Here's YOUR Sign!!! Best Guest Question EVER!

[NadieMasK2]

True, but it's comments like that of the OP that makes me think twice about approaching a CM with a legitimate question. I think of it in terms of my children or elderly relatives asking that question. The response and attitude doesn't seem very appropriate to me. It has nothing to do with social or economic status, it has to do with loving your job and genuinely wanting to help visitors have a magical experience.

 

[keri150107]

True, but it's comments like that of the OP that makes me think twice about approaching a CM with a legitimate question. I think of it in terms of my children or elderly relatives asking that question. The response and attitude doesn't seem very appropriate to me. It has nothing to do with social or economic status, it has to do with loving your job and genuinely wanting to help visitors have a magical experience.

I agree

 

[CHAPPS]

I don't think she intended to be rude to the guest. Sometimes when working with the public you have just had enough. It is not possible for every person to provide perfect guest service at all times.

I have been working at Bath and Body Works this holiday season. On Christmas Eve about 20 min before we closed a woman called and asked one of my employees to go out of our store and ask for Santa's phone number. She said that she was missing her youngest childs first picture with Santa. Now at this time we had a line half way through our store, the credit card computers were down meaning that we had to call in every credit card for a manual approval number, and our store was a disaster--I knew it was so bad that it would take us several hours before we would be able to leave. As the manager on duty it was my responsibility to decide if I should take the time away from my busy store to help this woman out. At first I said no..that I couldn't leave the store, but then I decided to make this woman's day--i left the chaos for a moment to get her the phone number. I didn't need to do this for her, but in the interest of making her day I did.

On the other hand does it make me a completely rude and awful person if I get a little chuckle about the people who walk into our store ask if we sell bubble bath or the ones who come into the front of our store (which had 4 tables of giftsets) and ask if we have any premade gifts?!?!

The reality is that we aren't always going to be at the top of our game, and anyone who claims to be perfect towards all of their customers and coworkers all the time is just lying! Everyone has an off day at some point! I'm sure that it has been a long holiday season for the Disney cast members...just as it has been for me....we all need a little release at some point to make it through our day.:wave:

I understand your point and in many regards I agree with you. However, Disney has made a commitment to it's guests that they will receive top notch quality guest service ALL THE TIME. That is such a huge part of what Disney is all about. When you're treated rudely at Disney, you take it harder than you would at other places because Disney promotes itself so heavily as being a place where that will NEVER happen to you. I understand that a lot of people tend to crack under the pressure. And although that doesn't make someone a "bad person", I believe it does mean they should be working somewhere else other than at Disney. Disney has set incredibly high expectations of guest service. Don't blame the guests for reasonably believing those expectations. DO blame the cast members who accept a position at Disney (knowing their high guest service standards) and then fail to do their job.

 

[CHAPPS]

True, but it's comments like that of the OP that makes me think twice about approaching a CM with a legitimate question. I think of it in terms of my children or elderly relatives asking that question. The response and attitude doesn't seem very appropriate to me. It has nothing to do with social or economic status, it has to do with loving your job and genuinely wanting to help visitors have a magical experience.

Agree 100%. This message board provides some insight, that I find at times disturbing, into the current mindsets of Disney cast members and their attitudes and opinions of guests.

 

[Mister Toad]

:sohappy: This was a great example of the type of service we should be able to expect from Disney cast members, but its more and more a rarity when we actually do get it. Someone posted earlier that people who shell out the kind of money they do on the high admission prices should take the time to know the layout of the place a little better. Funny how that would be someone's mentality..."You paid all that money to get into our park....now you're on your own. If you bug us with a dumb question, we're going to give you a sarcastic answer and then make fun of you after you walk away." Its no wonder Disney's reputation for outstanding service has begun to diminish in the last several years.

Exactly my point.

Now, I know the parks inside and out, but on the last visit to the parks, I actually had to ask a few questions of castmembers. For the most part, they were completely clueless and in some cases (not all, but some) arrogant.

Some examples: My mom is in a wheelchair. 9 out of 10 times, the bus drivers were totally cool and totally joking/funny with my mom. But the one guy who pulled up to the Magic Kingdom and gave the look of "Oh, what the he77....." Well, screw you man!

Another: The Very Merry Christmas Party used to have stations that you could go and get a family picture which was mailed to your house. I haven't been to it in 2 years (I think 2), but when we got there we started asking CMs where the family photo stations were. Two pointed me to places where there was no one, 1 barely spoke english and couldn't understand what I was asking, and finally one (a photographer on Main Street!) was able to explain to me that they no longer give family photos, but I could buy one for 50% off, which is a rip-off, but that's for another day.....

