Resort Logo Merchandise

[Cheshire Figment]

I have recently heard, from a very reliable source, that WDW is phasing out all specific resort logo merchandise with the exception of a few items for the upper scale deluxe resorts.

[mrsR123]

Booo!

I reject the continuted blandifying of WDW. Down with "DisneyParks"; I want uniqueness!

[OKW Lover]

Wow. Just wow. :confused3

When I read the title of this story my immediate reaction was "no way". Then I saw who posted it and that made me consider it a bit more since much of what CF posts come true.

But I'm still having a difficult time with this one. If they homogenize the resort specific merchandise, they'll actually windup hurting sales in the longer term. Lots of folks buy something from the resort they are staying at as a souvenir. If they already have a shirt/class/hat/etc that says generically "WDW resorts" why would they buy another one when they visit WDW again the following year but stay in a different resort.

Again, not questioning the accuracy of the rumor. Heaven knows that I don't understand the business reason behind everything Disney does. :3dglasses

[GrimGhost]

Cheshire Figment,

Any way of confirming whether it will be all deluxe and what merchandise?

[StrawberryMin]

I sure hope it's not true. Some of my favorite souveniers are the shirts that are from the Poly and Wilderness Lodge...people always comment about them.

[Kim&Chris]

I guess I saw this coming. It's harder and harder to find resort-specific merchandise. Very sad. I used to really love the uniqueness of the resort merchandise, but I guess this is just another cost cut for Disney. :headache:

[deej696]

If this turns out to be accurate, which given the track record of the last several years I tend to think it is, it would be a dumb move amongst many other dumb moves of late. I'm already disappointed with the amount of resort specific stuff currently available. I'm one of those guys that wants a polo from the hotels I visit, and I only have one from Disney and that was GF. Its just a continuing dumbing down of the offerings at Disney that I've come to accept....

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We were told about this in a team meeting.
2) Seems there is a "survey" that says guests prefer Disney merchandise.
3) They, further, do not favor resort-specific merchandise.
4) Exceptions, per the "survey", are Deluxe and DVC resorts.

NOTE: My, aren't those "surveys" good for addressing guests' issues.

[deej696]

I wonder if in those same surveys they ask those who prefer "Disney/Non-Specific Merchandise" how much $ they actually spend on souveniers, compared to the amount spent by those who do prefer specific offerings. Now those are some figures I'd like to see...

Me personally, I'd gladly pay $50 for a resort polo, but I wouldnt think of dropping $20 on a "DisneyParks" polo...

[GrimGhost]

1) We were told about this in a team meeting.
2) Seems there is a "survey" that says guests prefer Disney merchandise.
3) They, further, do not favor resort-specific merchandise.
4) Exceptions, per the "survey", are Deluxe and DVC resorts.

NOTE: My, aren't those "surveys" good for addressing guests' issues.

Did it sound like ALL Deluxe and DVC would be exempt?

[tjkraz]

Sadly, I fear sales numbers are the only place to point a finger.

We often stop by the outlet stores while in town and resort is among the most plentiful. Having to mark the stuff down 50% just to unload it speaks volumes.

Also, I don't think I have ever seen someone walking the streets (away from Orlando/WDW) in anything other than generic merchandise. All of those shirts with the big "2009" on them or the generic images of Mickey, Minnie, Pooh, etc....that's all I ever see away from the parks. I have ZERO INTEREST in that stuff myself, but to the casual park-going public, that is apparently what interests them. :confused3 :sad2:

The only shirt I bought on my last trip was a Saratoga Springs tee. I hope it's true that the deluxes and DVCs are exempted. It seems reasonable that the higher-end resorts sell more merch than the All-Stars, POR, etc.

