Its official as a cast member at the disneystore in North Carolina its looks as if the stores are here for good. The buyer (The Childrens Place) has purchased all of the origional 312 stores and we are going strong at 319!! And for all of you Mickey fans out there a new store prototype has been developed and built in many areas called The Mickey Store. With little touches of disney everywhere you look, trust me its not as bad as those god awful Castle Stores that look like a hospital.:hammer: Anyways I am glad to say that the disney name and reputation is still maintained, and the Childrens Place corporate office and leaders love to take chances. We also have this cool new thing called Everyday-Low-Value, now i know what u all are thinking WALMART but its much better then that with the low values like 2/$20 or 3/$22 any additional item after the 2 or 3 is also at the reduced price!!!! The Childrens Place is currently searching for a new developer for our adult line so that the young and young at heart can continue to love their favorite character. So next time u see a Disney Store or a pair of bright RED EARS (Mickey stores) walk on in and see what you can find, but make sure u check every fixture there is always magic right around the corner. Anyways if you got any questions post em!! You all have a magical day!:sohappy:
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The DisneyStores are SOLD!!
- Thread starter kylestylelevi
- Start date
wedway71
Well-Known Member
Ive been hearing some positive things about the new owners too and they plan on dumping alot of money into the stores.I hear that Childrens Place has an office at Disney Consumer Products in Glendale now to work very closely with Disney.
Just a side note for those who are dying to work at Disney store but want to officially work for the Mouse you still can if youre willing to move to Europe or Hong kong.The deal only included North America -Disney will still own/operate stores in UK,Italy,France,Spain,and Hong kong and Shanghi(did i spell that right?)
Just a side note for those who are dying to work at Disney store but want to officially work for the Mouse you still can if youre willing to move to Europe or Hong kong.The deal only included North America -Disney will still own/operate stores in UK,Italy,France,Spain,and Hong kong and Shanghi(did i spell that right?)
monorail256
Member
...it's acutally called 'value pricing'. We use this instead of having product go on sale as soon as it hit the shelves, as it did when we were owned by Disney. Through TCP, you are guaranteed that if you buy a Mulan doll today at 2 for $20... its going to be 2 for $20 a month from now. Value pricing is what the company is all about now...
Examples of 'value priced' items include...
Core Plush (2-$20)
Bean Bag Plush (2-$10)
PJ Pals (2-$25)
Mugs (2-$12)
Not only does it make everything affordable.. but it also helps us with units per transaction. It makes an easy add on if someone is only purchasing say, one mug. One mug rings up at 8.50... for another 3.50, they can get another mug. Good deal.
TCP isn't Disney... and you can definately tell -- but at the same time, its actually nice to be owned by a company whom actually cares about us and is willing to put money into us, and fix us up. To me, working there wasn't about the discounts -- it was about the Disney experiance and atmosphere.. dealing with guests and talking about Disney all the time.
Its a great place to work, eventhough we are owned by TCP.
I know there are some stores out there with problems... but they are getting fixed slowly but surely.
Go visit a store.. we're getting new stuff in... :xmas:
Examples of 'value priced' items include...
Core Plush (2-$20)
Bean Bag Plush (2-$10)
PJ Pals (2-$25)
Mugs (2-$12)
Not only does it make everything affordable.. but it also helps us with units per transaction. It makes an easy add on if someone is only purchasing say, one mug. One mug rings up at 8.50... for another 3.50, they can get another mug. Good deal.
TCP isn't Disney... and you can definately tell -- but at the same time, its actually nice to be owned by a company whom actually cares about us and is willing to put money into us, and fix us up. To me, working there wasn't about the discounts -- it was about the Disney experiance and atmosphere.. dealing with guests and talking about Disney all the time.
Its a great place to work, eventhough we are owned by TCP.
I know there are some stores out there with problems... but they are getting fixed slowly but surely.
Go visit a store.. we're getting new stuff in... :xmas:
monorail256
Member
kylestylelevi said:
Actually, the new adult line has already been developed, and will be hitting stores in the Spring of 2006.
