April 18, 2021

#07: It’s been a long time coming, but Disney, I’m sorry.

You know that moment when you’re by yourself and you start to reflect on the past? Where you begin to think about things you’ve done and that feeling of regret and shame start to set in? I have a list of moments I can put myself back into, and most of them you will not read here. However, there is one I want to own up to; one that I need to apologize for.

Early this morning, my wife and I journeyed to Home Depot in search of lawn care equipment. We don’t live too far from where I grew up, so our local store is the one I’ve been to hundreds of times. On the way, we must pass Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, NY, a trip that brings back a ton of memories.

As we approached the mall’s landmark sign, I turned to her and said, “My high school is not too far from away, and we use to drive here during lunch.” How were we able to get in our cars, drive to the mall, order and eat in the food court, play a round (or two) in the mall’s arcade, and make it back before the late bell rang? I have no idea. (Today, I can’t even get to my parents on time 20 minutes away.) Soon after, we passed by the mall itself where I revealed that I use to work at the Disney Store when it was there.

Back in Fall of 2003, I started college, and I was already working at a local bagel store. On a trip to the mall, I saw that the Disney Store was hiring for the holiday season. I didn’t need another job, but I jumped at the opportunity to apply. I have always loved Disney. (Proof: two years ago, I proposed to my wife outside of the Magic Kingdom.) I respect what Walt was able to build, and I will always have emotional connection to the many stories they created (especially those of my youth). At that time, I just wanted to be associated with the company in some way, and getting that job allowed me to be.

Here, I got to work with a ton of sweet, older women (think grandmas), and all they wanted me to do was organize the mountain of stuffed animals located at the back of the store. (I was the only one spry enough to climb it.) It was a fun place to work, and I still have the whole Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl trailer stuck in my head. The DVD was coming out in the Fall of ’03, and it was played on a continuous loop in the store. (I also have The Haunted Mansion trailer in there somewhere, but I’m not so fond of that one.)

By the spring of 2004, we got the news that Disney was going to close the Green Acre’s Disney Store location forever. With another and more successful store located only 13 miles away at Roosevelt Field Mall, there wasn’t really a need for it. Already having a job, I wasn’t too bummed by it, but when I was asked if I wanted to transfer to the other store, I said yes. However, I only worked at the other Disney Store for two weeks before quitting.

I’m not ashamed that I decided to quit; it’s how I quit that haunts me in my solitude. After only two weeks, I called out sick on a Friday, and I never showed up again. The managers reached out to me a few times, but I ignored all their calls and inquiries. In their eyes, I fell off the face of the earth. While I was only 19 at the time, I was old enough to understand what I as doing. I should have known better, and I should have carried myself with more integrity.

It’s been a long time coming, but Disney, I’m sorry.

However, you did completely ruin the Star Wars sequel trilogy. So, I guess we are even.

Thanks for reading.