Nevertheless I do think that we die-hard Disney fans mis-judge the sorts of things that appeal to casual guests. We may seek-out more unique designs as long-term vets. But I suspect a far greater number of people really want that generic shirt with the castle, characters and date-of-visit plastered across the front. :crazy2:

[DOOM1001]

I love Disney but you will not catch me with generic Disney apparel,that's the kind of stuff that you can buy at Mal Mart,I need unique Disney shirts like resort shirts.I have an ESPN Club shirt that says Disney World resort near the bottom also I've been meaning to get this long sleeve Magic Kingdom Fire Department long sleeve t-shirt on my next trip to MK.The day I started seeing the cups just saying Disney parks I feared some of this might start to happen,hopefully they'll realize it's not the smartest way to go.

[DC7800]

2) Seems there is a "survey" that says guests prefer Disney merchandise.
3) They, further, do not favor resort-specific merchandise.
4) Exceptions, per the "survey", are Deluxe and DVC resorts.

Surveys, especially where Disney is concerned, have the nasty habit of being used to confirm or support a previously made decision, rather than actually revealing factual information. Ask the right people the right questions, phrased properly, and you get the answer you were looking for.

You also have to be careful how you interpret the results. Consider how many might buy a Polynesian Resort shirt - a popular choice because of the theme of the resort - not, of course, just because its a deluxe. Now, consider how many might prefer a "Do the Funky Chicken" Pop Century shirt over a generic Mickey Mouse. Plenty of surely good selling Pop Century souvenirs out there - and certainly they ought to remain so (better to sell me a PC shirt at only a slightly-reduced profit than not sell me any shirt at all). They aren't less desirable, perhaps, because they come from a 'value' resort - its because they come from tacky decorated Pop Century as opposed to the immersive theming of the Polynesian.

[Chuck-PA]

We always buy a shirt or souvenir with the name of the place we stay.
If this is true we will surely miss it.

We do not like the YEAR being posted on anything. We refuse to buy it.
We do not like to advertise how long we have owned something.

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I must say I'm not surprised - I have watched it happen.

About 6 years ago I got caught at the Beach Club during a very cold snap in December - I bought a Beach Club sweatshirt (which I still have). It was $38. The following year the exact came sweatshirt was $68.

As time has passed, we have all seen the unique character of resort gits shops change to more represent what you find in Mousegear, DTD or other gift shops - why? Margin.....everything is about margin.

Disney pays FAR less p/sweatshirt for 750,000 sweatshirts than they do 100,000 sweatshirts.

I have watched the clothing at resort gift shops all begin to look alike......now even THAT will disappear.

How sad.

Bottom line - I'll spend less. I rarely will open a pocketbook for something you see everywhere ---- give me something special --- I can't keep the money from flying out of my wallet.

[Jessfrogger88]

This kind of mainstreaming of the giftshops has been going on since I've started visiting in 2007. Mostly everything in the giftshops these days can be found in all the other giftshops.. I find it kind of sad..

[Snowgod]

I have been collecting shot glasses for many years from Disney shops in both the resorts and parks. Last trip I was at SSR and loved it but I could not find a resort specific shot glass as I have in the past. Checked other resorts and noticed only a few left over from previous but they seemed in short supply. Some MBA at Disney Corporate must have figured they don't need them anymore as they did with Customer service and maintenance. :sad2::sad1:

[fantayzya]

While I can see why...I guess. I too hope this isn't true.

And if it is true. I really hope they can't accomplish it before I get there a month from now. I'm one that tends to grab keepsakes from the resort I stay at as much if not more than from the parks and as has been posted generally won't grab the items that are available everywhere unless it's really special in some way.

As for 'dated' items, again, only if they're really special or some sort of commemorative thing. I do have some from 2000.

Glad to hear the deluxe resorts may be exempt as they tend to have some rather cool themed items. That said, one of my favorite (and unfortunately worn out) items was from CBR. The moderates have some great themes IMO as well.

I guess we'll just wait and see.

[Snowgod]

duplicate

[LarryM]

I guess I should have taken better care of my Dixie Landing's Polo I bought many years ago. We are DVC and we do buy the specific resort stuff more than the genaric merchandise.

