The Disney Store

abeachchick

abeachchick

hi
Original Poster
Wasn't sure where to post this thread. :confused:

Thinking about applying for a part time job at The Disney Store in my area.
Has anyone worked at one?

Any thoughts or opinions?
 
Captain Hank

Captain Hank

Well-Known Member
My first job was at my local Disney Store (which sadly closed in January). I really enjoyed it. I worked under both Disney and The Children's Place--though I much preferred Disney. I started back in 2004 and left to work at WDW in 2008.
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
Sorry, no help. For a long time, I stopped going in, but years ago it was my favorite store in the mall. I heard they were going to return these stores to their former glory.

Are they great stores again?
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Many Disney fans may think it would be fun to work at the Disney store, but as with any reatil (especially children's) it can be tiring. You have to have alot of patience and stamina to keep up the friendly attitude for an entire shift, plus you have to be an expert on all the current Disney topics and shows, even the ones you may not like.

It was a good experience for me, but just because it's Disney, doesn't make it easy. It can be interesting though to meet co-workers who are Disney fans too, plus the staff meetings were the best I've had yet.
 
DebDeb

DebDeb

Well-Known Member
Go for it!! I worked at The Disney Store and loved every minute of it!!! My name badge is one is one of my prize possessions!! Sadly they closed the store the week after Christmas way back when!! Still miss that store!! For me it was a great experience, so I say do it!
 
A

Alexis

Well-Known Member
I haven't worked there myself. But I do have a friend who has a job as a "cast member" and she says it's a lot of work. I guess it depends on everyone's own opinion, hours, etc. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try, if you don't like it you can always quit!
 
Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
th
 
donaldtoo

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
This will be a bit drawn out, but please bear with me.
I was layed off from my architectural design job after just over twenty years at the same firm, after a 30+ year career, in Jan. of '09. It was extremely painful for not only me, but, for them as well to have to do that. But there just was no work for them to give me. They said to go do whatever I could and they'd be back in touch with me in about 6 mos.-1 yr. when things got better. I was given a nice severance and I had my retirement to also fall back on. The first place I thought to go apply for some part-time work was our local Disney Store. We shopped there quite often and I even knew where all the Hidden Mickey's were by discovering them myself (most of the CM's that worked there at the time didn't even know what HM's were!). I had never worked retail in my entire life, so this was a WHOLE different animal than sitting behind a drafting table and computer all day.
I was used to plenty of stress at my design job: crazy-ridiculous deadlines, clients who can never make up there minds, technology glitches, etc., so that aspect helped me quite a bit in my transition to retail. Plus, thankfully, I'm also a people person and have been told so MANY times by Guests. I was also a Lead Manager at this store for about a year (as well as working as many as 2 other retail jobs at the same time) and only stepped down from that position, and dropped the other jobs, when my old firm came back to me a little over a year ago with enough contract work to keep me busy. I am still at TDS for weekend shifts, and will have been there 4 years in Aug.
Like I said, retail his a WHOLE different animal. You have to have lots of energy and have your best face on and be on your game at all times. If your not gonna' be, don't even bother going there, ESPECIALLY at Disney.
I'm 50 yrs. old and have worked circles around many CM's half my age that are no longer employed there. Some people want a "job" and a paycheck, but just don't wanna' actually have to work for it.
I think what a coupla' previous posters in this thread were trying to allude to, while not complaining that it was hard work, was the fact that, and this happens to me ALL the time, is that so many Guests come up and say "Oh my! It must just be SOOOOO FUN to work here!!!" I always reply to them with a smile... "Yes, it's Disney, and I love it. But make NO mistake about it. It's Work!" I've had many CM's tell me that it is the hardest job they've ever had, especially for so little financial reward.
We had a 3 hr. training session this morning because we're getting ready to start accepting and processing Disney Visa card apps in Store. They just keep piling on more and more.
Again, I'm not complaining, I'm good with handling change and am very flexible, and still, mostly, love working there.
All that being said, I've learned so much and have had enough good times with fellow CM's, Magical moments with children, Guests with special needs, older Guests who just want to relate a Disney memory, etc., to offset the unavoidable c*ap that goes along with ANY retail job. Although, I am now finally back with my old firm full-time, and even back in my same old office and making loads more money, I still work weekend shifts at TDS, and would never trade the experience.
Go for it with a Magical attitude and give it your all!

