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View Full Version : Costume Issues (Fast Track) How many



Cinemascribe
07-16-2002, 03:19 PM
So, realistically, how many costumes can you have out at once.

When do they stop issuing you stuff?

I have like 4 skirts, 2 petti coats, 3 jackets, and 2 tops

and if i pick up a parade shift, to get that costume, will i need to turn something in?

Still new to this new costume set up.. when i was employeed before you had the whole walk up window thing going on..

tabacco
07-16-2002, 04:15 PM
in theory you can have out three costumes. In reality, I've had out 5 or 6. If they hassle you, just say "Oh, I just dropped some stuff in the bin." :)

Cinemascribe
07-16-2002, 05:33 PM
I see.. cool

SpacedOutCM
07-16-2002, 07:02 PM
I say that Costuming needs to become a little more strict with their issuing.

If only they would stop issuing out costumes when the CM has out 3 or more checked out already.

marron-cream
07-16-2002, 10:06 PM
They just have trouble keeping track of them, even with their barcode system. Once they put up those new bins, it was like, what's the point? I can take out a zillion costumes and insist I returned them in the bin.

Anyway, I have costumes for four lands. I have two sets of the one I work the most in. Do they know this? No. Oh well.

MammaSilva
07-16-2002, 10:16 PM
which is probably how/why costumes are showing up on ebay these days...

Cinemascribe
07-16-2002, 10:21 PM
Well.. then i wont worry about it.

I liked the fact that I can get dressed at home, and go home in my costume.. not into the changing room thing..

they never have my size in the top i need though!! and some of the costumes I get are stained or like thread bare.. i dont like that.. its bad show

bluepearl
07-17-2002, 12:38 AM
I know all about the sizing! For several weeks, I couldn't get a small stock shirt, so I was wearing this huge medium. And they didn't have my size pants, they were all either too long or too short. And when I didn't need the stock costume, the zipper on the other pants I need to wear were all broken so my zipper would show.

But anyway, I have one regular costume and two stock costumes. When I first started, I was told that I couldn't get a jacket unless I worked outside. Okay, I trained at the end of January and it was really cold outside and I couldn't have a jacket?! I had to wear my own coat that I brought and eventually picked up a jacket.

Cinemascribe
07-17-2002, 09:33 AM
WOW!

Well, my first day I hand to wear a top that was 8 sizes too big, and keep my jacket on to hide it.

As soon as they get my top in my size in, I am gonna take it home, launder it at home, and never bring it back until I leave Disney.. because I hate going through all this nonsense, and then I have to wear the Universal Costume, which my Lead doesnt really like.

:(

SpacedOutCM
07-19-2002, 05:21 PM
I also do the FastTrack and I love it because I can get ready at home. And I can leave my house 30 minutes before my shift starts and make it to my location on time (many times with time to spare)

About costume clothes, they need more Fantasyland attraction shirts in small and medium. It seems like they always have L - XXL . It is a rarity to have medium sizes and even more rare for a small shirt to be seen.

I have been washing and wearing the same shirt of mine for five (5) months. I have asked any if more size shirts are coming in, and the CM stated that shirts have been orderd. But this was like a month ago and I will believe it when I see it. :rolleyes:

goofey
07-19-2002, 05:47 PM
I personally think that the whole lack of costumes thing is related to not just Fast Track, but also Costume Shopping. Since they got lazy, barcoded everything, installed the return bins and everything else, it became so much easier to just tell Costuming CMs, "I dropped it in the bin," and they'd issue a 4th, 5th or even 6th costume, or in some cases they'd manually take the costumes you "dropped in the bin" off your record. I try to avoid going to costuming nowadays, but one time that I did go in there I saw a sign to their CMs saying they should just politely remind CMs if they have more than 3 out, but should be stern if it gets over 8 i think, to allow for the whole "I dropped it in the bin" excuse. By that logic, a CM can have a rotation of 6 costumes at home instead of 3, which I think is unfair.

tangaroa
07-19-2002, 06:08 PM
Believe it or not the costuming problems have nothing to do with the barcoding issues.

Barcoding - as flawed as it may seem - is actually pretty fool proof. Costumes are scanned out to CMs as they leave the building - and costumes returned from the bins are scanned off a CM's account as they are sent to the laundry. When the clothes return from the laundry they are scanned again into inventory. Management can basically tell where any particular costume is at any time. If a CM returns their costume to the bin - it will be scanned off their account eventually. If you didn't though - it will still show up on your account. Costuming CMs used to have the option to manually remove costumes from a CMs account - but that turned out to be unreliable so they removed that little feature. Even so - when items were manually removed - the computer still kept a record of the last CM to have it out. So when said garment never got scanned out to laundry - they would know you still had it.

The real problem comes from how little the respect is for the costuming department all around. The costuming leads and managers will occasionally go thru and write down the names of CMs with more than five costumes out - and they encourage the costuming CMs to make notes too. These notes will get turned over to area managers and it's up to those managers to take desciplinary action. Problem is - a lot of the other area managers around the resort could really care less about whatever little problems the costuming department is having. The thought here being along the lines of: "They want me to fire you - and take the hit in manpower and $1000's in training costs because they can't keep track of a $20 pair of khaki pants?"