[scanne]

:snooty:I am a self-described resort snob...:snooty:I LOVE my resort merchandise - my shirts from the Polynesian, WL, BC and GF are favorites! I collect magnets from the resorts we stay at. We're staying at the Polynesian next June and I was hoping for a new Polynesian shirt or sweatshirt.

As others have said, I don't buy the items with the year on it - but perhaps that's because I'm a regular?? Maybe it's those folk that do the "once in a lifetime" trip to WDW who buy the shirts with the year to commemorate their vacation...

I hope the deluxes and DVC's keep their themed merchandise. I tend to spend my $$$ in the hotel rather than at the parks.

[goalie5hole]

If this is true, it will be good for me. I'll come home with more money in my pocket than I usually do. I don't buy anything generic.

[jlewisinsyr]

Outside a few higher end things, we stopped buying stuff from the Disney Parks after our second year there. Everything is so generic, you can buy it any of the Disney World Resorts/Parks for the most part.

I don't want generic, I want more unique, not blanded down items, of high quality. I'm willing to pay more for these items, but Disney as of late hasn't had much in the way to support this.

General consumerism is partially to blame as it is a cost control process for Disney. Walmart is the new shopping destination for millions of consumers in the United States who often are willing to sacrafice long term quality for a lower price.

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

When I was just at WDW I was able to purchase a Bay Lake Tower t-shirt, two Polynesian t-shirts and a Grand Floridian sweatshirt. However I did not see any Boardwalk merchandice when I went to visit there.

[tednvon]

Interesting rumor...my spouse works at Coronado Springs in Panchito's gift shop and she says she would agree that most guests buy the generic Disney and the resort logo clothing items sit a lot longer on the shelves.
Still a shame.

Ted

[ToddS]

Really sad. Is it really possible that no one at Disney can figure out how to make money on this stuff? Seems like a gold mine to me if its handled correctly.

[mickeysbestfriend]

only the unique OKW DVC items. If they were priced more reasonably, we'd tend to buy more but thankfully we are able to pick up great items on ebay.

When I was younger in the 70's and 80's I bought the generic and still have some tucked away but what I treasure are the items specific to a resort like the Tiki God drink glasses or a golf putting cup. I will never buy anything at the World that I can get at a Wallymart screwyou Center.

[FigmentJason]

This is sad. Disney merchandising for me started to go down hill when the magic shop on main street closed. I loved that as a kid because it was unique. Then I was saddened when all of the stores in epcot that sold unique future related items changed. And now this... yay

[anthony2k7]

Surely they just need to manage their volumes better?

If resort specific items sell less, then buy less. No need to stop buying it all together though!

Ok so most guests only buy a few generic items, but a percentage (no matter how small) do also want to buy some generic items and some resort specific items - thats lost sales no matter how you look at it.

[emlutz23]

We became DVC members in 2006 and the DVC resort mechandise has definately gone down! So my guess is all resorts will have less. On my next trip I may hunt down stuff from every DVC resort since I do plan on staying at each one at some point. Then when all the resort merch is gone, I'll still have what I want! :rotfl:

[crocko]

Economically, it's a basic case of supply-demand that will eventually find an equilibrium.

We consumers WANT more options. But, more options means higher costs for the supplier. If our purchasing is not high enough, then variety of options will decrease. When the squeeze on options gets so tight as to have a negative impact on purchasing, then some give will be needed by the supplier.

As much as we WANT more options, we can only expect to keep them as long as our purchasing justifies the cost. And the squeeze on options will only stop as soon as we stop purchasing to the point that sales are noticeably effected.

The more I go to each store and see the same products the less I will end up spending in total. I like to have options...as long as I have enough decent options, I'll do some spending. If it ever gets to the point that there are so few options that actually appeal to me then I'll just hold on to my dollars and save them for the next trip to somewhere else.

In summary, the change hurts...but if the change is drastic enough to make us change our purchasing decisions, then eventually it will have an impact that will make Disney stop and listen.

