Magic Kingdom Gift Shop Policy Fail

[draybook]

Hahaha. I don't think it gets any more clearly articulated than that. And no, it's not exclusively in any handbook, it's in the State statutes, available to everyone online, because everyone avails themselves to our laws when they step foot into our State. I guess if people would just do their "due diligence" and research and inquire as others above have suggested... :wave:

Maybe your "colleague" should have done the same kind of research. And who actually looks up the driving laws in each state they plan on driving through? I just keep it set at 70(or w/e the speed limit is) and bypass having to look it up.


By the way, adding little emotes to every post you make towards others doesn't make you smarter nor does it make you right.

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

Wow, this is as "nit picky" as it gets... quite a silly complaint if you ask me.

Your post was filled with the words "assumed" and "assumptions". Your friend assumed, and she was wrong... end of story. Does it suck for her? Yes. Solution? Buy a party ticket, or, go on a non party night.

Secondly, you tried to pawn your friends ignorance to the rules off on Disney's Gift Shop "Policy" as you put it. Guess what? Policy that night was that the park closed at 7 PM. You also clearly stated that you felt Disney did not "communicate this to their guests". Bet you 1 million Disney Dollars that Disney put signs out front (like they do EVERY party night) staying that their is a special engagement that night and the park will be closing at 7. If i was your friend i would have read that, showed up at the gift shops at 6:30, made my purchases, and got out of there prior to 7. She wanted to bend the rules and got shot down

 

[G00fyDad]

Wow, this is as "nit picky" as it gets... quite a silly complaint if you ask me.

Your post was filled with the words "assumed" and "assumptions". Your friend assumed, and she was wrong... end of story. Does it suck for her? Yes. Solution? Buy a party ticket, or, go on a non party night.

Secondly, you tried to pawn your friends ignorance to the rules off on Disney's Gift Shop "Policy" as you put it. Guess what? Policy that night was that the park closed at 7 PM. You also clearly stated that you felt Disney did not "communicate this to their guests". Bet you 1 million Disney Dollars that Disney put signs out front (like they do EVERY party night) staying that their is a special engagement that night and the park will be closing at 7. If i was your friend i would have read that, showed up at the gift shops at 6:30, made my purchases, and got out of there prior to 7. She wanted to bend the rules and got shot down

:sohappy::sohappy:

 

[DisneyJoe]

Bet you 1 million Disney Dollars that Disney put signs out front (like they do EVERY party night) staying that their is a special engagement that night and the park will be closing at 7. If i was your friend i would have read that, showed up at the gift shops at 6:30, made my purchases, and got out of there prior to 7. She wanted to bend the rules and got shot down

Disney also makes many announcements over their loudspeaker system, especially on Main St, about the park closing, and how to purchase tickets if you wish to stay.

 

[s8film40]

Am I the only one who read the original post? The original post made it quite clear that this person understood the policy and understood that Disney was well within their rights to deny admission to the store after closing time.

The core of the issue isn't does the guest have a right to make purchases after the official closing time, but rather that the logic behind this policy being enforced so strictly is flawed. The purpose of this "hard close" is to eliminate the offerings of the park to day guests so that they have no remaining desire to stay in the park and exit as quickly as possible to make room for party guests. However I think the Main Street gift shops should be an exception to this. For the vast majority of guests entering the park to go to the party, buying something in a Main Street gift shop isn't the first thing on their list of things to do at the party. So the net effect towards party guests of leaving the gift shops open to day guests is negligible. Additionally leaving the gift shops open on Main Street open later is traditionally done to lessen the crowd of guests leaving the park, this would actually benefit the party guests as they wouldn't have quite as big of a crowd flow going against them as they enter the park. The other factor is that Disney is intentionally turning away money.

All the way around it's a very bad business decision. Are they in the right to enforce their own policies however they see fit, of course they are. Like any business though if they want to maximize their profit and keep a good relationship with their customers they should put a little more thought into things like this. With a little bit better management they could be making more money and reducing the number of dissatisfied guests, it's a win win.

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

Am I the only one who read the original post? The original post made it quite clear that this person understood the policy and understood that Disney was well within their rights to deny admission to the store after closing time. The core of the issue isn't does the guest have a right to make purchases after the official closing time, but rather that the logic behind this policy being enforced so strictly is flawed. The purpose of this "hard close" is to eliminate the offerings of the park to day guests so that they have no remaining desire to stay in the park and exit as quickly as possible to make room for party guests. However I think the Main Street gift shops should be an exception to this. For the vast majority of guests entering the park to go to the party, buying something in a Main Street gift shop isn't the first thing on their list of things to do at the party. So the net effect towards party guests of leaving the gift shops open to day guests is negligible. Additionally leaving the gift shops open on Main Street open later is traditionally done to lessen the crowd of guests leaving the park, this would actually benefit the party guests as they wouldn't have quite as big of a crowd flow going against them as they enter the park. The other factor is that Disney is intentionally turning away money.

