Would this be wrong..

[jodim]

We have 2 nieces (ages 13 & 7) and 3 nephews (ages 8, 7 & 1yo) that live close to us, and we are very close to. I can safely say at least 4 of them will be expecting gifts from Disney when we go.

Would it be wrong to buy some stuff at Disney Store and then bring it "back" with us, or ship it to them from WDW?

I think it will save us a bunch, but not sure how tacky that would be.

 

[richmond282]

I've done it before and no one knew the difference. It IS Disney merchandise. The other option might be to chek the Disney outlet stores in Orlando. They sell things from the park that have been discontinued or are out of season. I'm sure you could find their locations online.

 

[meriface11]

guilty here...but can't see that there is ever anything "wrong" with buying presents. we often hit up sales on disneyshopping.com and then give our nieces, nephews and friends' kids the gifts after we get back. we got a bunch of cool princess cups for a steal during the christmas sale for $3.99. the parks and resorts had them for $12.99 when we were there in january...what could be wrong with that?

 

[Hannathy]

Especially since (and unfortunate in my opinion) most of the stuff they sell in the parks can be bought elsewhere now anyhow.

How about doing what you propose-buying ahead- and then put a pressed penny from a park with each gift? Then you save money, they get something "actually" from a park and it isn't a bank buster and is special. If you know their favorite characters it can also be individual and special.

*of course Mom would have to put the babies away for later.

 

[Hannathy]

Forgot to add it also saves luggage space since that is at a premium anymore.

 

[Perditamarie]

Consider starting a "collection" for these kids of items that are actually from Disney, but just not random souvenier things that you will make yourself crazy trying to pick out either before or during your trip. Things of their favorite character like:

* die cast cars
* charms/earrings/jewelry
* key chains
* jibbitz
* pins
* pens
* Christmas ornament

Also love the pressed penny idea -- maybe tuck them in a change purse or wallet.

They will look forward to you adding to their collection on each of your subsequent trips!

 

[tink15823]

We have 17 to bring back for and I get the stuff on sale ahead of time then I'm not taking from the kids spending money . Last time I did tees that were on sale 4 for $20. less than on tee in the park.

 

[LSchrow]

as long as you are fine with them knowing the items are from the ds, rather than wdw (most ds items have their name on them).
personally, i would probably pick up something small from the wdw outlets....pins, t's, etc.

btw, mickey pretzels and rice krispy treats are big hits with kids, as well as inexpensive and lightweight

 

[badblackpug]

I'll one up you on 'wrong." Last year our souvenirs were Mickey head rice crispy treats purchased with leftover snack credits!

 

[Maddie2]

We do the same thing. Leftover snack credits and pressed pennies are fabulous for gifts! Last year I bought a bunch of the mickey-head crazy straws too. They had them at the Value restaurant check-outs, not sure where else they sell them. I think they were 50 cents and I must have bought 20 or more. But FYI... just don't put them in the dishwasher, they lose their Mickey shape.

As mentioned by a PP, the outlets often have great deals too. If you have a car, it's definitely worth checking out! Their merchandise usually has the WDW tags too - not the Disney Store ones.

 

[kathie859]

Heck no!!!

Smart, yes!

 

[TnTWalter]

kids LOVE the pins...

Then there's the DTD Everything under $10 store.

For those wanting to spend a little more, the ears are a great option too. Who doesn't enjoy ears!

We did thank you gifts for neighbors that gathered mail etc. using snack credits for the candy, rice crispy, etc.

Trish

 

[princessfionasmom]

I'll one up you on 'wrong." Last year our souvenirs were Mickey head rice crispy treats purchased with leftover snack credits!

LOL. I have done this as well and I have to say they absolutely loved them. I heard about it for months how much they loved the Mickey rice crispy treat We did the make your own at goofy's when the were still snack credits.

