Upset with WDW pin trading

Tish · 01-06-2003

I wonder if anyone who makes decisions at Disney ever reads these! I think the pin trading thing is a good idea with bad planning. I just dont get it! I have never seen much worth trading a pin that I like and paid 6 bucks for. Everything the CM's wear I can buy on any stand rather than trading a pin I like too. Besides the CM's have become possesive and wont trade the good ones anyway. (hmmm...it used to be they HAD to trade anything you asked for! Why did that change?)

Anyway here is what I would LOVE to see.........Disney could make state pins for every state and other countries too. You could only buy them in that state, not at WDW (i.e. I would be able to buy here a whole bunch of "Texas Mickey" pins but no other states). Then when I got to WDW with my bag full of Texas Mickey pins I could go crazy trading them with CM's and other people for their home state pins with a goal of having EVERY state.

For now we always make little pin trading goals to make it fun. One trip the goal was to get a CM to trade their "trainer" pin, IMPOSSIBLE everyone says (I even bet my husband $100 that he wouldnt get one) ALAS...Jiminey Cricket is on proud display in his pin bag!

MickeyMac · 01-06-2003

Tish, Disney did make a line of State pins last year - you could only purchase them at the Disney store they were from. I brought a bunch of Maine, NH, and Mass ones down with me this past trip.

Did you get a CM refuse to trade a lanyard pin with you? They have to, unless it is their personal lanyard. I would move onto a different CM.

I agree with you that a lot of times, the more 'prevalent' CM's have a lot of very common pins. Try looking for a 'suit,' if that make sense. I see them all over Epcot, for some reason. They are rushing from meeting to meeting, sporting lanyards. They almost always have some bizarre pins, and because they are not bombarded about trading all the time, they always seem very nice.

I hope this helps. Since you are also concerned with Disney getting your comments, I would write a letter to WDW Guest Communications directly, as well. I don't think the powers that be surf the fan sites. I wish they did. :o

Tish · 01-07-2003

OK...I admit it...I jumped the gun! I got the tip on here that the Disney Store had all of their pins off 50 and 60%, so I told my hubby (hes the pin trader) and we went to the mall. Turns out that YES they did make the state pins, I even found 5 Texas Mickeys in the bin. My goal this trip will be to try and find some other states! It even turned out the my daughter had a New Jersey one in her book that she traded for last trip.

When you say suits do you mean the guys that "wear suits"? If so I will keep my eyes open!

Thanks!

MickeyMac · 01-07-2003

Sorry, thought that was a common term.

I mean management. They always have a nametag and/or lanyard, but are generally wearing a suit instead of a costume. I've always found management to be wonderful to trade with for my kids, and they almost always have some really neat pins.

teresadisney · 01-07-2003

the only time I really notice the suits is when they are on that new personal-people-mover (i forgot the name, and almost called it a wedway personal people mover--that is not right I know)--and when they are getting ready for the parades, running down the street--but I guess that would be a bad time to trade (can't you hear it--wait up, you're running too fast, I need to trade pins)!:laugh

sunshine032 · 01-07-2003

I was just at WDW and on the Disney Wonder this past week. My son got VERY involved in pin trading. Disney Cast Members have to give you any pin you want in exchange for any pin you want to give to them. Some of the pins they have are exclusive to cast members so trading for them is the only way you can get them. My son got a number of exclusive pins from cast members. In fact, if he was having a hard time deciding which pin he wanted to give them, some of the cast members just gave him the pin he wanted to add to his collection. They told him that they were not supposed to do that but for him they would. He felt so special. He aquired at least 3 pins that way. One of the cast members told me that if that is all that it takes to make a child happy then why not. No one gave us any grief at all, the freely gave up their pins. If they don't want to trade one then they shouldn't be wearing it. They get them free from Disney anyhow. Once I saw how much trading my son was doing we decided to pick up some extra less expensive ones for trading. We even bought one that was a set of 4 and he traded them seperately for exclusive pins.

Good Luck and have fun!!!

lopo · 01-07-2003

MickeyMac, regarding the "suits" . . . last August, my daughter whispered to me that she really liked a couple of the pins on a manager's lanyard. I encouraged her to ask him to trade. She finally decided to ask him. He told her that he'd be delighted to trade, but she couldn't have either of the two pins she liked! She was too embarrassed to just walk away. She ended up trading for a pin she didn't want, although she managed to talk herself into 'it's not so bad'!

