Children's Place to acquire Disney Stores

[Belle1216]

While YoHo's comment may infact be true, it's still rather rude, or maybe inconsiderate is a better term.

People that don't actually work physically in the stores are losing there positions and even if it were only cast members in the store facing job loss, alot of people take their source of income seriously and don't just say "oh well guess I'll just go over to McDonald's" after X amount of years in their present positions.

Alot to look forward to? Although it may be slightly contradictory to what I just said, it's RETAIL. There aren't alot of perks.

I think alot of people, myself included, have alot more going for them then being able to put "The Disney Store" on their resumes.

It sounded to me like you must have retail knowledge and in that case you would realize that for the people that are leaving it doesn't leave much for opportunity. Atleast 75% of the hiring done at this time is TEMPORARY help that will be let go in January. And of course TCP will offer incentives to stay through the holidays, all retailers that are smart do, even TDS offered it's seasonal help stay incentives in the past to make it through the holidays.

I don't believe anyone is living in denial over at TDS, they've known for a long time what's on the horizon and what it means to them and everyone is quite awake. The point being TDS has many dedicated cast members that have provided years of loyal service and that deserves respect, not sarcastic comments.

 

[exDS vet]

As a former Disney Store manager, I know for a fact that many, make that most of the TDS cast members have been in denial for a very long time. I would call them arrogant, but that wouldn't be true for everyone.

I shared with my CM's why I thought my store would close and none of them believed me. Since the district manager and regional director were not talking about it, they just thought everyting was going to be fine and that I was crazy. Even as I left the company, I warned them that their futures would be in jeopardy.

Within three weeks after I left, the CM's found out that the store would be closing in two months. Out of fifteen cast members at the store, three of them kept their jobs and were transfered. Two of them were those who had overdosed on pixie dust. One of them was a great employee. Of the other twelve cm's many of them were long term cm's who were among the best in the area.

Today, there are hundreds of cm's who are in practically the same boat. Many of them will leave, but there are lots of them who are still going to think that things will get better. That the product quality will improve. That collectibles and adult clothing will come back. This is a tired wish that is not going to come true.

Those cm's who can't face reality and let go, should think about whether or not their store will remain open during the next year. Will The Children's Place decide to close those underperforming stores and reduce the TDS store count to 200 or lower? With a take over like this, anything is possible.

I'm sorry to sound like a downer, but some of you need to move on if not for your own dignity, then at least so that you don't lose your passion for "all things Disney" when everything is said and done. It almost happened to me. But after I left the company, I was still able to keep most of my passion for the true Disney. Not the Disney that everyone is obsessed with today.

 

[n2mm]

Sleepyat DVC, no the Catalog, the online store (which changed it's name this week from Disneystore.com to Disneydirect.com) and the catalog outlets are not included in this sale and remain part of the Walt Disney Company.

 

[freediverdude]

If this is true, TDS will be just a Disney-themed annex to TCP, sort of like The Limited and The Limited Too, or Toys R Us and Babies R Us. And if that's true, I won't be shopping there anymore, especially if it's not Disney owned. I go there for the adult t-shirts, dvds, snowglobes, and special plush, and it sounds like most of that would be gone. Thankfully I live close enough to WDW to go shop there, but goodbye Disney Store.....we'll all miss you....... Maybe they'll put in more World of Disney type stores in large markets?

 

[foofanella]

They do manufacture (or purchase) costumes, they have on occasion produced toys, shoes, books. I think that Disney is going to grant them an exclusive children's clothing license (exclusive for the designs, no way is Disney going to stop selling to Walmart, Target etc). and probably a preferred vendor status for the other merchandise. TCP may have been looking to branch out, not just cannibalize their current stores...They simply understand the retail "mass mall" model and believe that they can reorganize TDS and make it better.