My favorite: My wife was having trouble getting out of a Spash Mountain log once and the CM at the front started yelling (not asking nicely - yelling.... I could tell because the people waiting to get in looked at the CM like they were insane) at my wife to get out because people were waiting. Well, that time I demanded to speak to her supervisor, who came over and "handled things." I guess she was POOF gone b/c I didn't see her again the rest of the trip.

Now, I have 1000 experiences with great CMs, but the idiots are becoming more and more the norm and not the exception.

 

[Mister Toad]

I don't think she intended to be rude to the guest. Sometimes when working with the public you have just had enough.

Then

Go

Get

A

New

Job

The 35,000-75,000 people there that day are there because they WANT to be there and they ENJOY being there. If enough of you just "can't take it any more" then you'll get what I got from my wife when we returned from WDW 2 weeks ago:

"Honey, do you think next year we can do California instead? The Golden Gate Bridge, Napa, and you know your son likes golf, so how about Monterrey and Pebble Beach?"

THAT is the voice of a woman who went to WDW with me on her honeymoon. Oh, and she never mentioned Disneyland.

 

[CHAPPS]

Then

Go

Get

A

New

Job

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[Mister Toad]

On the other hand does it make me a completely rude and awful person if I get a little chuckle about the people who walk into our store ask if we sell bubble bath or the ones who come into the front of our store (which had 4 tables of giftsets) and ask if we have any premade gifts?!?!

Um, let me think a little bit here.............

YES.

Is that clear enough for you?

 

[tink81]

Um, let me think a little bit here.............

YES.

Is that clear enough for you?

Hang on a minute, there is nothing wrong with giggling to yourself (or to other co-workers) about customer behavior when no one is around. It would certainly be a different situation if she busted up laughing in a customer's face because they *ironically* walked right past the very item they came in for.

Anyways, I think PSU Pirncess was asking a rhetorical question that did not warrant your 10 point, bold faced, red font screaming at her.

Please try to be a little more respectful, you know, to everyone, from the janitor to the CEO....

:animwink:

 

[CHAPPS]

On the other hand does it make me a completely rude and awful person if I get a little chuckle about the people who walk into our store ask if we sell bubble bath or the ones who come into the front of our store (which had 4 tables of giftsets) and ask if we have any premade gifts?!?!

Well, there are couple of things you might want to consider:

First, if your guests don't know whether you sell bubble bath, then that's the result of ineffective marketing on the part of your company, not the guests. To you, it might make perfect sense that the name Bath and Body Works, inherently communicates that you would sell bubble bath. But to someone else it might not mean that. Likewise, if a guest walks right past a display of merchandise without noticing it, then maybe it's the merchandising, and not the guest being stupid.

Second, you say that you "get a little chuckle" about guests asking dumb questions, but to what degree do you suppose that "little chuckle" is apparent to the guest. I would submit to you that, more likely than not, it is much more apparent to the guest than you may realize.

 

[Amber]

I am never one to jump into these discussions, but I have to say something here. I work retail. I have had the same job for almost 10 years. I have a Bachelors and am 5 months away from an MBA. So you can't say I am not educated or in someone's words from above, a "dope."

However, there are times that I am standing on a register just waiting on people, and they tend to look down their nose at me. They do treat me like I'm "beneath" them, and it irritates me. My nametag does say that I am a store manager, and sometimes that is all it takes to get the respect from customers that we all should get, but not always. I see it with my assistant managers. They are on the receiving end of a customer throwing a fit more often than I am and I feel bad for them.

Sometimes the things that customers say are beyond stupid. When I read the original post, I too thought it was funny, because I know what it's like. Sometimes the customers actually realize that it's a dumb question, and the good ones can laugh at themselves. But sometimes they don't realize it and I just answer their question and move on.

I wish there was a better way to deal with this. Unfortunately, the general public thinks they are better than someone with a cashier-type job. I have noticed this year before Christmas the customers were nicer and more patient than they have been in previous years. We also had credit card problems this past weekend, and it was very frustrating.

And I'm not going to
go
get
a
new
job. What I am doing now fits my life. I need to have a flexible schedule because I am in grad school. I am still getting the experience that I need because I manage every day. I have all the same problems that other industries deal with like budgets, staffing, corporate limitations and expectations and daily things that come up unexpectedly. Even though I do this, I am still frowed upon because it's retail. So we have to hold our heads up and get through the days, just like everyone else.

 

[cloe111479]

Favorite Question

When I worked at the Magic Kingdom, I had two doozies....