Actually, I agree with Tish. I'd like to just keep the special pins I buy and not even think about trading!

teresadisney · 01-07-2003

Now that you say that lopo, I did ask a "suit" about the 100 years of magic pins they were all wearing, and I was told it was "just for show", and they could not trade it. I understand that it IS a special pin, but that is the old "bait and switch" if you ask me:devil

MickeyMac · 01-07-2003

Lopo - that is awful! Was it on a trading lanyard? Poor kid!!

I've met many nice CM's of all levels to trade with, that *more* than offsets the occasional few who are grumpy and rude. I only mention the 'suits' since they seem to have more uncommon pins (just our experience). We have asked for a pin that someone was wearing on a lapel, and we found out that it has to be on a lanyard (not a personal lanyard) to trade.

glitteri · 01-07-2003

I'm mad that these CM's weren't trading! When I start my CP next week:) , I'm going to take it upon myself to fuss at anyone that wont trade with people, especially kids! That might not make the best impression right away... Anyway, if I get any pins that I'm not willing to trade, then I plan on just putting them in my pocket. I wouldn't want to get anyones hopes up, or lose a pin that I really like.

brumcg · 01-08-2003

Lopo,

We had something similar happen to us... My daughter (very shy) got the courage up to approach a 'manager' type about a pin she liked. He said "Oh, that pin? Oh, you can have any pin but THAT pin" and then he *WINKED* at me. He wanted her to 'haggle' with him. It all ended up okay (knowing my daughter was probably freaking out, I walked up and helped her 'seal' the deal).

Our only disappointment was that some CM's weren't as 'into it' as we were expecting. A few acted like trading was a hassle and if we had any questions about the pins, generally they had no clue. One of the CM's in the MK told me that they have a bin of lanyards with pins in the employee area; if you wanted to wear one, you grabbed it and put it back at the end of the day. Knowing that, it took some of the 'magic' away.

Now, we encountered one of the Super Pin Traders in Epcot (they have vests instead of lanyards). These folks are serious! And...they had tons of interesting pins and were a hoot.

Bruce

Amethyst · 01-20-2003

It was my understanding that pintrading was an option for each CM with the stipulations that they had to trade as long as they didn't have the same pin as the guest is offering and since it is part of their costume, they had to return them with the same number of pins. One of my girl friends just came back & told me one of the CMs wouldn't trade with her 7 yr. old daughter. He told her to go into the store and buy a specific pin he'd trade her for. He didn't have any of her pins on his lanyard but refused to trade anyway--some of hers were from Disneyland Paris. Her mom refused and was not exactly tactful with him. Can't say I blame her. It's a shame these people are making the nice ones look bad and I just hope these experiences don't deter us or the children from trades in the future.

brumcg · 01-21-2003

The other rule is that it must be an official Disney pin. I know that we have quite a few German pins in our collections, and I'm not sure that they would qualify for CM pin trading. That's probably not the case here, but...

Bruce

dab · 01-21-2003

We just got into pin collecting - not trading. My DD mangaed to get CM's at DTD and Epcot to just give her pins. She is warming up the notion of trading so I bought some at the Disney Store for $2 that might make it easier for her since they weren't "gifts" from Mickey's friends.

Cinderellafifi · 01-21-2003

For all you pin traders out there, I came across this on the Dis website: Disney is having a pin trading party at Animal Kingdom, in the evening no less, and it is call Party Gras. There is a $115.00 admission fee, however. Here is the link to the story:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Pins/party_gras.htm

I am curious if any of you will be going or would like to go even if logistics prevent your attendance? Do you pin traders think the admission fee is "fair"? It sounds awfully high to me, but some people think what we pay to get into Pleasure Island for NYEve each year is high.

:) :) :)

01-06-2003	#1 (permalink)
Tish Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 51	Upset with WDW pin trading I wonder if anyone who makes decisions at Disney ever reads these! I think the pin trading thing is a good idea with bad planning. I just dont get it! I have never seen much worth trading a pin that I like and paid 6 bucks for. Everything the CM's wear I can buy on any stand rather than trading a pin I like too. Besides the CM's have become possesive and wont trade the good ones anyway. (hmmm...it used to be they HAD to trade anything you asked for! Why did that change?) Anyway here is what I would LOVE to see.........Disney could make state pins for every state and other countries too. You could only buy them in that state, not at WDW (i.e. I would be able to buy here a whole bunch of "Texas Mickey" pins but no other states). Then when I got to WDW with my bag full of Texas Mickey pins I could go crazy trading them with CM's and other people for their home state pins with a goal of having EVERY state. For now we always make little pin trading goals to make it fun. One trip the goal was to get a CM to trade their "trainer" pin, IMPOSSIBLE everyone says (I even bet my husband $100 that he wouldnt get one) ALAS...Jiminey Cricket is on proud display in his pin bag! __________________

