Disney employee benefits cut?

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HennieBogan1966

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Original Poster
I visited my local Disney Store tonight and here's what the store manager mentioned to me. (and I might add, she and I worked the same store some months back, so I am a former seasonal cast member).

Anyway, we were catching up, talking Disney, and she mentioned to me that she had just received "her" letter in the mail today, regarding the fact that castmembers will no longer be allowed to us their i.d. for entrance into the theme parks, starting with 2004.

I've gotta tell ya, that if this is company wide, to include the park castmembers, then open the front gates for the mass exodus of the employees.

And as a former cm, that was one of the "huge" perks for working for TDS. I didn't even care about the low pay, I just wanted to be able to work for a company that I love, and to be able to enjoy some of the perks of working there as well.

I'm no business major, but this seems like a very bad decision to me. I can assure you that this is no way to create employee incentive, or loyalty. And with all the rumors swirling regarding sale/closing of stores throughout the country, it's a great way to create opportunities at the store level, if you catch my drift here.

To say nothing of the fact that if you are a park cm, you walk out the gate on Friday, say, "Hey, the family and I are coming in tomorrow to spend the weekend here. " Only to have your supervisor say, "I'll have to get you to pay for those tickets from now on. Sorry, but keep up the good work."

Ummmm, no thanks. Think I'll go work for Universal.

And the beat goes on for those greedy few at the top, making, shall we say, MILLIONS? And I'm only going to say this, because there are still those Eisner supporters out there, but this IS happening on Mr. Eisners' watch. So he certainly gets credit for this move too. I'm sorry, how much has he made over the life of his contract so far?

As far as I'm concerned, his contract can't run out fast enough.
 
Maria

Maria

New Member
I think it only applies to DS cast members. That might be one more step to the selling of them... I dunno. As far as I know, park cast members still have that perk and I don´t think they will lose it.
With the economic situation as it is now, I don´t think many people can have the luxury of quitting a much needed job because a perk was taken away from them. ;)
 
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HennieBogan1966

Account Suspended
Original Poster
Just curious to here from some Park CM's to see if that is the case. I think even at the store level it's very disloyal to your castmembers. And there are only 3/4 people still with this store since I was there. Lots of turnover since I left.

It's just a shame that the arm of the company running the stores doesn't seem to care anymore.
 
monorail256

monorail256

Member
Talked to my manager tonight about this, and it is true... supposadly they got the letter on Wednesday.

Heres the situation;

TDS employees lose only free enterance to WDW. We still get the 4 free tickets a year, and still can get our discount in the park and at downtown disney.

WDW employees have lost thier free enterance into DL. DL employees have lost their free entry into WDW.


Eventhough I can see this being a big pain to DS cast... we just need to think of all the great discounts we get, that normal guests dont get.:)
 
mkt

mkt

Disney's Favorite Scumbag™
Premium Member
Originally posted by monorail256
WDW employees have lost thier free enterance into DL. DL employees have lost their free entry into WDW.
Click to expand...

hmm.. I've never heard that, and I live in CM country
 
H

HennieBogan1966

Account Suspended
Original Poster
Well, I can understand a few of you out there being optimistic about this situation, but I'm sorry. I believe it is bad for company morale. First of all, having worked at the stores myself, it certainly wasn't for the pay scale that I worked there. Again, I love the company, and always wanted to be a part of the "magic".

But to take away a benefit, which by the way wasn't costing the company any money, and now require cm's to pay for entrance to the parks is just outrageous. Even though you still receive the (4) free each year, that doesn't discount the fact that it looks to cms as though they aren't as high on the list as all other cm's.

Granted, the parks may make more money in sheer volume, but it's not the fault of the cm's that business is down in the stores. You can attribute that little nugget to poor management, poor merchandising, and lack of vision by those who are "in charge" of store business.

Now I know that's a tough pill to swallow for those in mgmt. positions out there, but it's the truth. But the easy fix is always to blame/take away from those who make it happen every day, then pat yourself on the back for a great business decision. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!

Almost all of the cm's that I worked with were/are very loyal, hard-working, dedicated people. And I saw that with everyone at 3 stores in my city. But what I did experience was our shoving plush (biggest margin item) down everyone's throat, whether that's what they wanted or not. Meanwhile, we had constant requests for new/different products from the company, which of course, we were unable to provide.

And I find it hard to believe that the Parks would use the excuse, "If we offer it in the stores, why will they come to the parks?" Are you kidding me?!!! So obviously this would be an admission that the decisions made at the park level aren't quite the right decisions as regards growing park attendance then right?

Either way, it's time for a house-cleaning at the top. While I'll give Mr. Eisner his due, taking any benefits away from some of the lowest paid castmembers in the company is not the way to go. And don't tell me "He didn't know about that decision!!!"

Need I remind all of you who's "REALLY" running the company right now?!!
 
S

SnowWhite5669

New Member
My manager told me that DS cast member were never really suppose to get into the parks for free. It's something that just sort of evolved over the past three years. Think about it... the only part of the company that didn't turn a profit was the parks. There were down 7% (see Annual Report) from last year therefore does it make sense to allow more people into the park for free?? I definately won't stop going to Disney just because I can't get in for free. I will just buy a annual pass. I still get alot of great benefits working at the store including stock options which is great! Since last month I have accumlate 5 shares which I never would have done on my own but through payroll deductions I don't even miss the money!! I love Disney no matter what.

