Working at the Disney Store seasonally...anyone know the perks?

[hmmerr02]

I was approached while shopping yesterday that our disney store was going to be hiring seasonal help. Anyone with any knowledge of this out there? What are the perks? Pay? type of schedule? how much you have to work? Thanks so much!!! Can't wait to hear.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

I've never worked there, but my friend has. She worked FT, but still lost all of her Disney World/Disney Land discounts, passes, etc. I guess it was an across the board decision to take back the "perks". She was very bummed out!! Hope this helps.

 

[hmmerr02]

I've never worked there, but my friend has. She worked FT, but still lost all of her Disney World/Disney Land discounts, passes, etc. I guess it was an across the board decision to take back the "perks". She was very bummed out!! Hope this helps.

I think this might have happened when the Children's Place took ownership. My understanding is now the employees are Disney CM's again and therefore get some perks. Disney took back over late last year, I think.

 

[mikkishelles]

I am pretty sure that DS cast members, even seasonal, get park perks-i.e room discounts, park admissions, etc.

 

[honicakes]

I worked for the DS before it was sold to Childrens Place and was seasonal CM for Xmas time. The hours were long as the mall had extended hours, it was extremely busy and the pay was less than other retail chains (but I REALLY wanted to work for Disney so I didn't care). Alot has changed since then (we wore the full outfit of cardigans, button shirts, kaki shorts, tights and white socks and shoes) but at that time Seasonal CMs did not get any perks other than a merchandise discount.

 

[tripplanner2]

I would love to know too. I know most of the employees at our local stores so I am sure it would not be too difficult to get a job if it meant great travel perks at the parks.

 

[bigolive9]

I am pretty sure that DS cast members, even seasonal, get park perks-i.e room discounts, park admissions, etc.

I was seasonal there this past Christmas. There are no park perks for seasonal cast. Once you have been there a year, then you get park passes twice a year and hotel discounts. I was kept on after Christmas as a regular cast member, and was planning a trip to WDW in May, and asked several times about the discounts. There is no free admission to the parks with cast id- I asked several times.

Merchandise discount is 20% until you have been there 3 years. Pay is pretty close to minimum wage- I was making $7.50/hr after having worked there twice before. Hours are long- you are required to be available Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. The malls (at least around here) will be open until 11 many of the weekends during December. You will be required to work the day after Thanksgiving. Weekly hours are not great- the stores hire a lot of seasonal cast members, so you may only work 4-8 hours a week.

Disney does own them again, so there is a lot of emphasis on Disney Culture, but it is first and foremost sales. There are sales goals during your shift, as a store and an individual.

Hope that helps you out- if you have any other questions, let me know.

 

[Spacepest]

So bigolive, let me get this straight...you have to work there for at least a year (even at part time) before you get any of the park/hotel benefits? And sales goals...do you mean each individual employee has to sell so much per shift or hour?

Its a shame that you need to work a year there before getting any of the park perks. I'd totally try and see if I could work there part time for a few hours here and there just for the benefits.

 

[jenseib]

I don't know about seasonal, but I thought once you hired in you got a dsicount to go to Disney. Not free...never heard that one, but a discount of some sort.

 

[TiggerStac]

store managers use to get in free w/their id, they could bring so many people in with them...this was back in the old days, I worked there 93-98. Started w/the M cardigan sweater and grey skirt and then to the khaki shorts and blue cardigan.

We did get 4 1 day park hoppers per year, you had to be there so long before getting, but I know it wasn't a year.

Then you got 20% on merchandise then 35 after 3 years, both store and park. There were periodic discounts on hotels and we could order discounted tickets for ourselves and families.

seasonal did not have any perks except instore discount.

Pay...won't go there. I, also, just wanted to work for Disney. I was barely paid over min wage and when I transferred to a MA store from a NH store, the starting pay in MA was .50 more than in NH. I had one store manager promise to get my pay bumped up .50 so I would be in line w/there store..it was supposedly approved by district manager, I never saw it.

When I left you had to be available 5 shifts a week including weekends. I couldn't do that with my fulltime job.

 

[RachaelA]

So bigolive, let me get this straight...you have to work there for at least a year (even at part time) before you get any of the park/hotel benefits? And sales goals...do you mean each individual employee has to sell so much per shift or hour?

Its a shame that you need to work a year there before getting any of the park perks. I'd totally try and see if I could work there part time for a few hours here and there just for the benefits.

I'm assuming thats exactly why they did this. People that would work there only for the discount which is why seasonal doesn't get the discount and why regular employees need to work there for a certain period of time. They don't want people taking advantage of it.

 

[Donna]

the good ole days are long gone when you worked 2-3 shifts a week and could get in to disneyworld on your ID; just by holding your pass up at the turnstiles. you got 20% off merch. and food and were treated like family. i know disney owns the stores again, but no such free admission to seasonal OR perm. part time cm's but they do get the park passes twice a year once you're there for awhile. i think the 20% merch. and food discount is for perm. part time also but even that is changing, now ADRs have to be made AS a cm and the availability isn't that great if you're dining as a CM.

still, if you love disney, you do it for the love of the company and to be called a cm. i miss the old days though. all of my stores closed around me so i don't have the choice anymore.

 

[GottaLuvMickey]

I was approached while shopping yesterday that our disney store was going to be hiring seasonal help. Anyone with any knowledge of this out there? What are the perks? Pay? type of schedule? how much you have to work? Thanks so much!!! Can't wait to hear.