1. Here I am in full Pirates gear and I hear "Do you work here?" Sadly it was not once or twice, it was very often.

2. The other were people who just were not educated about the parks. They asked me if they could do Epcot in just one day. I said sure most people do, but it is easy to spend more time there also. Then they actually asked "well, the whole park is inside of the ball right?" I had to get a map of the park out and explain it to them.

(There is always the gem of "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?" I didn't beleive that is happened but it did, multiple times.)

 

[DisneyLindz]

Here is what is comes down to.....

There are people out there that might ask "silly" questions. I've asked plenty myself. For instance, this morning I was at Lowe's and asked a cashier to point me in the direction of the bathroom. She just smiled and pointed directly two feet behind me. I was standing RIGHT in front of the bathrooms. It's not that I am stupid and can't read signs. I'd never been in this particular Lowe's store before and had NO idea where to find the bathroom. Instead of wondering around aimlessly and looking all around for the sign, I just asked. Same thing happens with people all the time at WDW. Would you rather walk around aimlessly for hours looking for a particular restaurant/ride/etc or just ask a CM?

This kind of situation applies to places like WDW. To a newcomer, the place is ENORMOUS!!!! I personally know WDW like the back of my hand. However, if you put me at Disneyland or Disneyland Paris I'd probably ask a million "stupid" questions!!! If left to my own devices, I'd probably end up missing out on a lot of fun and attractions.

With that said, I think it's ok to have a smile or be amused by someone's questions or actions. I'm sure the cashier was amused that I asked for directions to the bathroom when I was about two steps away from it. Heck, I laughed at myself for it. However, I don't think it would have been generous or kind of the cashier to laugh her butt off at me and then make a post of it on a popular website.

I think everyone should just remember that we all ask "silly" questions. :hammer:

 

[tink81]

I totally agree with you, AMH (my initials, too!)

I have a Bachelors degree and a very good full time job, I also work part time at a women's clothing store for some extra $$ (and the discount!). It seems that there is a whole generation of comsumers who have never been on the other side of a register and have no idea what it's like to work hours on end with the public. There are good days, there are bad days, there are days when everyone is in a good mood and days when, well, I think you understand.

I will share this short story and leave it at that....I was helping a woman put together and outfit for a black tie event she and her husband were going to. She was very indecisive, but pleasant and I had no problem helping her and chatting with her. Through our talking we discovered that we were both invited to the same event. The look she gave me and the way she literally looked down she nose at me when she said "Why would YOU be going" made we want to tell her how the shirt she was wearing made her look like a stuffed sausage. As soon as I told her what my full time job is and that I work at the store for fun, she practically wanted to adopt me. It was like, I was a nobody. A peon working at a clothing store and my only purpose in life was to outfit her.

I see it at least once every shift I work; adults, twenty-somethings, teenagers even who think that because they are buying some clothes (or whatever, it translates well into any retail or service industry) they are somehow superior.

No one is perfect, no job is certainly perfect, or even ideal for that matter but as long as the good aspects far outweigh the bad, no one needs to go scouring the want ads because every now and then we get that one customer/client who tests our abilities to deliver good customer service without letting our true feelings slip out.

Which reminds me I have to go to my part-time job tonight...

 

[CHAPPS]

I totally agree with you, AMH (my initials, too!)

I have a Bachelors degree and a very good full time job, I also work part time at a women's clothing store for some extra $$ (and the discount!). It seems that there is a whole generation of comsumers who have never been on the other side of a register and have no idea what it's like to work hours on end with the public. There are good days, there are bad days, there are days when everyone is in a good mood and days when, well, I think you understand.

I will share this short story and leave it at that....I was helping a woman put together and outfit for a black tie event she and her husband were going to. She was very indecisive, but pleasant and I had no problem helping her and chatting with her. Through our talking we discovered that we were both invited to the same event. The look she gave me and the way she literally looked down she nose at me when she said "Why would YOU be going" made we want to tell her how the shirt she was wearing made her look like a stuffed sausage. As soon as I told her what my full time job is and that I work at the store for fun, she practically wanted to adopt me. It was like, I was a nobody. A peon working at a clothing store and my only purpose in life was to outfit her.

I see it at least once every shift I work; adults, twenty-somethings, teenagers even who think that because they are buying some clothes (or whatever, it translates well into any retail or service industry) they are somehow superior.

No one is perfect, no job is certainly perfect, or even ideal for that matter but as long as the good aspects far outweigh the bad, no one needs to go scouring the want ads because every now and then we get that one customer/client who tests our abilities to deliver good customer service without letting our true feelings slip out.

Which reminds me I have to go to my part-time job tonight...