 

[catgirl]

I'll do you one better! I bought my niece and nephew each a watch from wal-mart, that I'm passing off as Disney souvieners. I'm just going to remove the packaging. I also found my nephew Star Wars sticker/activity books at Target, just need to find my neice a journal with a Disney theme & I'm good to go. Plan to put them in a gift bag and they will never know how little my gifts were.

If this is wrong, I can't afford to be right!

 

[gillenkl]

I can safely say at least 4 of them will be expecting gifts from Disney when we go.

I'd put an end to those expectations from the get go. Eventually it will get out of hand...speaking from experience.

 

[GoofItUp]

I have 3 cousins who are considerably younger than I am. Each trip to WDW, we'd visit the Disney Christmas store at DTD and get them one of the storybook ornament collections. These are sets of 6-8 ornaments in a storybook case - princess, Nemo, Toy Story, etc. IIRC, they're about $30 each depending on which one you buy. The girls loved them and it was one gift for the whole family. After a few visits, they could decorate a whole tree with just their Disney ornaments - which they did this year even though they are now 14 yrs old (twins) and 11 yrs old!

I also LOVE the idea of getting them a pin each time you go. That could be reasonable but a neat way to start a collection of something. Maybe buy some lanyards off of ebay or something that they can keep the pins on.

But, I also say that if you find stuff at the Disney store on-line or at the mall and want to stash those away for souvies, go for it! Nothing wrong in the world with that.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'll do you one better! I bought my niece and nephew each a watch from wal-mart, that I'm passing off as Disney souvieners. I'm just going to remove the packaging. I also found my nephew Star Wars sticker/activity books at Target, just need to find my neice a journal with a Disney theme & I'm good to go. Plan to put them in a gift bag and they will never know how little my gifts were.

If this is wrong, I can't afford to be right!

I think this is wrong! If you can't afford to buy them gifts, just say so! Or buy them something small. Put passing off a gift as coming from Disney World when it didn't is just tacky. And sad. It is one thing to be thrifty. And another to be cheap!

 

[brymolmom]

I read the thread title and immediately thought 'when someone is asking if something is wrong - usually it is and they're just looking for someone to make them feel better about doing something wrong'. And then I opened it and read it....priceless - I love to offer the opinion that NO not wrong in the least. You are nice enough to get gifts - you get to opt where to buy them. Personally, I have gotten light up Disney pens from Big Lots before and passed them off as WDW souveniers.

 

[maxiesmom]

I read the thread title and immediately thought 'when someone is asking if something is wrong - usually it is and they're just looking for someone to make them feel better about doing something wrong'. And then I opened it and read it....priceless - I love to offer the opinion that NO not wrong in the least. You are nice enough to get gifts - you get to opt where to buy them. Personally, I have gotten light up Disney pens from Big Lots before and passed them off as WDW souveniers.

I agree that it is nice to buy someone a gift. But if it doesn't matter when you buy them then you should be adult enough not to lie about where they came from. Either buy a gift at DW you can afford, or buy them a gift bag of Disney merchandise elsewhere, and be honest about where it came from. Passing it off as authentic Disney merchandise is pretty low.

And like you said, if you have to ask if it is wrong, a part of you already knows it is.

 

[poohfriend]

I agree that it is nice to buy someone a gift. But if it doesn't matter when you buy them then you should be adult enough not to lie about where they came from. Either buy a gift at DW you can afford, or buy them a gift bag of Disney merchandise elsewhere, and be honest about where it came from. Passing it off as authentic Disney merchandise is pretty low.

And like you said, if you have to ask if it is wrong, a part of you already knows it is.

Is she lying to these kids -- saying it's from WDW? OR is she saying..."I thought of you while we were on vacation. Here's a small gift."

Personally I wouldn't buy extra gifts for folks unless i wanted too. I think the only "wrong" thing is that someone would expect a gift from my vacation. A gift is a choice...what I choose to give them is my choice. And if I felt uncomfortable giving them something from the dollar store instead of from the shops in WDW, I wouldn't. Personally, I see NOTHING wrong with it.