Disney buying back Disney Stores?

[Jennifer]

Found this on another board. This would be sooooo GREAT!

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8VH48MO0.htm

[starzneyes4Mickey]

Our local Disney Store just closed in early March.
Nearest one is in Grand Rapids now.:cry:

[WillCAD]

My bet is, Disney will not want them back, and most of them will close if Children's Place can't find - or is unwilling to look for - another buyer.

One of the 3 in central Maryland closed in January, leaving me with 1 nearby and 1 an hour away in Columbia. I believe the next closest one is somewhere around DC.

[TGFB87]

Heres to hoping that if this does happen that they will start to look more like disneyshopping.com - in other words, have more of a selection for adults as well as items for the home, etc.

[Robin]

It's been confirmed by Disney.

This press release is on their site (http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2008/2008_0320_the_childrens_place.html):

March 20, 2008

The Walt Disney Company Confirms -- It Is in Discussions Regarding Potential Ownership of a Smaller Disney Store Chain in North America

BURBANK, Calif. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - The Walt Disney Company today confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc., to explore terms under which Disney might acquire ownership of a portion of the Disney Store chain in North America.

The Company believes the Disney Stores can be an important extension of the " Disney" brand and, with the improved economics provided by a smaller store footprint, could add value to the Company in the promotion and monetization of its growing number of robust franchises.
Weren't the stores sold under Eisner's rule?

Maybe Disney will realized they were at their best when they sold more products that appealed to adults.

The Disney Stores used to have some of the best Disney collectibles on the market.

[Jennifer]

Weren't the stores sold under Eisner's rule?

Maybe Disney will realized they were at their best when they sold more products that appealed to adults.

The Disney Stores used to have some of the best Disney collectibles on the market.

I believe you might be right Robin. They were sold in 2004. I worked there in 2003 and we were fighting for our lives.

If it could just go back to what it was in the beginning. Instead of being a place with tons of children's CHEAP toys, it was truely a place where you could get your "Disney Fix" inbetween Disney visits. For some people (especially where I live) it is just about as close to the parks as some people will ever get.

The first thing Disney would have to do is put in some major money to update the stores. I know the store I worked in has been in disrepair for years. Fixtures that are a b*tch to work with and the movie screen in the back of the store is almost always broken.

I sure hope some Disney Exec is reading these comments, because what everyone here is saying is the same as what they are saying on the other board I got this from. So I think many are thinking the same. Hope Disney thinks the same.

[Robin]

The first rule of thumb should be that is you can get it at Wal-Mart (other than DVDs) the DS shouldn't sell it.

1. Seasonal Stuff is fun. Particularly holiday decorations. I love my string of Halloween lights with the HM pumpkin heads. How about those sets of HM Christmas balls sold in the parks? Or a spring time garden shop area that can also promote the Flower and Garden Festival.

2. There are popular items sold in the parks that people can't get elsewhere. Pick a few items, create a 'straight from the parks' section and sell them to the masses. And include glass items that are too breakable to put in the luggage and now too expensive to ship.

3. Mickey luggage on sale prior to summer vacation. (Promote Disney vacations or even DVC!)

4. No more wall of mugs! Seriously they don't wear out that fast, and there is just so much room in the cabinet. Mix up the housewares. And have something to appeal to the actually owners of the house. Not everyone wants a Hannah Montana bathroom or sleep on Power Ranger Sheets.

4. Decide who your real demographic is and sell them quality Disney products. I piece of crap with a hidden Mickey isn't worth 4x the price of a piece of crap without it. And it cheapens the quality expections from Disney.

5. Hire me! I'll walk around the parks with a memo pad and note down all the existing Disney products should be sold back home.

[Flash]

When I was at Woodfield Mall I saw a special Disney "store" - it was a DVC booth. No kidding! I was floored. I bet the smaller footprint will be about that.

[LeiasMom]

We still have one, and I quit shopping at it when the change happened. It rarely has anything worth buying. I normally go to Disney Shopping instead.

I remember when I would oggle the watches. Drool over lithographs.

Imagine if they had some art, nice jewelry, beautiful costumes, pins, home items. Errr, maybe just a shrunken World of DIsney. . .

[TGFB87]

Im pretty much of the same thoughts as what Robin said.

It would be nice to have some park-centric items, but maybe not items that would be considered ultra-special "park only" items.

Adults are the ones that mainly shop there - if they were to cater to adults as well as kids, there is more than one reason to shop there then.

Ill even go out on a limb and maybe say that you want something you see at the parks but dont want to try to ship it home or carry it on the plane. Maybe add the option to have it shipped to your local Disney Store. Maybe even go a step further and go to a Disney Store to order park items that you maybe missed out on.

