UK People.....Food & Bev...or Merch??

The title says it all........views welcomed.
J.

 

Hi James

Well i was a merchie and for the most part loved it... however, if i had the chance again i probably would pick foods (sorry merchies, nothing personal!)

The main difference you will find is in the amount you get paid. No matter how hard you work in merch you get paid the same *low* hourly rate - in foods you probably do work harder (although its really up to you) but the financial rewards are there. Servers could expect to take home $100+ on a decent PM shift, and often a lot more. Compare this to a 10 hour day in merch, earninng $67. Oh that's another thing, you have to get up earlier if you're in merch - shifts can start as early as 8am although 10.30/12ish is more usual.

The other advantage i think foods had over merch was that there are a lot more people working there so you've always got people around you. In merch you can be quite isolated in your own shop, especially on carts!

On the other hand, I couldn't have wished for a better group of friends to work with. We always had a laugh and because there aren't that many people working there you all get to know each other really well and become really close. Also (not sure what the case is now) the merch managers were generally a lot better than the foods ones, you're nearly always home by 10pm... and you don't come home filthy and stinking of fish & chips.

It's really down to personal preference. I had an amazing time out there, and whatever you pick, so will you!

 

i reckon there's pros and cons for both.

i was in food & bev and didn't become a server until i'd been there 5 months (that was early) my roomate in the german pavillion left after 10 months and still wasn't a server.

when you become a server you wages are your tips, which is mostly a good thing, the bad thing is, peak season time you get mainly british tables and they don't tip!!! you'd serve a huge table of generally rude brits (not all of them!!) they'd demand everything and after serving them for hours, they'd leave you with nothing (we were paid a minimum wage of $2.60p/h so we relied on our tips).
luckily larger tables you can add gratuity onto bills. it was frustrating sometimes, i really disliked british tourists while i was out there (i'm ashamed to say it now!!)
i don't know if the word is still used out there, but we referred to the rude ones as "scuz" or "scuzzers" (i have no idea where the word came from).

merch got to pack up at the beginning of fireworks, we were usually on the 11o'clock bus, but we got into a way of life of going to the pub til 2 or 3 and then not getting up til late, it was good until we were surprised by earlies or the horrendous mids (12 hour shifts)

but most of the time it was great!
;D

 

As sarah said there are pros and cons to both... but basically if u wanna earn a lot of money and work hard for it then choose food. If you want an easy life and job out here and earn enough to get by then choose merch, but u will earn a lot less then the foodies. But there are less of us in merch so u make real close mates, plus our managers r pretty cool. I'm in merch but would have preferred food simply cos of the amount of money they get but thats not to say that i regret choosing merch cos i've made some amazing friends from both merch and foods and am well happy here. Oh and dont believe anyone who tells u there is a divide between food and merch, its just up to you to make the effort.

Whatever u choose u'll have a wicked time out here...

PS join UK Lads

 

Hey guys thanks for all your info

Im only 16 (17 in a week!)...so i wont be applying for just over a year. Spend all my holidays in Florida and am just totally obsessed with getting accepted onto the international programme after my A-Levels!!

We can only hope!!

J.

 

alrite j,
my names emma from liverpool. im in to my second yaer at Alevels and like u desperatley wanted to work in disney forever!!!! i applied in febraury and had my phone interview...i then got told i had been succesful and i am going to lodon in feb for my face 2face!! i cant wait if im lucky ill get to leva in about september next year, because then i can return to uni in time...lol gutted though for you...i get to just aviod the top up fees! good luk for wen u do apply! if u wanna ask nethin add me 2 msn im_blond_so_speak_slowly@msn.com
x x x x

 

thanks for the kind words emma, best of luck with the face 2 face......just think happy thoughts!!

