Disney Store Demise Continues

[topgumm]

I just went to the Disney store in San Diego today. They closed one in the mall close by me so I had to drive a distance to get there. It was absolutely dead. The store was practically empty of almost everything. Toys and clothes were in slim supply, as well as a poor selection of sizes. I was just hoping they were getting ready to fill up after the holidays. They had no Disney dollars at all. I am really depressed! I also used to go to the Disney store by my house regularily just to check it out. Not any more

 

[PatMcDuck]

I wonder if that store near San Diego is one that is closing, I know there are a few in Ca. recently announced. That could explain the lack of new merchandise... We have out Valentine product out in our store, along with new adult and infant lines of clothing.

We will never carry the cels and WDCC again, IMHO. Watches? Maybe. I would say we could sell watches for $25-40 (only). ... the frames are back and selling well. One of the nicest items are clear drinking glasses, old fashioned coke type shape. Very nice. (I want those).

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by PatMcDuck
One of the nicest items are clear drinking glasses, old fashioned coke type shape. Very nice. (I want those).

These sound nice! Are they sold individually or as a set? Do you know the price??

 

[mobmilli]

They are sold individually and priced $5.50 each
We got once box in ourselves last week and they were gone in hours.

Nancy- Lead DSCM

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by mobmilli
They are sold individually and priced $5.50 each
We got once box in ourselves last week and they were gone in hours.

Nancy- Lead DSCM

Thanks Nancy! I'm going to give our local Disney Store a call!

 

[frannn]

the 10% discount will probably slow business down a bit also. I know it was a small discount, but I used it a lot, and loved that it was good on sale items. I don't recall ever paying full price for an item in the DS because I feel they are overpriced. Now I will be more hesitant to run over to the mall to check out their new product. Do they intend to have bigger sales to make up for the lack of DC discount, or boost revenue by not offering as many sales?

 

[LuvTigger]

I heard from several sources (including one who used to be a WDW CM, but not in management or anything like that) that the long-term plan was to actually close all the DS's and concentrate on the parks?

Perhaps the plan has changed, but from the looks of things, it looks like that's the path things are headed in. I was in Vegas (Caesar's Palace Forum) a couple months ago and the entire store was 20% off, except for movies and gallery items, leading me to believe they were going to close.

 

[mobmilli]

Having the 20% off entire store has nothing to do with closing stores. It's just one of those perks to reward frequent shoppers. When you see the videos on sale then you know numbers are down!!

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

I say just close them and put them out of their misery. I am a Disney nut and hate going in there. Or re-name them Disney Babies.

I was at the huge DS on Michigan Ave in Chicago just before Christmas. The streets were filled with shoppers. The DS was nearly empty. I went in, and it was still 90% plush and baby toys. Almost no collectables, artwork, or adult clothes. The secret is out..........and nobody want's what they sell anymore.

I used to buy hundreds of dollars in gifts there every year. I bought corporate knick-knacks to give away, and photo frames, and snow globes, and pins.........If people got something from me, then chances were that it was Disney related.

Now I go on line when I think about it. But that isn't often.

Why did they destroy their product mix? Either I wasn't the intended audience, or they just flat out blew it. The same people are those responsible for putting more generic merchandise in the themed shops in the parks, and making the same stuff available everywhere. It's not as much fun to shop there anymore either. You just have to go to one place, and you can get everything.

Oh well.

 

[exDS vet]

Originally posted by mobmilli
Having the 20% off entire store has nothing to do with closing stores. It's just one of those perks to reward frequent shoppers.

...But REALLY! Who do you think you're kidding?

I'm sorry, I guess I should stop reading the post's on this thread that I originally posted. But it goes back to one of my original replies. DS Castmembers seem to be either in denial or to use a phrase that their own upper management uses against them, "full of excuses."

Every reply that I read from them is just another excuse. "Christmas wiped us out" "The new product is coming"
"We have a lot of new adult sleepwear" "We have a new denim jacket" More of the same crap.

But to say that a 20% off sale is a perk to reward frequent guests is going a bit overboard. Companies don't have sales to reward their customers. First they would need to have a heart, and we all know that Bob Bell, Peter Whitford and others under the orders of Ei$ner had the heart of Disney Store surgically removed awhile back.

There are lots of reasons for having sales. And believe me, they are all about $ale$. It's about inventory, it's about moving product and making room for the next line. Bottom line...it's about the BOTTOM LINE. In all my years of retail management and corporate marketing, I have never heard of a sale intended to reward customers. I have never created such a sale for any of my stores. This includes my time with DS.

While I agree that your stores may not be clearing out for the big closure yet, you will be soon. If and when Disney decides to close the DS chain, I expect a full liquidation of merchandise, and I expect it to last for months, like when Warner Bros. closed.

