Layoffs underway at Walt Disney World

[Disone]

Where the daily inference occurred was in reply to the question if a WARN notice had been issued. Federal law requires official notice of impending mass layoffs. (Mass is determined by number, employment type, % of workforce, etc). To date, there does not appear that a WARN notice has been issued.

How could WDW layoff many people and try not issue WARN notice? Layoff a few in many cycles.

Ford's comment was theoretical.

He made no attempt to frame it as theoretical. I reported him because the way he phrased it was just an outright lie.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

He made no attempt to frame it as theoretical. I reported him because the way he phrased it was just an outright lie.

Agreed.

 

[AEfx]

Disney Springs is so much more the "yet another redo of the Market place". I am guessing you have not been yet? The Market place really is pretty much the same, some cosmetic upgrades. Ditto for West Side. But Pleasure was a major overhaul to the Water Front and Town Center is 100% new expansion. It was previously parking lot.

Its a major reinvestment into the area that I think just about everyone underestimated. Myself included.

It's still a shopping mall.

Star Wars Hotel will not be just another hotel. It certainly won't even be a traditional Hotel. Hotel probably isn't even the right word for the project. From what I'm hearing the only thing you will have that's similar to a hotel is that you will spend the night there.

It still will be something that certainly won't be included in park admission, as it is not part of the theme parks. We are talking about investment in the parks. I'm sure it will be fabulous, for those that can afford to try it out.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Do not bother with these people. For some reason, Disney Springs is always on the top of their "EVERYTHING AT WDW SUCKS" list and I still cannot figure out why. Its one of the most amazing things Disney has delivered in Florida in recent years, but the bitter brigade refuse to acknowledge it as the home run.

Why don't i like Downtown Disney Springs.
It is a very beautifull area of insanely expensive shops i have no desire to step foot in.
Pretty , yes . Home run , not even close.

 

[AEfx]

Why don't i like Downtown Disney Springs.
It is a very beautifull area of insanely expensive shops i have no desire to step foot in.
Pretty , yes . Home run , not even close.

Agreed. It's...lovely. But I don't go to WDW to shop at Sehpora and Filthy Rich, ROFL. If I wanted that stuff I'd go to...any other upscale tourist trap.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Agreed. It's...lovely. But I don't go to WDW to shop at Sehpora and Filthy Rich, ROFL. If I wanted that stuff I'd go to...any other upscale tourist trap.

When you see just how busy the marketplace and west side are it is kind of eye opening just how quiet the Springs part is.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Too each their own. It has some of the BEST dining and drinking on property. That's why I go weekly, something I never did when it was the old and trashy looking Downtown Disney

True the dining is good but that's about it.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

I still disagree but whatever, I'm not interested in hearing unwarranted criticism of Disney Springs.

why is my opinion unwarranted ?

 

[mikejs78]

To begin with, several things you list are not in "the parks" - Disney Springs was yet another redo of the Marketplace. The Star Wars Hotel, neat as it is - is still...a hotel. Something the vast majority of guests will likely never actually step foot in, unless we are lucky enough for them to have a restaurant the serfs can visit who are lucky enough to get six-month out reservations.

I guess I look at things differently. I look at investment in the resort, of which the parks are.an important part. And yes WDW suffered in the early part of the decade but that trend seems to be reversing. There's also the space restaurant, Coco/Brave attractions, a Tomorrowland refresh, new Illuminations, new nighttime parade, etc.. Seems like a lot of investment to me.

 

[AEfx]

And yes WDW suffered in the early part of the decade but that trend seems to be reversing. There's also the space restaurant, Coco/Brave attractions, a Tomorrowland refresh, new Illuminations, new nighttime parade, etc.. Seems like a lot of investment to me.

Yes, as I said, it appears the tides are starting to turn. Finally.

 

[GoofGoof]

Please note that the insiders have noted that the layoffs are occurring daily so the 145 was just a single days total.

Disney may be trying to avoid a WARN notice, So they will layoff a number under the 30 day trigger every day, interestingly part time workers with less than 20 hrs wk in last 6 months are not covered by WARN.

There is so much wiggle room in the WARN act.

And I really feel bad for the CM's affected by this as the ones who actually still care about the guest will be disproportionately affected.

Can you post a link to where the insiders are noting that the 145 layoffs are just a one day total and not the whole number? These are people’s lives and jobs we are talking about. It’s only fair to the people whose jobs are on the line that you post some evidence that there will be additional layoffs or just retract the statement. I can tell you from personal experience going through a downsizing that the people directly impacted are not kept in the know by the company so they are paying close attention to any rumors or information people may put out there. It’s pretty pathetic to throw something out there as fact and claim that insiders are stating it just to push an agenda.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Because I don't believe there is any valid criticism to be had about Disney Springs, perhaps except the fact the NBA Experience is coming. Plain and simple. Your dislike of the high end stores doesn't mean its a terrible place, you just have an unnecessary hate for the place because it isn't what YOU want.

