World of Disney store(s) rumor...

[TheDScoop]

ddd

 

[epcotfan]

Wow, that sounds interesting.

 

[KevinPage]

Are they going to be selling park merchandise in these stores? That was one of the complaints about Disney merchanidsing in general. You could get anything, anywhere, so it killed the uniqueness

 

[wdwmagic]

Thanks for the info, sounds a very very good idea to me. Let's hope it happens and that it works out well.

 

[MKCustodial]

That's a really good idea. But ultimately, they should expand the Disney Stores to markets where Disney isn't present. For example, Orlando had a Disney Store right at the airport. But why, if Walt Disney WORLD is right there down the street? Now, New York having a Disney Store is a good idea, not everybody can drive down to Orlando to get a dose of Disney whenever they want. And that's what I mean, they should get those Disney Stores popping around places like the UK, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and down here! Why open one in California? No, they already have Disney. The company should get the magic where it's still non-existant. AND tie them to special vacation promotions. This way, I'd go to my Brazilian Disney Store to set up my next WDW vacation instead of looking for a regular travel agent.

 

[Sherm00]

:sohappy: We are going down tomorrow to see the Lion king on broadway, maybe we will stop by and let you know. :sohappy: the disney store is only a small walk from broadway.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I think the store will be selling some park merchandise since the store is going to be run by the Parks and Resorts division.

 

[phlydude]

I would like that! I drag my wife into the Disney Store in the Christiana Mall all the time since I found 1/2 price DVDs one weekend. She dreads it because aside from clothes, towels, DVDs, snow globes and stuffed animals, there isn't much else to see there!

 

[dzne4eva]

That would be incredible for those who don't get as much magic as others. The in store character experiences especially for the little ones. I remember going to a local mall when they had a road show for the 25th anniversary and seeing the faces light up of kids you know will never see the inside of a Disney park. Belle read them stories, it was really nice...

 

[CubbieMan]

Wow this sounds like a wonderful idea to me...I think it would be excellent if they sold some of the unigue items found at DW. One of the problems with the Disney Store is they sold some cheaper items noone had use for or had thier merchandise aimed at kids...it would be nice if they offered one of kind Disney merchandise aimed at all ages

 

[netenyahoo]

I would really like the stores to be bigger and be more magical. I don't want them to sell park merchandise, but they could have some similar things. I think too if they are big stores then they should have New York Disney shirts, etc or for me Minnesota or Minneapolis or Mall of America branded apparel. That would be neat. How about potato head parts too and some other unique items, but keep some things exclusive to the parks.

 

[brich]

Sounds exciting. Maybe they've finally realized what made the initial Disney Stores so much fun. I too would not want to see park merchandise in these stores. It's so much fun to shop for exclusive stuff when at the parks. They definately need to improve the quality of goods sold. Increase the selection for us older Disneyholics. Offer better pricing on Disney stuff, like DVDs and CDs. Most of all, they need to make it fun to go there again. I remember I used to go just for the fix, and most times I would buy something just because I was there. Now, I rarely go to a Disney Store unless we are walking by or there is something specific I want. Hope this works if it's for real. :sohappy:

 

[imamouse]

Brich - Exactly! Keep the theme park merchandise in the theme parks, but....

How about some teasers? One or two items per theme park to whet the appetite or provide an opportuity for folks who just returned, but didn't buy everything they wanted while on property? Maybe set up a World Showcase section in the store (they are called World of Disney) and sell a small sampling or similar types of merchandise sold in Epcot's World Showcase?