Madison
New Member
With respect to its stores, the Disney reputation has been absent from The Disney Store for a long, long time.
Since I am neither the mother of a four year old girl, nor a four year old girl myself, there is nothing of interest to me in those stores. I miss the days when I'd save my money and go in and try to complete my set of lighted Main Street Electrical Parade miniatures.
Since I am neither the mother of a four year old girl, nor a four year old girl myself, there is nothing of interest to me in those stores. I miss the days when I'd save my money and go in and try to complete my set of lighted Main Street Electrical Parade miniatures.
monorail256
Member
Madison said:
Thats the problem with that type of product... guests had to save their money to buy it... and while they saved, it sat on the shelves going nowhere until it went to 50 or 75% off.
I'm sorry theres nothing in the stores that interest you... possibly in the spring?
Disney Store was a great idea... but eventually Disney realized that retail is retail. The products you sell need to be affordable and priced so that everyone is able to purchase. We sell large amount of kids clothes and kids toys because they sell --- we sell the limited high-priced collectibles because they don't sell near as well.
I personally hope that when the test run of the new adult line comes through, that it does amazingly well and that it is brought into the stores as a permanent line. I think its terrible that you can't even go into TDS anymore and purchase a Mickey Mouse watch... its sad.
Although I'm really looking forward to taking on my position on the WDW College Program in February... I'm going to be sad to give up my place with the stores. Im anxious to see where this chain is going. At the current time, it seems to be going in the right direction.
TheDisneyGirl02
New Member
Madison said:
It's ashame you feel that way because the Disney reputation has never been absent from the Disney Stores. The reputation for great guest service has never faltered, even through being sold to a different company. Sure we may not carry the products we used to carry, but what's the use of pointing it out? We the everyday CM's can't bring them back. (If I had a dollar for everytime somebody said that we should get adult clothing back, I'd be rich!) Sorry, I don't mean to be stand-offish about it, but it hurts to see people complaining about something that we have no control over.
We have plenty of things to offer to adults. We have tee shirts, snowglobes, mugs and more! It haven't seen a four year old using a glass coffee mug...anyway, I love the Disney Store regardless of what we offer!
TheDisneyGirl02
Madison
New Member
In my mind, the "Disney reputation" is about so much more than friendly service. It's as much, if not moreso, about offering a unique product. Friendliness is important, certainly, and the unique product is made more alluring because of the associated service -- but, ultimately, the two need one another to truly represent the Disney name.
A Six Flags park with friendly employees doesn't match the experience of Disney's theme parks, as far as I'm concerned. Similarly, I think I'd be disappointed with Disney's theme parks if they provided customer service at a quality typical of that found at many other parks.
The Disney Store no longer offers unique product for anyone of any age. I feel like I can get the same merchandise at Target, and irrespective of how friendly you all may be, that doesn't get me excited to visit.
A Six Flags park with friendly employees doesn't match the experience of Disney's theme parks, as far as I'm concerned. Similarly, I think I'd be disappointed with Disney's theme parks if they provided customer service at a quality typical of that found at many other parks.
The Disney Store no longer offers unique product for anyone of any age. I feel like I can get the same merchandise at Target, and irrespective of how friendly you all may be, that doesn't get me excited to visit.
monorail256
Member
Madison said:
If you think the Disney reputation about unique product is lost from the stores -- you might want to go back down and visit Walt Disney World. Sure they have a larger adult line, but they sell a lot of the same type of stuff we sell, and that same product now seems to be avaliable in each and every gift shop on property -- as compared to 5 or 6 years ago when each store had a little something different. They're getting cheap too.
I sum up the Disney reputation as GREAT guest servicing mixed in with magic... and personally, I think I portray that reputation at Disney Store quite well. Sure, we are sales driven at Disney Store -- but I don't care who you are or what you're buying (which doesnt have to be anything), you're going to get a Disney experiance when you walk in my store.
