The End to my Magic

[dparksfan]

On Monday the 18th, I stopped at the WOD on my way back to the hotel. It was almost closing for them and I was walking around trying to make last minute purchases at the end of my trip. Looking at the pins, trying to find a first trip pin for my 22mo ds, I saw one of the worst things ever. A castmember gave a pin to a plain clothes friend, which he proceeded to put in his pocket. They both looked at me nervously because they knew I saw them do it. I was stunned and saddened. I didn't do anything then, but I thought I would write a letter later. Anyone know to who to write to? Very disappointing end of cast member shoplifting at the end of my long-awaited vacation.

 

[disneychrista]

You can get contact info at the bottom of the disneyland website.

 

[Lessa of Pern]

and just how do you know that they were doing something wrong?

it could be that the pin was purchased.

you would write aa letter to Disney to have someone fired when you don't even know all the facts?

 

[AFMom]

It is suspicious, and would be pretty disappointing - but I certainly hope that one CM without scruples wouldn't ruin your vacation. Disney has to hire HUNDREDS of people, and they do their best to get great CM's, but not all of them are going to be perfect or Disney magical. Also - you really don't know the situation there - it could have been a pin the CM's were given as a gift from Disney, and the CM only looked guilty because he was supposed to keep the pin and not give it to a friend. Who knows....

 

[dparksfan]

I know what I saw. I saw a cast member, who was restocking pins, still with the plastic around them (those little plastic bags they come in), and hand one to someone, who was not wearing cast member clothes, and he put it in his pocket, and then they looked suspicously guilty because they saw me watch the entire thing happen. When I go to disney parks I set their standards a little higher than the local mall. Have never seen a cast member shoplift before, and it took the magic out of the end of my trip. A little bit of reality I guess. I was just disappointed that it happened. If I had seen someone steal in a store, I might of said something to a cast member, but this time it was the cast member, and I didn't know what to do.
I would never write a letter saying fire someone, just a heads up, because I'm sure it wasn't the first or last time it happened.

 

[peachgirl]

Things aren't always what they seem.

After having picked up our pin sets and bags from the Disney Store that came with our package, we realized that one packet was missing one of the pins. We went back to the store and told a CM.

She walked over behind the counter, took a set of pins from behind the counter and walked back over to me and handed me the pins, still in their packaging.

I suppose someone who was watching might have thought we were stealing.

 

[dparksfan]

I guess everyone's denial is as strong as mine was, which was why it was so hard for me to believe someone would do that working at d-land. And so hard to believe people think I didn't see what I saw. He had no bag, he pocketed the pin and continued to pretend to shop. I was sad to see it happen, thought I would get some common thoughts or feelings from others who like Disney too, but people seem to think I'm wrong, or I didn't see it right. Amazing, I'm done with this topic.

 

[lulugirl]

I guess everyone's denial is as strong as mine was, which was why it was so hard for me to believe someone would do that working at d-land. And so hard to believe people think I didn't see what I saw. He had no bag, he pocketed the pin and continued to pretend to shop. I was sad to see it happen, thought I would get some common thoughts or feelings from others who like Disney too, but people seem to think I'm wrong, or I didn't see it right. Amazing, I'm done with this topic.

 

[disneychrista]

I wouldn't say people think you are wrong, they just don't want to believe that this is what happened. It is impossible to know for sure what happened. Maybe there is/was some logical/legal explaination for this.

 

[peachgirl]

I guess everyone's denial is as strong as mine was, which was why it was so hard for me to believe someone would do that working at d-land. And so hard to believe people think I didn't see what I saw. He had no bag, he pocketed the pin and continued to pretend to shop. I was sad to see it happen, thought I would get some common thoughts or feelings from others who like Disney too, but people seem to think I'm wrong, or I didn't see it right. Amazing, I'm done with this topic.

It has nothing to do with denial, it's simply impossible for you to know for sure. I had no shopping bag either. Four of us went in the store to get our freebies and when we realized one was missing a pin, 2 took all the bags back to the GC while I and one other person walked back into the store.

Actually, I had no shopping bag, no purse, nothing in my hands at all and someone certainly might have assumed that the CM and I were working together to steal.


I don't know why you're so angry, but you seem to want to believe what you think happened did. The fact is, it's impossible for you to know what happened. Trust me, I'm not blinded by pixie dust...not my style. I don't believe one way or the other because it's impossible for anyone to know. Under those circumstances I wouldn't be so quick to lable someone a thief.

 

[Lessa of Pern]

incredible, absolutely incredible.

I am sure there is dishonesty at Disney. cast members are human, just like the rest of us.

I am NOT sure that what you saw was an example of such dishonesty. there are other explanations for what you witnessed.

I certainly would not jeapardize someone's livelyhood based on ASSUMPTIONS.

 

[Aggie96]

Good grief. Give dparksfan a break. She was in a far better position to judge what she saw than any of the rest of us. Even if no one can know for sure what happened, she was just expressing her disappointment. She sure isn't the first to do that on these boards. And do you really think that a letter she might write would get somebody fired?! If the cast member has an explanation (if he can even be pinpointed), I'm sure his job will be perfectly safe.

I don't know exactly how these things work, but can somebody out there put a stop to this thread? It seems that all the responses are the same so there doesn't seem to be any point in letting them continue.

