten that horse to a pulp...However, I did want to give a perspective that might help explain behavior of CM's though clearly am not condoning that behavior.

I have been travelling to WDW for 32 years now. I've lost track but at least 21 trips over the years. Has CM service detoriated? Hard to say.... Has it changed? Yes.

What has been more noticable the shift in CM service or the shift in the entitlement/"Give it to me Know Darn it!!!" culture? Absolutely the latter.

I love disney, just bought into DVC recently, and am thrilled to go for many many more years to come. However, I have been and continue to be horrified by the behavior of guests at the resorts and at the parks. The number of instances of guests yelling at other guests, cutting in line, demanding people move/get out of their way for parades, fireworks, and shows, yelling at CMs, demanding this or that FAR FAR FAR outway any noticeable drop off in CM service/behavior over the same time period. It is sad to see because at the end of the day "WHAT WOULD WALT SAY? These things are more apt to ruin my day a heck of a lot quicker than any CM issue.

 

[mickaholic4077]

I didn't say he was a hero. But he and Wells DID save the company. Sure, he turned out to be a stinker at the end there, but he's also responsible for some of the things that DISers like best -- value resorts, Disney on Broadway, Magical Express, Animal Kingdom. So you have to give him that, at least.


All Disney CMs ARE playing a role. But as I said earlier, a lot of them don't really "get" that part. If you're a 21YO and this is maybe the second or third job you've ever had, you're probably not remembering all the time that at Disney, you're an actor too. Because you didn't have to do that at the last place you worked. There, you were serving fast food. Now, you're expected to serve fast food AND maintain a fantasy that the Guest is on a small town main street in mid-America. If you don't "get" that, then you obviously can't do that. And even though it's part of the training, a lot of CMs take a while to understand how to do that part of the job.

And I totally disagree with how you would handle that situation. If someone is having a bad day or doing something wrong, don't fire them -- teach them how to do it right! You don't fire those folks "faster than fast". You pull them aside, explain to them what you think they did wrong, ask them why it happened, explain to them the proper way, and then send them back out with that knowledge and a reminder that we're all part of the "show". You arm them with more information and give them another chance. Otherwise, they have learned nothing, and you have an open hole on the line.

You can't fix the problem by firing the person. You fix the problem by fixing the person.

I totally agree with your last paragraph and statement!!

 

[CaseyJr]

We just got back and had nothing but Magical encounters with CMs! Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be doing their jobs.

Well, there was one CM -- and I would like to report her, but I only remember her name and which park she was in (I don't recall the date). She was patronizing another CM who happened to be from another country. When she waited on me she put my merchanidse (a pin) on the counter with the receipt & my change. I asked if I could have a bag. She put a bag on top of my stuff and left it at that!

 

[graygables]

We just got back and had nothing but Magical encounters with CMs! Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be doing their jobs.

Well, there was one CM -- and I would like to report her, but I only remember her name and which park she was in (I don't recall the date). She was patronizing another CM who happened to be from another country. When she waited on me she put my merchanidse (a pin) on the counter with the receipt & my change. I asked if I could have a bag. She put a bag on top of my stuff and left it at that!

WHOA! Absolutely write and report her. Name, park, and shop location will be plenty for them to figure out who it was.

 

[jimmiej]

I'm a long time CM, and I have to say that I am so TIRED of the "What would Walt do?" philosophy. None of us -- no one -- has any idea what Walt would do if he were alive today. We can guess, but no one knows. Walt was a smart businessman with vision. Who knows? 30 years in -- once his daughters grew up and technology took off -- he may have gotten tired of the whole theme park line of business and sold off the company to go off and do something else. He may have decided that championing new phone technologies was his passion. He may have developed the Internet. He may have become a hermit like Howard Hughes. He may have tossed it all away and moved to Europe. No one knows.

People have this nostalgic, warm and fuzzy feeling about Walt Disney -- but THAT Walt is the "brand" of Walt Disney. The myth. The legend. Sure, Walt had those qualities, but Disney was also a sharp-edged, hard-to-please businessman who had political ties, hated unions, and believed his way was the only right way.

