where does disney fall short on merchanise

[Sven]

where do you feel disney falls short on merchandise? you can pick more than one in the poll. the spouse and i are curious. please comment as well.

edited to say: i messed up my poll. it should have had 12 options and multiple choice. sorry!

 

[agavegirl1]

where do you feel disney falls short on merchandise? you can pick more than one in the poll. the spouse and i are curious. please comment as well.

Ummmm there's a poll?

If not, here I go...

T-shirts have been cheapened and are much more generic. Quality of merchandise has deteriorated.

When I was on a split trip in 2010 (WDW/US/IOA) I intended to do most of my Christmas shopping. I bought exactly one Disney T-shirt, some Lego sets at the Lego Store and spent the rest at Universal.

Okay, there's the poll....

 

[mesaboy2]

A bit of a niche market, but my first thought was pets merch.

 

[Sven]

Ummmm there's a poll?

If not, here I go...

T-shirts have been cheapened and are much more generic. Quality of merchandise has deteriorated.

When I was on a split trip in 2010 (WDW/US/IOA) I intended to do most of my Christmas shopping. I bought exactly one Disney T-shirt, some Lego sets at the Lego Store and spent the rest at Universal.

yeah, if you be patient you will see a poll. all vbulletin pages post the original post first and then the poll.

 

[Sven]

my family thinks items for teens, quality of clothing, pets and shirts that are true to size for the female breed.

 

[DOOM1001]

You should have added resort specific merchandise,I'll buy a AKL or WL shirt before I buy a generic looking park shirt.They've reduced their resort merchandise to where it's rare to non existent.Another place I was amazed at the poor choices of merchandise are the waterparks,you can't compare the amount of items available at TL or BB to Sea World's waterpark Aquatica,Aquatica blew them out of the water.Now that I start thinking about it,another area they're lacking is pet merchandise,I looked at Mousegear at Epcot and World of Disney at DTD and I don't believe they carry anything for pets.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

Can u add Frozen merch to the list?

 

[xApril]

I voted quality, but I would also say variety as well. In almost every park, you can find shirts or other generic merch that you can find in another park. I can understand having DTD carry everything, but every park should have more than enough items to not have to copy what another park carries.

Also, older Disney movie merchandise. Specifically The Lion King.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

I voted for "adult", but I could have said quality. While the kids clothes have been fine, there has been a significant depreciation in quality menswear.

They used to sell tasteful dress shirts for men, with a little Mickey logo on the pocket. Recently, the most sophisticated apparel might be appropriate for a golf course, but definitely not a head office.

I have a similar beef with respect to their casual, Hawaiian-style shirts. I got a really nice 100% cotton one once upon a time. Now, these vacation shirts are hard to find, and when I do find them, they're made with a non-breathing synthetic blend instead of cotton or a moisture-wicking synthetic blend. I refuse to buy a Hawaiian shirt makes me feel like I'm wearing a plastic poncho.

I've looked for new apparel on each of my last five Disney vacations. The only purchases I've made were T-shirts, which are fun, but I like "dress up" Disney clothes too.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

TEENS
Disney offers little to nothing for teens. My daughter is 16 years old, weighs 93 lbs and comes home with pretty much nothing other than a few Vinylmations because none of the clothing Disney offers will fit her. Even the items that would be closest to her size are either too little "kiddish" and boxy or too big moving to the women's clothing. It is almost impossible to find women's XS shirts.


CHRISTMAS MERCHANDISE
Disney releases it so early that it is always gone by the time we arrive on December 1st or 2nd. Also, they do not manage the distribution of it well. Especially party merchandise.


QUALITY
Shirts from Walmart and Target last longer.

 

[Planogirl]

I picked quality even though more variety would be nice too. The quality is poor though and I agree with the PP who said that discount store shirts last longer.

 

[Retro Magic]

Quality if always important.

Variety is a big one though. So little now.

Remember...
Snowglobes?
Resort merchandise?
Variety of statues & figures?
The tiny china figures?
Items for your Pets?
Merchandise from almost every disney movie, represented in some way?
WDW EVERYTHING instead of "Disney Parks"?
Unique stores, such as Villains in Vogue? (I know the store is still there, but it's not unique in its offerings like it once was)

It's almost all generic now.

 

[Scrap_Vamp]

A bit of a niche market, but my first thought was pets merch.

We have some great cat themed pet merchandise from our 2006 trip but it needs replacing and now there's nothing similar!

I used to love the pet gift store at DTD (Disney Tails, I believe?).

 

[Dreamport]

I voted for 'Quality', but the first specific items which came to mind were Cars-related which are not just the miniature toys I could find at Walmart for half the price. Finding a t-shirt or towel with Doc Hudson on it would have given Disney mega dollars out of my pocket if one had been available when we went last year. All I could find were those mini racers and a shirt or two for little kids.

 

[Mad Hattered]

I've had spring rolls wrapped in rice paper thicker than their t-shirts, so I vote quality.

 

[catherines_mama]

A bit of a niche market, but my first thought was pets merch.

I agree. I want a Disney collar a Disney bowl or a Disney leash. Nada. :-( would love Disney treats to take back to my dog sitter. I mean Disney is full of animals. Even Mickey has a pet

 

[kmb584]

I voted quality but they also need to improve their women's sizing. Some of the t-shirts I see would fit my 5-year-old well enough to not be thought of as a sleep shirt. I'm 5'4" and 122lbs and have previously purchased L/XL in their women's tees so they would fit without being a second skin.. it's insane.

 

[mousekatool]

I've had spring rolls wrapped in rice paper thicker than their t-shirts, so I vote quality.

Yes, this! Unfortunately, this is my beef with t-shirts in general (women's) for the last several years. I get that some people like the whole 5 layer look, but I would rather have a quality shirt I didn't need to worry about wearing tanks under just so it didn't get holes in it the first wearing.

 

[kbelle8995]

I voted quality as well. I have to say variety of mechandise would have been a good selections as well.

I ordered Salt and Pepper shakers from the website that I couldn't get at the parks. They were beautiful and well made so I think they are making a turn.

The shakers sold out and then were removed from the website. I hope Disney is getting the message. I was in WDW last month and noticed that there really wasn't much variety just the same everywhere. Except at the New Fantasyland shops and Space Mtn wierdly enough. If Disney wants people to shop in their parks they better step it up. Once you get past the standard t-shirt and hat there isn't much else. Pin design has taken a downturn (harder to find and less variety) while vinylmation is everywhere and MB have taken over large areas of shops.

 

[POOHsie]

Now that Disney casual T-shirts have reached and exceeded the $30 mark, and are so thin you need to think about what color bra to wear with them, they are off my souvenir list. I used to splurge and get 2-4, a few for the kids, too. It was a special souvenir of our WDW vacation. Now, the shirts don't say something WDW related, maybe they say Disney Parks, or nothing at all. Why bother spending extra money for a cheap discount store shirt I can get at home? And, why is there no longer a Disney category of good clothing for people who don't want cheap stuff?

Every trip I would get the china figurines for my DD. Now stuff is made out of I-don't-know-what and probably doesn't biodegrade, either. I won't buy. At the World of Disney store, one room had wall-to-wall Disney dolls, with clothing and accessories. I'm sorry to say, the dolls did not look anything at all like the Disney characters they claimed to be. It was embarrasing to have Disney's name on them.

Definitely there's been a turning point where those who cared about the Disney brand have been replaced with MBAs and CPAs who could easily plan generic merchandise for Anywhere, Planet Earth. It's all about the bottom line to them, not the Disney traditions. And we, the guest, have had our Disney Magic greatly diminished.