Pin problem

[WDWdude12]

Has anyone been at Walt Disney World lately and noticed that some of the cast member are turning their pins backwards so you cant see them???? My brother asked why and the cm said "it's poeple like you who make pin trading a bussiness" my bro got offeneded becuase the cm has no clue who he is and doesnt know that he doesnyt take pin trading really that serious. Does anyone else notice this happening??? :brick:

 

[Lhriangel]

I knew a few castmembers that would turn one pin around as a "suprise" pin. Usually this was just for fun though.

 

[disneydentist]

We also saw castmembers with single "surprise" pins this past May. The deal was simple, if you wanted to see the pin you had to trade for it. Period. My daughter looked at almost every cast member's lanyard and never received anything but polite responses.

 

[Tramp]

...the surprise pins were a BIG thing while we were there...sometimes the CMs turn over a limited edition pin...in fact, several 1000 LE pins were given away this way at Epcot while we were there.

...here's the way you have to figure this....trade for it, what do you have to lose...if you get a pin you have already or don't like, just trade it the next time around....

 

[TURKEY]

In addition to having a mystery pin every once in a while, I also accepted a few non-acceptable pins (plastic, non Disney licensed pins) and I would either pocket them or put them on backward.

Some people wore their own personal lanyards as well and turned pins they wanted to keep around.

 

[RobFL]

We sometimes put the "cheapo" pins (American express, Mickey and Goofy Plane, trader Minnie/Mickey) backwards so that we can still trade with those who are just getting started.

We're not supposed to accept any pin we already have, so sometimes we jsut magically "don't have" something that way.

Pin-psychos are another story. If you grab my lanyard I'll make the whole thing dissapear. If you ask me "Do you have any lanyard only pins?" I'll say "You're supposed to look and figure that out for yourself..." and give my best "Don't you dare touch my lanyard" face. The two types of trader are often one in the same.

-Rob

 

[WDWdude12]

I started this thread. Well thats a good idea but this guyw ouldnt let my brother even try. My brother even asked to make a game out of it and thats when they guy told him off. Thats not Disney atitude!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

There was a streetmosphere performer on Main Street who had suspenders full of backward pins. He played a game though where you would trade with him. I got a Lanyard series Hercules Pin.

 

[Talsonic]

What are the rules?

Hi RobFL. Maybe you (or others) could help me out? I'm not into the pin trading thing and know very little about the subject. However my daughter really enjoys collecting pins. I regularly take her to our local Disney Store and she buys lots of pins. She also bought a lanyard and she wants to trade pins during our upcoming trip to WDW (Sept. 21st). Here's my problem. My daughter is 24 years of age but also mentally retarded and she has epilepsy so I pretty much have to guide her in most new activities. I am not really up on pin trading etiquette. You made a comment about touching someone's pin lanyard. Is that a rude thing to do? My daughter is very friendly and she is well known (and liked) by all the CM's at our local Disney Store. Because of the various anticonvulsant drugs that my daughter takes and/or because of some unique wiring in her brain, it makes her hand movements kind of shaky. As a result, it is very difficult for her to point. However, she can touch anything without any problem. As an example, if I were to ask her to point to my nose, her hand and arm would shake almost uncontrollably. On the other hand, if I were to ask her to touch my nose, she could do so without the slightest tremor. If touching a pin on a lanyard is improper then I need to know.

Also, last year just after 9,11 we were at WDW and my daughter had 2 of the Mickey Mouse American Flag pins. As you might imagine, those pins became very popular about that time and seemed to be in short supply. Anyway, my daughter traded 1 of her pins to a CM and got a CM pin in return. I was later told that CM's are not allowed to trade their CM pins. So, any information or advice that you or others may have to offer concerning the etiquette and rules of pin trading would be very appreciated by this Dad. Thank you.:wave:

 

[RobFL]

We don't mind if you "touch" a pin to point or something of that sort, its the people who grab the lanyard to look at them! It feelss like you're wearing a collar and leash at that point. If you yank on the lanyard or grab it at all, most CM's will give you a very unDisney look (cuz it actually hurts to get yanked forward) and some will refuse to trade with you at that point.

So, if she touches a pin to point, that's okay, most CMs will get it. Just don't grab the lanyard, ya know? Normally we hold the lanyard out away from our bodies once someone asks to look anyways, so touch-pointing is cool, actually, come to think of it, most people "touch point" but its far different from grabbing the lanyard around our neck and yanking it, ya know?

-Rob

 

[Talsonic]

Thanks RobFL!

That's a great help to me! My daughter knows better than to "yank" at someone's lanyard. She works as a door greeter at our local Walmart and wears some of her Disney pins on her smock! All the Walmart promotional people know that she is a big Disney fan and they give her a lot of the DVD promotional stuff. Thanks again for your insight and help!

 

[RobFL]

Pin trading faux pas:

1. Asking if we have any Lanyard or CM only pins.

2. Asking if we'll give pins away. If we wanna give you a pin, we'll let you know, you don't ask for it.

3. Insisting any CM is "supposed to wear a lanyard" who isn't.

4. Asking "Do you have anything good to trade...?"

5. Grabbing the lanyard.

6. Trading a pin without putting the back on first. (ouchie!)

7. Trying to "Clean out" a CM who has more than one "desirable" pin. We're only allowed to trade one "lanyard" pin per guest.

