Childrens Place to give back Disney Stores!!

[cmash95]

ok I am confused how many are they keeping open? that article made it sounds like they were closing all the stores.

 

[zippy doo dah]

a little more than 200 will remain open, while a little over 100 will close, so not all of them will be closing.

 

[Pixeldust Fairy]

I too remember when the Disney Store had such quality items. The beautiful embroidered henleys and tshirts. All of the merchandise was so wonderful. Im just sad that our Disney store closed earlier this month. The closest Disney store to us is 5 1/2 hours away. I hope that after they re group they will open ours back up. It is a sad place to see that empty space that was once filled with Disney pixie dust. I know they did phenomenal business there. BRING OUR STORE BACK.

 

[Villainess]

Thanks for the info here...I have actually been keeping up on this here and in my newspaper b/c I have anxiously been awaiting the return of TDS to Disney b/c like so many, I miss the quailty of what TDS used to be. So just to give a quick update, here's what was in this today's paper...


N.J. retail operator giving back stores


The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc., which is based in Secaucus and temporarily still operates the Disney Store chain, said Thursday that its return of more than 200 stores to the Walt Disney Co. couls be completer by May if its restructuring plan is accepted by a bankruptcy judge.
The remaining 100-plus Disney Stores in North America would be closed, said interin CEO Chuck Crovitz.
His comments came less than a day after the Children's Place subsidiary filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.


Asbury Park Press


Now I'm a little nervous...I have 3 stores close to me (1 is in the midst of a move to a new location, so it's currently "closed") and I visit each one b/c they each have things that the other doesn't, so I am hoping that none of them close. However, the possibility that one will remain closed, instead of being reloctated and renovated, in light of this new information.

I know exactly which 3 malls you are referring to - my mom used to be assistant mgr at 2 of them (back inthe Disney days, she left before TCP took over).

I will be looking forward to Disney taking them back since the 'cast members' - I use the word loosely at the stores near me spread no magic. I've witnessed bickering, foul language and just plain rudeness most of the time we're there.

 

[ColleenG]

Hi! I'm pretty sure I know which 3 malls you mean too. Do you know if any of them are on the chopping block? The one that moved in the mall looks like they put a lot of work into it and it is much bigger, so I can't imagine they would close that one. The one in the mall by me is probably now the smallest of the 3 (it's the most southern if we are all talking about the same ones). It seems like the DS are far more spread out in other areas. There are always people in there, usually buying somithing when I'm there. Time to make a trip to get some more Disney $$ and ask.

 

[JulianneCP]

Raindayz~~

I'm a TDS CM in Va. Just moved from your neck of the beltway

I'm a little worried because there are three stores within 20 miles of us Lakeforest, Tyson and me at Dulles but all three stores are high volume and we are in the Metro area which helps My SM says do not worry We should be safe

If Lakeforest closes there is not reason to step foot in that mall ever again. TDS is keeping that place alive.

 

[Villainess]

Hi! I'm pretty sure I know which 3 malls you mean too. Do you know if any of them are on the chopping block? The one that moved in the mall looks like they put a lot of work into it and it is much bigger, so I can't imagine they would close that one. The one in the mall by me is probably now the smallest of the 3 (it's the most southern if we are all talking about the same ones). It seems like the DS are far more spread out in other areas. There are always people in there, usually buying somithing when I'm there. Time to make a trip to get some more Disney $$ and ask.

Yup you're talking about the same 3 I am - my mom was opening cast for the southern one, assistant mgr. She was a lead at the one that was recently redone and then transferred there as assistant mgr later on. She never worked at the one that is currently under renovations - I loved the gallery there; so sad when they got rid of that! I believe that store is supposed to reopen in June. Oh, forgot about the outlet one too!

 

[Colson39]

When I worked at TDS 11 years ago, that was one of my favorite parts of the store, the gallery. Always loved to check out all the new items that would come in, some of the items were amazing!

I also used to love getting way up high with the character scenes that were attached to the roof, to clean them all out. Always liked high places, so it would be a nice little escape from counting registers or restacking the character plush island.

Oh, if you are or have ever been a Disney Store Cast Member, you know that the character plush island (or half moon shape in some stores) is the most annoying thing to put back together. No one ever wanted to do that job!!!

 

[ColleenG]

Yup you're talking about the same 3 I am - my mom was opening cast for the southern one, assistant mgr. She was a lead at the one that was recently redone and then transferred there as assistant mgr later on. She never worked at the one that is currently under renovations - I loved the gallery there; so sad when they got rid of that! I believe that store is supposed to reopen in June. Oh, forgot about the outlet one too!

OOHHH! I forgot about the out let one. I don't get to those outlets too often. When I was there last spring I was surprised to find it. Do you think they'll keep the outlet open? There's a Childrens Place outlet there too. Need to take a short road trip to do some shopping.

 

[PoohsFan1]

OOHHH! I forgot about the out let one. I don't get to those outlets too often. When I was there last spring I was surprised to find it. Do you think they'll keep the outlet open? There's a Childrens Place outlet there too. Need to take a short road trip to do some shopping.

From what I heard from my Store Manager, I too work at my TDS in the Chicagoland area, she had said that Disney will most likely do away with the outlet stores, so if her theory rings true, then all Disney outlets will be closed. According to her, the outlets were never something that Disney was ever happy with.

 

[ColleenG]

From what I heard from my Store Manager, I too work at my TDS in the Chicagoland area, she had said that Disney will most likely do away with the outlet stores, so if her theory rings true, then all Disney outlets will be closed. According to her, the outlets were never something that Disney was ever happy with.

Bummer!