I have a great idea for Disney Store's next sale. Maybe they can call it "The Sh_ _ we can't get rid of sale". That should move some stuff out. JMHO

 

[Planogirl]

I've been in several Disney Stores lately for various reasons and something puzzles me. While I'm glad to see items for adults, why do they seem almost hidden? The stores still appear to be strictly a kid's stores from the front and in each store the adult items are always somewhere on the side towards the back with no sign or anything. So how will browsers even know that the Disney Store is once again carrying adult items?

 

[mickey2000]

IMO Some adult clothing is TOO LITTLE TO LATE ! Sorry, but Disney has mised the boat, and is not of interest to most that I talk with. The old Disney was much better and it has nothing to do with progress.
I can remember the excitement of going to the mall and making sure I went to the Disney store 1st. It was always, in the past, a joy to discover new and interesting merchandise.
Now I have been to the store maybe 3 times in the past two years. I use to spend thousands of dollars each year. Now the DS
would be lucky if they would get $50 from me in a whole year.
Guess maybe I should be thanking them for saving me money!

As for the 10% (MKC) I use to save, to be able to spend at other stores, is also gone for a stupid 1%. Thats if I get their charge card, and Guess where I HAVE TO spend the little 1% . My Chase card gives me the 1% back each month as a credit to spend wherever.
Sorry to go on so much just think they (DS ) have lost the MAGIC!
Remember when other places of business went to Disney for programs on how to run a company! What happened ?????
Just Frustrated and sad................

 

[bishdom]

The wife and I went to the local mall only to find our Disney Store closed... Come to find out, all of them in the state of Utah are closed! Looks like it might be coming down....

 

[CM Tinkerbell]

Originally posted by exDS vet
...But REALLY! Who do you think you're kidding?

I'm sorry, I guess I should stop reading the post's on this thread that I originally posted. But it goes back to one of my original replies. DS Castmembers seem to be either in denial or to use a phrase that their own upper management uses against them, "full of excuses."

Every reply that I read from them is just another excuse. "Christmas wiped us out" "The new product is coming"
"We have a lot of new adult sleepwear" "We have a new denim jacket" More of the same crap.

Look, please don't take this as rude, but you need to realize, many of us who are DS CM's are more then aware of our current situation and the uncertainty of what will become of us. We are not in denial or full of excuses. WE happen to love our jobs and care deeply about the company that we work for and we're not going down without a fight. It is not a bad thing for those of us in this position to want to maintain a positive attitude.

I can understand why many on these boards would have the attitude that they could care less about our future, but this is what we love, and for some, our chosen career (yes, I am in mangement). There are companies that go out of business everyday and I most certainly would never think less of someone who decided they wanted to do their job with pride until the doors close.

I also don't think it's wrong for those to speak their mind about their displeasure with the condition of the Disney Stores of late. Everyone is entitled to thier opinion. But you can not belittle us for trying to keep our spirits up during these very difficult and uncertain times. We ARE excited about the new merchandise that is coming into our store, does it mean that we won't be closed or sold? No, but we're still happy to see the return of some of the old things.

You were unhappy with your position at the Stores, and chose to leave, but not everyone who works for the company feels the same way you do and it doesn't make either side wrong or right, it's a personal thing.

And yes, 20% off sales and the like are meant to move product, but there is someone else that benefits from it as well. That's right, the guest! JMHO

 

[mobmilli]

Here's one big excuse for you and The Truth!!! The same people who are complaining Adult stuff a little too late, and that we are just making excuses are the same people who brought our Disney Stores down. At first you all didn't want to buy it, thought our prices were too high and wouldn't buy unless on sale. So DS went to what was selling and then you all started complaining there's no adult stuff or home decor, well if ya bought it before it was 75% off we would still carry it and now that we have it all again, ya all still not happy.

So now if DS will be no longer, you can find your 10% disney quality stuff at Target, Walmart and whoever else feels like making and carrying our logo and pictures but doesn't meet up to the quality of DS quality.

YOUR and EX for a reason and never was a true fan!!

 

[PatMcDuck]

Can you imagine how awful it would be to come into a Disneystore now, and the cast was not trying to keep the magic going. You would ask about product, and we would reply. "who cares, we are probably closing anyway". You would ask about the sales, and we would say " Yeah, they are clearing us out, we are out of here soon" . We would be rude, and uncaring, uninterested in helping you find the products you are looking for, and uninterested that you are just back from WDW, or that you are leaving next week...........

