During a video meeting on Thursday morning, 150 shopDisney Cast Members learned that they would be laid off from The Walt Disney Company on March 24, 2024.
shopDisney Layoffs
The Cast Members supported not only shopDisney.com but also Disney Parks Merchandise Guest Services and D23 Guest Services.
The meeting was led by Richard Childs, Vice President of Direct to Consumer Retail Operations, an anonymous source told WDWNT.
Our source added that “it seems apparent that this decision is primarily a cost-saving measure” with their positions being handed over to Transcom, a Swedish outsourcing company providing customer service, sales, technical support, and more.
Several entertainment and media groups are seeing layoffs in early 2024. A report from Reuters claims Pixar Animation Studios will be among those who cut staff. Pixar — based in Emeryville, California — reportedly hired new employees for a streaming series (likely “Win or Lose”) but now that production is complete, they are overstaffed.
In early 2023, The Walt Disney Company completed three rounds of layoffs to cut about $5.5 billion in costs. About 7,000 employees were laid off over three months.
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