I'm Surrounded by Idiots

[Zazu]

I've been a CM -- and a trainer -- for six years now. In that time, I've seen -- and trained -- a fair number of people on my attraction. So what I'm about to say is based on those years of experience, and isn't just the result of having a bad day.

This current crop of new hires -- CP and regular alike -- are the dimmest bunch it has ever been my displeasure to endure.

The CPers are (as usual) the worst. Reports are that the first Thursday after they arrived, 92 were busted at Pleasure Island for underage drinking. Merchandise operations let go 240 in their first month. And despite running the *fourth* "Spring" hiring fair last week, the regular cast coming in aren't much better.

Is it just Main Street, or are the rest of you enduring the stupids this season as well?

[Ho-say]

Wow, those numbers are amazing! 92 busted so soon for underage drinking? OY......so happy to hear that the lecture that the CPs get on their first day about drinking was really hitting home...not. Ugh.

Man, when I was on my CP - I did everything in my power to make sure I didn't get termed....I wasn't about to be sent home from such a great experience for doing something so foolish (Granted, I was much past the legal drinking age, but I was a pain in the All Star Sports with my roomies when it came to having anyone drinking in our apartment who wasn't 21 +)

Seems like Casting is recruiting from the shallow end of the gene pool.....hope it gets better!!

[SRT_GB]

Is it just Main Street, or are the rest of you enduring the stupids this season as well?

We're enduring it too. I think you can count on one hand the number of people who hired in Hotel Stores since the beginning of June that are still around.

I can also unequivocably say that after working on and off (but mostly on) for over 5 years in two parks, three hotels, and WOD, and meeting thousands of CMs across almost every Operations department, this year I've met some of the most incompetent CMs ever.

[Mommytomjm]

I'm just a guest...and even I've noticed it Zazu....

[Zazu]

I'd like to do a little test. I'll explain the rotation for Frontierland Conductor, just once, and we can see how many of you think they could learn it in four days of training.

Depending on guest levels and staffing, we have two different rotations: a 3-spot and a 4-spot rotation.

In the 4-spot, you start by boarding your train at Main Street and take it to Frontierland. Then you go downstairs and work the Greeter position for 20 minutes while your train makes a round trip. Then you work the platform at Frontierland while your train makes another trip. Then you take the train back to Main Street and go on break.

The 3-spot works just the same, but you skip the Greeter position.

Most days (lately), the rotation starts and ends with a 3-spot, and goes to 4-spot for the busy middle of the day.

To add the Greeter position (and go from 3-spot to 4-spot), you go to Frontierland (however you wish) and take up the Greeter spot. The next time your train comes in, you all start 4-spot rotation.

To drop the Greeter position (and go from 4-spot to 3-spot), the conductor who is leaving rotates to the Greeter spot and freezes there until it's time to go. Meanwhile (and afterward), the other conductors use the 3-spot rotation.

So tell me, does that sound all that hard?

Yesterday, one of the conductors in the 3-spot rotation was at Greeter when it was time to drop Greeter (because the *right* conductor screwed up and was somewhere else). So, she stayed on the Frontierland platform (with the conductor who was *supposed* to be there), and just hung out.

As a result, she wasn't at Main Street to take the train, and the whole crew was frozen in position until I called a manager to talk her into coming back. (The fact that she then *refused* to get on a train when ordered to is a whole 'nuther problem.)

Makes me want to tell some of these newbies that when we drop Greeter, we drop them off the bridge....

Yeah, I'm still steamed.

[Stduck]

Zazu you should see Parade GC. We are SO understaffed (everyone who is getting hired is sent to food cause they appartently need more help then attractions) that we had 4 regular attractions ROs and 3 (maybe it was 4) Security cast members in CC costumes.

[Fantasmic_Freak]

Sign me up! :D: Im only 15 min rom the resort, i really should get a job, but the pay there isnt really justifying the gas price, and i want to get lighting, gotta make calls someday on that but for mow, foods or attractions is fine!

[CBeilby]

(everyone who is getting hired is sent to food cause they appartently need more help then attractions)

We darn well do need the help. Today, Hungry Bear's lunch rush started the minute we opened, and lasted almost until three in the afternoon. And we had all three of our stage managers, a Chef from one of the other locations, and at least three other managers literally working food prep, meal assembly board, and the counter.

[hhsrat]

This current crop of new hires -- CP and regular alike -- are the dimmest bunch it has ever been my displeasure to endure.

The CPers are (as usual) the worst. Reports are that the first Thursday after they arrived, 92 were busted at Pleasure Island for underage drinking. Merchandise operations let go 240 in their first month. And despite running the *fourth* "Spring" hiring fair last week, the regular cast coming in aren't much better.

Over at Safaris, we've apparently had 30 people fired in the span of the past 2 months. I'm not sure the cause of all the firings, but I'm sure some were safety, some were spiel-related, some were attendance, and I'm sure some were stupidity (actually ... stupidity could be an umbrella category that covers all of the above)

One that I know of, I knew he was going to be a problem on his first day of training, and I'm not even a trainer. Basically, he couldn't get the hang of one of our simplest positions (unload) (job entails: Signal truck to dock, give a hold signal combined with a verbal "Hold", short (2 sentence spiel to guests), check truck for guest lost and found, give a clear signal combined with a verbal "Driver, you're all clear") ... he would start spieling to the guests before he had held the truck, or mess up the 2 sentence spiel, or tell the driver "You're safe to drive".

His trainer was apparently doing her best to not laugh and actually managed to hold the laughter for about 10 mins

(said trainee was fired for something else at the start of his 2nd day of training, although I'm sure the lack of teachability contributed to the decision to fire this person quickly)

[joanna71985]

I'll say. When the Fall 2005 program started in May, the WDWCP was very short! I don't know the exact amount, but I want to say about 250-300 CPs. So then the problem comes from the fact that they had to send the CPs to (I think) Main Street, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. So that meant that the Fantasyland people were working crazy overtime because we were so short!