Pin Trading (or lack there of)

[EllenJ]

My DD (15) is heavily into pin trading. In our family's first trip to DL, I was very suprised to to see that there were very few castmembers wearing pin trading lanyards. The few that were wearing them, many were for kids under 12 only. I asked a CM at the pin trading store downtown and they stated that since they are union, they do not have to wear the lanyards but the CMs in WDW are non-union and they have to wear them.
Is this true?

 

[pigletforever]

That is one of our fave things to do at WDW. I have been buying pins for stocking stuffers to take to DL. Guess I better stop.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Everything I've read says that CMs at both Disneyland and WDW can choose to wear lanyards, but don't have to. I've made many trades with CMs on many visits to Disneyland and I'm an adult so there's no need to stop buying pins because nobody trades at Disneyland. For all the trades I've made, there have been way more instances of seeing lanyards and not making a trade.

 

[EllenJ]

In the pin store in DD, all the CMs wore lanyards. The first night we were there they had a cart that you could trade from. Unfortunately it was the last night they were doing it. I guess it was a summer thing. They did have 2 books that they let you trade from between 1:30 and 3:30. She got most of her pins there. In 5 days in DL, she traded 20 - 25 pins. In WDW she would have traded that many in one day.
Maybe it was just the time of day or where we were looking but I would guess that (at the most) 30% of the CMs we encountered wore lanyards.

 

[pixiewings71]

We never had an issue finding CM's to trade with. I know a lot of WDWers do complain but maybe it's just because DL is much smaller. I've never had any issues of not finding anyone to trade with. Sometimes, when the parks are really busy, there are less but they are still out.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i saw so many in nov-dec many on main street and around before going in to the other lands. in the stores. dtd i saw the cart i didnt go to it tho.

 

[lulubelle]

Sleepless Knight is correct.
CM's can wear a lanyard..or not. They are "Disney owned", not the CM's. So when you start a shift you take the lanyard and wear it. You have no control over what pins are on it or not. Also, there is a pin trading area in DTD close to the monorail where tables are set up with notebooks of pins, a few CM's are there as well as regular groupies. I don't know what kind of schedule they have, but you could check there. I have also seen at the hotels, if a child asks someone working the register if she has pins to trade, a cupboard opens up and wha-laa, there is a lanyard with pins available to trade. It never hurts to ask!

 

[bumbershoot]

Hubby has made trades with the CMs at stores. They keep their lanyards under the register tables, it seems. I was amazed how many people would reach to touch pins on lanyards worn around necks!