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I'll admit, I hadn't been in a Disney Store in a long time—but then two events in the last week reminded me what bargains there are to be had there, and what a potentially short time we have left to take advantage of them.
I was visiting family in Tampa (and no, didn't get to Walt Disney World this trip… so close and yet so far), and we visited a local outlet mall, the Tampa Premium Outlets. My sister asked if the Disney Store there was still open, and I honestly didn't know. Disney had months ago announced its closure of a large number of its stores worldwide, and had been vague on the time. That said, I looked it up in the outlet directory—and sure enough, the Disney Store Outlet was still there.
The second event was an email from Disney a few days later, telling me to come say good-bye because my localish Disney Store would be closing shortly.
This is the store at at a local mall that has been there for years. What was especially interesting is that the email said that store would close "on or before July 14th," so the closing date was still vague and variable. But closing is closing, and that store at Willowbrook Mall, along with most others, will be gone soon.
To give a little background, on March 3 of this year, Disney announced a radical change in how it was approaching retail. To quote the Mouse, "while consumer behavior has shifted towards online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer". In a nutshell, Disney, like many retailers, is shifting its focus to online shopping and away from what business types like to call brick-and-mortar.
From a practical standpoint, Disney said at least 20% of its stores would be shuttered by the end of 2021—meaning a closure of at least 60 North American Disney Stores. The company would then evaluate additional future closures, both in North America and the rest of the world (a story just surfaced about stores closing in the UK). The rollout of these closures has been a bit uneven, and are being announced as they happen.
So what does all this mean? The focus going forward will be on online shopping and enhancements to shopDisney.com, as well as continuing to develop store-in-store setups like the Disney Store at Target. The company also made a point of saying that the over 600 retail locations located at the different theme park sites would not be impacted.
From a personal/anecdotal standpoint, I can tell you that once my local Disney Store closes, every local mall Disney Store in my area will be gone. Sadly, the first ever Disney Store created in Glendale, California, way back in 1987, is also closing.
In a nutshell, in the not-so-distant future, your Disney shopping experience will likely either be online, at a Target or other specialty retailer, or a tourist-friendly location such as the Disney resorts or in large cities like New York, where flagship locations are likely to remain.
All that said, the Disney Store experience still does exist for now—so back to today and the happy surprise I got in Tampa. So what did I find there?
Again, this was a Disney outlet and not technically a regular Disney Store, but they're very similar in style and merchandise, with the outlet maybe focused more on clearance goods and sales. I wrote an article a while back on the Disney Outlet experience, and what I found this trip wasn't terribly different. There were a lot of toys, some really good discounts, and a great rack of Disney Parks clearance clothing.
My knock on Disney Stores in general in recent years is that the range of merchandise has shrunk. And by that, I mean that in the olden days when the stores first opened, it felt like there was a wide selection of good for the whole family. There were plenty of toys for the kiddies, of course, but there were also items for adults and a gallery with collectibles, like animation art. More recently, I've found the selection has been mostly lower-end toys, with not a lot for other fans. [Editor's note: Some historians point to the 2004 licensing and sale of the chain to The Children's Place for the shift in direction towards a more child-focused inventory.]
I'm admittedly coming at this from the perspective of a middle-aged superfan with mostly teenage nieces and nephews (long past the princess/pirate phase). But as you're aware, dear reader, I'm someone who can find something to buy almost anywhere, and I now rarely enter a Disney Store because there's not much there for me (and maybe this is part of the reason they're closing).
That said, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found when I visited that day. Again, most of the inventory was for the under-10 set (and I'll talk about that, too), but there were a few things for grown-ups, too, and some outlet-type bargains to boot.
We'll begin with some of those toys… and the shelves around the perimeter of the store were loaded!
If you or your tike are into Disney princesses, there was a bargain waiting for you at the entrance.
Disney princess "barbies" were available in a wide range, and for only $12. Photo by Gregg Jacobs.
There was a huge display of the wide array of Disney princesses, from Ariel to Snow White (we need a princess named Zelda or something, so we can say princesses from A to Z). These are the popular Barbie-like plastic dolls. There really was a lot available. In addition to the aforementioned Ariel and ice queen, Elsa, there were some of the lesser-known members of the club, like Meg from Hercules and Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. These were on sale for a flat $12, marked down from $24.95.
The standard Disney Store setup is to have shelves lining the edges of the store loaded with toys and plush.