My husband works at a Disney Store here in the Phoenix area (actually he's there right now!) and he's part time, only works like one day a month. We get 20% discount on merchandise and twice a year (Christmas time and summer) they send out free one day park hopper tickets to ANY Disney park - one for the Cast Member and one for each dependant they have - so since our DD is only 10 months old we get 2 tickets each time they send them out.... I think it's totally worth him working there, just for the perks! He just wants to be in with the company, we met while on the College Program and he really wants to move within Disney career-wise so he thought working there and just being "in" with the company was a good start...

 

[KerryCM]

I have been a DS CM for almost 16 years now. I survived the CP management and I am so happy to be back with TWDC.

The one thing that upsets me is when a guests asks for an application because of the discounts we must get. Let me tell you, I love my job or I wouldn't still be there. the perks are nice, but not the main reason I am still there. So many CMs left after the CP takeover because we lost perks.

We work very hard and are not paid very much, however the ones that are still at my store are there because they love Disney and not just for the perks.

Casual and per diem can only shop at their store with a 20% discount. I am not sure if per diem's will get the comp passes they may change it with the summer issue.

Don't get me wrong I love the perks. They are the reason I am able to plan a trip 3 times a year. We are not allowed vacations fromm Nov.1- Jan. 31, so there are no holiday trips.

Just stop and think if you only want the job for the disounts you may not be happy with your job.

 

[Donna]

I wish every store had CM's like you! Thats how it SHOULD be! that's how our store was too, disney loving people who cared about the store and the company. I had to travel far to get to my store and i already worked a full time job first so it was a sacrifice but well worth it to be a disney cm!

 

[mikkishelles]

I have been a DS CM for almost 16 years now. I survived the CP management and I am so happy to be back with TWDC.

The one thing that upsets me is when a guests asks for an application because of the discounts we must get. Let me tell you, I love my job or I wouldn't still be there. the perks are nice, but not the main reason I am still there. So many CMs left after the CP takeover because we lost perks.

We work very hard and are not paid very much, however the ones that are still at my store are there because they love Disney and not just for the perks.

Casual and per diem can only shop at their store with a 20% discount. I am not sure if per diem's will get the comp passes they may change it with the summer issue.

Don't get me wrong I love the perks. They are the reason I am able to plan a trip 3 times a year. We are not allowed vacations fromm Nov.1- Jan. 31, so there are no holiday trips.

Just stop and think if you only want the job for the disounts you may not be happy with your job.

I took my retail job at Disney solely for the perks-it certainly wasn't for the low pay that I receive. That doesn't make me wrong or bad. I love my job and working for Disney. However, I would not stay if I did not get the perks as the money alone is simply not worth it.

 

[bigolive9]

So bigolive, let me get this straight...you have to work there for at least a year (even at part time) before you get any of the park/hotel benefits? And sales goals...do you mean each individual employee has to sell so much per shift or hour?

Its a shame that you need to work a year there before getting any of the park perks. I'd totally try and see if I could work there part time for a few hours here and there just for the benefits.

They used to give you the perks a lot sooner. I worked there from August 1999- September 2001, August 2002- March 2004 and September 2008-April 2009. Until this time, I was always a permanent part time cast member- got my first complimentary park tickets in december 1999. I was able to take my store employee id to the parks and get in free, got a 50% discount on hotel. I also got a discount on the tickets for my family (it was not as good a deal, but I remember getting them for my parents and one sister).

This time, I started as seasonal, and was kept after the holiday season as a permanent part time cast member. I had a trip planned for May 2009, so I made sure to ask about what sort of discounts I might get as an employee, since I remembered the amazing ones we used to get. My SM told me that I would get comp tickets after a year- making me eligible for my first set in December 2009. She was going to try to find out if I would be eligible for any other discounts (restaurant/hotel/tickets) but I ended up booking my trip with a PIN code and quit before my trip anyway.

Sales goals- the store had a monetary goal per hour, that accumulated to reach the goal for the day. In addition, there was a an hourly/daily goal for certain products, whether it was presales, halloween costumes, reusable bags or beach towels. For example, right now my store has a goal for the $8 lunchboxes. I bought one for my son Friday, and our ASM was tallying up the sales for the hour. They have to call their district manager at the end of the night and let them know how many they sold. Individuals also have sales goals- one shift I was supposed to sell 8 of the PVC character sets that were on sale for $7.99 at the time. What item you were selling depended on where you were assigned on the store.

I did love working for Disney, and I loved everyone I worked with- the cast becomes really becomes a family. But, given how drastically they have changed the perks over time, and the low pay/short hours, it really was not worth giving up the time with my family. There are some weeks when you only have 1 3 hour shift, or some weeks when you only have on-call shifts. I wasn't even making enough per week to cover my gas for the week, not to mention how many times I used that 20% discount- there were lots of times I was paying them to work!

 

[Melynny]

So everyone is talking about perks.. What about the Benefits? Are part time-casual or sesonal employes elgible for any benefits, such as health insurance? I have just been told that I may be laid off from my 24 year job (career) and this may be the perfect chance to finally do something I really would enjoy doing?

 

[hayanyujah847]

I have enjoyed reading this thread! I was hired last week (tonight will be my second day working) as a seasonal employee and was wondering if I get any perks. This has definitely been helpful! I have a full time job during the day but I thought actually working at the Disney Store would help with my Disney obsession!