Constantly going back to "What would Walt do?" nearly got the company sectioned off and sold to corporate raiders in the Miller years. That reliance on what Walt would think or say or do -- as opposed to looking at the market, the business and the audience and making decisions based on TODAY -- was the whole reason Eisner and Wells had to step in and save the company in the first place. I think our exec leaders today need to remember the nostalgia and "brand" of Walt Disney as they move forward, because that's what got us to where we are. And it's what distinguishes us from the Six Flags and Cedar Fairs of the world. But I'm just fine if they decide to not make every decision based on "What would Walt do?" I'd much rather have them say, "What is best for the company right here, right now?"

You contradict yourself (see bolded).

 

[maxiesmom]

That is such a big NO NO! Imagine an actor on stage playing a role. He or she just can´t say what they feel like. It is the same thing at Disney. They should leave their bad personality problems outside the parks and let people feel like they are in happy place where the worries of the outside world can´t reach them.
I would fire a person like that faster than fast.
Everybady has bad days, but in some jobs that just wont cut it.

What we need to keep in mind here is that the CMs are real human beings, not robots. So even though they shouldn't let their on stage attitude slip for a moment, I don't think they should be fired for a momentary slip up. If the same CM has the same attitude problem over and over, then yeah, it should be delt with. But none of us here will know if that is the case or not by witnessing one incident.

No one here is perfect, and does their job perfectly, every time. Even if you think you do! You may expect expect a CM to be perfect, but you need to be realistic. It is way too easy to come here and post a sort of "Off with their heads!" attitude. Can't we all just give each other a break?

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

No, that was Al Gore.

I hate to go radically OT here... but Mr. Gore never once claimed to have invented the internet.

You can't fix the problem by firing the person. You fix the problem by fixing the person.

Well said!

 

[ntsammy5]

I hate to go radically OT here... but Mr. Gore never once claimed to have invented the internet.

Never let the facts stand in the way of a good quote.

 

[WDSearcher]

You contradict yourself (see bolded).

No ... I don't. But it's hard to put into a relatively short post. Sorry. It's the difference between an unreasonable question and and a realistic expectation.

When most people say "What would Walt do?", they're asking a question that can't be answered. The assumption is that the Walt Disney we read about as he built Disneyland and made movies -- the nostalgic wonderful warm and fuzzy Walt -- is the same Walt we would have today if he were still alive. And we have no way of knowing that's true. He could have turned into a tyrant as the company grew. There's no way of knowing that.

But regardless of what would have happened to the man, the brand was set the day Mickey Mouse made his debut. All through Walt's early years, everything he did added to the parameters of what that brand was. It became Walt's legacy ... his "aura", if you will. And that's what we need to look at when we plot the future of the Disney company. We can look at the Disney brand and know what is appropriate or not based on how that has grown and been nurtured throughout the decades. But we can't possibly know what Disney the man would do. Because he is no longer around to ask.

 

[smylie1]

I'm not going to jump in on the issue of CM's as I think everyone has beaten that horse to a pulp...However, I did want to give a perspective that might help explain behavior of CM's though clearly am not condoning that behavior.

I have been travelling to WDW for 32 years now. I've lost track but at least 21 trips over the years. Has CM service detoriated? Hard to say.... Has it changed? Yes.

What has been more noticable the shift in CM service or the shift in the entitlement/"Give it to me Know Darn it!!!" culture? Absolutely the latter.

I love disney, just bought into DVC recently, and am thrilled to go for many many more years to come. However, I have been and continue to be horrified by the behavior of guests at the resorts and at the parks. The number of instances of guests yelling at other guests, cutting in line, demanding people move/get out of their way for parades, fireworks, and shows, yelling at CMs, demanding this or that FAR FAR FAR outway any noticeable drop off in CM service/behavior over the same time period. It is sad to see because at the end of the day "WHAT WOULD WALT SAY? These things are more apt to ruin my day a heck of a lot quicker than any CM issue.