The shelves around the perimeter of the store were loaded with Disney toys. Photo by Gregg Jacobs.
This store had too many items to mention, but to name a few, there was a giant plush section with many different characters. Some were marked down to $5 and $10. There were also children's playsets representing all facets of the Disney Universe, including the Fab 5, Star Wars and Marvel characters (vinyl Marvel bath set, anyone?). In general, from a toy perspective, I'd just say that they had a typical assortment of Disney Store merchandise.
Beyond the toys, I've always liked the T-shirt assortment at the stores. They typically have two displays of Ts: one for children and one for adults—and there's invariably some kind of price special.
As always, there was a wide variety available. For both adults and children, there were shirts depicting classic Disney characters (there was an especially good assortment of Donald Duck T-shirts, which made my 6-year-old nephew very happy) and Ts from the worlds of Star Wars and Marvel. Best of all, there was one of the specials I mentioned. All Ts on those racks were buy-one-get-one for 50% off. The adult Ts were typically $15.99, while the child's were $12.99—so for $24.00 and $19.50, respectively, you could get two of each shirt. That's a huge discount from what you'd spend at the parks, and also cheaper than you'd typically see online.
One thing I was also happy to see was a small display of Pride merchandise in honor of Pride month. There wasn't a ton, but there were a few nice shirts and hats.
While I was looking, a cast member approached me and told me that a portion of the proceeds goes to LGBTQ+ charities. I looked it up online afterward, and it's a fairly extensive list of worthy organizations that they're supporting. It's nice to see that the company is going the extra mile and not just selling branded merchandise. If you're interesting in seeing the Disney Pride Collection, shopDisney.com, of course, has a ton available, with everything ranging from clothing accessories to plush.
Now, let's take a look at the section of the store that makes this a true outlet, the Disney Parks clearance section.
A section of the store was dedicated to Disney Parks clearance items. Photo by Gregg Jacobs.
I will begin this one by pointing out something funny. There I was, outside of Tampa, Florida, about 60 miles from Walt Disney World—and virtually all of the Disney Parks items were from Disneyland, all the way across the country on the other coast. The Disney consumer products staff works in mysterious ways in how they move their merch.
That said, there was some nice stuff at a good discount. Most of what I saw were clothing items; T-shirts, sweatshirts, and pajamas. One rack was loaded with an assortment of Disneyland branded items, all fo $12.99. The original prices varied, but tees at the parks rarely sell for less than $20, while sweatshirts can go into the $50s.
The standout item for me was a Disneyland spirit jersey. Spirit jerseys are very big these days (my 15-year-old niece called it out as a spirit jersey), and this a pretty one that's blue with white stripes on the sleeves and a white Disneyland embossed logo on the front. It also has the wording, "est. 1955".
In terms of price, according to the tag, it was $24.95, marked down from $49.95, which sounds about right.
Again, clothing marked most of the Disney Parks clearance items, but there were also some interesting items like backpacks and keychains.
Beyond the Ts and other clothing, again it was the typical assortment of Disney merch. Again, I won't get too specific, because I've droned on about this topic before, but it was fun to stroll and see what else was around.
I was happy to see the wide range of mugs, tumblers and water bottles. Photo by Gregg Jacobs.
As I've written before, I'm a big fan of Disney kitchen items, and there were a ton of mugs, tumblers and water bottles spread over several displays. There were also glasses and kitchenware sets (plates, sliverware, etc.).
Overall, my biggest takeaway from the Tampa experience was that the store didn't seem like it was about to shut down. It was business as usual, and there were still bargains to be had. If your local store is still there, I'd recommend taking a look. I expect there to be a lot of clearance items as they potentially get ready to close, so you never know discounts you may find.
In the end, I'm going to choose to look at this as a period of transformation, rather than a good-bye. Disney is doing what almost every other retailer is doing, focusing their efforts where they feel consumers will get the most bang, and knowing Disney, what they do going forward will be different, but still splashy and fun, so we should be excited.
Thanks as always for reading and see you real soon!
Comments
I practically lived in our Disney store (long since gone) in the ‘90s. They had higher end collectibles such as the Walt Disney Classics Collection of sculptures and ADULT clothing featuring lesser seen characters like Lady and Tramp, Fantasia characters, Cheshire Cat and VILLAINS! Not just the Fab 5 and modern (post Little Mermaid and Pixar) stuff.
