Small world xmas & stroller detail

cathoswolf · Post by **cathoswolf** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 3:14 am

I thought it was funny working on stroller gc for small world xmas, me and 1 other person had the area looking like a parking lot and we were the vallets. This one guy tipped me 5 bucks and I followed the 3 time rule. He kept insisting that I take it, so after the third time I took it and a manager saw me. I was happy I did not get into trouble and I got to keep my tip.

Buggy · Post by **Buggy** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:01 am

Hi! I'm a stupid but generous guest. Might I ask what the 3 time rule is or am I not supposed to know?

Dante101 · Post by **Dante101** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:21 am

It's a rule mostly only followed by new-hires. If you are offered a tip, you're supposed to politely refuse it. If the guest insists you take it, you're supposed to politely refuse it a second time. If the guest insists a third time, then you can take it, so as not to offend certain cultures.

In short, Disney doesn't want its CMs taking tips, but it also doesn't want them to offend people by refusing.

As with a lot of silly Disney rules, this is followed at first, but then as time goes by, the CM will learn which rules are important and which are stupid.

Certain areas might temporarily have some idiot supervisor that's a stickler for this rule - but otherwise I'd say most CMs don't follow it (or modify it so they refuse only once).

Some cast members think they get around it by saying, "Oh no, no, no - you don't have to do that" when being offered a tip, and taking it when the guest usually replies, "no really, I want you to have this." This way, if talked to, they can honestly say they said "no" three times.

Also, this silly rule doesn't apply with waiter/waitress service, or bellmen at the hotels, where tipping is part of the business.

cathoswolf · Post by **cathoswolf** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:50 am

after a couple of months I did the no no no and then took the the tip. I followed the 3 no rule. most of the time we kept the tips coz some of the managers did not want to deal with paper work on giving it to a charity.

Dante101 · Post by **Dante101** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:54 pm

That's a new one on me - I've never heard of the "giving it to charity." If you're saying they make you give your tip money away, just because you didn't deny it 3 times - I think that's illegal.

Just because it's a policy they have doesn't make it okay. For a while, when they used to pass out paychecks rather than mail them, they would not give you your paycheck if you hadn't filled out certain forms, such as a form which was used to contribute money to a charity organization. Even if you didn't want to contribute, you had to sign the form and mark the selections saying you were not contributing.

They didn't realize that they could not withhold paychecks like that; and it makes you wonder which policies are Disney policies, and which ones are based on some numbskull manager who doesn't know any better...

I'd talk it over with my union shop steward and get their opinion...

goose · Post by **goose** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:40 am

I hate that damn rule. I accept tips when I know I won't get caught. I don't feel bad at all. It's not Disney's money! Most of the time the guys walk away. What am I supposed to do? Flee my glow cart yelling "Sir, thank you, but I can't accept tips!" I think not.

tourbunny · Post by **tourbunny** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 12:34 pm

see, here is the real fun part. it is absolutely illegal for disney to make you a) refuse a tip and b) make you surrender it. it is considered YOUR income as soon as you hold it in your hands and the employer cannot touch it or tell you what to do with it or deduct it from you paycheck or anything, yet for some reason disney thinks they can make us give it back. and yes, the rule is that they give it to a charity of your choice, but what proof do we have that it actually got there??? disney is getting a tax writeoff for beeing such a generous company for donating money WE have made. mean, isn't it?
we in guest relations have been fighting this for ages now. there is an actual labor law that states all of that.
we get anywhere from $50 to $1000 tip for every single vip tour and frankly - we deserve it beeing with those people 12, 13, 14 hrs mostly with no break, water or food and a big old headache. yes you always see us eating on stage but those are exeptions. most guests see us as their servant for the time beeing and don't think that we have food-and waterneeds too.
anyways, ... so we asked management how disney justifies that rule and it sayed that if we all got to keep our tip, people would be fighting over cool shift where they know the chances for a little extra money are greater. besides we are supposed to be all over guest service not beeing reembursed for our smile or things that are in our jobdescribtion.
i can understand that we would fight over vip tours and that there would be a lot of favoritism and the leads would always put themselfs on tours if they need extra rentmoney but i don't see what the big deal in attractions is. if someones slips you a five for putting them in the first row of pirates for heavens sake , take it i say.
so ya, there is that topic brought up with tom (labor relations) but he is taking his sweet time with an answer. so all that's left is the usual disney motto, sit, wait and pray for improvement...

Dante101 · Post by **Dante101** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 1:11 pm

Forgive my ignorance, but are you guys (tourguides) union? If so, we not bring it up to them?

That is a BS excuse they gave for not taking tips ("people would be fighting over cool shifts"). While it might be true, there are a number of ways to distribute the shifts in a fair manner to prevent such fighting. The "no tip" policy is not in place to prevent squabbling among the tour guides. They insult our intelligence when they vomit explanations like that in our face...

VonSeegs · Post by **VonSeegs** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 1:18 pm

Tour Guides aren't supposed to get tips? I don't see a problem with getting tipped at all. Asain tour guides do so why shouldn't you, you're doing the same job. Keep on Tom for that one. You'll probably have to claim whatever tips you do get but hey, it's better than nothing.

I didn't get tipped a lot, maybe because I'm not the cheerleader type of CM (which is really odd because I was cheerleader) but I was compensated by rocket change. I also had the pleasure of finding sled change and the $21 I found in buggy change one day. I tried to get the guest's attention, honestly, but they didn't turn around. That was good because I needed gas money like really bad that day.

tabacco · Post by **tabacco** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 2:03 pm

Dante101 wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but are you guys (tourguides) union? If so, we not bring it up to them?

Guest Relations is non-union.