All the way around it's a very bad business decision. Are they in the right to enforce their own policies however they see fit, of course they are. Like any business though if they want to maximize their profit and keep a good relationship with their customers they should put a little more thought into things like this. With a little bit better management they could be making more money and reducing the number of dissatisfied guests, it's a win win.

Thanks for the rhetorical question, yes, we all read the post. Seconly, this does not sound like a couple of folks who "understand"?
A colleague of mine described her recent experience at the MK to me and I was both unaware of and surprised by an apparent policy that (in our shared opinion) is an obvious fail.

You sound like you're more concerned about Disney not making more money than anything else. Disney sells these parties as a hard ticketed event, they've made PLENTY of money on those folks who chose to purchase a ticket to the event. As a previous poster said, Disney also puts out special merchandise related to the party.

Just frustrates me that every nit picky issue that someone comes across at Disney, the first inclination is to blame Disney, come on a message board and type of a 6 paragraph dissertation to justify their reasoning. Instead of taking accountability when on vacation.... that's too hard. It's just easier to blame the empire.

Again, if you, the OP, and OP's friend want solutions, here are 3 you can exercise: 1) Buy a party ticket 2) Come on non party night 3) Arrive at 6:30 to buy your stuff.... THERE, is Disney's "Win Win"

 

[G00fyDad]

Thanks for the rhetorical question, yes, we all read the post. Seconly, this does not sound like a couple of folks who "understand"?
A colleague of mine described her recent experience at the MK to me and I was both unaware of and surprised by an apparent policy that (in our shared opinion) is an obvious fail.

You sound like you're more concerned about Disney not making more money than anything else. Disney sells these parties as a hard ticketed event, they've made PLENTY of money on those folks who chose to purchase a ticket to the event. As a previous poster said, Disney also puts out special merchandise related to the party.

Just frustrates me that every nit picky issue that someone comes across at Disney, the first inclination is to blame Disney, come on a message board and type of a 6 paragraph dissertation to justify their reasoning. Instead of taking accountability when on vacation.... that's too hard. It's just easier to blame the empire.

Again, if you, the OP, and OP's friend want solutions, here are 3 you can exercise: 1) Buy a party ticket 2) Come on non party night 3) Arrive at 6:30 to buy your stuff.... THERE, is Disney's "Win Win"

Again, well said. :sohappy::sohappy: But of course, we're forgetting that it is all about them aren't we? The average person these days has such an arrogant "ME" attitude that they often forget what the word "rules" mean. It's not like Disney snuck up and pulled a fast one on them. The signs out front before you even walk in on party dates state quite clearly that they will be closing PROMPTLY at 7pm. IT does not state "We will be closing around... ehhh... 7ish." Have you ever been hit by a shopping cart and the other person look at you like you did something wrong? Have you ever been cut off and then they flip you the bird? Ever have someone cut in line in the store and then look back at you with a sneer? That's the sort of person that gets upset when they aren't allowed to shop after hours at Disney.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I have to go with everyone here... if there is a hard ticket event, and patrons paid X dollars extra then the perks of the park being open later should be reserved for those who paid that fee.

 

[s8film40]

Thanks for the rhetorical question, yes, we all read the post. Seconly, this does not sound like a couple of folks who "understand"?
A colleague of mine described her recent experience at the MK to me and I was both unaware of and surprised by an apparent policy that (in our shared opinion) is an obvious fail.

You sound like you're more concerned about Disney not making more money than anything else. Disney sells these parties as a hard ticketed event, they've made PLENTY of money on those folks who chose to purchase a ticket to the event. As a previous poster said, Disney also puts out special merchandise related to the party.

Just frustrates me that every nit picky issue that someone comes across at Disney, the first inclination is to blame Disney, come on a message board and type of a 6 paragraph dissertation to justify their reasoning. Instead of taking accountability when on vacation.... that's too hard. It's just easier to blame the empire.