Merry Christmas all! Only one more shift until Christmas!!:xmas:
 
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HennieBogan1966

Account Suspended
Original Poster
Well, i can't disagree with you in the sense that it should be the goal of the company to turn a profit. But let's look at this another way. You mentioned, that profits were down 7% in the parks last year. But, and this is strictly from observation of events at WDW, and not DL. But they have too many overpriced resorts that the vast majority of families can't afford to stay in, when coupled with all of the other expenses related to vacationing. Hense the need for "value" resorts, vacation packages, etc., etc. In those hotels are staffs which have to be paid, etc, overhead. I have said for quite some time that the focus all along should have been on things other than expansion of their resort business. Basic economics is supply and demand. And the fact of the matter is this, the smaller the supply, the more demand there is for it. For example, when I was a young man, back when there was really only the Contemporary, and the Polynesian, demand was high for those resorts. Now, there is a big demand for the value resorts, which was created by the very inception of the mod/deluxe resorts. This should tell mgmt. alot about their core guests, and the income levels, etc., etc.. In other words, the fact that there were resorts with exorbitant fees which the majority couldn't afford, mgmt. went with the idea of building resorts they could afford. So, all they really did was cost the company even more money. Now we could sit and argue over these kinds of decisions endlessly, and really never agree completely. The point is this for me: Don't punish your castmembers because of bad decision-making on the part of so-called "experts." Seems to me that the degrees hanging on the walls of some of these "experts"
should be checked for credibility. The fact that this was "never supposed to happen", I don't buy into. If it wasn't supposed to happen, then it wouldn't have. They didn't build those deluxe
resorts by accident. So the decision to give cms these benefits wasn't an accident either. These facts speak directly to the problem they have in leadership positions within the company. It will always be the easy (read: cowards) way out, to take away from the employee/castmembers, instead of admitting you have mis-managed your company, take full responisibility, and have a fresh plan to regain your footing in the business in which you operate.

And just so everyone understands, I love Disney. I just want to see things improve. But they can't until some hard truths are revealed and dealt with.
 
V

VILLAINSRULE

New Member
I agree. I find it hard to believe that DS employees being let into the parks free was a "mistake". I wonder if it means that there is a buyer for the Disney Stores? When it comes to money there is no way that DS employees were let in for free by mistake........I wonder if ABC employees still get in free?
 
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VILLAINSRULE

New Member
*sigh* we already have a thread about this, we have gone into a big discussion over t

SIGH? So sorry to bore you on this subject Pixie......I guess that there are some of us who find it hard to buy into the company line that says that Disney Store employees were let in to the parks for free "by mistake".......I for one like to be told the truth...Corporate America thinks that their workforce is incredibly stupid or gullible, and it bothers me when they say things like it was a "mistake"....:fork:
 
MouseRight

MouseRight

Active Member
Originally posted by SnowWhite5669
the only part of the company that didn't turn a profit was the parks. There were down 7% (see Annual Report) from last year therefore does it make sense to allow more people into the park for free??
Click to expand...

Not sure what Annual Report you are looking at, but the Parks & Resorts are profitable for Disney. Per teh recently released 10-K (Annual Report filed with the SEC) they had Operating Income of $957 Million in 2003, $1.169 Billion in 2002, and $1.586 Billion in 2001. The decreases over teh last 2 years was primarily due to reduced attendence (9/11; softening travel market due to economy, etc).

However, letting these people in the park for free may make some economic sense. They have to sleep somewhere,eat somewhere, and buy merchandise somewhere. So I am not sure why they discontinued it.

I believe, but am not sure, that the 4 free tickets thing matches the benefit given to other non theme park divisions like ABC, ESPN, the Radio/TV Stations, etc. I seem to remember my friends at ABC telling me they only get 4 free tickets.
 
raven

raven

Well-Known Member
I left the DS in August due to poor management and the scheduling manager playing favorites.

I don't see why they are taking away this perk. WE were/are the ones who sell the Disney name directly, not ABC. They still are getting in with their IDs.

This decision was a very bad one for the stores and if they think they stores are going down hill now, wait until they see the mass exidus of store CMs because of it.

Getting $6.75/hr is not going to get anyone to apply for them unless you have a perk. This perk was the one for DS CMs. Now the current CMs will dissapear and new lower-quality CMs will take over.

Might as well see the stores now and save what they can. They are already running it in the ground. :(
 
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HennieBogan1966

Account Suspended
Original Poster
Just reminiscing a little with this thread

In participating in the current Union thread, I thought about this thread that I started, and wanted to review it again with current events for clarity.

My Wife and I are seasonal cast members, who are thinking about not going back due to the recent changes with the stores. It's funny how things happen sometimes, and with the sale of the stores to TCP, this thread now makes more sense. Truth is, the only reason we were doing it to begin with was for the benes. Now that's gone, so why do it? Why give up my personal time for no benes? Passes are gone, no discounts, and maybe even no park hoppers. None of this makes any sense to me, but I do understand why Disney is getting out of this particular business. It's because those in charge of it didn't know what they were doing, and therefore, ruined it for everyone.

And lastly, it WASN'T a mistake that cms were getting the passes each year. I followed up on that one.
 

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