I hope dparksfan is just done with this thread and not with these boards all together. I would be.

 

[yensiD naF]

I don't know exactly how these things work, but can somebody out there put a stop to this thread? It seems that all the responses are the same so there doesn't seem to be any point in letting them continue.

I hope dparksfan is just done with this thread and not with these boards all together. I would be.

OMG! Get over it. Disney is full of thieves and dishonest peole. the OP stated what they observed and I, for one believe that it is very possible. Thieves can be very sloppy and the "friend" that the CM was giving the pin to could have been a CM from somewhere else. It happens. There are hundereds of people working and shopping at WOD at any given time. The place is a source of chaos and I'm sure that this was only one of many such events on that day.

 

[disneychrista]

I hope dparksfan is just done with this thread and not with these boards all together. I would be.

Someone needs a much tougher skin if simply being told that there is no way to know what really happen will make you stop posting. Would you stop talking to someone in real life if they told you the same? I doubt it.

 

[exDS vet]

I used to be the Store Manager of a Disney Store. I have seen this kind of thing first hand. When I was at the downtown San Francisco store, we had to fire two CM's for fraudulently shipping gallery (expensive) merchandise to their friends, calling them guests and using other people's credit card numbers.

Even though we conducted bag checks and had systems in place to prevent theft, theives are near the bottom of the barrell. They are desperate and will do anything to get their hands on things that aren't theirs.

When I managed another SF Disney Store, I caught another CM performing a fraudulent "refund" on an $80 Eeyore watch. When I reported the incident to my district manager, she said we didn't have enough proof to do anything to the CM. Not even write the person up! I had plenty of proof and even two witnesses to the fact, but couldn't do anything about it.

There are some good Disney CM's out there, but for every good one, there are probably two bad ones. For some people, working for Disney is a dream job. For others, it's a job, and nothing more. Turn over is very high in all areas of this company, and it's not just the people who lose their jobs due to corporate downsizing.

The next time you are in one of the parks, take a look around for CM's with Mickey, Donald or castle pins on their nametags. Every time I go to the parks, it gets harder and harder to find them. The casting department at Disney has a revolving door that spins around faster than the tea cups of the "Mad Tea Party". For all of the fantasy that Disney sells, it is amazing how much reality there actually is.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I definitely believe it could have, and probably did happen. Disney has thousands of employees and it's impossible to keep an eye on everyone at all times. Unfortunately, it happens to every company, especiallly giant corporations. While I think it's an awful thing to do, no matter where it happened, I really hate the idea that it happens at Disney. That's mainly because it means higher prices to be paid by the rest of us honest folks.

That said, I really don't think my entire trip would've been ruined over it, though. I get the feeling that the OP wants us to feel bad for her for having witnessed it. If the rest of the trip was magical, then I would just take it in stride. Yeah, it sucks, but what can you do? Sadly, that's just life.

 

[challada]

I do believe such a situation could happen. Having worked retail in a theme park, I can say that yes, employees steal. However, here's two things to put your mind at ease:
1. Security cameras are overhead at WOD in the pin area, as well as in the pin shop in Tomorrowland, etc...therefore, stealing would be on tape.
(and they are fast at getting any questions answered, we watched an incidence of a "guest" stealing a pin and security was there before they left the store and had them in custody)
2. There are are specific security guards to monitor employees... if they have any questions, these folks will specifically watch and catch an employee. (I was in a supervisory role in retail and often got to sit on monitoring and apprehension).

 

[Amy&Dan]

I have no trouble believe this happened. I just know that once I was in charge for a fundraiser at my church and somebody (had to be a church member) got into the freezer and stole all the pork tenderloin we had bought for the dinner. After that, nothing amazes me anymore. I have heard that Disney has cameras everywhere and that the security folks who take care of it are discreet and look like guests to avoid attention. Since this was an employee I'll bet it got taken care of real quick.

 

[dparksfan]

First of all, I'm secure enough to not let something so minor ruin my entire trip or throw me off of these boards. I've read them for years and find more than enough useful info for all of my disney trips. But, I don't post very often because sometimes info gets misunderstood or taken out of context. This time I felt the need to share what happened because it upset me, I don't want to be felt sorry for like someone posted, it's called empathy. Putting yourself in other's shoes and understanding their situation. People were empathizing with the cast member and saying it was me that was wrong in what I saw. I figured people on the boards would be Disney fans who might feel bad too about an incident like this. I appreciate both sides of an issue and am happy their have been posts to say that it actually could have happened like I saw it. If I'm wrong at what I saw, so be it. Just a pin, but as previous posters said, their are dishonest castmembers and it definitely takes some of the magic out of the place knowing this and especially seeing it.

 

[epcotfan]

incredible, absolutely incredible.

I am sure there is dishonesty at Disney. cast members are human, just like the rest of us.

I am NOT sure that what you saw was an example of such dishonesty. there are other explanations for what you witnessed.

I certainly would not jeapardize someone's livelyhood based on ASSUMPTIONS.

I agree. I once had a Pirates Of The Caribbean pin that had a broken part. I went to return it and the girl just passed me a new one from the pin rack. I'm sure it looked like she was stealing too. Unless you know the facts I would not jeopardize someone's job over this incident.