Good luck...! :)

Oh, and BTW...
The CM discounts are great! You'd be surprised how much money we're saving on our week-long upcoming trip we'll be flying out for on Tuesday...! :cool: ;) :)
 
star77kc

star77kc

Well-Known Member
I worked at one of the brand new Imagination stores that opened about 3-4 years ago. To be honest with you, it was a little disappointing. The best thing about it were my fellow cast members and being able to talk about Disney. They rarely had any hours to give people, so most people got only 1-2 shifts a week. If your looking for job with a lot of hours and good pay, this isn't the job for you. If you have the luxury of it not mattering, then I say go for it! Just remember, they are still in the business of making money, do the higher up cast members do pressure you on sales, etc. When my kids are old enough to go to Kindergarten, I'm hoping to get a job at the Disney Reservation Center!! ;) Good luck.
 
Disvillain63

Disvillain63

Well-Known Member
I worked at The Disney Store in our mall, until the Children's Place buy-out...and our store was one of the casualties. It was a second job and it was for Fun!!! I loved working there. I taught school during the weekdays and worked Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings during the school year. I added more time during the Christmas season and summer. I loved working there...opening daily shipments was liking having Christmas everyday...waiting for the sale lists to print and picking out merchandise before the sale started...twice a year gifts of tickets to WDW/Disneyland, along with discounts on hotels, dining, and merchandise...store discounts on artwork and collectibles, as well as regular merchandise...guests coming in and sharing experiences at the park, telling us the neat things they had done with their Disney homes and yards. Yes, it was work. However, there was never a dull moment. One of my favorite 'jobs' was to climb up the ladder and walk around the 'set' to dust the scenes around the top of the store...every Sunday morning.
 
WDW_Emily

WDW_Emily

Well-Known Member
I am currently working at a Disney Store. I got hired back in October as seasonal and After the holidays, they asked me if I wanted to be an official cast member. At my disney store, it's all about bringing the magic of Disney to every guest. Do we fold t-shirts? Yes. Do we have to organize the plush? Yes. But our number one priority is the guest. I love being able to talk to little princesses and princes about characters or their trips to Disney. Disney stores also do events which is my favorite part. My store(not all stores) have events daily. This can range from reading a story to kids, to teaching them how to draw a character. Our next big event is teaching kids how to be scarers like mike an sully.

I love my job. The hardest part is the schedule Isnt consistant and you need to work weekends(like every job in retail). If you like kids and sharing your stories an experiences with Disney then I suggest you apply.
 
ddbowdoin

ddbowdoin

Well-Known Member
DebDeb said:
Go for it!! I worked at The Disney Store and loved every minute of it!!! My name badge is one ifs prize possessions!! Sadly they closed the store the week after Christmas way back when!! Still miss that store!! For me it was a great experience, so I say do it!
Click to expand...

I tried to pick up some shifts at my local store but they wanted someone who could commit to 30 hours a week and well, I already had a full time job. I still call back for holiday hours, but nothing has really worked out.

Everyone there is so nice, I always stop by and end up talking Disney with a CM for like 45 minutes (if they aren't busy). Seems like a good family environment.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Mark In KY said:
A "lot of work" at "work"? That's downright un-American!!
Click to expand...

Ya well, not every Disney Store is located in America. ;)

That one on the Champs Elysée sure did look better than the ones here, though.

Another factor is the mall with which the store is located and the clientele that frequent it. Mine was...how do you say this nicely? Slobs I guess. My favourite story to tell is one involving parents yakking on their phones after work while their kids would rip out toys from their packaging, then just leave them there without having any intent of paying for them.

Sure Pops, that's fine. We can totally clean up your mess and sell that ruined toy to someone else at its sticker price. :rolleyes:
 

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