Folks, I’m sorry but I need to rant.
Today I went to Disneyland to take a walk in the July heat and remember that a hot summer’s day in SoCal is nowhere near half as bad as a hot summer’s day in Rhode Island or North Carolina or Texas or in many of the places I had to live earlier in my career. And it was hot, but dry and lovely.
But my God, do the younger CM’s stink at their jobs. A few observations from Tuesday, July 24th...
On the way home to Villa Park I stopped at In N’ Out on Tustin Ave. for dinner, about 7 miles east of Disneyland. The place was packed with a long line. All the young employees there were very busy, literally running around and yet focused intently on their jobs. And they were perfectly groomed and very clean cut, and I was met repeatedly by smiles and advanced phrases like “please” and “thank you” and “can I get you anything else?”. The dining room and patio were totally full, and yet spotless.
What the heck is wrong with Disneyland CM’s these days?!? And does the management there even care?!?
Today I went to Disneyland to take a walk in the July heat and remember that a hot summer’s day in SoCal is nowhere near half as bad as a hot summer’s day in Rhode Island or North Carolina or Texas or in many of the places I had to live earlier in my career. And it was hot, but dry and lovely.
But my God, do the younger CM’s stink at their jobs. A few observations from Tuesday, July 24th...
- The parking tram CM’s were not just lazy and slow, but downright ornery with a lady trying to fit a doublewide stroller with two toddlers onto the tram. How about you stop and realize it’s 2018 and that’s how big most strollers are now, and you try and give her a hand instead of berate her and say “Next time you have to walk or park at Toy Story!”. Then she gets on her phone and calls her husband who is already in the park with the older children and says she was yelled at and she has no idea how to get onto the Toy Story level because they forced her to park on the Daisy level, and did he park the other rental car on the Toy Story level? She was obviously from out of town, had no idea what “Park at Toy Story!” meant, and probably will think twice before returning to Disneyland.
- The turnstile CM was staring at her phone in a sparkly pink case doing that amazing fast thumb texting the kids can do as I approached. I had to clear my throat to get her attention long enough to scan my AP. She did that silently, never said a word to me, and dug back into her pocket for her phone as I passed thru the turnstile. I have a feeling the text wasn’t that important and she just doesn’t give a darn.
- I did Mobile Order again, this time at Award Weiners. And yet again, I approached the Mobile Order window and got a couple of silent stares from the CM’s on the other side of the counter. I smiled and waved my phone as a jaunty hello, but I got nothing back but averted eyes. When my dog was ready the plate was shoved towards the window while the CM silently and blankly pointed at my phone to check my order number. Once she saw the number she slid the plate the last 12 inches within my reach, then turned and went back to talking to her friend CM. Not a smile, not a SINGLE word, and certainly nothing so advanced as “thanks”.
- The rest of the CM’s I interacted with in both parks today had blank expressions, no hint of personality or interest in their jobs, and nothing that could even begin to approach the concept of showmanship. Yet they were often very busy talking animatedly to their fellow CM’s, so apparently they do have the human ability to emote and communicate.
- The only CM who showed any shred of personality or hospitality was the older Latina CM who sold me the chocolate covered pineapple in DCA’s candy shop on my way over to Disneyland. She seemed very sweet, smiled broadly at me, and said “thank you sir” as she concluded the brief transaction. I winked at her and thanked her back.
On the way home to Villa Park I stopped at In N’ Out on Tustin Ave. for dinner, about 7 miles east of Disneyland. The place was packed with a long line. All the young employees there were very busy, literally running around and yet focused intently on their jobs. And they were perfectly groomed and very clean cut, and I was met repeatedly by smiles and advanced phrases like “please” and “thank you” and “can I get you anything else?”. The dining room and patio were totally full, and yet spotless.
What the heck is wrong with Disneyland CM’s these days?!? And does the management there even care?!?