I know Im thinking outside the box on a few of those items and that may not be the real goal of the Disney Stores existence, but they are things that can conceivably be done if Disney controlled them.

[Jennifer]

I REALLY like your ideas, Robin. I remember I used to walk into TDS and it was like being in a park. You could even buy ears! Now, as an adult, I can find little that appeals to me. Even if I had small children, I have a hard time finding things that would appeal to me.

I spoke with my old manager yesterday and asked her what she might know. She said they only just heard all of this on Thursday and they knew pretty much the same as we did. She said it was a very good possibility, but they probably won't know anything for sure for another couple months.

[PixiePrincess]

I'd love if Disney would take back the Disney Stores. I loved to work there {ok, love is a strong word- liked it a lot, most of the time} and the perks were great. Pay wasn't... but perks were.

I went back to the Disney Store under the Children's place - totally different. NOT strick, like Disney was. I was doing my job as I did back in the day and I was told over and over- stop, we no longer require that. Relax, would ya?

Ok, but I'm just saying if I did that before I'd have my head on a plate- but if it's OK now, then alright, I'll just relax. Seemed lazy, messy, and just not the same.

I'd go back if Disney bought the stores and gave the perks again. :minnie:

[LuvmeDisney]

I'd love if Disney would take back the Disney
I went back to the Disney Store under the Children's place - totally different. NOT strick, like Disney was. I was doing my job as I did back in the day and I was told over and over- stop, we no longer require that. Relax, would ya?



DD works for TDS here and and the strictness has never stopped (right down to the colour of nail polish you wear). There store has extremely high standards and level of strictness. Interesting, though, it must be store to store thing.

[Timon]

It's been since before The Childrens Place took over and even a few years prior to that I've been in TDS. The reason I stopped going was the shoddy merchandise and every bit of it being geared toward kids. If I were in charge the first thing I'd do would be to demolish plush mountain (do they even exist today). Next I'd have them designed to be mini World of Disney stores. There'd be quality merchandise for all age groups. I emphasize both the quality and for all age groups...especially the quality. The last time we were at WDW was the first time I didn't buy a sweatshirt and the reason was because the ones that were being sold were flimsy and not worth the price being asked. Finally the stores should work in conjunctin with and be an extension of disneyshopping.com. It would work like bestbuy.com does where you could browse for an item you want and check to see if it's available at your local TDS. If it is, you could pick it up rather than waiting for it to be delivered and avoid paying the shipping fee. If it's not available you could opt for it to be delivered to your home with the regular shipping fee or to the store for pick-up at a reduced shipping cost.

[Jennifer]

Yeah, Plush Mountain is still there. Actually, I think it was there even in the early days of TDS.

As for the online shopping, Disneystore.com is back and that merchandise is what can be found in the store. I think that is what my old manager told me.

I agree about throwing out the cheap merchandise! Much of what is in the stores now can be found at Wal-Mart at half the price. It needs to become an exclusive store again. Once upon a time, I used to able to walk into that store and almost feel like I was back in a park.

[Timon]

Don't get me wrong, I think plush mountain is cute, but it's an awful waste of valuable/expensive retail floor space.

[Photographer]

I asked the Disney Store employee if there would be any huge sales with Disney being in charge of the stores again and she said no, it'll be a smooth transition. It may already be in effect.

[WillCAD]

I agree about throwing out the cheap merchandise! Much of what is in the stores now can be found at Wal-Mart at half the price. It needs to become an exclusive store again. Once upon a time, I used to able to walk into that store and almost feel like I was back in a park.

A lot of people on boards like this one say that, but we mustn't lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of Disney Store Guests are NOT frequent Disney park and resort Guests like us. Putting the same sort of atmosphere into TDS as you can find in the DIsney parks, resorts, and ships is a good idea, but that atmosphere must be tailored to fit the locations (most Disney Stores are in suburban shopping malls) and the customer base (most Guests are impulse shoppers who are not Disney park lovers like us). Exclusivity and superiority do not fly in all areas of the country; Guests must be made to feel welcome and at home, not awed or intimidated as they sometimes are at the parks and resorts.

You are correct about one thing - merchandise in the Disney Stores should be better quality and more exclusive than what you can find at other retailers. DVD sales are a prime example of this - I can get those Disney DVDs that TDS sells 20% cheaper at lots of other local or online retailers like WalMart, Target, Best Buy, or Amazon, so why would I want to buy them at an overinflated price at TDS?

Likewise, the selection of kids clothing and toys seems more suited to the Disney parks and resorts than a Disney retailer in a shopping mall. Endless bins of crappy quality Taiwanese toy Princess cell phones that make noise when you puch a button on the side might be fine at the Disney parks, but they cost too much and break too easily to be terribly suiccessful at TDS. And the kids clothing selection at my local TDS is upwards of 50% Halloween costumes - Printcess outfits, Pirate costumes, Pooh suits, and lots of backpacks shaped like plush characters. These might be fine for the parks, but not at TDS.