[paulh]

you could say this was on the cards from when they started generic mugs for all the resorts.we used to collect from our visits.Now we hardly ever buy mugs.Again we used to love visiting resorts to shop now they tend to stock same stuff in most of there shops,Seemed the only thing which was different was the discounted gift with a minimum spend
Paul

[wdw4us2]

More short term profit decisions by Disney.

Yes, they'll save money in the short term by outlaying less money and realizing a larger profit on what they are selling. However, at the same time they are losing money from repeat visitors who look for unique and resort/park specific merchandise.

Among my many Disney collections are license plates. I am fortunate to have at least one from each resort before Disney stopped offering them. Now, there is a year plate and an occasional character plate but very few resort specific plates and most are made of cheap PVC instead of aluminum as they once were.

Due to their thinking, I now return home with more $$ than I once did. I can honestly say that on a weekend trip, my family of four used to spend around $350 dollars per trip on various merchandise. Now I'm amazed if we spend $50.

Smart move, Disney.:sad2:

[tjkraz]

Yes, they'll save money in the short term by outlaying less money and realizing a larger profit on what they are selling. However, at the same time they are losing money from repeat visitors who look for unique and resort/park specific merchandise.

(snip)

Due to their thinking, I now return home with more $$ than I once did. I can honestly say that on a weekend trip, my family of four used to spend around $350 dollars per trip on various merchandise. Now I'm amazed if we spend $50.

Smart move, Disney.:sad2:

All of that could be true, but those (possible) facts alone are not sufficient reason to judge this to be a foolish decision. Disney is the one who has to invest in production costs. They have to commission the item, pay to have it produced and then dedicate shelf space.

If items are not selling well, I can certainly see how it may not justify producing them in the first place.

As a DVC members, one of the things I hear frequently from members is that there isn't enough "unique" or "different" resort merchandise. The problem is that everyone's idea of an appealing unique or different item varies.

100 people want to buy a t-shirt that says Disney's BoardWalk Villas

Some want a mens shirt
Some want a womens shirt
Some want white
Some want gray
Some want navy
Some want pink
Some want it embroidered
Some want it silk screened
Some want long sleeves
Some want short sleeves
Some want it to have just the resort name
Some want it to have the resort name and "Disney Vacation Club"
Some want a more form-fitting style
Some want a loose fitting style

That doesn't even address the appeal of the basic design used for the shirt (logo, imagery) which will vary from one buyer to another. And whatever you come up with has to be stocked in Small, Medium, Large, XL and XXL.

By the time you're done with all the permutations, it's easy to see why Disney has favored more generic designs. They aren't going to dedicate shelf space to women's form-fitting, short-sleeved, pink, DVC/BWV shirts if the demand for such a product is infinitesimal. If 99% of shoppers wrinkle their noses and walk by, where's the justification for creating the product in the first place?

Sadly perhaps we've reached a tipping point where it no longer makes sense to even produce the generic stuff for some resorts. It takes more than a small number of Disney fanatics buying an item to justify its creation. Perhaps this is a situation where demand will naturally rise if the product line lies dormant for a few years.

[KYMickey]

By the time you're done with all the permutations, it's easy to see why Disney has favored more generic designs.
At least let them make a generic shirt for each resort. Pick a color that goes with the theme of the resort and make men's womens and children's shirts in that style. At least that way each resort would have its own merchandise.

[donaldduck1967]

Didn't read thru the whole thread but that's exactly what I was told my multiple Cast members working on shops,they are phasing out logo specific merchandise.

[agnes!]

Gack. More year-dated generic park merchandise...lovely. Along this same theme, the recent addition of Park merchandise to Disney Store offerings made me kind of sad. Yeah, I know, cost-points and all that, but *still*...I kind of like actually *being* someplace and maybe getting a souvenir at that place.

So I guess that makes me an oddball that Merchandising doesn't care about. Oh well. I guess I'll just save up my pennies and pay for visits rather than Disney junk....heyyyyyy... wait a minute. More visits and LESS chotchkes? I LIKE the sound of that :thumbsup2!