 

[fairygodmother29577]

From what I heard from my Store Manager, I too work at my TDS in the Chicagoland area, she had said that Disney will most likely do away with the outlet stores, so if her theory rings true, then all Disney outlets will be closed. According to her, the outlets were never something that Disney was ever happy with.

Sure hope her theory is wrong. I am a manager of a new outlet store and we just opened in December. I can't see Disney just letting these stores go. I've heard that Disney really liked the new proto type stores. We do not know what Disney is thinking. We can all speculate based on the "old Disney". I would think that Disney would not enter back into the Disney Store business with intensions to run it the same way they did before. As for "Outlet Stores" there has to be a reason why Disney agreed to so many of them. So until we all know anything for sure it business as usual. It is still the place to escape and get your Disney fix.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Well, one thing Disney does not want to do, is run the stores before they were run before! They ran them rather poorly, I know, I worked there for 5 years. I LOVED it. But mistakes made at the Home Base level killed us. Disney did not know what they were doing, with the product, target market, etc. They began to hire outside consultants, that made it far worse (project GO, Disney Home/Play stores, etc).

I am very happy about Disney taking the stores back. I want to come back, maybe for the holidays. I also heard the outlets will likely close, but that could take along time, to break those leases, etc.

Good luck to all current TDS employees, hope you and your stores survive this takeover!

 

[fairygodmother29577]

Thank you for your well wishes. I suppose time will tell all. Who knows they may turn some of those Outlets into Retail stores depending on location and the volume they can drive. I know we have full price chains in our outlet center. Maybe Disney will be another. As they say waiting is the hardest part. Good luck to all CM"s and their Guests that their store will be able able to continue to provide them "Disney Magic"

 

[applepie28]

I will probably not have the popular opinion here, but.....


When my boys were little in the mid-90s, I could not afford to get them anything from the Disney Store....it was so expensive, I mean, really so expensive.

I have a daughter that is four now and she has had a life filled with Disney because it's been so affordable in recent years. I know some people will chime in about quality, but nothing of ours has broken at all!

Now I am a little stressed to think about our one store in the area closing --- anyone out there heard any rumors about the Gaithersburg, MD store? I think I would just stop going to the mall if it closed.....

Thanks for all the info on this board!

Ranidayz

i am a lead at the gaithersburg md store.... so far we know nothing about which stores will close and i can only hope that ours will not be one of them. i used to be a lead at the owings mills md store and when they closed in january this year i was transferred to lakeforest. i did stay until the end at my former home store and it was a very hard, emotional process. i really don't want to go through that again. i'm not sure how i feel about disney taking the stores back - i guess mostly it's good, it's just the transition mess that has me worried.

 

[Violet Crayon]

i am a lead at the gaithersburg md store.... so far we know nothing about which stores will close and i can only hope that ours will not be one of them. i used to be a lead at the owings mills md store and when they closed in january this year i was transferred to lakeforest. i did stay until the end at my former home store and it was a very hard, emotional process. i really don't want to go through that again. i'm not sure how i feel about disney taking the stores back - i guess mostly it's good, it's just the transition mess that has me worried.

Have you seen the potential list yet? There is a PDF file many of the stores have tracked down with those going to Disney and the remaining stores that will close.

 

[Zalera]

i am a lead at the gaithersburg md store.... so far we know nothing about which stores will close and i can only hope that ours will not be one of them. i used to be a lead at the owings mills md store and when they closed in january this year i was transferred to lakeforest. i did stay until the end at my former home store and it was a very hard, emotional process. i really don't want to go through that again. i'm not sure how i feel about disney taking the stores back - i guess mostly it's good, it's just the transition mess that has me worried.

Is that you Andra?
(quan btw)

Anywho..
@violetcrayon- are you sure there's a list out there because I'm a CM from the DS in gaithersburg, MD as well, and from what I've heard there hasn't been any information of which stores are going back and which are closing. Though, I may be wrong.

 

[Violet Crayon]

Is that you Andra?
(quan btw)

Anywho..
@violetcrayon- are you sure there's a list out there because I'm a CM from the DS in gaithersburg, MD as well, and from what I've heard there hasn't been any information of which stores are going back and which are closing. Though, I may be wrong.

There was a fax/e-mail that informed all of the stores that lists were being made and stores were being evaluated, and the information would be released on April 21st(?). My managers instantly started to seek out the list (knowing it had to exist someplace) and came across an internet archive for all legal proceedings regarding Hoop filing for chapter 11, and the lists are part of it in defining what stores Disney is acquiring. They printed the files for everyone to see at work. From some other forums I know that many other stores have done the same. The company has not officially released the information or told any of the stores personally, and small changes could be made.

 

[Zalera]

There was a fax/e-mail that informed all of the stores that lists were being made and stores were being evaluated, and the information would be released on April 21st(?). My managers instantly started to seek out the list (knowing it had to exist someplace) and came across an internet archive for all legal proceedings regarding Hoop filing for chapter 11, and the lists are part of it in defining what stores Disney is acquiring. They printed the files for everyone to see at work. From some other forums I know that many other stores have done the same. The company has not officially released the information or told any of the stores personally, and small changes could be made.

Yeah I've been looking into it and I've read through numerous forums about a "potential list" but I've yet to find it. I'll be looking some more tonight so I'll get back to you if I find anything.

 

[dvc at last !]

i am a lead at the gaithersburg md store.... so far we know nothing about which stores will close and i can only hope that ours will not be one of them. i used to be a lead at the owings mills md store and when they closed in january this year i was transferred to lakeforest. i did stay until the end at my former home store and it was a very hard, emotional process. i really don't want to go through that again. i'm not sure how i feel about disney taking the stores back - i guess mostly it's good, it's just the transition mess that has me worried.

I believe it was an emotional experience.
Cast Members love Disney and love their jobs !