** Disney Stores May Shrink Or Be Sold.

[eeyore0062]

Good. If they're not willing to stock adult clothing or home furnishings, they can shut them all down.

I certainly wouldn't wish that you, anyone in your family or any of your friends would loose their jobs just because I didn't like what your place of business did.

I think we all need to think about who reads these posts before we write, and how what we write may affect them.

 

[Tony-NJ]

I was in TDS store last night - only cause my nephew's Birthday is coming up. I actually found a beach towel, beach ball and a beach chair for him, all for $20!!! Not bad - but then I looked around and saw not a thing I would have bought.

Interesting though, I was speaking with a cm about this, and she was telling me that the store I was in, which is a Disney Play store is still in the top 5 in the country week after week. Including NYC and Houston. So I guess this idea took off in some area's. But I sure would like to see more collectibles, home goods and adult apparel!

Now as to the "rape" comment - I understood exactly what the original poster meant.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I go in there to buy Disney Dollars for the next trip. That's it.
They are in a very sad state right now.
If we are depressed over it -- can you imagine what the poor CM's think?
Their marketing strategies have taken the stores in a hole from their glory days. They either have to go up or out from here.

Even before the news was in the papers last week, I had heard from more than one DS CM source the stores were all going to be closed by 2006. So maybe this is to motivate people to buy in their store now. Or is it just a head's up?

 

[PamOKW]

Unfortunately, I think the Disney Store's days are numbered. I feel sorry for those that will lose their jobs but over the last few years the stores have offered nothing of interest to me. Money used to burn a hole in my pocket looking for something to buy. Now, I don't even go in the store. Most of our area Disney stores have already closed.

I found it kind of ironic that in one mall near me the store that replaced the Disney Store is basically a "head shop". Lots of tie-dye, incense, etc. Pretty sad that Mickey got replaced with a store selling "sex and drugs".

 

[Luv2Roam]

A smart gal here opened a true Disney collectible store where one of the DS closed up.
It has what guests really want in collectibles, at sometimes rather steep prices.
I have seen the prices either at Disney retail or higher. Lots of cells and artwork, more expensive furniture. If a Disney addict had a lot cash, they would be in heaven there. And of course many think it is a DS. The clerks even wear a bubble name tag that looks very much like a CM tag.
She has been in business over a year now. It will be interesting to see if she can continue.

 

[BostonTigger]

I used to work for TDS's and it was fun when I first started. TDS's sold things that everyone wanted, clothes, collectables, and such. But what irritated me was that they kept selling the same toys when a new movie came out. It never changed, the same stickers, sippy cups and such. This along with the high prices is what did them in. About a year after I had started it started to get boring working there. I stayed for three years just for the discount. I went to WDW twice as a CM and saved a lot of money...this is why I stayed as long as I did. The only way the powers to be will listen is for you, the guests, to write in. They won't listen to the people in the fields.


Steven

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I went to TDS yesterday to spend my Donald dollars and get my $25 dollars off. It was really hard but I ended up buying a toy for each of my kids to give at Christmas. I was so discouraged when I couldn't buy read-a-longs, dvd's or any Finding Nemo merchandise. I ended up getting a Birnbaums' 2003 guide because nothing else was really appealing to me.

I would like to think they could turn TDS around so they wouldn't have to resort to anything drastic but it's not looking good.

 

[mickey4ver]

I think they revised some of the limitations of spending Donald Dollars and putting them towards DVD's, videos and sing-a-longs, even though the coupon states differently. You should have asked, as again, I do believe they are allowing these items to be purchased and the dollars to go towards them. Still excluded of course, passes, Disney Dollars, arts/collectibles, gift cards.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I did ask and she recited what was stated on the bottom of my Donald Dollars. I'm not upset about it but I would have chosen the sing-alongs if given the option.