8. Taking extra-advantage of any "rule breaking" offers we make. If we're gonna give you a break, it's not negotiable. Take it or leave it.

9. Insulting a lanyards pin selection.


That's about it, and a small little quip to remind those pin-psychos who wears the lanyard in this game

One of my managers was doing the greeter position at an attraction because they were short staffed that day. A little girl came up to my manager and saw she wasn't wearing a lanyard. The girl went and tld her mother and then the mother came up to my manager and "You're supposed to be wearing a lanyard! I was told all greeters had to wear lanyards! Where's your manager?!?!" My manager replied, "I'm the manager, and I'm not wearing one today." Hehe.

-Rob

 

[Quentin Disney]

Originally posted by DisneyInsider
There was a streetmosphere performer on Main Street who had suspenders full of backward pins. He played a game though where you would trade with him. I got a Lanyard series Hercules Pin.

That person must be none other than Scoop Sanderson, News Reporter on Main St. USA. I have met this man in the past and he is absolutely awesome. Every day (except Fridays and Saturdays) in the Main St. Exposition Hall, he holds a pin seminar at 1pm. He usually goes over how pins are made and gets a volunteer to demostrate pin equitte. I got my "Continuing the Tradition" pin (A very cool and very HUGE pin) for volunteering a few months back.

As for the pin traders who are "touchy", especially when they start grabbing my lanyard, I get a little defensive. Usually what I'll do is put my hand in the back of the lanyard and begin to bring the lanyard to the guests eyes closer as he/she is looking. If the guest begins to start grabbing my lanyard, I will sternly (yet politiely) say "It is considered impoilite to grab a Cast Member's lanyard".

They usually stop right away.

As for the lanyard pins, you are probably aware that some traders are camping out in front of the rope when the park opens and begin going after pins like a vulture goes after its dinner. These pins are incredibly popular with the guests and we sort of have to do some things to make the "sharks" have a harder time getting rid of their "junk" (i.e; Dwarf pins). When we are given lanyard pins, we usually try to put the "junk" on so that those traders can't get the lanyard ones.

As for the "mystery" pins, this is all fun and games for us CMs. We might ask you to answer a trivia question or just simply trade. Occassionaly, I'll have lanyard pins and HTF pins hiding. A CM friend of mine once got a Stitch pin (!) for trading w/ a manager that way.

I don't know about your area RobFL, but where I work where I SELL the pins (The Hat), it will be unholy not to have one. Unfortunlately, due the the acts some some people, a good deal of CMs in my area have stopped wearing lanyards. One of my fellow CMs got knocked into the ground when a pin trader litterally tried to grab the lanyard off the CM. I have a great deal of respect for guests, but this type of behavior is uncalled for.

 

[RogueHabit]

We had to stop our six year old from trading on his own because he was getting ripped off by other, older traders, who would leave him with crappy trades.

What was invented as fun by Disney has been turned into big business by some unscrupulous money hounds.

 

[tiggerlover1971]

When I was in disney in July. I had a very weird experience I had and actual CM come up to me while waiting for my bus back to the hotel and wanted to trade a pin with me for one that was on my lanyard he was practically begging me to take one of his pins off his lanyard for the one pin he wanted I refused and until my bus came he was trying to still get it I just thought that was very weird because I never saw a CM do that and I thought we were supposed to approach the cast members not the other way around.

 

[RogueHabit]

I didn't think they were allowed to do that.

 

[AdLibSean]

This may be a thread drift, but I'm not sure, it goes under the same topic PIN PROBLEM, but my problem is not in the same context. I was just wondering if anyone was having problems with their pin backs and how well they stay on. My girlfriend lost a pin cuz it fell off her lanyard while in the parks, and this past week, I almost lost an Epcot pin that was on my backpack cuz the backing fell off. I was just curious if anyone else had this problem.

 

[TURKEY]

In my experiences with pins, the plastic backs are much more likely to stay on, but they are more difficult to get off.

The metal backs with the little things you push are less durable and will fall off with a greater ease.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

What if you dont want to trade? does this make it inadvisable to wear the pin lanyard in a park?

I just want to collect pins of parks n rides, my kids did a few trades with CMs i m not fussed, but it reminds me of the "badges" i used to collect as a boy, proclaiming my loyalty to a football team.

 

[monorailmike]

Originally posted by happy snapper
What if you dont want to trade? does this make it inadvisable to wear the pin lanyard in a park?

I just want to collect pins of parks n rides, my kids did a few trades with CMs i m not fussed, but it reminds me of the "badges" i used to collect as a boy, proclaiming my loyalty to a football team.

That is correct. Do not have a lanyard in the park. At the very least, do not have pins you want to keep clearly visible. It is my understanding that this is an indication to trade. I have only bought a pin or two on each trip. The trading thing doesn't float my boat.