Disney Store Catastrophe

[BrittanyRose428]

Wow, I feel bad for you guys. The Disney Store near me has gone downhill since I was younger but its not that bad. When you walk in theres a stand with Hannah Montanna/Camp Rock/HSM etc.. in the front and a few pajama sets with them in the back. The rest is the usual princesses/mickey and some cars and pirate stuff. And in the back theres even a little section with adult things like tote bags, sweaters, jeans, shoes, coffee mugs, other kitchen ware items... I guess im lucky then ? :shrug:

 

[lilo091701]

It will take a while to see any massive new Merchandise push.
Buyers normally buy 6 months to a year in advance.They will have to cycle out of the Merchandise that Hoop buyers already bought.

You can expect the new Disney Store vision to be like when they first started with very unique stores with a broader mix of merchandise to bring back watches,Cells,adult clothes,figurines, and collectibles.

They only kept around 225 stores open now to be able to focus on a smaller scale and be able to bring back great Guest Shopping experience with a better selection of Merchandise.

Have to give them some time. I think some people expected the day after Disney bought the stores back to see the entire chain revamped in 48 hours and "magically" reinvent itself.

THANK YOU THANK YOU.....VERY WELL SAID!!!!!
Right now it's lot's of Tween product, tomorrow will be Lunch Boxes and Back Packs and in two weeks it will be Costumes for Halloween!!!!! We go with what sells at the time!!! Classics will be back but it will take some time!!!!!

 

[lilo091701]

Wow, I feel bad for you guys. The Disney Store near me has gone downhill since I was younger but its not that bad. When you walk in theres a stand with Hannah Montana/Camp Rock/HSM etc.. in the front and a few pajama sets with them in the back. The rest is the usual princesses/mickey and some cars and pirate stuff. And in the back theres even a little section with adult things like tote bags, sweaters, jeans, shoes, coffee mugs, other kitchen ware items... I guess im lucky then ? :shrug:

That is exactly what all stores are supposed to look like A nice variety of products for everyone!!!

 

[bfbulldog]

If Disney's simply stocking the merchandise people are buying, why has the majority of the chain been shuddered? I'll tell you, it's because the Disney stores used to focus on the unique and classic items as well as the classic characters that made Disney what it is today and they were the envy of the retail world for it. As soon as they decided to Wal-Mart their stores and sell cheaply made uninspired crap of the moment, the uniqueness that was the Disney store it went by the wayside and sales plummeted.

There is hope though, I've heard that the stores will return to their roots and once again sell unique and memorable items. Remember, in ten years no one will have a clue as to who hannah montana or the jonas brothers are.

 

[KCMouse]

Here are some words of encouragement:

Hoop retail went bankrupt, The subsidiary of The Children's Place that owned The Disney Store.

So one can assume that the current product mix was not working. Hopefully Disney will learn from this and create a great store with a better product mix.

 

[diddy_mouse]

I too am sad over the state of The Disney Store. I remember finding one at Tyson's Corner and I was so happy, then to discover there was an outlet version in Potomac Mills. However, the outlet/catalog version went downhill so fast. I haven't been up to the one at Tysons Corner in a while so I'm not sure the state of it. The Disney Store at my local mall just recently closed and I was sad to see it go.

There still seems to be a lot of potential for Disney merchandising. It is hard to envision it though with nothing but the Disney Channel shows being shoved down our throats. To me, The Disney Store was a place where I could get a taste of WDW at home. Now...I either get something online or just wait til I'm at The World again.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

This probably isn't posted in the right section...

