Mystery Pins

[Disneyland_emily]

>>PS I've been told one complaint at Disney can get you fired. I don't want this to happen, but I think three times asking is fair. If I tell them I'm unhappy and will just go to city hall, they should comply with Disney regulations. I really really hate to be like this. I know I'm coming off as a jerk, but it is so annoying to us.<<

Thats not true either in 99% of situations.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

I'm sorry if I'm coming off whining, but the response is not what I expected and it is very very interesting to me.

The problem is they are not doing WHAT YOU WANT them to do, and you are irritated, and more irritated because no one has come to your defense.

This is obviously a HUGE issue for you.

 

[william4192]

If they were just appeasing me, it just makes it worse for me. The lady was so, so nice. She gave my her card and told us to contact her. I'm not even sure we have it as I didn't think I'd ever use it. She seemed very appalled and she said she was "embarrassed'. I took her at face value. All she would have had to say was it was allowed and we would have left (never to trade again, but she didn't know that).

It is a bad concetp. Regardless of what some web site said. I don't know people in management in pin trading or at MK. I just know what this lady said. I feel justified in giving them 3 chances and then complaining to them. Honestly, in their attempt to accomdate guest (w/in reason of course), they should just show the pins on request. Think about it, it cost them nothing.

Why make a guest upset? It is NOT part of the rules (even if you don't believe there is a policy against it).

Thanks for the feedback though.

 

[william4192]

Emily,

Thanks for the info on that!! Honestly, I'll not feel so bad complaining about them.

NJ Blackberry,

I honestly don't care if anyone agrees with me. I understand now that some people actually enjoy it. When the supervisor told me it was done to prevent adults from trading, I was a little upset. I cna't believe some people actually enjoy it, but different strokes for different folks I guess.


The argument has become whether it is agianst the rules. With the manager told me it was against the rules, I assumed it was. It never crossed my mind she would like mostly b/c she had nothing to gain from it. If it was part of the rules, so be it. She told me it wasn't.


My main concern, since I love Disney World, was the concern over CM's making up their own policies, even against the wishes of Disney the Company.

 

[william4192]

Oh btw, it is sort of a huge issue for us. Sometimes we just like to go and walk the parks. It is much more exciting (we have found) to walk the parks and pin trade. It is a different experience for us. We will grab some food, ride a couple of rides, but mostly just walk around and talk about our week. It is fun for us and I don't like the added stress of myster pins

If mystery pins were "allowed", I'd stop trading. In that regard, it is a huge issue.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

I have never ONCE been told that I could not trade for a Mystery Pin. I have seen them at several parks and DTD. In fact, I normally trade for them. It's fun - and I can trade it right back if I don't like it.

I like the mystery pins. It is kind of sad that you get stressed out over something like this

 

[cinderellacm2000]

To put it simply, you ran into a very bad CM and a very good Management Supervisor. I can tell you as a former CM that one of the things that always made it so special to work at WDW was the empowerment they give the CM's to add some flair to the otherwise mundane daily routines. It is wonderful to do mystery pin trading with Guests, yet I have only ever seen this done by someone that recognizes the backwards lanyard, vest or otherwise and knows it is the way that CM trades.

I think it is ridiculous that you asked so many times and were treated so rudely, yet I do not truly think that the real issue here is Mystery Trading. I was never once made aware that there was a policy against it, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to place some really rare pins on backwards to see the eyes of a trader light up when they chose something wonderful.

All of my fellow CM's did mystery trading from time to time. Not because we were trying to be rude, but exactly the opposite. I think that CM needed serious reprehension and I hope that is what happened. It is also possible that the Manager was new to that Park or to pin trading knowledge and was just trying to assist you the best way possible.

Taking the Mystery Pin Trading away would leave the predictable and nothing else, and while many of us like seeing exactly what we are trading for (myself included), there are just as many who enjoy the mystery trades. I agree with a former post in which they hinted at the fact that if you can tell the CM is currently doing a mystery trade session, look for the lanyard that is not turned around and head in that direction.

If Disney were to send out a bulletin saying that they were making strict pin policies and revoking all creative freedoms thereof to all of it's massively underpaid CM's, many of which are there just to make some magic for Guests because they have kind hearts and are also Disney fans, it would be a sad, sad day.

 

[william4192]

I don't mind Mystery Pin trading, but if I ask three times they should turn them around no matter what magic they are trying to bring. It is un-magical to make a guest upset.

 

[Parkhopper_Vince]

Okay, I have been pin trading now for over 6 and a half years and I have had a lot of fun doing it. I have quite a few pins and still find it fun to trade with the cast members when visiting the parks. All the way back in the early days of pin trading before all the seminars and things evolved, Scoop used to do some special pin trading on Main Street with pins turned backward on his suspenders. This was a fun twist to a pin trading game where what you got was a surprise. Sometimes it was something rather common and sometimes it was something rather special, but it also meant that if you weren't necessarily there first you might have a chance to pick something good. As best I can remember this was the origin of the mystery pin trade.