 

[disneychrista]

Up until about 6 months ago, I couldn't understand everyone's outrage against the Disney Store. But then it happned. My Disney Store replaced everything with Toy's. No more little nic nac's and collectables. Just princess and buzz lightyear. The only reason to go into the Disney Store is to see if they have any new/cute antenna balls, I fear soon that they will be gone too.

 

[SuiteDisney]

Originally posted by eeyore0062
I certainly wouldn't wish that you, anyone in your family or any of your friends would loose their jobs just because I didn't like what your place of business did.

I think we all need to think about who reads these posts before we write, and how what we write may affect them.

I'm speaking as a consumer. And as a consumer I have no obligation to spend my money in a store that has nothing I care to buy just so that someone will have a job. Of course, I don't wish people to be without jobs, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to the Disney store to buy things I don't want and can't use. In what stores do you throw away your money so that someone else can have a job?

 

[GenePA]

Why can't folks just use a little common sense when reading posts....or that is, reading into posts! Of course nobody is wishing for others to be laid off work or to be raped.....how ludicrous! A little common sense and little less sensitivity can go a long way to getting along better. Everyone can probably choose their words better (and I am no exception), but let's not go crazy with condemning others because we choose to take their words out of context....and in the two instances of this thread, it was obvious words were taken out of context.

 

[mickey4ver]

Originally posted by Luckymommyx2
I did ask and she recited what was stated on the bottom of my Donald Dollars. I'm not upset about it but I would have chosen the sing-alongs if given the option.

No way being argumentative with you, just trying to help but if the CM had read the some of the paperwork that is sent via the computer to their store, they would have known that this was over ridden and the $$ were being allowed to be used for those items, regardless of what was stated on the Donald Dollars, they re-thought the "rules" after the fact and let the discount apply.

 

[mickey4ver]

Originally posted by GenePA
Why can't folks just use a little common sense when reading posts....or that is, reading into posts! Of course nobody is wishing for others to be laid off work or to be raped.....how ludicrous! A little common sense and little less sensitivity can go a long way to getting along better. Everyone can probably choose their words better (and I am no exception), but let's not go crazy with condemning others because we choose to take their words out of context....and in the two instances of this thread, it was obvious words were taken out of context.

" Good. If they're not willing to stock adult clothing or home furnishings, they can shut them all down."

I did use common sense when reading this, and this poster also said they as a consumer do not have to shop at a place to make sure someone has a job....I agree, but I think that making a statement like quoted above without even the benefit of a wink or something was pretty loud and clear and said exactly what they meant. If they as a consumer choose not to shop Disney, that is their business, but statements like that one are at the least not thoughtful, whether one agrees with the items a store carries or not, and I don't think I took anything out of context, but that is my opinion; the opinion of the person writing it is their opinion too which they are entitled. Its just my take on the post that it was presented in a not so nice way. I certainly did not condemn anyone, just stated I thought it was sad to wish the demise of something that people make their living at. It also appeared to me that this poster is disgruntled and probably rightly so, we've all discussed the lack of what we would like/want to see carried at TDS, but it came across as "if they don't carry what I personally want, then to heck with them, let them close, and I don't think that was a nice to thing to post.

 

[Planogirl]

Well whether certain posts are nice or not, it's apparent that the Disney Stores are not doing well and are in trouble. I agree that it's not up to us to shop at a store that doesn't carry appealing merchandise. I would certainly never wish for a store to close but I can definitely understand the frustration when these stores used to be very nice in my opinion. I sympathize totally with the CM's because they are bearing the brunt of this situation but there's little the consumer can do to help.

 

[disneychrista]

Originally posted by mickey4ver
but it came across as "if they don't carry what I personally want, then to heck with them, let them close, and I don't think that was a nice to thing to post.

Nice post or not the OP'er was expressing an opinion, one that MANY of us I am sure share. The Disney Store has little that I would consider buying and I simply do not get that "magical feeling" anymore, so I have to agree "Let them close, it would matter to me." Does that mean I wish the CM's at the store to be jobless? No, it simply means that the Disney Store is not a store that I shop at anyone and I wouldn't miss it if it were gone.