I never said i hate the place just that the Springs section is not the big hit you make it out to be.
Just because my opinion is different from yours dosn't make it less valid or umwarranted

 

[GoofGoof]

I guess you missed the part where @lentesta (who has forgotten more about Disney that most of us will ever know) noted the layoffs would continue through DECEMBER, Last I checked today is still NOVEMBER.

Do we know that the original 145 people were all already notified? Steve’s original post in this thread was that the layoffs have started. In my personal experience they usually stagger layoffs over multiple days based on department.

 

[GoofGoof]

I never said i hate the place just that the Springs section is not the big hit you make it out to be.
Just because my opinion is different from yours dosn't make it less valid or umwarranted

On my trip last week Disney Springs was packed. All of the restaurants looked pretty full and the paths were full of guests. I have no idea if the stores are making enough money to stay in business. I think that’s still to be determined.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

On my trip last week Disney Springs was packed. All of the restaurants looked pretty full and the paths were full of guests. I have no idea if the stores are making enough money to stay in business. I think that’s still to be determined.

It may just have been the times we were there bit it looked quiet in stores and busy in eateries.

 

[GoofGoof]

It may just have been the times we were there bit it looked quiet in stores and busy in eateries.

To be honest, my idea of shopping is logging onto Amazon on my iPad from my couch so I didn’t really go into the stores a whole lot. I never even heard of some of the brands, but I’m not the target audience. Walking by it looked to me like certain stores were packed while others looked pretty empty. A lot of the high end type stores don’t need high volume sales to stay in business because they have a higher profit margin. The restaurants I walked past all looked to be doing pretty well.

 

[marni1971]

Do not bother with these people. For some reason, Disney Springs is always on the top of their "EVERYTHING AT WDW SUCKS" list and I still cannot figure out why. Its one of the most amazing things Disney has delivered in Florida in recent years, but the bitter brigade refuse to acknowledge it as the home run.

It’s a nice shopping mall. We have one just like it - if not better -ten minutes from where we live in the UK. The irony is PI had a few visits a trip from us. We’ve no want or need to go back to DS.

We don’t fly to Orlando to go to a shopping mall. And yes, I’ve visited it.

But of course each to their own.

 

[Kman101]

It’s a nice shopping mall. We have one just like it - if not better -ten minutes from where we live in the UK. The irony is PI had a few visits a trip from us. We’ve no want or need to go back to DS.

We don’t fly to Orlando to go to a shopping mall. And yes, I’ve visited it.

But of course each to their own.

It was always a mall.

And my mall sure isn't that nicely done.

It serves it's purpose. I like it better than I did in the past, and I'm not really a shopper at all.

But it's still an investment they made, albeit it wasn't towards a park, but I don't mind the Disney Springs makeover.

 

[mousekedoc]

It was always a mall.

And my mall sure isn't that nicely done.

It serves it's purpose. I like it better than I did in the past, and I'm not really a shopper at all.

But it's still an investment they made, albeit it wasn't towards a park, but I don't mind the Disney Springs makeover.

I used to wonder “ why those shops at DS?”. Then I had a major foot catastrophe after buying new sneakers for my last WDW trip at a discount shoe store. I bought a pair of new Brooks at the Fit 2 Run store. Those shoes saved my trip. I figure with the visits in excess of millions, those stores can do a brisk business based purely on the needs of the vacationers who “need” makeup, something special to wear to Blue Zoo, etc. I still think it needs an Explorers club redo, but I get it now.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It was always a mall.

And my mall sure isn't that nicely done.

It serves it's purpose. I like it better than I did in the past, and I'm not really a shopper at all.

But it's still an investment they made, albeit it wasn't towards a park, but I don't mind the Disney Springs makeover.

Now we really ARE off topic, but far be it from me not to contribute to the derail!

It was always a mall inasmuch as it was a collection of stores, but it used to have varied entertainment options and a unique aesthetic. Now it resembles a great number of other "lifestyle centers" in trendy neighborhoods around the country and lacks... well... really any entertainment outside the cinema. There really ain't much reason to go there if you don't want to shop. Plus, all the new construction is working hard to remove any trace of "Disney" from the complex, confining that branding to the Marketplace, a remnant of an earlier version of the place. It is, in my opinion, a rather colossal placemaking failure.

As to it being an investment, it is, but with caveats - folks can correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't one of the main purposes of the redo to basically fill the place with outside vendors and management teams and relieve Disney of the responsibility for running any of the shops or restaurants themselves?