The End of Refillable Mugs in Disney World?

[tlcoke]

This is probably very true. I used to umpire slow pitch softball for a very large softball complex. They sold quite a bit of Coke product. So much so, that not only did Coke give them their products for free, but even paid them to use their product exclusively.

I don't know how that works as a business model for Coke. I guess it would be more of an advertisment or presence sort of thing to keep individuals buying it in convenient stores, or other venues.

Usually the companies will either throw in the dispensing equipment for free with purchase of the syrup or the product for free as part of the lease on the dispensing equipment. It will depend on the licensing agreement they have with Disney for exclusive soda rights on property.

 

[tlcoke]

how are people who don't purchase the refillable feature going to use the soda machine?

There would be a barcode or RFID Sticker on the paper cup which will activate the soda machine.

 

[dalt01]

With all this talk of "stealing" drinks form Disney, I seem to reacall hearing the Coke provide their products free of charge to Mr Mouse.

anyone could make that case for anything. you sell so much of my *********that i will give it to you for free. then no manufacturer would make money, just the retailer. its been awhile since i was involved in anything like this so its a memory test. first i dont know if disney uses a premix or postmix system. if it is postmix the fluid itself used to be about 3 cents and the cup about 4 cents and the ice about 1 cent. so depending on the size cup and the person dispensing it ya got about a dime tied up in food cost. believe it or not if you are going to do it right you have to figure things like labor, waste and fixed expenses (electric etc) the profit to the soda manufacturer is in the volume, the product they market directly to the consumer (coke machine) and the pre bottled shelf product. the fountain product is profitable to the retail vendor. so when you fill that 10 year old dixie landings cup you only took em for about a nickel, assuming as i do that they do not get their product for free.

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Hey Mike- In all of your digging last night did you find anything related to the Dream? As I recall, the pictures on the Dream are supposed to "come to life" and be interactive to the degree that it would know the guests name and if they had something (read: excursion, spa, etc) that day. I'm guessing this is the same basic technology as that. Just wondering if it was referenced in any of the patent stuff you dug through......

 

[k5jm]

Hey Lori

A few months ago, DCL announced their new kids club formats after the Wonder was rehabbed. The Kids club was now going to be using new bracelets for a ll the kids so that they would be able to check in by using the wireless RFID tag in their bracelets. DCL will know if the kids are in one play area or another just by using the RFID tag. This is the "big test" for the immersive interaction that you are talking about on the ships.

From the 2008 Press Release for the Rehab of the Magic

Fun for the Little Ones
The Oceaneer Club, a Neverland-themed play space for 3-7 year olds, and the Oceaneer Lab, a whacky and interactive laboratory exclusively for 8-12 year olds, were enhanced with new registration areas that make the check-in process more efficient and hassle-free. This sets the stage for incorporating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the youth activity areas later this year, which will further enhance and streamline the check-in process. The technology uses RFID tags embedded on wristbands, allowing children to simply tap a sensor to check in and out of the clubs.

 

[MM32830]

With all this talk of "stealing" drinks form Disney, I seem to reacall hearing the Coke provide their products free of charge to Mr Mouse.

Does it make any difference whether the product is supplied to Disney free of charge or if they pay for it?

If you don't pay for something that you acquire and it wasn't given to you, then you stole it.




_____________________
Armand

 

[k5jm]

I would have never guessed that I was starting such a bi-polar thread

 

[DisneyKevin]

Does it make any difference whether the product is supplied to Disney free of charge or if they pay for it?

If you don't pay for something that you acquire and it wasn't given to you, then you stole it.
Armand

This is where the judgments always begin.

Just want you all to know that as long as this conversation stays "nice", I'll leave it alone.

Thanks.

 

[MM32830]

This is where the judgments always begin.

Just want you all to know that as long as this conversation stays "nice", I'll leave it alone.

Thanks.

Kevin,

I meant no disrespect to anyone on the list.

My post was meant to make people aware of the incorrect belief that if something doesn't cost something then there is nothing lost.

If anyone took offense to my last post, please accept my apologies.





_____________________
Armand

 

[DisneyKevin]

Kevin,

I meant no disrespect to anyone on the list.

My post was meant to make people aware of the incorrect belief that if something doesn't cost something then there is nothing lost.

If anyone took offense to my last post, please accept my apologies.
Armand

I appreciate your post Armand.

I feel confident that the folks who post here know the definition of stealing and dont need it explained.

The ridiculous conversation of refillable mugs and the morality of using said mugs has been a hot button issue since the boards were born.

As Disney has done nothing to "fix" this perceived problem, then it apparently isnt an issue to them and if it isnt an issue to them then it should not be an issue to any of us either.

This conversation started out as a discussion of new technology and Disney gathering information and has turned to the same old silly conversation about refillable mugs.

As I said earlier.....as long as the conversation stays "nice", I'll leave it alone.