But pretty soon we won't even have actual characters...all the Disney shops will only sell
one-size-fits-no-one T-shirts
and mugs
and key-chains
and pins
with only the following words on all of the items (and, of course, NO artwork):

GENERIC DISNEY CHARACTER


agnes!

[Golf4food]

We just came back and I did notice a lack of Resort specific merchandise in the non-deluxe gift shops (had meals at the GF and Poly and saw items in their gift shops, but not the others we visited).

[*Robin*]

But pretty soon we won't even have actual characters...all the Disney shops will only sell
one-size-fits-no-one T-shirts
and mugs
and key-chains
and pins
with only the following words on all of the items (and, of course, NO artwork):

Does this include pins and keychains, etc? :sad2: I'm not a big clothing buyer, but I come out with multiple resort specific smaller items each time we go...this makes me really sad.

Disney is the last place I thought would go generic, but I think you may be right, at least in the short term. (I can see this being a recession decision, and hopefully when things pick up, some items may return?)

[Snowgod]

This last trip was a real money saver for DW and I. We had planned on getting quite a few things and when we went to the resort shops, none of the items we had planned to purchase was available. Actually ended up buying things over at Universal City walk. Sorry Disney but you didn't make enough money off the items I like to buy with the resort logo. Maybe the MBAs are earning their money at the cost of too small a profit on the resort items. Now we don't have to plan money for all of the resort items we have been collecting for years and can instead use that money for off site expenses. DW says she is fed up with Disney selling the same thing in every shop and refuses to eve go in. She also wants us to finally stay offsite and enjoy some of the other things in the area. Cya, mean it! :confused3

[Colleen27]

I think behind all of this is the fact that first timers and very occasional visitors are the bulk of Disney guests. Somewhere along the line, some muckety-muck decided they don't really need the souviner dollars from the realtively small number of dedicated Disney fans, or that they'll get those dollars in different ways (like D23). I think they also realize that no matter how disappointed we are with the changes made, most of us will still feel that a bad day at a blandified Disney is better than a good day at another destination, so what incentive is there to cater to us as a guest demographic?

[snyderla]

I stay at a lot of different resorts and I buy new resort specific items for each resort I stay at. This will same me lots of money! I don't like bland sameness.

Also, I never buy year specific items. I don't want to wear 2009 stuff in 2010.

[KYMickey]

I think behind all of this is the fact that first timers and very occasional visitors are the bulk of Disney guests.
Do you think this is really true? Based on the number of timeshare units available within and outside of Disney alone I think the number of frequent visitors is quite large. In addition many people visit quite often and stay at the resort hotels. I obviously do not have an exact number by any means but I would guess the number of visitors who visit on a regular basis is > 25%, which is quite a large number and I wouldn't be surprised if it was even larger.

[CindyKansas]

This is very interesting. I know that we have plenty of Poly logo merchandise at the Poly. Tomorrow night I am being deployed to one of the All Stars, I'll have to ask a few questions.

[Maelstrom_]

I just got back last night from a reat 7 night stay at Bay Lake Tower. We always buy a magnet with our resort name/logo on it...but they didn't have any at the Contemporary gift shops. They had some new Bay Lake Tower merchandise (no magnets), but that was it.

[Luv2Roam]

I am not surprised if this is the case as look what they have done to merchandise in the stores in general.
It use to be if you saw something you liked, you better buy it as you might not see it again.
Now it's the same merchandise all over. Gets to be pretty ho hum after awhile.
We ate lunch at Olivia's yesterday and of course were in the gift shop. There were quite a few OKW items. I thought maybe that was due the resort being DVC and a deluxe. Could be there was not as many OKW items as usual. However I did not notice that.

[TK Brown]

This is sad. We always would try and buy a Christmas Ornament of each place we staryed. Now, ill have to buy them all ahead of time (if they are still there) and open them after we go to that hotel.....bummer....

But if Disney had a spare 4 BILLION laying around to buy Marvel....they cant be hurting that bad.....JMO.