Training was finally over. I awoke on my first day of work and took my first step into being a real, legit Cast Member: tearing the Earning My Ears ribbon off of my name tag. Some choose to leave theirs on for a little longer as a sort of safety net (if they don't have an answer for a Guest, they can point to the ribbon and say "I'm still training") but I felt confident enough in myself to rip it off.
I arrived at the bus stop to find two other CM's dressed in my wonderful pastel-blue-shorts-and-animal-patterned-shirt costume. I soon found out that they were also CP's and that they had started only a week or two before me. They explained that the first day was easy and that they would most likely place me in a location where I was working alongside other CM's who could help me should I get stumped on something. It was a very comforting conversation and helped to calm my nerves a little.
I arrived at my work location and walked up to the CDS (the computer that clocks us in/out and assigns us our positions). I clicked "Get Assignment" and waited for my fate to print out on a small slip of paper. The paper read "Guest Relations Cart". Great. My first shift and I'd been placed at a spot in which I'd be alone and where no fellow CM'S could help me out.
Guest Relations Cart is a small merchandise cart that is located inside the park right next to the exit. Every night, almost every single guest in the park will walk by this cart on their way out. I walked onstage and over to my position, swapped out with the CM already there and got ready to make some magic. Here is a snippit of conversation I had early in my shift:
I also encountered almost every little random request that you could ever get. Exchanges, returns, trying to use coupons, etc. I did alright for most of them but I had to turn a couple of people down because I was pretty sure there was no way to fulfill their request at my cart. After my break I was sent to Outpost, a large store located outside of the parks that acts as a sort of "last chance" for guests to grab that special Disney memento. This was good news because it allowed me to work alongside other CM's that were able to help me when needed. The rest of the night went pretty flawlessly and I left feeling good about my first day.
I have worked many days since then, so I will highlight some of my favorite experiences so far:
- One of my favorite activities is working at Guest Relations Cart and wearing a merchandise item that is basically a scarf that has two yeti paws attached at the end that work as gloves (like the picture, but minus the hat). There are many times where Guests aren't purchasing anything, so I slip these babies on and take my position next to the cart, right next to the small path that the majority of Guests walk by on their way out. I then proceed to wave and wave and wave to every single group of Guests as they walk by, throwing in many "Goodnights!" and an occasional "Have a great night!" (I have a small arsenal of goodbye-type sayings that I constantly cycle through. I enjoy getting to think of new ways to say goodbye) Mixed in between the waving are the high fives! Whenever a little kid walks close by, I stick out the paw and ask for a high five. Most of the kids happily comply, some even jumping up or walking way out of their way to get a coveted hand slap. Sometimes I will squat down to offer my yeti hand to a small child in a stroller. Without fail, all of them always take a second, staring at this large furry object that has been placed in front of them. Most of them will break a smile and slap my hand, while a small majority instead turns away in fear. The most interesting part of this "job" (read: fun) is that a lot of adults will place their hand onto mine and simply hold it there as they walk by. It fascinates me because if you were to take away the furry yeti paw, this would seem like such a strange thing for grown adults to do and something that most would never think of doing. But due to the fact that there is a piece of fabric between our palms and that we are at Walt Disney World, Guests (and I) feel very comfortable engaging in this behavior. It psychologically interests me and I have a great time experimenting with it.
- I have worked about two weeks now and have only touched strollers ONCE! What a relief! When I was first assigned to my role as Stroller Rentals, I was a little bummed at the thought of simply renting out strollers all day. Happily, I have found my job to be so much more than simply strollers and I encourage Disney to change this misleading label.
- The group of people I work with are awesome. Since I mostly work the closing shift, I don't have too much interaction with the "older folk", who enjoy opening the park (it's busier and time goes by way faster). But I have had tons of interaction with the many CP's who are doing the program like me and all of them have been super friendly and helpful. They really do make the job better.
- PINS! As I've already briefly touched on, pin trading has become a huge part of a Cast Member's job. I have had so many great experiences with pin trading, but my favorite part has been getting to share our secret pin spots! At our Stroller Rentals section, we have a Pin Stroller that we will wheel out for lucky Guests. The Guests have a great time getting to search for "that one pin" that they really need.
Since I have worked more at Outpost, I have had more opportunities to share our Pin Vest with Guests. Imagine a large safari type vest filled with pins. Here to showcase what this would look like for you is this happy Cast Member:
Instead of wearing it though, we simply lay it on the counter, which is always followed by the Guests jaws dropping as they take in the beauty of it. They always mention how "overwhelming" it is and I have to agree with them. It's so much fun to sit and chat with the Guests about what pins they are searching for, how their day in the park was and where they are visiting from. It's a rewarding feeling when, as they leave, they give you a genuine goodbye, sometimes throwing your name in there for a personal touch.
- My favorite moment of the whole program up to this point has to be an encounter that I had with Guests just a couple of nights ago. I was working at Stroller Tag 2, a job in which I simply collect the strollers that people are returning, when two Guests came up. One of them was a middle aged woman and the other a young girl (maybe 10 or 11) in a wheelchair. Both of them were wearing Make-a-Wish buttons, an organization known by all Disney Cast Members. The woman who I assumed to be the child's mother explained that all day they had tried to get their hands on a Wilderness Explorer Badge Book, but were unsuccessful. They were wondering if there was anyway they could get one and another Cast Member mentioned that it would be hard because the Wilderness Explorer Station had closed earlier in the night. I was pretty sure I had remembered spotting one lying at the bottom of a drawer in one of the gift shops I had worked in earlier that day. I told the Guests to wait right there and then I ran off to see if I could find it. I frantically searched through all the drawers, fearing that I wouldn't be able to find it. Finally, after moving around some papers, I spotted the book and made sure it hadn't already been filled out. It hadn't been! I raced back to the Guests and had a huge smile on my face as I presented the book to them! They were super excited about it and the mother told me that it was the last night of their trip and that I had made their whole vacation. Man, what a wonderful feeling to be able to make someone say that. It was an act that any Cast Member would have done, but I am honored that I got to be the one to witness their smiling faces. It was such an amazing moment and definitely one I'll always remember.