 

[brich]

OK Imamouse. To add to your idea, how about a merchandise rotation. Have exclusive park merchandise be sold in limited quantity and for an extremely limited time. Say every 2 weeks, a couple of new park items are sold and the other park items are taken out of the store. That way you have the chance to get exclusive stuff, the Disneyholics can camp out every two weeks for the new stuff and the exclusiveness of park merchandise would still exist. Hahaha all these great ideas based solely on what may only be a rumor. Gosh I love these boards... :sohappy:

 

[MKCustodial]

You know, as I said, if this current incarnation of the Disney Stores can exist outside of the US, regardless of what it sells, I'll be one happy camper.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I think that these stores are going to be very similar to the World of Disney stores at the parks. Meaning you will have the oppurtunity to get some of the product they feature at those places. The stores will have nothing to do with the current Disney Store chain. They will not have the same management or even be in the same part of the company.

The idea about rotating merchandise won't work out either. Shipments come very often to stores and they get set amounts based on what the company thinks it will sell. Once shipments are received the items need to be sold. You can't just send them back. So rotating park items every few weeks wouldn't work because it wouldn't allow for a good oppurtunity to sell. Not to mention that it would be difficult to decide on the amount of an item that would need to be produced.

 

[flyersmv]

WOW that is new info fro me thanx

 

[SirNim]

I've known about the plans to turn the NYC Disney Store into a WOD for some time now... And I too hope that the plans succeed...

The merchandise at the typical mall Disney Stores has gotten completely "cookie-cutter," catering it seems to preschoolers who have appetites for Stitch plush figures and Princess dress costumes...

And I'm sick of it.

The previous incarnation of the NYC DS had a rather extensive "Disney Gallery" section on top, much like the ones that used to grace some of the mall DSs. I can only hope that an even MORE extensive gallery section is set aside for the newest incarnation of the NYC DS, or should I write WOD?...

I actually do not think that the idea of WD Park merchandise is a good idea for a regional WOD such as the one which will open up in NYC. There's no reason for it...
Maybe in the Gallery area, some Park-themed artwork, but WDW and DLR t-shirts and hats are just too tacky for a regional WOD.

I would love it if the regional WODs themselves could play host to Disney experiences such as character greetings, performances, and special events. That would be good.

All-in-all, I would love for a visit to one of these WODs to be a nice, refreshing spritz of Disney... at a true Disney "Destination"... between actual trips to the WD Parks and Resorts in Anaheim, CA and Lake Buena Vista, FL.

 

[brich]

The idea about rotating merchandise won't work out either. Shipments come very often to stores and they get set amounts based on what the company thinks it will sell. Once shipments are received the items need to be sold. You can't just send them back. So rotating park items every few weeks wouldn't work because it wouldn't allow for a good oppurtunity to sell. Not to mention that it would be difficult to decide on the amount of an item that would need to be produced.

I see where your coming from. I wouldn't count an idea like this out so fast. Of course you make valid points from a general retail perspective. Unfortunately, general retail practices are what killed the current Disney Store chain. What made the Disney Store successful in the early days was more unconventional. Using atmosphere. Being more focused on bringing the Disney customer into the store because it was a great place to be. Once they started pushing the average product and abandoned the atmosphere, things went down hill. Supply and demand is such a common buzz word. But its fundamentally sound. Exclusive park merchandise would be sold in very limited amounts so as to bring up demand and lower the inventory that would need to be sent back. If you bring in 10 cases of Die Cast Doom Buggies, you'll have a problem. If there are a ton of these things on the shelf, they'll sit. If you bring in 1 case, your POP display stresses the scarcity of the item, the limited sales time, these things will move. You certainly wouldn't base your store sales on these items. You would use these items as a way of attracting Disneyholics to your store. If I knew that every two weeks, a new exclusive item would be arriving in limited number for a limited time, I would be making trips to the store at least every two weeks. Just remember what Beanie Babies did. Just a simple stuffed animal that had a huge demand based on availability... Think outside the box.

 

[Snowflake82]

:sohappy: We are going down tomorrow to see the Lion king on broadway, maybe we will stop by and let you know. :sohappy: the disney store is only a small walk from broadway.

Sherm00 -

The store is still under construction; not much to see except for some covered-up (lightly themed, at least) windows. Just wanted to save you the trouble of going out of your way - we were there on Sunday.