01-06-2003	#2 (permalink)
MickeyMac Cherubic Chocoholic Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,233	Tish, Disney did make a line of State pins last year - you could only purchase them at the Disney store they were from. I brought a bunch of Maine, NH, and Mass ones down with me this past trip. Did you get a CM refuse to trade a lanyard pin with you? They have to, unless it is their personal lanyard. I would move onto a different CM. I agree with you that a lot of times, the more 'prevalent' CM's have a lot of very common pins. Try looking for a 'suit,' if that make sense. I see them all over Epcot, for some reason. They are rushing from meeting to meeting, sporting lanyards. They almost always have some bizarre pins, and because they are not bombarded about trading all the time, they always seem very nice. I hope this helps. Since you are also concerned with Disney getting your comments, I would write a letter to WDW Guest Communications directly, as well. I don't think the powers that be surf the fan sites. I wish they did. :o __________________ ... back in the frozen tundra!

01-07-2003	#3 (permalink)
Tish Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 51	OK...I admit it...I jumped the gun! I got the tip on here that the Disney Store had all of their pins off 50 and 60%, so I told my hubby (hes the pin trader) and we went to the mall. Turns out that YES they did make the state pins, I even found 5 Texas Mickeys in the bin. My goal this trip will be to try and find some other states! It even turned out the my daughter had a New Jersey one in her book that she traded for last trip. When you say suits do you mean the guys that "wear suits"? If so I will keep my eyes open! Thanks! __________________

01-07-2003	#4 (permalink)
MickeyMac Cherubic Chocoholic Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,233	Sorry, thought that was a common term. I mean management. They always have a nametag and/or lanyard, but are generally wearing a suit instead of a costume. I've always found management to be wonderful to trade with for my kids, and they almost always have some really neat pins. __________________ ... back in the frozen tundra!

01-07-2003	#6 (permalink)
sunshine032 Mouseketeer Intern Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Posts: 6	Pin Trading I was just at WDW and on the Disney Wonder this past week. My son got VERY involved in pin trading. Disney Cast Members have to give you any pin you want in exchange for any pin you want to give to them. Some of the pins they have are exclusive to cast members so trading for them is the only way you can get them. My son got a number of exclusive pins from cast members. In fact, if he was having a hard time deciding which pin he wanted to give them, some of the cast members just gave him the pin he wanted to add to his collection. They told him that they were not supposed to do that but for him they would. He felt so special. He aquired at least 3 pins that way. One of the cast members told me that if that is all that it takes to make a child happy then why not. No one gave us any grief at all, the freely gave up their pins. If they don't want to trade one then they shouldn't be wearing it. They get them free from Disney anyhow. Once I saw how much trading my son was doing we decided to pick up some extra less expensive ones for trading. We even bought one that was a set of 4 and he traded them seperately for exclusive pins. Good Luck and have fun!!! __________________

		MouseBuzz.com > Disney Pins > General Pins Discussion
Upset with WDW pin trading

01-07-2003	#5 (permalink)
teresadisney Big Cheese Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: SPACE CITY USA Posts: 694	the only time I really notice the suits is when they are on that new personal-people-mover (i forgot the name, and almost called it a wedway personal people mover--that is not right I know)--and when they are getting ready for the parades, running down the street--but I guess that would be a bad time to trade (can't you hear it--wait up, you're running too fast, I need to trade pins)!:laugh

01-07-2003	#7 (permalink)
lopo Big Cheese Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greater Boston Posts: 849	MickeyMac, regarding the "suits" . . . last August, my daughter whispered to me that she really liked a couple of the pins on a manager's lanyard. I encouraged her to ask him to trade. She finally decided to ask him. He told her that he'd be delighted to trade, but she couldn't have either of the two pins she liked! She was too embarrassed to just walk away. She ended up trading for a pin she didn't want, although she managed to talk herself into 'it's not so bad'! Actually, I agree with Tish. I'd like to just keep the special pins I buy and not even think about trading! __________________ "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world". My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Going back! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