Ive added u.
J!x

 

i originally applied for food and bev - and then got a call offering me a position.... in MERCH!!!

i wasn't going to turn it down and went out there with low expectations with a view to moving into foods (i knew there was $$$$ in f and bev!).
After being there 4 weeks there was an opportunity to move into foods .....and i declined!

the merch team spirit was so good - Uk and canada merch were really tight and we did quite a few things out of work hours - and the job is shandy work - if there's a few of you on 'Tea' and 'Queens' its a riot! (if your in 'Crown and Crest' and can't play Chess, it can get very tedious!! )

I went on more trips than some foods people as merch people used to be able to get more time off i.e. work 4 days for 11 hours and get 3 days off (not sure if thats changed now) - i once went to Jamaica on a back-to-back!
There also the chance to become a floorstocker (get to drive golf buggy pretty much all day! and re stock the shops) and also a Disney Trainer (you can also get to be a trainer in foods - its a great opportunity, great experience for your CV) you also get to work with Kids if your a Merchie on the Kidcot activity station.

There's definately Pro's and Con's to both sides- and i'm sure loads of things have changed since i left in October 2002 - but I do know that i wouldn't change my experience for the world!

 

Food and Bev all the way!!!!!!! i went out there as merch and found that it was pretty crap. the money was poor and the hours were long and boring!
i moved over to foods after about 7 months and didnt look back. the days at work went so much faster cos the day was so busy, and the locations are all pretty much different. merch is all the same, shop and till work. i didnt get the chance to work in a tipped possition but still the variation in the work was great. the added bonus of starting as foods is that you get the chance to work in a tipped possition, where you can earn some serious money.

Gareth

 

well, at least when you work in merch you can manage to get all you stuff home by the end of your program. my roomate worked in food and she had soo much werthless stuff that she had to leave behinde. I'm happy i didn't have money to buy all that kind of junk! if you have more money you just spend more money. and moustly on drinks and on junk. well yes you got more money to travel, but it is allso harder to get time off.

one piese of advise for new castmembers.. always send a bag home with anybody who comes to visit you!!

 

I have to say alot depends on what you want out of it. If you want to travel alot around the country then F+B is the best but getting time off was a pain when I was there (only got to do 2 trips - California and the Bahamas - when everyone else seemed to do about a million so maybe I was just unlucky). In merch though you tend to have more time off.

Both have bonus' and as I originially applied for merch I am still glad I was in f+b. Very few people actually mind where they are when they get there. Each has pros and cons and it really depends. The money aspect seems to be the thing most people base their descision on just because theres nothing else that sets them apart.

Anyway hope this helps
Sarah A

 

With f+b though people have mentioned about the different roles within this section. If you're not a server does your hourly wage go up? I'm assuming you're not expected to earn $2-$3 without tips? :-\

 

before you become a server you are on the same wage as merch, $6.25 or $6.35 when i was there. may have gone up now. your hourly wage doesnt drop to $2 or $3 until you are a server. i didnt know anyone out there that decided not to be a server if they were entitled to be.
the time off thing wasnt a problem either, i remember that my food and bev friends could have as much time off as they liked as there were more people working in foods. it was easier for merch to ask as barb, who sorted the time off out, was part of the merch team. but all in all it was pretty easy for both foods and merch to get time off as and when you needed it.

Gareth

 

It sounds amazing! I just hope with all my fingers and toes crossed that i get through! :'( I've got my telephone interview this afternoon and i'm sooo nervous!

Do they seriously ask you stuff like describe a lemon merigue pie?!

 

One girl while I was over there did stop being a waitress but that was due to medical reasons and went back to the normal wage.

Don't know anyone that was asked to describe lemon pie but who knows.

 

lemon meringue pie all the way. telephone interview in 30 minutes. bit nervous and excited. :

 

Hey! It's you who made me nervous about the Lemon Meringue Pie

Hope it went well x Lets just keep fingers crossed we get to the next round! :-*

 

hope we get through xxxxxxx :-*

 

Me too, if we do i'll be so ;D x

 

oh epcot we love u
epcot we do oh epcot we do
love u :-*