And just so you know... the only product we sell that Target sells are DVD's and CD's. All of our other product is exclusive to the stores... from our $78.00 Deluxe Cinderella Doll to our $50 Cinderella white-fur coat. Maybe you should go in and check out the stores if you havn't been there in awhile... we're changing... slowly but surely.
I love my store. I love my guests. I love Disney. The end.
THEDISNEYGIRL02, good luck this holiday season! It'll be interesting to see how things go with TCP.
wdwwedding2004
New Member
As much as I love going into the DS just to get a Disney Fix we hardly find anything to buy anymore and that's REACHING i mean we sit and sift through every rack and look and look at everything. At least with the new baby line that just came out we've gotten interested again, so let's hope that with the new adult line we can be reeled back in. Because right now we don't even walk into the store when we are at the mall. Back when they used to have more stuff for adults (collectibles and such) we would make excuses to go to the mall and ONLY visit the DS. While some DSs have good customer service, not all do and many have soo many people working there that don't even seem to want to be there and YIKES forget about going there at Christmas time, we bought ornaments at the Woodfield Mall (IL) and they didn't have boxes (THEY NEVER HAVE BOXES) and they just put each ornament into a small plastic bag and then put them all into a bigger, needless to say by the time we got trough the throng of people and out into the mall two were broken and there we were IN LINE AGAIN and the CM said "you didn't get these here right?!?!?!"UMMMMM try like 10 minutes ago! haha...oh well..like i said an adult line has piqued out interest and i would love to see a mickey store.
shoppingnut
Active Member
The just opened the new DS in our mall a few weeks ago. It's the one with the big mickey head on the outside. I went in to check it out and the size of the store was cut to less than 1/2 the size of the original store, tile floors, no more carpet, they could have at least updgraded to wood. Once again most of the items I saw in there were for little girls. The infant section was one teeny tiny area in the back corner of the store.
One of the biggest problems with the DS is that they don't adjust the merchandise in their stores to accommodate that particular area. For instance, one store may sell a ton of plush, while another sells very little, but the way the DS works, both stores get an equal amount of plush, so the one who sells very little ends up with too much and the one who sells a ton, ends up with not enough. They don't transfer between stores because it was paperwork nightmare and not worth the effort. The store in Bridgewater Commons, NJ used to have to beg for the collectibles to be sent to them because they sold them quite regularly and at xmas time were usually cleaned out.
I used to loved their adult merchandise and would buy it without a sale. Also while I was in there I would also buy things for my niece and nephew, but now I rarely go into the stores because they only depress me. Also, why should I buy something there that I can buy in toys r us for less money, does that make sense. I used to love the jewelry they sold for adults too.
It's a very sad state of affairs at the DS, I do hope there are changes to come, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
One of the biggest problems with the DS is that they don't adjust the merchandise in their stores to accommodate that particular area. For instance, one store may sell a ton of plush, while another sells very little, but the way the DS works, both stores get an equal amount of plush, so the one who sells very little ends up with too much and the one who sells a ton, ends up with not enough. They don't transfer between stores because it was paperwork nightmare and not worth the effort. The store in Bridgewater Commons, NJ used to have to beg for the collectibles to be sent to them because they sold them quite regularly and at xmas time were usually cleaned out.
I used to loved their adult merchandise and would buy it without a sale. Also while I was in there I would also buy things for my niece and nephew, but now I rarely go into the stores because they only depress me. Also, why should I buy something there that I can buy in toys r us for less money, does that make sense. I used to love the jewelry they sold for adults too.
It's a very sad state of affairs at the DS, I do hope there are changes to come, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
monorail256
Member
shoppingnut said:
The new stores are having tons of issues, from the flooring cracking to the giant mickey hands and feet taking up too much space. They are fixing everything... The Mickey Store is just a prototype store, and I think its a great one considering its the first that TCP has designed. Sure, it has its flaws, but its pretty nice. They just need to get a few more pieces of animation in the store, and get rid of the white countertop.