I agree. I work at an elementary school and the "entitlement" issue is discussed A LOT. It's starting younger and younger and making for obnoxious adults. "I can do what I want, say what I want, get what I want, whenever I want it and who are you to tell me I can't!"

 

[luvthemouse71]

Ok, now your just pulling straws. Surely you can read between the lines and not nit-pick. I said verbal assault, not getting beaten up. Not all of us work in "peachy" parts of town so come do a day at my hospital and you will see there is little difference between "demanding" patients and the verbally assaulting one.



Again, you don't know what you're talking about. I've witnessed it a few times and the hospital has stood behind the employee. When the cause is just, no consequences have been rendered. Inner city is a little different than good ole rural hospitals. You have to deal with these people a little different than most.

First off, I work in a level one trauma center in a not-so-nice part of town. We get plenty of patients who are verbally abusive..if you are at all a professional, you don't give it back to them.Period..you can certainly take yourself out of the equation by trading patients with someone, but you will never convince me that any hospital is going to think it's fine for you to go off on a patient.

I think you and your coworkers may be a little on the overly sensitive side if you think a demanding patient is "assaulting" youI've certainly said to a patient that they need to calm down but maybe I work in a more intense area than you do..a demanding patient certainly isn't going to hurt my feelings. I save that for the ones that take a swing at me. And even then, I don't get my feelings hurt, depending on the situation(pt is drugged, confused etc)

I think you may not know what you're talking about..what is said in front of everyone and what happens behind a closed office door are 2 different things. I've seen employees get "backed up" in front of pt family members or the pt and then privately get disciplined.

At any rate, remind me not to get sick in your neck of the woods..pretty scary to know that apparently, if you think a patient is demanding, that gives you the right to mouth off and get nasty.

 

[61292cna]

First off, I work in a level one trauma center in a not-so-nice part of town. We get plenty of patients who are verbally abusive..if you are at all a professional, you don't give it back to them.Period..you can certainly take yourself out of the equation by trading patients with someone, but you will never convince me that any hospital is going to think it's fine for you to go off on a patient.

I think you and your coworkers may be a little on the overly sensitive side if you think a demanding patient is "assaulting" youI've certainly said to a patient that they need to calm down but maybe I work in a more intense area than you do..a demanding patient certainly isn't going to hurt my feelings. I save that for the ones that take a swing at me. And even then, I don't get my feelings hurt, depending on the situation(pt is drugged, confused etc)

I think you may not know what you're talking about..what is said in front of everyone and what happens behind a closed office door are 2 different things. I've seen employees get "backed up" in front of pt family members or the pt and then privately get disciplined.

At any rate, remind me not to get sick in your neck of the woods..pretty scary to know that apparently, if you think a patient is demanding, that gives you the right to mouth off and get nasty.

Very well said.

 

[Sorahana]

Has nobody in this thread worked retail before?

There's a good chance that because of the economy Disney is cutting back on cast members, which would result in longer hours for the current cast members. Longer hours causes a lot of stress, especially when dealing with some of the things the cast members do. Try working ten hours on your feet with a smile and tell me you are not stressed.

As far as the listed offenses you guys really have no idea what was really happening. How many things have you done at your job that could be misconstrued by an omnipresent audience? The first two dealt with cast members arguing and in both cases the cast members at fault seem to be newly hired. On the third I find it difficult to believe that nine cast members, in addition to the two working, were attending the ice cream shop. Eleven cast members is high for any counter service. It's possible that they were off the clock or unable to open another till.

To the people who say they don't deserve slack or should be fired for this are being a bit dramatic considering this is a second hand account. I don't think it's just the younger generation that feels entitled to everything, but Americans in general.

I agree. CMs get cranky too, but they shouldn't be displaying it publicly, they need to deal with that offstage and not onstage with guests. Yelling in front of guests at any job is unacceptable.

