Castmembers Calling Everyone "Friend"

[BK2014]

Feel free to move this if this is not the appropriate forum for this.

We just returned from a Labor Day weekend stay at Animals Kingdom Villas. We went to the parks once, for Boo Bash on Sept. 5th.

We were walking out of AKL when a castmember said to us "Have a good day friends" or something like that. It struck me as odd. I don't know why. But I jokingly commented about it to DW as we got closer to our car.

But then we kept hearing from castmembers all over. At restaurants, at MK, etc. We don't recall hearing it on previous trips as recently as August, so we are curious if this is something new that castmembers are being trained to do, or could it really just be coincidence?

 

[FCDub]

Perhaps a conscious effort to use more gender-neutral group terms instead of saying "guys"

 

[LYSE]

I think I hear this every visit.

 

[mefordis]

Feel free to move this if this is not the appropriate forum for this.

We just returned from a Labor Day weekend stay at Animals Kingdom Villas. We went to the parks once, for Boo Bash on Sept. 5th.

We were walking out of AKL when a castmember said to us "Have a good day friends" or something like that. It struck me as odd. I don't know why. But I jokingly commented about it to DW as we got closer to our car.

But then we kept hearing from castmembers all over. At restaurants, at MK, etc. We don't recall hearing it on previous trips as recently as August, so we are curious if this is something new that castmembers are being trained to do, or could it really just be coincidence?

OMG I noticed that in Mouse Gears in July, the woman at the door kept calling me "friend". Since I had been in and out of the store 3x she did it all 3x and it sounded creepy, like a cult or something. I didn't think that much of it because I just thought it was her thing. I really hope this isn't a thing they make all CMs do. "Bye" or "Hello" is good enough. We don't need the weird "friend" attached to it. Just my opinion.

 

[mefordis]

Perhaps a conscious effort to use more gender-neutral group terms instead of saying "guys"

Guys is meant to be gender neutral in the context it is used as "Bye, guys." I don't think I've ever heard a CM use that, though.

 

[Marrila]

Life's too short to be offended by a CM's friendly greeting.

 

[mefordis]

Life's too short to be offended by a CM's friendly greeting.

You can dislike something without being "offended" by it.

 

[emily nicole]

Life's too short to be offended by a CM's friendly greeting.

I don’t think the OP is offended, only curious if it was something new.

 

[emily nicole]

We were in WDW last week and I don’t recall hearing it.

 

[BK2014]

Life's too short to be offended by a CM's friendly greeting.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[hrhdhd]

Life's too short to be offended by a CM's friendly greeting.

People tell me that about other patronizing greetings ("Hey hon!" "Thanks, sweetie!"). I don't care to be called those things, and "friend" is certainly not the relationship I have with a random park employee. Just say "hello" and "goodbye."

 

[luv2cheer92]

I've been hearing CMs say that for years. Not every one I encounter, but enough to remember.

 

[Dead2009]

Guys is meant to be gender neutral in the context it is used as "Bye, guys." I don't think I've ever heard a CM use that, though.

People still flip out over the use of the word, though.

 

[starry_solo]

Better than a co-worker calling everyone "dude".... LOL

 

[mollygirl13]

DH and I were there last week and we did take notice to many CM’s calling us “friends”
We liked it.

 

[DLgal]

This isn't new at all. They've been using this term in all the stateside Disney parks for a LONG time.

I think once Facebook took off and the concept of "friend" became much more fluid and loose, this greeeting became popular at a lot of businesses. I've heard it at restaurants as well.

 

[VandVsmama]

We noticed it in June. I don’t think it’s a big deal. I think it’s kind of pleasant. It’s a way to greet people in a gender neutral way and is clearly meant as a positive, friendly greeting to guests.

 

[bdiddy]

I was a preschool teacher for 10 years and we called the kids “friends” instead of kids or guys or whatever else…..So we’d say things like “ok friends, it’s time to clean up” etc….I thought it was a little weird at first but it became second nature very quickly. We always told the kids that we liked to say “friends” because we are all friends at preschool.

 

[StuckInKS]

It is not new, at least not for the past few years, and is even sometimes used by those leading Traditions towards those who are attending Traditions, so maybe that is where some pick it up. However, some cast say it and some don't. I usually heard it more when cast were asking kids not to do something but trying to be nice about it, such as "Hi Friends, please don't jump on the concrete stairs" when some kids were jumping from row to row in an empty ROL pavilion. I will say that I am in a lot of FB groups with elementary teachers, and a lot of them seem to use it to when addressing a group of people, so maybe it is more common among people who are used to working with kids.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's a word used by all of the dance/gymnastics/etc teachers at my local YMCA. It's friendly, neutral, and sweet. I've heard more people using it as time goes on.

I don't remember hearing it at Disney, but it's not a surprise.

Guys is meant to be gender neutral in the context it is used as "Bye, guys."

People from a few different areas really really hate that one. Same as "dude" for many, though I don't mind either at all.

Of all greetings, friends has got to be the least offensive of them all.