Product quality going down :(

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Just a sad observation during our trip...the souvenirs have gone down dramatically since last year at this same time. I noticed they stopped "stamping" the plush that used to say "Authentic Disney Parks". Call me silly but I liked that...that I knew if came from Disney World and could only be purchased there.

Also the 4 x 6 2008 frame doesn't even compare to last years...and they're the same price.. $20! I have them next to eachother above my kitchen sink...the new is so much cheaper...oh well...i guess a sign of the times!

 

[bolgers love wdw]

What type of plushes were you looking at?? Because we just bought 3 different ones a couple of weeks ago (Wheezy, Eyeore and a Mickey) and all 3 of them had the stamp or a tag on them that said "authentic original disney parks". we buy at least 2 or 3 plushes each trip (and that is 2 or 3 trips a year) for our DS and other friends and they all have the tags or stamps on them.

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Really?? We were there last week and at EVERY store NONE of the plush had the stamp on the bottom of the foot/paw. Yeah, they have that tag...but I'm talking about the embroidered stamp.

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Really?? We were there last week and at EVERY store NONE of the plush had the stamp on the bottom of the foot/paw. Yeah, they have that tag...but I'm talking about the embroidered stamp.

 

[hoosll]

Unfortunately, it's all about profits now not quaity. See the post about t-shirts.

On our trip last year I couldn't find anything to buy! So I'm sure there is less now.

 

[MarieA]

We used to always buy a ton of souvenirs when we visited WDW because many of the items were only available there and they were well made. Over the past several years I've noticed that the T-shirts appear cheaply made and there aren't many items that you are only able to get at WDW. My last trip I hardly bought anything at WDW. There really wasn't anything that caught my eye. I know I'm not the only one who is purchasing less when visiting WDW.

 

[lkangell8201]

DS bought a $20 plush Pluto with his own money (he's 4). The nose ripped off after 2 days...very dissappointing. We didn't like how the tags said Disney World/Disneyland either...why that bothers me I don't know, lol.

 

[bolgers love wdw]

The Mickey we bought a couple of weeks ago had the stamp on his foot and the other 2 plushes had the tag.(It was quite a big Mickey, probably2 feet tall) And we bought a Stitch this past May and he also has the stamp on him. Now I have only been going to WDW for 6 years so I am still quite a newbie,
(14 trips in 6 years---trying to catch up to my DH who has 60+ trips in 32 years ) but I have probably purchased 40 plushes if not more in those 6 years and I would say half of them have the stamp and half have the tag.Some even have the stamp and the tag??

Now I have noticed that all the plushes that I have bought from a Disney Store or Disneyshopping have the stamp that says Disney Store Exclusive on them.

 

[Disney1976]

Really?? We were there last week and at EVERY store NONE of the plush had the stamp on the bottom of the foot/paw. Yeah, they have that tag...but I'm talking about the embroidered stamp.

Oh, they rarely stamp the foot/paw now -usually just the tag. The only recent one that I know of was the Year of a Million Dream limited edition Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. Occasionally I might find another, but it's rare!

I agree that quality has gone down, and that's too bad.

 

[j&t'sdad]

I for one MUCH prefer having a seemingly endless selection of Hanna Montana and High School Musical merchandise to choose from, as opposed to quality resort merchandise to remind me of my vacation.

 

[sbell111]

All of the whiniaround here gets a little old. If you think that the quality is bad, don't buy anything.

 

[MzDiz]

All of the whiniaround here gets a little old. If you think that the quality is bad, don't buy anything.

If all the whining gets old, stop opening the threads?

 

[pumpkinfish]

It's interesting to read this thread...I just got back from a trip and noticed the same poor quality! Actually, I was looking at the figurines. They had the ceramic characters (you know the ones...they cost between $5-9) and I was drawn to the Mickey one because it looked disfigured! Every single one of them had the paint that was jacked up! Very disheartening. It didn't even look like Mickey in the face I looked on the bottom and saw MADE IN CHINA.

 

[pumpkinfish]

I for one MUCH prefer having a seemingly endless selection of Hanna Montana and High School Musical merchandise to choose from, as opposed to quality resort merchandise to remind me of my vacation.

LOL I was thinking this too as I was walking around. BUT, I DID think it was smart to have the HSM and HM merchandise in the Space Mountain store/arcade...if that's where the kids are gonna be...
Although I would really appreciate some SM merchandise besides a name tag that hangs around the neck saying I rode SM.

 

[Kaler131]

I think that they are trying to see how low they can set the bar on the quality of their merchandise and still have us buying it up like it's the best stuff we've ever seen.

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

We didn't like how the tags said Disney World/Disneyland either...why that bothers me I don't know, lol.

That bugs me too! When I go to Disneyland to buy something it better not have Disney World on there and same for WDW. It defeats the point of buying it at that park.

 

[centurythree]

All of the whiniaround here gets a little old. If you think that the quality is bad, don't buy anything.

You're not the only one who feels that way. Then again, the Dis would just wouldn't be as interesting without it.

 

[brekin67]

We just returned. We always prebuy our stuff at the dollar stores and wal mart, and trick the kids into thinking we just bought them.

 

[littlewitch34]

LOL I was thinking this too as I was walking around. BUT, I DID think it was smart to have the HSM and HM merchandise in the Space Mountain store/arcade...if that's where the kids are gonna be...

The last two trips I went on (March and July 2008) I wondered why on Earth that stuff was in Tomorrowland! I guess I didn't think very hard, because that was brilliant. Disney's a marketing genius.

 

[mmcguire]

Our last few trips, the only souvenirs we've bought has been coffee mugs and coffee because those were the only things that didn't look like cheap garbage.