Soliciting business at Disney World?

[twalton]

We live here in Central Florida and are frequent visitors to the World. This evening, as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom, we had something happen to us I never thought I'd see.

We were walking down Main Street, coming out onto the courtyard, toward the exit, when we saw a woman with a stroller coming the opposite direction. This was a uniquely built stroller, however (don't want to give it away, because, frankly, I do not want to push any business toward her), and it piqued our interest. My wife said it was a neat invention and she'd be interested in learning more about it. Anyway, before you know it, we're crossing paths and noticed this woman with a stack of flyers. She literally shoves two in our direction, (which we take), says thanks, and then proceeds to do the same to everyone else going our direction.

It was a flyer for her business, and she was there--it appeared--strictly to promote her product.

I was under the assumption that something like this would be at least frowned upon on Disney property, especially the parks, if not downright not allowed. Am I wrong in this?

I still have the flyer. What, in your opinion, should I do with the information? Should I contact Disney's offices to let them know that this woman is doing this? Let it go? Or contact her to let her know that what she was doing was wrong?

 

[Tink888]

We live here in Central Florida and are frequent visitors to the World. This evening, as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom, we had something happen to us I never thought I'd see.

We were walking down Main Street, coming out onto the courtyard, toward the exit, when we saw a woman with a stroller coming the opposite direction. This was a uniquely built stroller, however (don't want to give it away, because, frankly, I do not want to push any business toward her), and it piqued our interest. My wife said it was a neat invention and she'd be interested in learning more about it. Anyway, before you know it, we're crossing paths and noticed this woman with a stack of flyers. She literally shoves two in our direction, (which we take), says thanks, and then proceeds to do the same to everyone else going our direction.

It was a flyer for her business, and she was there--it appeared--strictly to promote her product.

I was under the assumption that something like this would be at least frowned upon on Disney property, especially the parks, if not downright not allowed. Am I wrong in this?

I still have the flyer. What, in your opinion, should I do with the information? Should I contact Disney's offices to let them know that this woman is doing this? Let it go? Or contact her to let her know that what she was doing was wrong?

I'd just let it go. If Disney employees see her doing it, I'm sure they'll confront her and either ask her to stop or remove her from the park.

Disney can't do anything unless they catch her in the act. So contacting them doesn't do much good either.

If she's bold enough to do that at Disney, a personal call from you probably isn't going to deter her. You're one naysayer among thousands of potential customers in her eyes KWIM?

 

[Robo]

The short answer is that it is not allowed.

 

[twalton]

If she's bold enough to do that at Disney, a personal call from you probably isn't going to deter her. You're one naysayer among thousands of potential customers in her eyes KWIM?

That's true, but here's the irony. My wife is the kind of person who has no problem walking up to someone and striking up a conversation. In this case, she was interested enough that she would have done just that--until we had a flyer shoved at us. At that point...forget it. We both were so put off that we didn't want anything to do with her. The only reason that flyer didn't end up in the trash (in retrospect, it should've ended up in the nearest CM's hand) is because I wanted to hang on to the information, just in case.

If she had just walked around the park and let conversations start naturally, I'm positive she would have generated quite a bit of interest in what she had to sell.

 

[biz410]

Seriously?
Let it go and move on with your life.

 

[BamaTigger]

What was she trying to sell? Just curious.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Not worth the bother...

 

[Robo]

She very likely was spotted by a CM and/or security later that same day, and was told to stop distributing her flyers.
Doubt that she would be able to continue that for very long.

 

[Lyndria]

I'm thinking....surely she did not buy a ticket to get into WDW just to hawk her business?!

 

[Allison]

I'm thinking....surely she did not buy a ticket to get into WDW just to hawk her business?!

Why not? That kind of thing wouldn't surprise me at all if she was trying to promote a business. People spend thousands marketing their businesses.

I'm sure she was quickly stopped.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

I'm thinking....surely she did not buy a ticket to get into WDW just to hawk her business?!

She was probably local, and could have an annual pass. I would stop by guest services and give it to them along with the time and place. Then you would have it laid to rest.

 

[vway2552]

When I was a CM, a little boy came up to me and traded pins. After we traded his dad handed me his business card. Thought that was kinda funny.


was on DME alone one time and another guy sits next to me. we start talking and he tells me about these sketchy business thing he's got going. Never really understood, sounded like a pyramid scheme. I don't remember but i must have gave him my number because he called me about 4 or 5 times after i got home. Real nice guy...just sketchy.


Moral of the story: It happens. Move on.

 

[reiella]

I'm thinking....surely she did not buy a ticket to get into WDW just to hawk her business?!

Prolly did not buy a single ticket, that would be fairly wasteful, but consider the value of a resident's season pass in that scenario. Added benefit that they can attempt to write it off as a business expense and still gain the personal benefit of having a season pass to Disney.

My advice, either don't worry about, or let a nearby CM know and then stop worrying about it.

Handing out flyers is a big step towards active soliciting and not just small-talk that's related to their business.

 

[Tara922c]

Me personally, I would just let it go. Eventually security is going to see her, and ask her to stop. People come into my work every now and then and start passing out flyers, and security tells them to leave. We have the flyers, but there is not much we can do with them! I just don't think Disney could do much with the information besides watch out for the woman.

 

[cruisingkat]

Personally, I would have taken the flyer to guest relations and let them know.
If they did catch her, they could revoke her pass and keep her on a do not sell list (since what she was doing was against Disney rules).

 

[knieriem]

I'd let it go too. If she's going around pushing her business like that she might need the money really bad.

You can bet when I open my bakery in a few years here in Tampa I'll be wearing my t-shirt that has our information on it to Disney. Free advertising..of course I won't be approaching people and handing out flyers, just wearing one of my t-shirts!