Shopaholic!

[Princess Maeve]

what is the best shopping in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom? Any deals, tips or tricks you have, SHARE THEM!!!

 

[Marvel_Princess]

Hmm Well mostly all the shops in the MK are the same. For Hollywood studios, (or as I some times still call it MGM) it's really all about what you are into. Whether it's rock and roll/The Tower of Terror/ etc. For Epcot going to the countries and getting a little something from each is a fun to do. As for AK its really a lot of the same stuff everywhere (except in Dinoland).

A good strategy is to write down what you want to buy, then at the end of your trip go around to the shops. (This will give you time to realize whether you did want it or not.)

:] I hope this helped!!

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

I usually buy souveneers ahead of time from the Disney Store or online and save them to give out to family and friends when I get home or give them to my family before we go. We usually do the pins and pressed pennies for souveneers at the parks.

Also go to the dollar stores ahead of time and get things like fans and glowsticks. That kind of stuff I usally present to my family in activity bags that I have prepared for the trip. Saves lots of buying at the parks.

Also saves lots of money for the things at the park that you "must have".

 

[scarlet_ibis]

I love the Mercantile at the Grand Floridian and Mouse Gear in Epcot for general merchandise. I love the collectibles shop in Magic Kingdom (with all of the figurines) and the Art of Disney stores. I also love the specialty shops in the World Showcase, particularly Der Teddybar in Germany and the shopping complex in Japan. I have a certain fondness for the stores with the large pin selections, too.

I did notice less of a selection in the World Showcase shops on our last trip. The Toy Soldier (in UK) used to have a wide selection of Jellycat toys that was gone this time. Der Terrybar used to have a wider selection of Steiff stuffed animals. Many stores had the same things, from country to country! (France and Canada had the same wine-themed merchandise.) There was a lot of soccer merchandise, but that may tie-in with the World Cup.

 

[scarlet_ibis]

Oh, as for deals, ticks, and tricks? Well, the Disney Outlet has t-shirts for under $5. You'll see those same or similar shirts in the parks for $25. I bought a few at the outlet to give as "party favors" to family at DD's Disney bday party, but misplaced the bag. I went to replace them and decided against it, at WDW shop prices!

Also, you can get a lot of the World Showcase merchandise elsewhere. We got DD7 a Minnie Mouse shirt at the Adidas outlet for $5, and the store at the German pavilion had it for $20 or more. You can get the collectibles at Hallmark or QVC (the holiday ones go on clearance after Christmas for up to 75% off). My local grocery store has a nice international section where I can get most of the exotic candies that they sell at Epcot.

Tricks? Don't want to wait in line? Know that most Disney merchandise is sold elsewhere on property. Pick a Pearl at the Beach Club instead of at Japan. Visit Art of Disney at Downtown Disney, HS, *or* Epcot.

Also, check quality before you check out. I wanted a dated Christmas ornament and couldn't find a non-broken one at Mouse Gear but we were running out of time before the end of our trip. This time, I found a shirt I liked, but couldn't find one without a big printing error. If I had just grabbed it off the rack and looked later, I would have been greatly disappointed.

 

[CandyHead09]

OOhhhh this is my area of expertise haha! !
Honestly you see the same things all over disney (for the most part) you have to think on a scale of 1-10 how IN LOVE you are with the thing in your hands and if it's worth the price whether it's for yourself or someone else. The quality of disney merchandise has gone down quite a bit so thats another factor ALWAYS try clothes on!!! They might be see thru!

Always look for stuff on sale of course and I think I only used it once but if you have military id hand it over with your money and ask the checkout person if they have military discounts I'm 50% sure they do also make sure you give yourself a daily budget. My mumzie being the crafty person she is takes my spending money divides it into a fair ammount for each day and puts it into disney envelopes. I love this because I'd end up spending all my money in a day haha!!!

 

[Malela9]

I always wait to buy my souvenirs until the last day so I can scope everything out. The one thing I do not wait for is the personalized Christmas ornaments.
I go to the Days of Christmas store for those. (It takes a few days to make the ornaments.) Other than that, I shop at MouseGear and World of Disney for my stuff. I am always on the look out in the park for sales though! (Sales make things cuter! )
Only buy the things that are going to mean something to you , or that you will use. Remember, they try to make everything "magical" in the parks, then you get home and say," Why did I buy that?"
Have fun shopping!

 

[Michigan_Minnie]

Epcot-Mouse Gears (IMO it's better than World Of Disney @ DTD)
MK- Disney CLothiers, Emporium
DTD- Tren-D, World of Disney and Basin

 

[mike the canuck]

There is also a $10 or less store in Downtown Disney.

 

[DisneyDorkORama]

i love downtown disney and the disney outlet store...

I also agree that take notes about what you want, which stores it at, in which kingdom and how much it is..

it helps!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Well, I usually hit DTD and do most of my major shopping there. At WOD, I pay using my trusty Disney Visa and get 10% off my total purchases.

We also scan the stores in the parks looking for discount shelves. And if I see something I like being sold on a cart (ie: by the HM in MK there's a cart that sells HM stuff) I get it then because alot of times those carts by the ride have stuff you can't find anywhere else.

I also really think twice about getting something. It needs to fit 3 criteria - will I wear it at home, do I have a space for it at home or will it get used once I'm home. Since I started using this with all of us, it's helped cut down on what we bring home.

Happy Shopping.

 

[ramsfootball92]

I always wait to buy my souvenirs until the last day so I can scope everything out. The one thing I do not wait for is the personalized Christmas ornaments.

Just a comment....We have a tradition (ok so it just started last year ) of picking up a Christmas ornament with each visit and having it personalized. I have purchased ornaments before but never looked into paying or waiting for them to be pesonalized....Long story short, the Christmas shop in MK told me that they typically have a same day turnaround even when the shop at DTD have indicated that the return of ornaments with the personalizations would be a week or two out. For some people having your items shipped aren't a big deal but I like to verify the spelling of names

Also, if you happen to be a AP holder, depending on the type you can receive 10-20% off your purchases in many stores.