01-07-2003	#8 (permalink)
teresadisney Big Cheese Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: SPACE CITY USA Posts: 694	Now that you say that lopo, I did ask a "suit" about the 100 years of magic pins they were all wearing, and I was told it was "just for show", and they could not trade it. I understand that it IS a special pin, but that is the old "bait and switch" if you ask me:devil

01-07-2003	#9 (permalink)
MickeyMac Cherubic Chocoholic Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,233	Lopo - that is awful! Was it on a trading lanyard? Poor kid!! I've met many nice CM's of all levels to trade with, that more than offsets the occasional few who are grumpy and rude. I only mention the 'suits' since they seem to have more uncommon pins (just our experience). We have asked for a pin that someone was wearing on a lapel, and we found out that it has to be on a lanyard (not a personal lanyard) to trade. __________________ ... back in the frozen tundra!

01-07-2003	#10 (permalink)
glitteri Junior Mouseketeer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 21	I'm mad that these CM's weren't trading! When I start my CP next week:) , I'm going to take it upon myself to fuss at anyone that wont trade with people, especially kids! That might not make the best impression right away... Anyway, if I get any pins that I'm not willing to trade, then I plan on just putting them in my pocket. I wouldn't want to get anyones hopes up, or lose a pin that I really like. __________________ Kristin L Davis

01-08-2003	#11 (permalink)
brumcg Mouse Meister Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,299	Lopo, We had something similar happen to us... My daughter (very shy) got the courage up to approach a 'manager' type about a pin she liked. He said "Oh, that pin? Oh, you can have any pin but THAT pin" and then he WINKED at me. He wanted her to 'haggle' with him. It all ended up okay (knowing my daughter was probably freaking out, I walked up and helped her 'seal' the deal). Our only disappointment was that some CM's weren't as 'into it' as we were expecting. A few acted like trading was a hassle and if we had any questions about the pins, generally they had no clue. One of the CM's in the MK told me that they have a bin of lanyards with pins in the employee area; if you wanted to wear one, you grabbed it and put it back at the end of the day. Knowing that, it took some of the 'magic' away. Now, we encountered one of the Super Pin Traders in Epcot (they have vests instead of lanyards). These folks are serious! And...they had tons of interesting pins and were a hoot. Bruce __________________ My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Our March 2010 Spring Break trip! 118 days 21 hours 34 minutes

01-20-2003	#12 (permalink)
Amethyst Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Bayonne, NJ Posts: 304	It was my understanding that pintrading was an option for each CM with the stipulations that they had to trade as long as they didn't have the same pin as the guest is offering and since it is part of their costume, they had to return them with the same number of pins. One of my girl friends just came back & told me one of the CMs wouldn't trade with her 7 yr. old daughter. He told her to go into the store and buy a specific pin he'd trade her for. He didn't have any of her pins on his lanyard but refused to trade anyway--some of hers were from Disneyland Paris. Her mom refused and was not exactly tactful with him. Can't say I blame her. It's a shame these people are making the nice ones look bad and I just hope these experiences don't deter us or the children from trades in the future.

01-21-2003	#13 (permalink)
brumcg Mouse Meister Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,299	The other rule is that it must be an official Disney pin. I know that we have quite a few German pins in our collections, and I'm not sure that they would qualify for CM pin trading. That's probably not the case here, but... Bruce __________________ My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Our March 2010 Spring Break trip! 118 days 21 hours 34 minutes

01-21-2003	#14 (permalink)
dab Perpetual Trip Planner Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 1,604	We just got into pin collecting - not trading. My DD mangaed to get CM's at DTD and Epcot to just give her pins. She is warming up the notion of trading so I bought some at the Disney Store for $2 that might make it easier for her since they weren't "gifts" from Mickey's friends. __________________ http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/timer...8lwbwx9enz.png

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01-21-2003	#15 (permalink)
Cinderellafifi Mouse Meister Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: S. Florida, Baby! Posts: 1,058	For all you pin traders out there, I came across this on the Dis website: Disney is having a pin trading party at Animal Kingdom, in the evening no less, and it is call Party Gras. There is a $115.00 admission fee, however. Here is the link to the story: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Pins/party_gras.htm I am curious if any of you will be going or would like to go even if logistics prevent your attendance? Do you pin traders think the admission fee is "fair"? It sounds awfully high to me, but some people think what we pay to get into Pleasure Island for NYEve each year is high. :) :) :) __________________ A whole year without a Disney visit leads to a crabby family DC's Tinkerbell is a very special fairy! A dream is a wish your heart makes...