As soon as it turns into a judgmental thread questioning others morality.....I'll close it down in a NYC minute.

 

[dalt01]

I would have never guessed that I was starting such a bi-polar thread

yea, for a minute there i thought it was time for the CAKE folks to come out and hijack this thing.

 

[mainegal]

Cake? Yum.
But in case it is a little dry, I will wash it down with some Diet Coke from my refillable mug.

The mug was purchased in December 2008.
The Coke from my home fridge was purchased last week.

 

[FireDancer]

With all this talk of "stealing" drinks form Disney, I seem to reacall hearing the Coke provide their products free of charge to Mr Mouse.

Coca Cola not charging Disney for their product doesn't make it free to Disney. Without getting into an economics class about opportunity cost this is a perfect example of accounting cost vs. actual cost. If Coca Cola trades their product for name space it isn't free to Disney, it costs them the opportunity to sell that name space to someone else.

These numbers are completely hypothetical but lets say Disney can get $5 million dollars a year in return from a company being the official drink of Walt Disney World. Disney can charge Coca Cola $5 million and then pay them that money back as they purchase their product or they can accept free product from Coca Cola in lieu of charging them for what is essentially a sponsorship. I imagine in reality they cut a deal that both discounts the product and opens a line of credit that is offset by the sponsorship on the books. Just because you aren't reaching into your pocked for the cash doesn't make it free.

Also, RFID doesn't require the swiping of anything. All you have to do is walk past an RFID reader and Disney (or whomever owns the RFID system) knows exactly where you are. Imagine you have your RFID key to the world card on you. Disney could easily know exactly when you walk into a gift shop and how long you spend there or exactly when you enter a queue and how long you are in it. They could even figure out the exact route you take throughout the park (there are RFID pucks embedded in the concrete on all WDW parade routes).

Big Brother? Maybe. I can tell you though that if I were the CIO of Disney I would be installing RFID everywhere because knowing the movement of your guests is valuable information.

 

[k5jm]

Frank is dead-on!

That is EXACTLY how I see it.

 

[wishspirit]

I always buy refillable mugs, but since we usually stay for 10 days to 2 weeks, it is only about a buck a day to get as much lemonade as I can drink! (and boy do I love that stuff!! ) Its also an excuse to get me drinking if I don't think I am paying for it, I am a terrible at keeping my fluid levels up, as well as my sugar levels when i'm nervous, so I live off poweraide the first few days!

I will admit, I will 'steal' from Disney, as we will buy our mugs at pop, but move to BCV's, and I am not planning to buy new ones! I know they are meant to be for that hotel stay, but I am just a terrible person! If they were resort specific, I would feel bad about it. No one can tell nowadays, so I am not too worried!

I think this technology is scary, but coming from the most CCTV'ed country in the world, I am used to it a bit I guess! Hopefully it will only to enhance guest experience rather than too much driven marketing. If Disney knew that I bought a watch every time I go (which I do because I always seem to lose or break them between trips, the last one went through the washing machine), then I guess they would target watch specific merchandise at me! Not a bad thing if they are offering me discounts!

 

[dpuck1998]

Frank is dead-on!

That is EXACTLY how I see it.

Frank is BOSS!

They can see wherever I go, I don't mind. If I don't want them to see I'll ditch the RFID chip and put it in a locker, with the kids.

 

[k5jm]

This conversation started out as a discussion of new technology and Disney gathering information and has turned to the same old silly conversation about refillable mugs.

As I said earlier.....as long as the conversation stays "nice", I'll leave it alone.

As soon as it turns into a judgmental thread questioning others morality.....I'll close it down in a NYC minute.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I am sure that Disney has oodles of info on us. I just wonder how much of it is correct information I always hear people on the boards complaining about how Disney doesn't have their Name, address, email phone etc correct in their system. If this can't be kept up to date after people updating it , some of them regularly who knows what information they have listed as mine is actually correct. Just a random thought there.

 

[BriarRosie]

I posted here because I thought this new technology would end the silly debates about refillable mugs once and for all. Was I inadvertently pegged as one of the "silly, ridiculous people" who post about refillable mugs?

Gawd I hope not. I don't care how people refill mugs. Use the Big Gulp cup for all I care. I was prematurely posting that it would be nice to end those pointless debates. I hope I didn't get myself labeled as something I'm definitely NOT.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I posted here because I thought this new technology would end the silly debates about refillable mugs once and for all. Was I inadvertently pegged as one of the "silly, ridiculous people" who post about refillable mugs?

Gawd I hope not. I don't care how people refill mugs. Use the Big Gulp cup for all I care. I was prematurely posting that it would be nice to end those pointless debates. I hope I didn't get myself labeled as something I'm definitely NOT.

Never once did I refer to "silly, ridiculous people".

I did describe the ongoing debate over refillable mugs as both ridiculous and silly and I stand by that.

That particular debate has been raging for years and it ends up going nowhere.