Again, if you, the OP, and OP's friend want solutions, here are 3 you can exercise: 1) Buy a party ticket 2) Come on non party night 3) Arrive at 6:30 to buy your stuff.... THERE, is Disney's "Win Win"

By understand I meant that they understood it when it was explained to them and accepted it, again that doesn't seem to be the original posters issue or complaint. The average park goer doesn't do thorough research and know every little policy that Disney has. If a guest goes to one park that says it closes at 9 and the stores are open till 10, then it is not at all unreasonable for them to catch a glimpse of a sign that says the park closes at 7 on the way in and think they may be able to go to the store after that time. Again I'm not talking about the Disney experts who read forums like this, just the average people. So yes there are other options, but the point is a guest leaving the park isn't likely to go out of their way to make their purchase. Ultimately that guests will just leave not make their purchase and cap off their day with a negative experience. so yes it's a big loss for Disney.

 

[s8film40]

I have to go with everyone here... if there is a hard ticket event, and patrons paid X dollars extra then the perks of the park being open later should be reserved for those who paid that fee.

So what about the guests in the park who paid a full day ticket while party guests having paid a reduced ticket amount enter the park early and "intrude" on the time they paid for?

 

[ddbowdoin]

So what about the guests in the park who paid a full day ticket while party guests having paid a reduced ticket amount enter the park early and "intrude" on the time they paid for?

I will admit my ignorance since I have never been to the world during a holiday season.

But... I ask this to clarify

1.) do you need to purchase a day tickey AS WELL as a hard ticket for the event or can you just buy a hard ticket for the special event?

if the hard ticket for the event can be purchased soley, then guests with those hard tickets should only be allowed into the park after a designated time.

 

[s8film40]

Again, well said. :sohappy::sohappy: But of course, we're forgetting that it is all about them aren't we? The average person these days has such an arrogant "ME" attitude that they often forget what the word "rules" mean. It's not like Disney snuck up and pulled a fast one on them. The signs out front before you even walk in on party dates state quite clearly that they will be closing PROMPTLY at 7pm. IT does not state "We will be closing around... ehhh... 7ish." Have you ever been hit by a shopping cart and the other person look at you like you did something wrong? Have you ever been cut off and then they flip you the bird? Ever have someone cut in line in the store and then look back at you with a sneer? That's the sort of person that gets upset when they aren't allowed to shop after hours at Disney.

Wow! to translate a desire to make a purchase into a sense of entitlement is really out of touch with the issue here. The way I see it if they want to implement this policy, that's their decision completely and no one should expect any special treatment. It just seems apparent to me that it's just not the best business practice. A little customer service goes a long way, but Disney seems to be forgetting this more and more lately.

 

[s8film40]

I will admit my ignorance since I have never been to the world during a holiday season.

But... I ask this to clarify

1.) do you need to purchase a day tickey AS WELL as a hard ticket for the event or can you just buy a hard ticket for the special event?

if the hard ticket for the event can be purchased soley, then guests with those hard tickets should only be allowed into the park after a designated time.

All you need is a party ticket and they will let you in I believe as early as 4PM.

 

[ddbowdoin]

All you need is a party ticket and they will let you in I believe as early as 4PM.

there is your fail... I can see how Disney shuts down shops etc, but to let people in at 4 is insane... especially if the festivities start say 9 hours later.

 

[G00fyDad]

Wow! to translate a desire to make a purchase into a sense of entitlement is really out of touch with the issue here. The way I see it if they want to implement this policy, that's their decision completely and no one should expect any special treatment. It just seems apparent to me that it's just not the best business practice. A little customer service goes a long way, but Disney seems to be forgetting this more and more lately.

Wow! That's exactly what I would have expected an entitled person (not you, but others.) to say. To minimize their role in the issue and to exaggerate other's roles.
If I understand you correctly you feel that it is wrong for Disney to shut out those who did not pay to stay later than 7pm from the shops, even though they were offered the opportunity to buy a ticket, and they were told the closing time before they went in, and they were told the closing time multiple times over the speakers. But because they ignored all of the signs and comments overhead they ought to be allowed to shop because Disney is losing money. Really? I hope you're not serious. Disney isn't going to miss that person's sale much. But by allowing people to stay in the shops later then it would create more chaos than they already have in trying to get people without a party ticket out of the parks. The best solution is to shut down all access and filter these people as fast as they can to the exit. Why should Disney worry about people that decide that "It's all about me" and let them shop at the last second? That person had 10+ hours to make their purchases but they want to wait until the last 30 minutes and you think Disney is wrong? LOL Good luck selling that one.

there is your fail... I can see how Disney shuts down shops etc, but to let people in at 4 is insane... especially if the festivities start say 9 hours later.

