Gracious Pin Trading

[Anim8EdCox]

I just got back from an all too brief trip to the World and I wanted to share my thoughts on something that I personally adored. CM's and pintrading. The pintrading craze took off long after my last days at WDW and so I was terribly excited to go back as a pin collector and a guest to enjoy the experience. With the exceptions of a few CM's who were obviously busy and a little annoyed at being stopped to display their lanyards, almost every one of them were a true gem! I had the absolute best times down there talking with pin trading CM's in all 4 parks, resorts, waterparks and even the "earsport" store as I was leaving to return home. (A last ditch attempt to enjoy the pintrading experience.) I even got a few photos of myself with them as remembrances of their good natures and sheer fun of being with them. It certainly opened up a congenial door to talk and enjoy ourselves and many of us cackled and gaffawed ourselves silly.

I also tried to get something started while down there that other guests noticed and began to also attempt. Knowing that the CM's are to trade with guests any pins they have on their lanyards, up to 2, and accept whatever the guest gives them in return, I devised something that I think is a little more fun and involving for the CM's. I simply offer them whatever pins I have on my lanyard in trade that they would like to wear on there's. A character or film or anything that catches their fancy. Simple enough right? Only a few CM's were put off by this and simply told me that they would take any pins allowed for the ones that I wanted from theirs which was fine. However, most of them truly were tickled by the concept and enjoyed picking out what I had that they did indeed want to wear on their lanyards. Everyone of them thanked me profusely for offering the CM's the chance to enjoy the pin trading experience a little more involving and personalised for them. In fact, every one of them had never had a guest offer such a trade experience which to me is a shame. I don't think it broke any rules though it was certainly something not in the rules of pintrading. I hope that it's something that catches on, at least for the CM's who are not too busy to offer their lanyards to guests for a good trading experience and enjoy pintrading. So if a guest offers you your choice of pins to wear in a pintrade, do feel free to enjoy the moment and pick what pins they might have that you would like to wear on your lanyard. When one keeps in mind the ammount of pintrading that occurs in WDW and DLR on a daily basis, one can only imagine the paths these pins take throughout the process. There's no telling what parks they travel to and fro from and you never know how delighted a guest's day will be to find pins they have been looking for from a happy CM pintrader while they are going from park to park. I know I look forward to my next tip down there to enjoy the experience again, and again...and again...

A thousand grateful thanks to all of the wonderful CM pintraders that I met a couple of weeks ago, the ones I missed and the ones I have yet to enjoy trading and cutting up with. IMHO, it's one of the more fun, "free" and involving things offered at the parks and certainly helps the pin sales anywhere Disney pins are available. Talk about company synergy! I'm all for it when it comes to CM pintrading! :D:

[BRWombat]

I just got back from Florida a couple of weeks ago and I want to echo Anim8EdCox's praise. I never thought I'd get into pin trading (after I saw the prices), but then the Disney Stores marked down their pin inventory (pinventory?) for clearance and my older son & I were able to snag a dozen or so each for $1-2 a pin. They weren't the best pins or ones we'd buy at full price, certainly, but we figured we'd trade when we got to WDW again.

As with the previous poster, we had a great time, and it led to some great interaction with CM's around the World. I had to restrain my son from trading with an obviously busy CM once or twice, but every CM we traded with was cheerful and fun to talk to.

CMs rock! Thanks to all of you.

[Anim8EdCox]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings on the pintrading subject BRWombat. I really think it's one of the easiest decisions and one of the best decisions the company made in a long time.

I was talking to some current CM friends last night about it and it was decided that they want me to move down and get involved in helping to run and work the pintrading as a pintrading CM. I think I would do a fabulous job helping to organise and keep the pintrading moving smoothly along, IMHO. Of course, such a thing wouldn't happen, but it was lovely to contemplate for a while. Though I must admit, the reactions I got from other guests and children of guests did not go unoticed by CM's around us. I try to only trade with CM's as I didn't want to deal with the "pin sharks". You know the ones I mean. They look over your lanyard with disdain as though they are forced to peer over raw sewage, then pithily say that you have nothing they really need or want, but in order to trade, their pins are worth so much more than yours. So you have to give them 2 of your pins for 1 of their's, sometimes 3! No thank you! :mad:

Anyways, I did have a lot of experiences where kids would run up to me and beg to see my lanyard and I would always gladly say certainly, and either sit on a close bench or planter or go down on one knee so they could view the pins more easily and begin a friendly conversation with them about pins, which ones I had they liked and what their favorite attractions were so far today. Anything to make the pintrade fun and memorable. The kids would always respond excitedly about one attraction or another or a parade or meeting that special character that they love so much. The parents would always watch and smile whole heartedly that someone was actually listening to and paying such attention to their kids in a friendly and safe pintrade. Once the pintrades were done and they were thanked, I would wave goodbye, saying "Have a great day!" as the parents would either shake my hand or pat me on the back thanking me for the pintrading experience their kids enjoyed with a great CM. More times than not, a CM or two would be right there watching and comment that I really know how to handle guests so well that I must be a CM onstage but offduty. Something about my personality made me come off as a current pintrading CM rather than another guest and actually, that's just how I am naturally and people responded to it. No matter what, it was always great fun and always a memorable moment and isn't that what it's all about? I truly hope that pintrading lasts a long, long time in the parks. It's a great experience and a lot of fun to look at the pins that you do keep once you get home and remember your last trip to the parks fondly.

Below is a shot of the last pintrade I made while there, in the AK, a couple of weeks ago with a CM. (who remembered myself and my friend Shaughaan from our adventures a couple nights prior in the Crystal Palace fondly) We talked and cut up then traded. Afterwards I said we had to get a shot of my last official WDW pin trade...for a while at least.

[BRWombat]

I didn't end up pintrading with other guests, although I did have a few take a look at my lanyard. Doing pintrading for the first time, I had to be cautious when dealing with other guests.

You see, I'm not a CM and never have been -- and after reading a lot of the stories here, not sure I'd ever want to be (though I guess you have to deal with idiots in any job that brings you in contact with the public) -- but as I've mentioned elsewhere on this site, I've often been mistaken for one. It wasn't until the first kid asked to see my lanyard that it dawned on me that being taken for a CM has a downside when I'm pintrading... so any time another guest wanted to see my pins, I made sure to tell him/her with a smile, "Now, you understand I'm not a cast member, but a guest? I don't have to trade."

That may have scared some people off, but I'd rather have that than hurt feelings because they thought they were dealing with a CM who was obligated to make an exchange.

[BRWombat]

Meant to attach a picture and forgot -- this is my 10-year-old son Brandon, trading with CM Pieter from South Africa at the entrance of AKL.

[Anim8EdCox]

Ah! The shot of your son pintrading is great! Thanks for sharing it. There's just something about the whole pintrading experience that I adore and seeing others enjoy it is great fun! :)

And in the previous post of mine, I wasn't clear that I always told the folks that I wasn't a CM. They just felt that I must have been one which was cool...but I always let them know that I was indeed another guest, yet very happy to make their aquaintence and pintrade with them. :)