Stroller Jacking! Bait Car - Disney Style

[Bell30012]

Lost revenue? Disney does not lose any money if a stroller is stolen. They actually make more money because if you do not have your receipt, you would actually rent again, right?

If you don't have your receipt you rent again. But if you have your receipt, they give you another stroller to replace your jacked one. Two strollers rolling around the park on the same $31.

Stroller Parking CM - "Subject is looking around. He's casing the strollers. He's checking for security."

Disney Security 1 - "Subjects grabbing the vehicle. Subject is tall male with two toddlers. Watch those little ones, they could be sticky. Mickey bars and all."

Disney Security 2 - "I've got them. Team, ready to shut down the Bait Stroller. Move in! Move in! Move in!"

 

[4kids4karen]

We've been at WDW all this week. I bought length of stay stroller passes. A piece of advice to parents who rent a stroller from WDW; Do not leave your receipt and stroller passes in your park stroller. Luckily mine were in my pocket.

Our rental double park stroller was Stroller Jacked twice in a seven day period. Both times at EPCOT. If you have your stroller ticket for that day, WDW will give you another, at no charge. However, this means you walk with your not happy children from The Land or from Norway back to the front of the park.

The CMs told us that they have many of these each day. MANY! While we were there another parent had come in with the same problem. He left his kids with the wife and made the trek to the front alone. However, bad news for him. He didn't have his stroller receipt. A double stroller rents for $31 per day ($27 if you buy multiple days). With the security that WDW has, why can't they slap a GPS on a couple of these, leave them around the park in stroller parking and nap these bandits?

A little Bait Car - Disney Style.

Sometimes it happens by accident. Make sure you MARK your stroller with something that is very clearly obvious to you and others. Not something subtle. Parents do make mistakes too and do not realize CM move strollers to they take one where they park it thinking it is there. I use a bright colored beach towel over the sun visor. You can tie things to the handles, hang a large prersonalized sign from it, etc.

 

[larryz]

That comes to $2,604 per week and $135,408 per year. This is a substantial revenue loss that could be stopped relatively cheaply.

That's about the cost of one middle manager with benefits.

Or four hourly CMs...

For a year.

Anyway, I wonder if this isn't a tip in some underground guidebook or something... ("Go ahead and take any stroller you need -- the original renter can get it replaced for free if they show their receipt...")

 

[larryz]

If you don't have your receipt you rent again. But if you have your receipt, they give you another stroller to replace your jacked one. Two strollers rolling around the park on the same $31.

Stroller Parking CM - "Subject is looking around. He's casing the strollers. He's checking for security."

Disney Security 1 - "Subjects grabbing the vehicle. Subject is tall male with two toddlers. Watch those little ones, they could be sticky. Mickey bars and all."

Disney Security 2 - "I've got them. Team, ready to shut down the Bait Stroller. Move in! Move in! Move in!"

LOLz!

Subjects portrayed on this show are considered innocent until convicted in a court of law...

Or until they're Trespassed and Banned by WDW Security!

 

[SpacePlace]

I'm sure with your data stored in the new Disney Database (MyMagic+), they could link you to your stroller (via RFIDs), and if you report your stroller missing then they just go get it back from the person that took it (track it). After a few months, stroller theft would drop dramatically. Just saying that this could be done among a thousand other things that I'm sure Disney is working on or considering with MyMagic+.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

I was so paranoid about our stroller being stolen and there was, more then once, we thought it had. But it turned out the CMs had moved it, or it'd just been relocated. Sometimes they moved it because of rain, other times because spots had emptied and the stroller parking was over-filled, so they moved ours to the new, open spots... There were a lot of reasons. I don't doubt that people steal strollers, but I think a lot of people just have them moved on them.

We brought our own folding stroller, decorated it with leis and ribbons and I made some tags for it using the Cricut. It was easy to find, even if it was moved, and it was distinctive enough that if we asked a CM, they'd know where it was.

 

[ChristineOH]

Lost revenue? Disney does not lose any money if a stroller is stolen. They actually make more money because if you do not have your receipt, you would actually rent again, right?

I think PP meant that if someone wants a stroller mid-day, and chooses to take someone else's instead of renting one, Disney loses out on the thief's rental money. If the victim goes back with a receipt, Disney had now distributed two strollers, but only received payment for one.