The other day I walked into my local Disney Store only to find that almost everything i LOVED was replaced. By what you ask? Hmm, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and Camp Rock. I almost threw up in my purse. I was absolutely horrified.
When I was a little girl, the Disney Store had all of the original characters (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc.) and all of the popular characters of that time (Ariel, Belle, Simba, etc.) Now there is more Camp Rock and Hannah than there is Mickey. Walt once said, "I hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse." um, can someone tell me where the mouse is hiding?
I'm sick of this generation, even if I'm the majority. Someone needs to talk some sense into this world...
:shrug:

Without reading this whole thread..... Doesn't the 2nd highlighted sentence say it is the same as they have always done??? Aren't HSM , HM, and CR the popular characters of this time? Beleive me, I got kids and I can't stand the crap but what is a dad to do???:lol: But honestly I do know what you are saying. It can be said of alot of things happening at Disney..... the same merch in all the stores at WDW... no uniqueness. You know what they say about variety.... seems disney is going the opposite way and forcing the same crap down our throats much more now(the past few years) then in the past.


Oh and .........H - A - S - T - A LaVista!!!!!(yes I hear it almost every night)

 

[Scooter]

I heard that this all started years ago.

Remember when you went to Frontierland shops and they were full of Frontier specific merchandise? Tomorrowland had all futuristic items...well you get the idea.

At some point, Micheal Eisner decided that the jewelry in the Disney stores didn't sell well enough and neither did the adults T-shirts, movies, CD's etc. So in all his infinite wisdom, he told Disney store and Disney Park management to find the 100 items that sell the hottest and only put those things in every store.

I'm sick when I go into Frontierland gift shops now and find Mickey Mouse toasters, waffle makers, and machines that fill straws with strawberry flavored sugar powder.

Disney needs to re-evaluate their sales priorities and give the people what they want, not just offer the most popular items for sale.

I don't know about everyone here, but I find myself more and more often walking through these stores and buying less and less each trip. I used to hit all the shops. Now I skip a lot of them because they all carry the same merchandise. My trips to my local Disney Store are becoming less and less frequent also for the same reason.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Since Halloween was the one time the newer stores sold anything worth mentioning, I'm hoping for some good stuff this year with the change in management, but since the Halloween stuff arrives in late August usually I'm concerned it might be too soon. I know this changeover will take time, but I'm to darned impatient to wait until Halloween 2009! :lol:

Also HSM>PIXAR? there's something flawed with that logic...

 

[BigB911]

All the Disney stores in and around Pittsburgh have closed except 1. They are closing most of them from what the emploees told us. That is teh reason Disney bought them back from the company they sold them to.

All of the stores in the Pittsburgh market on the list to close already have. The only store in the PGH market that is going to remain open is in South Hills Village located in the Municipality of Bethel Park/Township of Upper St. Clair.

 

[BigB911]

Are you sure they aren't closing? That's what our stores did, then it was 60% off and 75% and 90% and gone.

What Disney store did you shop at that was closing?:veryconfu The one that I stopped in at least once a week only went as much as 50% off.:lookaroun

 

[WDWFigment]

Ya darn right!
:sohappy:

It's downright shameful that kids my age can't see past High School Musical to what quality entertainment really is.

I feel crazy that I'm watching Apocalypse Now on TCM and other kids are watching Camp Rock on Disney Channel.
:brick:

I remember being in the same boat-driving hours every day to see Hitchcock on the big screen indie theater while my friends were watching the latest Michael Bay flavor of the week. Aside from the inherent quality superiority to what you're watching, your "culturing" now will pay dividends eventually.

It will take a while to see any massive new Merchandise push.
Buyers normally buy 6 months to a year in advance.They will have to cycle out of the Merchandise that Hoop buyers already bought.

You can expect the new Disney Store vision to be like when they first started with very unique stores with a broader mix of merchandise to bring back watches,Cells,adult clothes,figurines, and collectibles.

They only kept around 225 stores open now to be able to focus on a smaller scale and be able to bring back great Guest Shopping experience with a better selection of Merchandise.

Have to give them some time. I think some people expected the day after Disney bought the stores back to see the entire chain revamped in 48 hours and "magically" reinvent itself.