Since we REALLY do not know for SURE what is happening, we try and reassure you all that it will work out.......... we are keeping the stores clean, and stocked as well as we can. We don't WANT to close, or loose our jobs. We find it easiest to stay focused by putting the situation out of our minds while we are onstage.

We see the product day in and day out, so we really ARE excited to see anything new, we are not faking that..........

 

[mitros]

I always looked for and purchased the high quality adult clothing that they sold at the DS.And I was happy to pay the price they asked . Even though the prices were high, the merchandise was quality. Then, all of a sudden, they started handling items of lesser quality, but still charged the same price they did for the good stuff. That's when I stopped shoping there. I still have shirts that I purchased back in the early nineties. That's how good the quality was in the "old" DS's. So, I am one of the ones complaining about what has happened to the DS, but please don't lump me together with those that "bought the stores down", as you say. I was always glad to pay a high price for high quality merchandise! Back then, they had merchandise that was not made in china like the trash they have today. I am very sad at what is happening to the Disney stores, but I was not one of the ones that helped bring it down!

 

[CM Tinkerbell]

In all honesty, the guest (customer) cannot be blamed for what is going on in our stores, just the same as the CM's can't be blamed. It's all due to poor decisions made by upper management. I do beleive they are working to change this now. But to what end, remains to be seen.

Those who are going in to stores and not seeing the picture frames, cookie jars and the extended adult clothing line, may have just hit at the wrong time. Even prior to the threat of the sale/closings, there was always a time period where the stores were filled with clearance items, and not much else as the new seasons product came trickling in slowly. Our store gets more full everyday.

For the poster who mentioned the baby line, this is a line that we have not carried in some time and many of our original guests were very upset when they came in the stores to find nothing for their babies and toddlers. We do have a nice selection of baby things now, but it only encompasses one section of the store. Kids will still be our main focus, because frankly, that's where we make our money, but my wallet can tell you that the new adult stuff is nice and the quality has improved.

 

[exDS vet]

Originally posted by mobmilli
YOUR and EX for a reason and never was a true fan!!

mobmilli;

I think you were calling me an EX for a reason. Well, you are right. I am an EX DS store manager. The quote by Walt Disney at the end of all of my posts is part of why I am an EX. You are also right about something else. I am not a fan. I am a Disney Purist. I believe in the Disney that was Walt's. I am a collector, but not of everything just because it says "The Walt Disney Co." on it.

While Walt Disney did not create the Disney Stores, you could see in influence in the early stores. The store I managed was an example of that. It was the oldest store in the company (after Glendale). Ei$ner talks about this store in his book. When the store closed after fifteen years, I was already gone. They kept 4 CM's and let the rest go. Today there are 2 of those 4 left, and one is on his way out because he too is a purist and is fed up with the stores.

Please make no mistake about this. Disney Stores are not your stores. They are Disney's stores. And while you are obviously passionate about your job and the store you work at, you might also want to open you eyes and look at the store from other's perspectives.

I went to one of the Phoenix-area stores on Friday. It was pretty empty, but they did have a small amount of valentine's merchandise and some new product. It was not enough to impress me, but it was not as dismal as I expected it to be. Everyone on these boards has the right to say what they want to, ciritical and/or positive. I have the right to tell the truth, and I think I have.

 

[exDS vet]

Originally posted by CM Tinkerbell
In all honesty, the guest (customer) cannot be blamed for what is going on in our stores, just the same as the CM's can't be blamed. It's all due to poor decisions made by upper management.

Great point.

I think that the only thing the guest can be blamed for is good taste and high expectations. After all, we wouldn't have those expectations if Disney did not make us that way. I think you have been with the company long enough to remember when the whole reason behind M.A.G.I.C. was to exceed Guest expectations. Today that is not happening. And NO, it is not the fault of the DS CM's or store managers. While I disagree that managers have any real decision making power in the stores, I do agree that upper management is responsible for the mess that the stores are now in and have been in.

Another person commented that people did not buy the adult stuff when it was originally there. I agree with and have said that in the past as well. But I remember when I lost my WDCC, I was told that I had to make up for the loss in other areas. That was not very possible in my situation. The funny thing is that corporate has done the same thing. They have removed merchandise lines and only replaced them with more toys, kids clothing, etc. If you take away merchandise for adults, then you should expect the loss of those sales to affect your bottom line.

Adult softlines, hardlines, home and collectibles were removed from the stores. What took their place? Nothing worth noting here. Kids softlines, toys, plush, etc. were already there. And of course videos and dvd's do nothing for sales, except provide an opportunity for people to return to the store.

It's all about corporate's questionable decision making. The new lines of product coming out now were most-likely developed 12 to 18 months ago. To get a real idea of where the company is heading, let's see what the summer and fall looks like. Assuming we still have the stores by then.