Several hundred retailers were given a glimpse behind the Disney curtain yesterday to see how they might capture some of the magic of the company's renowned customer service for their stores.

Disney Institute presenter Tom Thomson revealed some of the ways that the company was able to "consistently deliver excellent guest services at each touch point" at its theme parks. He explained how the layout of the sites was intended to best meet customer needs and the way staff were trained to look beyond initial questions visitors may have to try to meet their real wants and needs.

Citing an example of how one of the most common questions at Walt Disney World not far from the International Christian Retail Show venue was "What time is the 3 (o'clock) parade?," pointing out how many visitors really wanted to know the best place to see it and what time it would pass that spot.

Thomson also spoke of the lengths Disney "cast" members went to help visitors locate their cars if they could not remember where they had parked. A customer losing their car "is not our fault," he said, "but it is our problem."

Attendees were given a handbook that detailed the way Disney measures its customer service against four standards of courtesy, efficiency, safety and attention to detail-for which the order of priority could shift depending upon the situation and circumstances.

The Disney session-which concluded with an appearance by Mickey and Minnie amid a silver tinsel shower-was a hit. The presentation was "excellent," said Jim Sharp, manager/buyer for Grace Family Bookstore at Grace Brethren Church of Columbus in Westerville, Ohio. "It's where a lot of our stores are lacking because customer service is the only differentiator we have over the big-box stores."

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