Another note, if you're visiting the parks and you have a situation like this involving yourself (ie: a CM not treating you properly) or you see a cast member acting or talking that way, tell a manager or a coordinator. They will take care of the problem, please report the situation to them.

I'd like to chime in here with another explanation (although NOT an excuse...) I'm a non-traditional student. I'm in grad school and have 2 DDs who are WDW CMs, went through the College Program, and inspired me to do the same. I've been back from my program for a few weeks and am heading back next week as a WDW Management Intern.

It is important to remember that MANY of the younger CMs you encounter are at WDW on the College Program. It is a job for a season that gets Disney on your resume. The pay isn't that hot and the hours aren't either. The mature adult in me says, it's an honor and a privilege to have a job at WDW. I have taken a position away from someone else who was equally deserving and I should honor that. I should take full advantage of my opportunities and do my very best to see to it that MY Guests feel welcome in MY shop.

However, some of the CPers do not have that kind of maturity/attitude. Some come in thinking it's going to be 4-7 months of Spring Break, party time, have lots o' fun at Disney World (and Cocoa Beach), baby! When they realize that they really have to WORK, then it becomes not so great anymore and attitudes suffer. There is a also lot of behind the scenes stuff that the kids have to learn from managing their time & money, making it to costuming, figuring out bus schedules, and dealing with roommates, some of whom may not even speak the same language.

The very best thing you can do as a Guest is to hold that Cast Member accountable right then and there. Take their name and ask to speak to a manager. Of course, you are not asking in order to receive something, just make the manager aware of the situation. You can take comfort in knowing that you have made someone else's vacation better. Hopefully, someone before you did the same and YOURS is better for it.

On the other hand, if you observe a Cast Member doing all of the RIGHT things, please do the same. There are ways that Cast Members can be recognized behind the scenes and it makes a world of difference, puts a spring in your step, and makes you forget that you may only have enough money to buy ramen for the next week.

I'm sorry you had less than magical Cast Members. I only hope that when I'm a manager, I can inspire my Cast to make Guests vacations happily memorable.

Greygables-I agree with you 100%.

 

[MGMBill]

I think a lot of this comes down to expectations. What do people expect from CMs in terms of service.

When I go to a restaurant and have a soda I like to have a refill. I like it when the server comes on their own and asks me if I want a refill. If they don't then I'm more likely to feel the service is bad. But someone else may not care about having a refill and therefore be perfectly happy with the service. Expectations!

When people go to Disney World a lot of them have huge expectations. I've read about them on these boards: I paid a lot of money for this trip so I expect outstanding service, I wasn't happy with my meal so I hope I get comped, I hope when I check in I get upgraded, etc.

It's impossible to please all the people all of the time. As the saying goes "You can please all of the people some of the time. You can please some of the people all of the time. But you can't please all of the people all of the time."

 

[Robo]

As the saying goes "You can please all of the people some of the time. You can please some of the people all of the time. But you can't please all of the people all of the time."

I believe I said,
"You can FOOL all of the people some of the time. You can FOOL some of the people all of the time. But you can't FOOL all of the people all of the time."

 

[EmpressBubbles]

This thread turned ugly quickly!

Can't we all just ?

 

[MGMBill]

I believe I said,
"You can FOOL all of the people some of the time. You can FOOL some of the people all of the time. But you can't FOOL all of the people all of the time."

Actually, the saying I quoted (You can please all of the people some of the time. You can please some of the people all of the time. But you can't please all of the people all of the time) was correct. It is attributed to the Medieval poet John Lydgate (1370 - 1451). Lincoln adapted it into the more well known one you referred to. (You can fool all of the people...) You can do a search online if you care to learn more about John Lydgate.

 

[MGMBill]

This thread turned ugly quickly!

Can't we all just ?

Thanks we are going to the happiest place on earth!

 

[TStrickland01]

First Catty Cat is an idiot for what was posted. There will be a little transition until everyone understands the change in the ecomony.
But to say that because someone can afford to go to Disney, you would treat them badly, well that is just stupidity and ignorance rearing it ugly head.