Disney now charging handling fees for grocery deliveries

Disney does everything it can think of to reduce labor costs. Online check-in eliminates the need to go to the front desk. Call centers answer questions from resort guests. Guests can opt out of daily housekeeping. Now they are trying out robot photographers.

And then, bam! Suddenly, guests are having crates to water and various groceries delivered to the resort. That requires someone to manage the packages, space to store them and someone to give them to the guests when they show up.

This extra package and grocery management is a big loser for Disney. There is no way they can turn it into a profit center and it carries a huge risk upsetting guests who claim their box of Pop-Tarts was "lost" by a cast member and they are now demanding a free breakfast buffet at Cinderella's Royal Table so their kids won't go hungry.

Disney isn't the only one facing this issue. It's also coming up at other resorts. Also, big apartment complexes are finding their staffs are being turned into package wranglers as more people shop online. Some of those places are charging fees.

In the good old days, when you bought something, you went to the store, you picked it up, and you carried it to your destination. All that work was done by you.

The online delivery revolution just moves that work to others -- and some of those others aren't happy to be doing what was once your job.

Anyway, I suspect Disney is starting at $6 to see if it eliminates the bulk of the deliveries. It's a small economic nudge that won't attract too much negative publicity. If that fee fails, they will likely continue to increase the price until its not "worth it" to have food delivered.

Or maybe I am wrong and they will start the Chef Mickey-van service, and for a mere $100 delivery fee a friendly cast member will deliver your food order (food is extra) straight to your room and even put it in the minifridge. They could even decorate the van with cute chef hats.
 
And your point is? That shouldn't matter, they have enough money they can afford the staffing to do so without charging extra. Additionally, they could lower food prices to more reasonable and reduce the number of packages that are being sent to the resorts. In other words they cause the issues themselves, why should the guests be responsible for what they have done?

Guests should be responsible for the choices they make.
Disney doesn't owe you free storage and delivery of food because you choose not to pay their prices in the park.
 
What about the fact that it’s way easier to get items delivered? Amazon Prime didn’t exist a decade ago. It’s so easy for people to order anything now. I’d have to imagine if it was this easy years ago it would have also been just as popular to get items delivered. People and society changes as time goes on.

To be fair, my mother was shipping diapers to hotels she was staying at like 30 years ago....so the idea of shipping something to your vacation destination isn't bonkers crazy. When I told her about all the online ordering I did for my last stay, she was like "we basically did that 30 years ago, shipped the bulky stuff ahead of time so it didn't eat up room in the car".

It's not a new idea (especially not for people with kids) but all of these services make it much easier to do.

ETA I agree with your assessment.
 


What about the fact that it’s way easier to get items delivered? Amazon Prime didn’t exist a decade ago. It’s so easy for people to order anything now. I’d have to imagine if it was this easy years ago it would have also been just as popular to get items delivered. People and society changes as time goes on.
It has been this easy for at least 5 years, as I did Prime Now orders back then, not Disney needs to stop with the nickel and diming everything, sorry, but they already are saving tons in labor with online checkin, this just offsets a small amount of what they save.
 
I tip,almost always more then suggested minimums. It takes a lot for me to tip a server less then 20%. A hotel charges a fee for delivery to my room. I'd expect that should be covering much of the labor cost. JMO but if tips aren't as expected Disney should raise the price to $10 and give the employee $5.
 

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