Stupid Guest Tricks

Big Wallaby wrote:mapo, I absolutely agree, and here's why. So many guests don't know how to put something like that nicely. There's no good way to pull out of the CM whether they like what they are wearing, and talking to them about it doesn't make any difference whatsoever. So when all is said and done, it's best to talk about other things. Not a matter of the company saying that you can't say anything, but more, why bother?

It's not really that big a problem anyway. It's not like the whole world knows what the costume used to look like. It's just us Disney nerds that have a clue and I doubt that those of us, that subscribe to this type of discussion board, would have ever said anything derogatory to begin with. But that said, I still don't see why a CM would take it personally. No one that deals with the public day in and day out have a skin that thin do they?

Goofyernmost wrote: But that said, I still don't see why a CM would take it personally. No one that deals with the public day in and day out have a skin that thin do they?

I haven't worked for Disney. But I have had to provide service with a smile, occasionally while wearing some pretty silly things. And no matter how much -I- think that the outfit makes me look like a dork? It doesn't make me feel better for someone to say "Y'know - that makes you look like a dork. They should change it!" It tends to make putting the costume on harder, makes me resent it a little more, and that makes it harder to put on a smiling, cheerful, helpful face. I can complain about it, make jokes with my coworkers about it - but I don't know customers well enough to interpret their comments as jokes, even if I smile and chuckle along with them. It's not so much having a thin skin as comments piling up, and eventually one is the straw that broke the camel's back.

I appreciate the level of service I get at Disney World. Part of expressing that appreciation is offering criticism where it belongs, and that means not expecting front line CMs to keep a count of how many times someone said to them "Gosh, I hate your new costume."

I'd be much more likely to comment on a bright smile, some extra efficiency, or a cheerful attitude on a hot/busy/chaotic day.

As I read the various responses in this thread, I think maybe I should clarify my first (and truthfully current) reaction. Above, when I said the new costumes were "just wrong" it had nothing to do with how the CMs looked. I recall reading something by or about John Hench having approval on the costumes in EPCOT Center (please forgive the vagueness of that statement -- they say the memory is the second thing to go :D: ) I believe the intent of that review was to make sure the costumes fit in and added to the story being told in the pavilion. With the Colonial architecture and the attraction itself being about history, it seems like you need something recognizably part of the American Adventure -- something distinctive.

I don't think the new costumes look bad, nor do I think the costumes make the CMs look dorky. I just don't think they add to the story telling. To me, these costumes don't do that. They seem much more generic. That's why I think they're wrong, and at most, that's what I might feel inclined to share with a CM.

WEDFan wrote:As I read the various responses in this thread, I think maybe I should clarify my first (and truthfully current) reaction. Above, when I said the new costumes were "just wrong" it had nothing to do with how the CMs looked. I recall reading something by or about John Hench having approval on the costumes in EPCOT Center (please forgive the vagueness of that statement -- they say the memory is the second thing to go :D: ) I believe the intent of that review was to make sure the costumes fit in and added to the story being told in the pavilion. With the Colonial architecture and the attraction itself being about history, it seems like you need something recognizably part of the American Adventure -- something distinctive.

I don't think the new costumes look bad, nor do I think the costumes make the CMs look dorky. I just don't think they add to the story telling. To me, these costumes don't do that. They seem much more generic. That's why I think they're wrong, and at most, that's what I might feel inclined to share with a CM.

I second that.

mapo wrote:I do encourage you to register your view with Guest Relations or Disney Corporate.

Yeahhhhh... Guest Relations can't do anything about this. They have no venue for passing along complaints about costumes or other corporate related issues. They can take the complaint for the guest's peace of mind, but it won't go any further. The only way this *might* get to someone who could change it, would be to write a letter.

:dropmouth Great to see you, Main Street Merch. It's been a while.

Are Heelys still around?

hobie16 wrote:
Are Heelys still around?

Haven't seen them in my clinic for a while.....

DisneyMom wrote:Haven't seen them in my clinic for a while.....

They've still got a web site. Their latest product is a foot board.

hobie16 wrote:
Are Heelys still around?

They still plague at DisneyLand, just not as much.