Also -- the infant line was only designated a teeny tiny corner, because just as the adult line in the spring will be, it is a test run (which has done AMAZINGLY well). Infants going to be sticking around... and will grow in size.
shoppingnut said:
You have no idea how right you are... and it was 'supposed' to change when we started getting in TCP product... which, it has a little bit -- but with plush, they still send us crazy amounts. The new 16" plush is what they are bombarding us with now, if they dont stop soon, we're going to run out of space backstage.
I'm telling you guys.. its changing.. and I'm sorry if your current Disney Store experiances aren't up to par. The only way thats going to change is by guest communication. Don't enjoy your experiance? Ask for guest relations number or speak with management.
WDWWEDDING2004 -- Concerning the boxes... was this experianced within the past month (we do have out our new ornaments now.. value priced at 3/$20)? If so, the reason why boxes are limited right now is due to the fact that we will be getting in the newly designed TCP boxes and bags soon. They are amazing looking... with vintage Mickey and Donald being featured on the bags, and various other characters being featured on the new boxes.
:wave:
Woody13
New Member
The Disney Stores in the U.S. and Canada have no affiliation with The Walt Disney Company. They are run by Hoop Retail which is owned by The Children's Place. They have a long term license to sell Disney items. You can get better deals and quality on Disney items at Wal*Mart, Kmart and Target.
Also you may have noticed, DisneyDirect.com has recently changed its name to DisneyShopping.com. That's because The Children's Place has taken over the domain. Be aware, the quality has gone way downhill as a result. I don't use DisneyShopping.com any longer. The items now sold there are vastly inferior to the former offerings.
P.S. The European Disney Stores are next. They either find a buyer or they will go out of business.
Also you may have noticed, DisneyDirect.com has recently changed its name to DisneyShopping.com. That's because The Children's Place has taken over the domain. Be aware, the quality has gone way downhill as a result. I don't use DisneyShopping.com any longer. The items now sold there are vastly inferior to the former offerings.
P.S. The European Disney Stores are next. They either find a buyer or they will go out of business.
monorail256
Member
Woody13 said:
I beg to differ.
Woody13 said:
Those stores are no longer up for sale.
Woody13 said:
You're right about that.
TheDisneyGirl02
New Member
I have a simple question...
Why are so many people so negative about the Disney Store? It's like it was the red-headed step child of the family even before we were sold. I just don't understand.
As far as boxes are concerned, they are sent to us by an outside company so we can order them but if they don't come in before we run out of something, there is nothing we can do. Same with tissue paper or bubble wrap. I have personally gone out and purchased both of those items and given them to the store to make the CM's lives a little easier. If we're out of boxes, we're sorry but it's not the end of the world. It's really tough getting yelled at for something that we have no control off.
I feel very strongly about the Disney Store. Afterall, it is because of my job with the store that got my full time job.
Sorry, but it's just how I feel! Have a nice day!
TheDisneyGirl02
Why are so many people so negative about the Disney Store? It's like it was the red-headed step child of the family even before we were sold. I just don't understand.
As far as boxes are concerned, they are sent to us by an outside company so we can order them but if they don't come in before we run out of something, there is nothing we can do. Same with tissue paper or bubble wrap. I have personally gone out and purchased both of those items and given them to the store to make the CM's lives a little easier. If we're out of boxes, we're sorry but it's not the end of the world. It's really tough getting yelled at for something that we have no control off.
I feel very strongly about the Disney Store. Afterall, it is because of my job with the store that got my full time job.
Sorry, but it's just how I feel! Have a nice day!
TheDisneyGirl02
ThreeCircles
Member
Woody13 said:
That's incorrect information. DisneyShopping.com is the "new" DisneyStore.com and is owned and run by TWDC. DisneyStore.com originally changed to DisneyDirect.com and then to DisneyShopping.com.
The Disney Catelog and the online DisneyStore.com businesses were not part of the deal with Children's Place. However, the domain "DisneyStore.com" was probably included in the handover for obvious reasons.
You'll soon see a "new" DisneyStore.com and that will be the internet site for the Children's Place owned Disney Stores.
The European branch of the Disney Stores are profitable and that is why Disney took them off the block.