To get TDS merchandise in line, Disney should take a close look at what sorts of merchandise sells best in other retailers like WalMart and Target, and develop a higher-end line of the same items. If Princess coloring books sell well in WalMart, develop a line of bigger books with more pages and additional perks like stickers and fold-outs, bundle it with Princess crayons, and sell it only at TDS. Sell expanded special-edition Disney DVDs exclusively at TDS, and leave the regular versions in the other retailers. Sell the cheap plastic toy Princess cell phones at WalMart, and sell real MP3 players that look just like the junky stuff exclusively at TDS.

In other words, make TDS the place where people go to get "the Good Stuff" - higher-quality clothing, toys, and videos then you can get at WalMart or Target, and TDS-exclusive stuff like the Disney At Home line of kitchen and bath accessories.

Completely aside form all of that, each TDS location should have a portion of a wall devoted to Disney vacations - the parks, resorts, ships, DVC, and the new Adventures By Disney stuff. Right now all they have is a measly rack with WDW park passes and a few lonely brochures. But if they had a portion of a wall devoted just to Disney vacation opportunities, with a small screen running the Company Clips channel to draw people in, they'd attract a lot more Guests. Imagine being able to pick up actual WDW and DLR park maps in the stores... imagine seeing Company Clips running from opening to closing time... imagine being able to pick up complete brochures with WDW, DLR, Hilton Head, DCL, and maybe even international park information... and imagine how many peoplpe would book Disney vacations if they saw all this stuff at their local Disney Store!

TDS has not done well in over the last 10 years or so because Disney hasn't realized the potential of the place. Having a Disney Store in every shopping mall around the country is not just a money-maker, but a tremendous form of advertizing that reaps direct profits. Even giving out free Disney vacations to TDS CMs so that each store would have a few CMs with first-hand experience of the parks, resorts and ships wouldn't cost all that much compared to how much Disney would make in the long run. CMs are living advertizements whose experiences can sell more vacations than any multi-million-dollar TV or print campaign.

Oh, well, they never ask US, do they?

[PixiePrincess]

Don't get me wrong, I think plush mountain is cute, but it's an awful waste of valuable/expensive retail floor space.

Yeah, try keeping that thing 'neat and pretty' UGH! I hated that stupid plush mt. when I worked there. At the end of the night you would have to pretty much tear it apart and put it back together with a chart to make sure it was in the proper order! It had to line up - for what? For some brat to come along the following morning to grab and throw 1/2 of them around the store while mommy looks on thinking it was cute? GRRRRRRR!!!!!
Oh and I just loved the kids who thought KING of the mt meant climbing the plush mt and jumping on the plush. Oh yes, wonderful memories- I still get a chill thinking of that stupid thing! No wait, it's more of a headache, than a chill. :blink:

[PixiePrincess]

Ok, with all of this talk of "bring the parks to the stores" well, wouldn't that be a wonderful idea?? I say that with a sassy tone because when I worked there I thought that-

Now get this... when I worked there I did so because I loved Disney! Not for those lovely blue knit sweaters and shorts we had to wear. UGH! Let's not forget the stocking under the shorts because you couldn't show bare legs. :rolleyes:
I loved to give tips about the parks- but OH NO, that wasn't allowed! I got in trouble over and over for chatting parks with guests. I was told this is Disney owned but they were separate from the parks- and it was to be treated that way. If a guest wanted info on the parks I was to lead them to the guide book and push as much 'stuff' from the store I could while chatting with them. If I was seen just chatting with the guests and NOT pushing our items, I would be taken aside and told to get back to selling OUR stuff... not the parks or vacations. I wasn't a travel agent for Disney. :?
I hated, hated, hated that!!!
So we were not allowed, in our store anyways to talk or push the parks.

I truly disliked that- but I think it would be a great service to offer that. :mickey:

[eyenjeff]

When I was at Woodfield Mall I saw a special Disney "store" - it was a DVC booth. No kidding! I was floored. I bet the smaller footprint will be about that.


Woodfield has two Disney stores. One is the DVC vacation store, where you can go and find out all about DVC ownership and see a replication of an AKL DVC suite. They have special promotions once in awhile and they hand out ears and blinking pins etc... we went thru it once, but it is only a dream of ours to be DVC owners. Maybe someday.

The other is the disney store which was owned by childrens place. It is ok but it sounds like it is like the ones everyone doesnt like. I wish it would go back to the "old" kind with all different kinds of things for all ages.