 

[kirsangel]

oh, i see! either way, the "lost revenue" is a tiny drop in the bucket for disney. they have so many huge revenue streams, and the lost stroller revenue probably ranks below money they spend on ketchup that goes unused and in the garbage. actually, that would be interesting to know. how much they spend annually on ketchup!

 

[ScotsMinnie]

We always bring our own stroller and do what someone else suggested and put a bike lock through the back wheels. CMs can still move it if they need to but no point in stealing it as it won't go. We also have a rain cover for our stroller and cover it regardless of whether it is raining or not. Just in case!

 

[scooby9932]

I've always made sure to "personalize" my rental ECV with a seat cover I had made out of a bright DIS green beach towel. I've been careful not to leave anything of value in/on the scooter.

But last year we rented from Apple and had some issues with the scooter. When the technician came to change out the battery pack, he told us that all the ECV's use the same key. It got me thinking that if other people know this, it could be a problem. While not as expensive as Disney's scooters, they're by no means cheap to rent. So I've been brainstorming...

What about something like this?
Stick N Find Bluetooth Location Stickers

It looks like it could be a solution to finding your misplaced, misappropriated, stolen item. Even if your stroller/scooter/wheelchair was "accidentally" taken, you might have some luck recovering it. Of course, that depends on the accuracy and range, etc. But it's a thought.

 

[la79al]

I've heard of the dirty diaper trick but not really sure that would deter thieves. Thinking about using some chocolate to dirty some undies and shorts, drenching them in the restroom and then laying them on the stroller to 'dry' while we're on rides. Guess I can't put them on the handle because of the poor CMs but maybe draped across the suncover would still be a deterrant.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Years ago.... Our Disney rental stroller was stolen once. I had the receipt so when we got another one, and for all the rest of the days on that trip, we would tie every empty plastic bag we had to the handle of the stroller (think like 10 + ). There was never anything valuable in the bags and they were filled with non food trash for the most part. By the time we were done with it it looked like a bag lady was renting that stroller and no one in their right mind would ever consider spending the time to take all those trashy bags off to steal it. It made it super easy to find too!

Your mileage (and trash supply) may vary but it worked for us!

~NM

 

[Deb & Bill]

I've heard of the dirty diaper trick but not really sure that would deter thieves. Thinking about using some chocolate to dirty some undies and shorts, drenching them in the restroom and then laying them on the stroller to 'dry' while we're on rides. Guess I can't put them on the handle because of the poor CMs but maybe draped across the suncover would still be a deterrant.

Everyone knows that old trick. Soiled clothing would not deter someone who wanted that stroller to sell.

 

[Bell30012]

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Disney Security stopped some parent in the park right after "borrowing" a rented park stroller from a stroller parking lot.

"Daddy, why are we being tossed out of Epcot?"

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Disney Security stopped some parent in the park right after "borrowing" a rented park stroller from a stroller parking lot.

"Daddy, why are we being tossed out of Epcot?"

What's the difference being stopped by security for taking a stroller you didn't pay for and being stopped for taking a tshirt you didn't pay for?

The answer to the child's question would be because I took something that didn't belong to me.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I was sometimes evil about that. A few years ago over the winter I was working at Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Sometimes my assignment involved straightening out the strollers in Stroller Parking.

If I found strollers that were illegally parked, such as blocking the stairs, I would move them to Stroller Parking but not the Indiana Jones area. It might have ended up at Hollywood & Vine's parking area.

 

[Bell30012]

People will look at taking a t-shirt as a crime but grabbing a stroller someone else rented as just borrowing. When ours was missing I didn't even consider grabbing another. We just checked The Land and The Sea parking areas then made the trek to the front.

 

[cm8]

I was sometimes evil about that. A few years ago over the winter I was working at Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Sometimes my assignment involved straightening out the strollers in Stroller Parking.

If I found strollers that were illegally parked, such as blocking the stairs, I would move them to Stroller Parking but not the Indiana Jones area. It might have ended up at Hollywood & Vine's parking area.

 

[Bell30012]

I guess that is another way in which I am weird, I always put the stroller where it is supposed to go. If we are going to The Land and The Sea, we will leave it parked in the stroller parking and walk. I always look for the signs that say, "Stroller Parking".

 

[Granny square]

I guess that is another way in which I am weird, I always put the stroller where it is supposed to go. If we are going to The Land and The Sea, we will leave it parked in the stroller parking and walk. I always look for the signs that say, "Stroller Parking".

Not weird. Most people do the same...