No more Disney Pixar Cars Ridemakerz in Chicago

[MrShiny]

The new design Disney Store that opened in downtown Chicago last month has already removed the Disney Pixar Cars Ridemakerz experience (from Ride Makerz formerly of Chicago's Woodfield Mall and still at both Downtown Disney's).

This was removed sometime between 10/11 and 10/17 and replaced with a standard rack of Cars toys (which did have the bonus of clearing up the check out line area in the small store).

Here's a review of the closed experience I found online:

http://www.examiner.com/children-s-...xperience-at-chicago-loop-disney-store-review

 

[nytimez]

There's one in the re-themed Disney Store near me, and it's nothing special. It's very expensive, and I've never seen anyone make a purchase from it.

It's an overpriced gimmick.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The first two in my disney-nutso state open in the next two weeks...

Honestly...i expect them both to be crap.

It doesn't matter the color of the floor tile or the paintings on the wall...if you carry mass-produced, streamlined, low quality junk...you can not impress anybody with slightly discerning tastes...it's not possible.

The original disney stores had some cool stuff...as did the parks.
And it's now all gone. They can't even be bothered to produced resort logo merchandise anymore (this really burns me).

We, the consumers, are part of the problem because we never drew the line and hurt them at the cash registers.

And in today's world alot of the Disney Store patrons are also frequent visitors to WDW and Disneyland...few people can claim ignorance.

We buy because "it's better than nothing"...which is the easiest road to diminished quality. It's just too easy for them to keep cutting corners when the registers still ring.

The only thing i even consider buying at WDW now is at Days of Christmas...and recently the disney line christopher radkos disappaeared and cheap crap appeared in it's place. so i'm not highly inclined to reach for the visa there either these days.

 

[MrShiny]

Yes, the new stores are pretty and the high tech touches are nice, but I agree not enough to make up for the merchandise. Most is the same you've seen the last few years. The Ridermakerz thing is neat, but you pay for that and it does take up a lot of space for something I can't imagine been that big a draw. Sure on vacation going into a dedicated Ridermakerz store and building a car is cool - but how many times can you do that? The Downtown Disney stores have a never ending flow of new guests - they only need to capture a few to be successful. A mall type location not so much (witness the faoilure of Ridemakers at Chicago's Woodfield).

I hear now they are planning on bringing the Ridemakerz back to Chicago store within the next 2 months - odd to pull sometime right before the holidays!

The issue is simply profit. The nice stuff and the resort specific stuff ("affinity" merchandise) we all like doesn't sell as well for what it costs to produce.

I was hoping for a new shopping experience - but not so much. A table mayvbe 4 pre-schoolers can color at, a magic mirror that is aimed only at small girls.

It's not like the Apple Store where the shopping experience is different - plenty to play with, no cashier, no lines, etc.

There are a couple of wall mounted iPads that allow you to browse items available online. I can do that at home!

I think if Disney went back to the model of a few unique items to really draw in adult buyers and the stuff that kids like, they would do much better. Sure the kids stuff makes more profit, but the other stuff will draw in folks with more money (who also might just buy some stuff for kids too).

Nice to see Vinylmation, but will it be as neat when I can get it at any mall?

They new store design is pretty, but I think it does miss the mark overall.

 

[nytimez]

The first two in my disney-nutso state open in the next two weeks...

Honestly...i expect them both to be crap.

They're total crap -- and the stores aren't even all that much nicer. Newer. Even the gimmicky techy stuff -- like the magic mirror in the girls section -- is buggy and cheap.