The same attitude seems to appear with the whole wednesday closed thing. Costuming keeps a list of all the CMs who come in on Wednesday. If a CM comes in too many times - a note is sent to their manager. But who is going to fire someone because they came to get a costume on Wednesday?

goofey
07-19-2002, 06:23 PM
Barcoding - as flawed as it may seem - is actually pretty fool proof. Costumes are scanned out to CMs as they leave the building - and costumes returned from the bins are scanned off a CM's account as they are sent to the laundry. When the clothes return from the laundry they are scanned again into inventory. Management can basically tell where any particular costume is at any time. If a CM returns their costume to the bin - it will be scanned off their account eventually. If you didn't though - it will still show up on your account. Costuming CMs used to have the option to manually remove costumes from a CMs account - but that turned out to be unreliable so they removed that little feature. Even so - when items were manually removed - the computer still kept a record of the last CM to have it out. So when said garment never got scanned out to laundry - they would know you still had it.

Okay, so I was wrong on the whole barcoding thing, but you did bring up a few points I was unaware of, including that costumes are scanned in twice and that they took away the manual removal option.

And I do agree with you, the Costuming Department doesn't get very much respect. CMs think that just because Costuming CMs are "fellow CMs" that they can treat them harshly (The same can be said for CMs who work at the Inn Between). I will admit, I have used that excuse myself. One Costuming CM went so far as to say that we CMs are for the most part ruder and harder to deal with than guests in the park.

But I do question one thing: Now that we have Costume Shopping, is there really a need to "close" Costuming on Wednesdays for H5 or Tue/Thu for PP and DelFanToonWorld?

tangaroa
07-19-2002, 08:33 PM
There's really no reason to be closed at all.

The "official" excuse always was that it was to be a "catch up" day to put away accessories and clothes. Truckoads of laundry gets dropped off at H5 every day - but for the most part the leads make sure it all gets put away before they close for the night.

By mid-day on a typical Wednesday - all the clothes are put away and the crew assigned to do clean up work gets pulled to just help the hordes of CMs who show up. So no - I have no idea why they are still closed on Wednesdays.

dcaprincess
07-19-2002, 09:07 PM
They must have a limit to how many costumes they let people check out. I cant belive they havent said anything to me because I have 2- bugs , 3 muppets, 2 millionare, 2- parades and one dark blue paints and burgundy shirt, and not to mention all the jackets I have. And those are compleat costumes, WOW huh. Not once have they said anything. Not to worry everyone I am turning in all of them tomarrow, and the day after (cant take them all in one day ):eek:

PhilMP
07-21-2002, 12:15 AM
Originally posted by goofey

And I do agree with you, the Costuming Department doesn't get very much respect. CMs think that just because Costuming CMs are "fellow CMs" that they can treat them harshly (The same can be said for CMs who work at the Inn Between). I will admit, I have used that excuse myself. One Costuming CM went so far as to say that we CMs are for the most part ruder and harder to deal with than guests in the park.


How would the Costuming CM know that park CMs are ruder and harder to deal with than Guests??? I have seen a Costuming CM onstage maybe twice, and both times it was because he/she was on break and watching the fireworks. If Costuming CMs are never onstage, how would they know?

As far as Costuming getting no respect, why should they?? They stand around acting like they're the most important people in the Resort, treat us like we're stupid when we're trying to find a certain costume, and make like the appearance police and tell us to change because our pants are an inch too long.

I used to respect Costuming when they actually had the windows and had to retrieve our costumes, now they do less work than Custodial.

Phil

tangaroa
07-21-2002, 03:43 AM
Well of course there are some people who work in costuming who actually DID work onstage and transferred over.

I wouldn't say that cast members are any ruder than your normal average everyday guest in the park - but the difference is that a cast member being a disney employee should know better than to act a certain way. It just seems that a lot of anger gets unfairly directed at the costuming CMs. If a shuttle gets delayed or someone is late - or on the other end have a really bad day at work - the costuming CMs are the first people to take it out on.

And of course there are just some really mean people out there. CMs who will verbally abuse costuming CMs - demand special treatment - complain about the littlest nitpicky things (missing buttons or loose threads) . I remember one story i heard about this elderly woman who got so frustrated that they couldn't find the right size overalls for her - that she threw them back at the costuming CM and the metal snap hit her in the eye. It's appalling enough to think that a guest would physically harm a cast member - but a fellow cast member?

As for the fashion police thing. That's something I personally feel is very important to the overall show. Too many CMs now wear their costumes incorrectly. A lot of guys like to wear baggy pants - so they try to do the same at Disneyland ignoring the fact that it just looks too unprofessional. The whole point of having costumes is to give off a very uniform and professional feeling to the guests. A person who is wearing baggy pants and an unbuttoned shirt just gets less respect than someone who is prim and proper.

It seems the biggest offender of the show is ODV. The other day I saw some ODV CMs walking thru critter country. A man and a woman. The man was wearing his pants about 3 inches below his waist and the woman wasn't wearing any socks at all. Both direct violations of the Disney guidelines. It just looked very unprofessional and immature.

marron-cream
07-21-2002, 01:17 PM
Originally posted by tangaroa
...complain about the littlest nitpicky things (missing buttons or loose threads) . I remember one story i heard about this elderly woman who got so frustrated that they couldn't find the right size overalls for her - that she threw them back at the costuming CM and the metal snap hit her in the eye. It's appalling enough to think that a guest would physically harm a cast member - but a fellow cast member?

I also remember the story of the costuming CM who threw my ID back at me because I had the nerve to ask if she could bring me the skirt size I asked for, not something three sizes too big. This coming after I'd been waiting at the counter for 10 minutes while she tried to prove that the CC stores costume consisted of the Splash Mt pants and shirt, not the skirt and top. I too was very appalled, especially when the costuming lead just blew me off when I went to him with the problem. It goes both ways.

And complaining about little things like missing buttons or loose threads... shouldn't we? I mean, isn't that bad show? Personally, I know that I like my costumes to have all the necessary parts, that way I don't have to worry that something's going to come apart on stage. Don't scoff, I've seen it happen.