I'm looking forward to many more experiences like the ones I've already had and I will definitely update you all on how things are going.
Thanks for hanging in there with me.
See ya,
P.W.
Guest Relations Cart is a small merchandise cart that is located inside the park right next to the exit. Every night, almost every single guest in the park will walk by this cart on their way out. I walked onstage and over to my position, swapped out with the CM already there and got ready to make some magic. Here is a snippit of conversation I had early in my shift:
ME
Hello sir! How was your first visit??
MAN WITH 1ST VISIT BUTTON
Well, it wasn't too good.
ME
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that!
MAN
(angrily)
Ya, I guess Disney isn't for everybody....and it definitely wasn't for me!
I also encountered almost every little random request that you could ever get. Exchanges, returns, trying to use coupons, etc. I did alright for most of them but I had to turn a couple of people down because I was pretty sure there was no way to fulfill their request at my cart. After my break I was sent to Outpost, a large store located outside of the parks that acts as a sort of "last chance" for guests to grab that special Disney memento. This was good news because it allowed me to work alongside other CM's that were able to help me when needed. The rest of the night went pretty flawlessly and I left feeling good about my first day.
I have worked many days since then, so I will highlight some of my favorite experiences so far:
- One of my favorite activities is working at Guest Relations Cart and wearing a merchandise item that is basically a scarf that has two yeti paws attached at the end that work as gloves (like the picture, but minus the hat). There are many times where Guests aren't purchasing anything, so I slip these babies on and take my position next to the cart, right next to the small path that the majority of Guests walk by on their way out. I then proceed to wave and wave and wave to every single group of Guests as they walk by, throwing in many "Goodnights!" and an occasional "Have a great night!" (I have a small arsenal of goodbye-type sayings that I constantly cycle through. I enjoy getting to think of new ways to say goodbye) Mixed in between the waving are the high fives! Whenever a little kid walks close by, I stick out the paw and ask for a high five. Most of the kids happily comply, some even jumping up or walking way out of their way to get a coveted hand slap. Sometimes I will squat down to offer my yeti hand to a small child in a stroller. Without fail, all of them always take a second, staring at this large furry object that has been placed in front of them. Most of them will break a smile and slap my hand, while a small majority instead turns away in fear. The most interesting part of this "job" (read: fun) is that a lot of adults will place their hand onto mine and simply hold it there as they walk by. It fascinates me because if you were to take away the furry yeti paw, this would seem like such a strange thing for grown adults to do and something that most would never think of doing. But due to the fact that there is a piece of fabric between our palms and that we are at Walt Disney World, Guests (and I) feel very comfortable engaging in this behavior. It psychologically interests me and I have a great time experimenting with it.- I have worked about two weeks now and have only touched strollers ONCE! What a relief! When I was first assigned to my role as Stroller Rentals, I was a little bummed at the thought of simply renting out strollers all day. Happily, I have found my job to be so much more than simply strollers and I encourage Disney to change this misleading label.
- The group of people I work with are awesome. Since I mostly work the closing shift, I don't have too much interaction with the "older folk", who enjoy opening the park (it's busier and time goes by way faster). But I have had tons of interaction with the many CP's who are doing the program like me and all of them have been super friendly and helpful. They really do make the job better.
- PINS! As I've already briefly touched on, pin trading has become a huge part of a Cast Member's job. I have had so many great experiences with pin trading, but my favorite part has been getting to share our secret pin spots! At our Stroller Rentals section, we have a Pin Stroller that we will wheel out for lucky Guests. The Guests have a great time getting to search for "that one pin" that they really need.
So happy!
- My favorite moment of the whole program up to this point has to be an encounter that I had with Guests just a couple of nights ago. I was working at Stroller Tag 2, a job in which I simply collect the strollers that people are returning, when two Guests came up. One of them was a middle aged woman and the other a young girl (maybe 10 or 11) in a wheelchair. Both of them were wearing Make-a-Wish buttons, an organization known by all Disney Cast Members. The woman who I assumed to be the child's mother explained that all day they had tried to get their hands on a Wilderness Explorer Badge Book, but were unsuccessful. They were wondering if there was anyway they could get one and another Cast Member mentioned that it would be hard because the Wilderness Explorer Station had closed earlier in the night. I was pretty sure I had remembered spotting one lying at the bottom of a drawer in one of the gift shops I had worked in earlier that day. I told the Guests to wait right there and then I ran off to see if I could find it. I frantically searched through all the drawers, fearing that I wouldn't be able to find it. Finally, after moving around some papers, I spotted the book and made sure it hadn't already been filled out. It hadn't been! I raced back to the Guests and had a huge smile on my face as I presented the book to them! They were super excited about it and the mother told me that it was the last night of their trip and that I had made their whole vacation. Man, what a wonderful feeling to be able to make someone say that. It was an act that any Cast Member would have done, but I am honored that I got to be the one to witness their smiling faces. It was such an amazing moment and definitely one I'll always remember. I'm looking forward to many more experiences like the ones I've already had and I will definitely update you all on how things are going.
Thanks for hanging in there with me.
See ya,
P.W.
No comments:
Post a Comment