You say this almost as if you know what's in store for The Disney Store, but I believe this is all wishful thinking. If you've been to WDW in the last three years, I think you'd see that TDS accurately reflects what's available at WDW as well. Can't blame Hoop for that.

Also, while it's easy to blame Disney for all of this, and not giving "us" enough options, whose to say its not Disney that is to blame, but rather "someone else" who is demanding/buying this merchandise we perceive as crap? Although I don't regard Disney as infallible, I highly doubt they are producing HSM, HM, and Jonas crap simply because they "feel" like it. There must be demand fueling the production.

 

[yankspy]

I too am sad over the state of The Disney Store. I remember finding one at Tyson's Corner and I was so happy, then to discover there was an outlet version in Potomac Mills. However, the outlet/catalog version went downhill so fast. I haven't been up to the one at Tysons Corner in a while so I'm not sure the state of it. The Disney Store at my local mall just recently closed and I was sad to see it go.

There still seems to be a lot of potential for Disney merchandising. It is hard to envision it though with nothing but the Disney Channel shows being shoved down our throats. To me, The Disney Store was a place where I could get a taste of WDW at home. Now...I either get something online or just wait til I'm at The World again.

The Potomac Mills one is so bad. I passed it a couple of weeks ago and it looked horrible. There was little merchandise and whatever was there looked like it was thrown all over the place. It almost looked like it was getting ready to either close or get a huge overhaul.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Why pay Disney prices for generic tat when you can get the same item in £1 stores or supermarkets for a fraction of the price.

Disney stuff your crap, Im buying at Universal.

 

[RogueHabit]

This probably isn't posted in the right section...

I'm sick of this generation, even if I'm the majority. Someone needs to talk some sense into this world...
:shrug:

You can't blame "this generation", it's not thier fault that their parents and society have sucked all of the fun out of growing up.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, I AM a parent and will happily group myself in the above; though I am thankful that I have recently come to accept this and am now in a position to try and revgerse the negative effects of todays society on my kids and let them have more of the freedoms and simple thinsg that I had.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

You can't blame "this generation", it's not thier fault that their parents and society have sucked all of the fun out of growing up.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, I AM a parent and will happily group myself in the above; though I am thankful that I have recently come to accept this and am now in a position to try and revgerse the negative effects of todays society on my kids and let them have more of the freedoms and simple thinsg that I had.

Two types:
Wrapped in cotton wool, instilled with fear of peados round every corner or the gobby young ned with a Burberry baseball cap, a chib and a vocabulary of monosyllabic garabage.

And my generation didnt fain disinterest and avoid expressing interest in things for a misguided concept of whats cool.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

The stores are going to stock what sells, pure and simple. All we can do is not buy it until they change.

Agreed. Not that I like it, but it's true...

 

[colleen2997]

My Disney Store is still great! There is lots of Mickey clothing for adults and kids...There is a sea of stuffed animals of every Disney character I can think of. I do see the Jonas Brothers and High School Musical and of course Hannah Montanna stuff . Yes, as adults we think it is crap, but kids love it! Think if this stuff was out when you were a kid, you would eat it up! I was watching Camp Rock with my husband and we said we wished they had this stuff when I was kid. I am glad that DIsney is the company behind the biggest teen crazes! Of course I don't want it to take over Disney, but I don't think that it is. It is just one aspect of Disney and I am happy that they are trying to stay relevant with the tweens.
As far as the classics on Disney Channel, my 16 month old loves to watch The Mickey Mouse cartoon that is on Saturday mornings, as well as the Tigger and Pooh show.

 

[sublimesting]

What Disney store did you shop at that was closing?:veryconfu The one that I stopped in at least once a week only went as much as 50% off.:lookaroun

The Century 3 mall was where I learned of this travesty and then I went to the mall at Robinson also. AT least we still have South Hills which is actually my closest mall.

 

[PirateTreasure2]

I agree. I don't want Camp Suck and Hannah Faketana (Remember the double incedent?) taking over the Disney Store!!!