I don't think anyone here is disagreeing with the point that there are a lot of jerk guests/customers out there. But the way you handled the situation shows that you are a true professional who is above letting it get to you. That's great! That means you are truly qualified to perform that job. Many people are not. Specifically, many of the cast members working at Disney are not in the right job. As I've stated before, it doesn't mean they are bad people. It just means they are not cut out to handle the stress and diversity of personalities that the job presents. Unfortunately, instead of doing the right thing, which is go find another job that better suits them, they choose to stay and complain about the guests "getting to them". That, I think, is very wrong.

I realize there will be some who will argue how hard it is to go find another job. To those people, I have always said (and will always say), if it's that hard to go find another job, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your own worth as an employee. Maybe you're not as qualified and marketable as you think you are, and maybe a little humility is in order.

 

[seabee1]

I understand your point and in many regards I agree with you. However, Disney has made a commitment to it's guests that they will receive top notch quality guest service ALL THE TIME. That is such a huge part of what Disney is all about. When you're treated rudely at Disney, you take it harder than you would at other places because Disney promotes itself so heavily as being a place where that will NEVER happen to you. I understand that a lot of people tend to crack under the pressure. And although that doesn't make someone a "bad person", I believe it does mean they should be working somewhere else other than at Disney. Disney has set incredibly high expectations of guest service. Don't blame the guests for reasonably believing those expectations. DO blame the cast members who accept a position at Disney (knowing their high guest service standards) and then fail to do their job.

I agree with both sides on this issue. I will say however, that we saw more rudeness from guests and cm's then we ever have on the trip we just returned from. I can see how the CM's can be a little down by the end of the day, I would say that 80% of the guests we encountered were AWEFUL! One CM inparticular needed a break. Too bad the park had just opened. She was working DUMBO. I wish I had gotten her name, but I was just so irratated that I didn't think of it. I would never say this about the workers there, because generally we have had wonderful experiences, but this woman was seriously lacking in disney magic. Anyway, I just wanted to say that yes, service could be picked up a bit in certain areas, however, you can't say that you have never laughed at something stupid being said in your workplace. Everyone has.

 

[CHAPPS]

Anyway, I just wanted to say that yes, service could be picked up a bit in certain areas, however, you can't say that you have never laughed at something stupid being said in your workplace. Everyone has.

The OP's story, though, wasn't a case of simply laughing to themselves after the guest walked away. The CM's response was rude and unprofessional. That's the difference.

 

[Mister Toad]

I agree with both sides on this issue. I will say however, that we saw more rudeness from guests and cm's then we ever have on the trip we just returned from. I can see how the CM's can be a little down by the end of the day, I would say that 80% of the guests we encountered were AWEFUL! One CM inparticular needed a break. Too bad the park had just opened. She was working DUMBO. I wish I had gotten her name, but I was just so irratated that I didn't think of it. I would never say this about the workers there, because generally we have had wonderful experiences, but this woman was seriously lacking in disney magic. Anyway, I just wanted to say that yes, service could be picked up a bit in certain areas, however, you can't say that you have never laughed at something stupid being said in your workplace. Everyone has.

All I know is I've been going to WDW avg 2X per year since 1992.

Here's the reality.

In 1992: A CM "spreading the magic" was the rule. The jerk was not even an exception.

In 2006: A CM "spreading the magic" now makes you say WOW. The rule is not necessarily a jerk, but definitely the person who sees this as a J-O-B rather than being Mickey's apprentice. My wife, who used to FIGHT ME when I suggested Myrtle Beach, San Diego, etc, is now SUGGESTING we go somewhere else.

That's da facts.

 

[figmentmom]

Laughing at people on vacation. Nice.

You know what's funnier than that? The fact that the people who come spend their vacations in Disney World probably make 3-5 X the money that the people who WORK THERE do!!!!

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Yeah, laugh at us as we come to visit. Sure. But who's the dope? The one there on vacation or the one working there for $10 an hour?

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

When I'm at work, I treat everyone with dignity and class that they deserve.... the janitor that cleans my office (oh yeah, my office isn't a hotdog cart, either), all the way to the CEO.

Pathetic.

Excuse me? I work at Disney in the summer for fun, and I have a master's degree in education. While you're treating everyone with dignity and class, include those Disney Cast Members working hard to make YOUR visit magical.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Agree 100%. This message board provides some insight, that I find at times disturbing, into the current mindsets of Disney cast members and their attitudes and opinions of guests.

I'm not a CM anymore...but if you find that disturbing...check out www.stupidguesttricks.com I've never posted to that website but some days you've just HAD ENOUGH and need to vent. Who hasn't? The internet is just an outlet for people to vent http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geuu1Q_...3160378274_q-3S6l0rY1bTfrtzhlETOFGQAAAA%40%40anonymously (for the most part).