Because this was fun and added a twist to the standard pin trading some other pin trading cast members picked up on it. Some would turn a special pin around on their lanyard and some would turn a common pin that they figure would not interest many people in hopes that curiousity would get the best of someone and usually they would be right. I am the curious type and often will trade for a mystery pin. There is no down side to this because there if I happen to get something that I am not interested in I can always trade it cheerfully with the next cast member I find that is wearing a pin lanyard.

I actually consider mystery pin trading to be a fun part of the whole pin trading experience. So much so that I created a mystery pin trading bag which has over 100 pins in it (from my own personal pins) where you can only see the back of the pin and all the backs are the same metal type back. Everyone who comes to the pin meets that I host is entitled to participate in one mystery pin trade with the book. There are all kinds of pins in there from cast member exclusives to limited editions to lanyard series pins to everyday core pins and more. Those that would like to trade are welcome to and those that would rather not don't have to, but anyone who was at my last pin meet will say that there were many more that wanted to trade with the mystery pin book than didn't want to and the line was rather long. Some people traded better pins into the book than they got in return and some people received better pins than they traded, but all in all the thrill of the mystery was what made people want to participate.

Pin trading is supposed to be fun and it is for many people who choose to participate. I have made lifelong friends through pin trading and I can't even begin to talk about all of the Disney experiences that I have enjoyed that I can directly attribute to my particpation in this hobby. Remember that cast members don't get to choose who they run into and who they have to trade with while they are working. Please don't try to make their day more difficult.

If you don't like mystery pins there are multiple solutions. One very simply is to avoid them all. There are so few out there in quantity that the odds of one being a pin that you want are astronomically low. On the other hand you could start with a pin that you have no interest in and use it to trade for every mystery pin that you see which would thereby eliminate this stress of whether it was a pin you want or not. If it is then great you are one pin closer on your quest....if it is a pin you never would have traded for then you have traded one pin that you have no interest in for another pin you have no interest in and can use that pin to trade for the next mystery pin that you run across.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

I don't mind Mystery Pin trading, but if I ask three times they should turn them around no matter what magic they are trying to bring. It is un-magical to make a guest upset.

Again, you are upset because they didn't do EXACTLY whatyou wanted. You are so off base this isn't funny. You wanted them to turn around Mystery Pins. Why? Because you wanted it.

Actually, this was the funniest thread of the day

And Vince, your Mystery Pin book was great, even though you didn't turn the pins over!

 

[william4192]

No, Not b/c I wanted it. B/c I was told it was Disney standard. My concern was not to change mystery pin, a few complaints (I'm told will fix that).

I was more amazed how the cast members could do this without the permission of Disney. Thus, my example of no ice in my drink b/c they think it is funny.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Incredible how important this is to you.

In any event, complain away about getting this unfair rule or regulation followed according to how you want it! Change is good. Even if I have no idea what you are really complaining about

Bye! Be there on the 7th. Can't wait to trade for more Mystery Pins.

 

[william4192]

I wouldn't call it important, I just think it is interesting that this entire concept is created without the permisson of Disney.

Alike my example of no ice.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Again, continue to tilt at windmills.
There is nothing here.

Alike nothing.

 

[cinderellacm2000]

Again, I will say- it WAS with the knowledge of Disney. Please read my previous post. I believe you were misinformed.

 

[PaulaSue]

LOL, if I asked you 3 times can you just not worry about the mystery pins and enjoy the hunt with the other pins.

I am sorry you are so upset about this but don't stress out, you are on vacation in the most magical place.

 

[limace]

Wow, William, take a deep breath. I haven't started pin trading yet (we're just collecting for our trip in a few months) but the mystery pin concept seems crystal clear to me, and kind of fun. If you don't see anything you want, whether it's pins in view or pins reversed, then move onto someone else. Problem solved.

Stomping off to management after demanding thee times to see the pin, when you know that's not the way anyone plays the mystery pin game (guests or CM alike) is...well...obnoxious, and can't make anyone's day better (the CMs, yours, or the other guests around you when you get angry over something that's really not worth the energy).

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We have played "mystery pin" with CMs at MK and Epcot. We enjoy it! DS has gotten some pretty neat pins that way. I really don't see the problem. The CMs aren't refusing to trade, they are simply refusing to show you the pin beforehand. I have to agree with the others who think this is NOT a big deal. The rules DO say you may trade twice with each CM, so if you don't like the mystery pin then trade it back to the same CM for something you can see. Absolutely not something to get your knickers in a knot over!

 

[Parkhopper]

LOL, if I asked you 3 times can you just not worry about the mystery pins and enjoy the hunt with the other pins.

I am sorry you are so upset about this but don't stress out, you are on vacation in the most magical place.

My EXACT thoughts!

Suzi

 

[diznycrazed]

I love trading for mystery pins. Like Parkhopper Vince and NJBlackBerry I have been trading for over six years. There is nothing more fun than going after those mystery pins. If you don't like it, you simply trade it back to another cast member - case closed.

You are stressing waaayyyyy too much over this whole issue. You have to remember it is supposed to be fun.

Terry