The festivities do not start until 1AM?? Where did you read that? The party "festivities" start at 7pm

 

[s8film40]

there is your fail... I can see how Disney shuts down shops etc, but to let people in at 4 is insane... especially if the festivities start say 9 hours later.

It's really a logistical issue. If they don't let them in until 7PM then a big crowd would form outside the park and they would all flood in all at once.

This is my point, if they left the Main Street shops open it would:
A: Help with a smoother transition of day guests to party guests.
B: Lessen the blow from a customer service standpoint of "kicking people out" early.
C: Make extra money selling merchandise.

They could even take it a step further, and give the merchandise cast a little extra training and enable them to sell the tickets for the party assuming it's not sold out. So when some unsuspecting guests makes their final purchase of the day and asks what's going on and why is the park closing early they could explain what the party is and simply say "would like like me to add it to your purchase so you can attend the party, and stay longer?"

Like I side a little bit of good business sense and customer service can go a long way and things that would otherwise come off as a negative can be turned into a positive.

 

[s8film40]

Wow! That's exactly what I would have expected an entitled person (not you, but others.) to say. To minimize their role in the issue and to exaggerate other's roles.
If I understand you correctly you feel that it is wrong for Disney to shut out those who did not pay to stay later than 7pm from the shops, even though they were offered the opportunity to buy a ticket, and they were told the closing time before they went in, and they were told the closing time multiple times over the speakers. But because they ignored all of the signs and comments overhead they ought to be allowed to shop because Disney is losing money. Really? I hope you're not serious. Disney isn't going to miss that person's sale much. But by allowing people to stay in the shops later then it would create more chaos than they already have in trying to get people without a party ticket out of the parks. The best solution is to shut down all access and filter these people as fast as they can to the exit. Why should Disney worry about people that decide that "It's all about me" and let them shop at the last second? That person had 10+ hours to make their purchases but they want to wait until the last 30 minutes and you think Disney is wrong? LOL Good luck selling that one.



The festivities do not start until 1AM?? Where did you read that? The party "festivities" start at 7pm

Nope you didn't understand me correctly at all. It certainly is Disney's right to close the park as they see fit. I just think from a customer service and business perspective they could handle it better. Good customer service is rewarded by customer loyalty and likewise bad customer service is equally rewarded with a lack of customer loyalty. If Disney is of the opinion that any one purchase doesn't matter in the grand scheme of the business then they will treat all transaction with that same attitude. My opinion is that this is indeed the way they view things as it is apparent in many of the ways they handle things. It's not to say it's all bad all the time but underlying attitude is there.

 

[Timekeeper]

Am I the only one who read the original post? The original post made it quite clear that this person understood the policy and understood that Disney was well within their rights to deny admission to the store after closing time. ...

After reading through all of the replies, one does have to wonder...

By understand I meant that they understood it when it was explained to them and accepted it, again that doesn't seem to be the original posters issue or complaint. The average park goer doesn't do thorough research and know every little policy that Disney has. If a guest goes to one park that says it closes at 9 and the stores are open till 10, then it is not at all unreasonable for them to catch a glimpse of a sign that says the park closes at 7 on the way in and think they may be able to go to the store after that time. Again I'm not talking about the Disney experts who read forums like this, just the average people. So yes there are other options, but the point is a guest leaving the park isn't likely to go out of their way to make their purchase. Ultimately that guests will just leave not make their purchase and cap off their day with a negative experience. so yes it's a big loss for Disney.

Thank you for not only reading the posts, but also for understanding them.

If others don't understand why guests would be surprised by their inability to make a purchase at a Main Street gift shop 15 minutes after a park's posted closing time, something that I'm sure many of us have done at some point during our visits, so be it.

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

After reading through all of the replies, one does have to wonder...



Thank you for not only reading the posts, but also for understanding them.

If others don't understand why guests would be surprised by their inability to make a purchase at a Main Street gift shop 15 minutes after a park's posted closing time, something that I'm sure many of us have done at some point during our visits, so be it.

Right, and conversely, if others don't understand that a hard ticketed event starting at 7 PM, means 7 PM, and not 7:15 PM then so be it.

 

[muse1983]

They were holding a MVMCP that evening and they had every right in asking you to come back another time to shop. If you would have walked up at 6:45 then most likely you could have walked right in but since you were 15 minutes AFTER they were clearing people out without a party pass, then you really have no right to complain.