I agree with DisJosh. The problem with the stores wasn't the decor but the continuing decline in the merchandise that they offered. I remember a year or maybe it was two years ago now that I couldn't walk into a Disney store without drooling at all of the wonderful merchandise! Adding an interactive computer kiosk that connects customers to the entire Mouse Empire is a good improvement, but a GAP like atmosphere or decor that minimizes the Disney characters and bright cheerfulness would make a bad situation worse. Modernizing some of the elements of the store is wonderful and some rehab and changes are good but Disney risks disaster with its stores if they deviate too far from the Disney formula. The major improvement to the stores would be fixing the merchandise that is carried there. I mean I can only handle soo many pink flowered pencil boxes!
i hear ya! i do wish disney stores would carry more things like ties,dress shirts and other business attire.my store-ft myers,fla store had lots of great ties and such.i am store director for retail company so i can wear ties and guess whos on my ties??? they also had more adult polos etc.one day the vanished!-i was kinda upset and asked the manager whats the deal?she said in one word "allocation"-spending the last 12 years in retail mgt she didnt have to say another word.she was even nice enough to show me her space to sales reports for last year.in my store(every store being different) adult attire-ties,pens,dress shirts,etc was 1-3 percent of total store sales-with negative comp.sales in that catorgory.with childrens apparel and non-adult things gaining in percent of sales and comp percents that were soaring .that boils down to like one tie every 3 months so needless to say they took them out made room for the "sellers"- i look back and think maybe i should not have been a cheap skate and bought ties there-spent the 30 dollars instead of going to wal-mart and buying one there