I used to occasionally pop my head in to browse when these still existed in the local malls here is Southeast PA. There used to be one in the Oxford Valley Mall, just north of Philadelphia city limits by probably about 6 or 7 miles (the most local for where I live), and there also used to be one in the large King of Prussia Mall out near Valley Forge (closer to where I work). Both are now history. I'm not sure if they might have closed earlier, or maybe they went away with the announcement mentioned in the article that came about with the pandemic retail closures.
I think over the years I maybe only bought one thing there, a mid-sized battery powered BB-8 droid. I am into trains, and love the monorail play sets they sell in the parks and on-line (as you can imagine these are a pain to get home on an airplane if you wish to keep the box in one piece! Though I did it once or twice from DL when I had room in my suitcase which was just large enough for the full box to fit!). Alas, the stores never had any monorail related toys. That to me would have been great, since when you order on line, you have no idea what color stripe you will be getting, so seeing it in person is the way to go if you already have some of the colors.
Most of the stuff I saw in the local stores was similar as to that suggested in the article, lots of pirates and princesses dress up stuff. Though there was also plush and maybe some other toys, just not the monorail toys I was interested in.
I see there is still one listed for Roosevelt Field on Long Island. I might have to make a point to swing by and check that one out once more someday, though I'm guessing the merchandise will be similar to what I recall when there were local ones here in PA.
As to the DL merchandise in the Tampa Outlet store, here's just my personal theory: People express quite often how the guests that visit WDW and those that visit DL are very different, with a high percentage of DL visitors being either true locals, or "local" at least to the point where they can drive to the park in a day or less from other parts of CA or the surrounding states. WDW is considered more of the destination vacation where a lot more visitors are traveling from out of town (though there of course are a lot of locals as well, just maybe not the percentage of guests that DL sees who are local).
My theory is that with that dynamic, offering the DL merchandise at an outlet store in CA would for the most part be offering it to many people who had already seen it and bought it if they really wanted it before it was in the clearance bin. Sending it to FL opens up the sales to a bunch of tourists that have not necessarily seen a lot of DL merchandise if they've not also visited CA.
Hey Dave, "My" Disney Store, the one you mentioned at Roosevelt Field is closing in July as well. I was there a week ago and much like Gregg pointed out, it seemed like business as usual. But that's all going to come to a screeching halt real soon.
I will say that I felt that recently the store was swinging the pendulum back towards adult shoppers like me and Gregg. There was an entire wall of more "grown-up" choices over the last year or so. I was pretty happy, because I too remember the days of going to the Disney Store and finding artwork, kitchen objects, collectibles and clothing for all ages. I missed those days and now, or so I thought, they were coming back. They came back for a little bit and then they're shuttering the stores. Oh well!
At least I'm still close to the Times Square flagship store which, at least for the foreseeable future, will remain open.
I was on the closing team at KoP about 10 years ago. The Springfield Mall store just closed in this last round. The only one left is the outlet store in Limerick.
We haven't had a Disney Store in our mall near us (Westminster Mall) in I don't even know how long now. I know the one in Main Place in Santa is closing as I got that email. I didn't notice about South Coast Plaza at this point. Yet I will say the last few times we had gone to Main Place, it was packed with shoppers but never really much I wanted. Now my issue with Disney wanting to try to go push more towards online shopping is that they are lacking in getting things packaged correctly and not caring that many of us get damaged packages/merchandise. Which some of that merchandise usually can't be replaced either when its limited and sold out. IMO they need to stop shipping through UPS since this is who damages things. At least for me it has been. I know shipping seems to be one of the biggest complaints I have seen with the the online store. I will say I honestly prefer to shop for things in person so I can see merchandise (especially clothes) before I buy things so I know its what I want and don't have to deal with returns. Its a shame its going the way it is though and the lose of jobs for all those CMs.
BTW, I remember when the first one opened over in Glendale. I was in junior high at the time and lived in Burbank so that was the mall to go to for us. My friends and I loved going in there even as teens and as young adults.
Times Square... hmm. Just going to say that what I've heard about things right now, I might not really be looking for a trip into Manhattan just yet (I'm even pessimistically cautious about trying to go in to Rockefeller Center for Christmas time, but hopefully things will be turned a little for the better by then). A friend (who used to be a daily commuter to the financial district until the WFH situation driven by COVID) mentioned to me that he went in one day to visit his office and there was quite a change in how safe it seemed. So many office based workers not being in the city itself for the last year and change has seemingly had a huge effect.
Wow, that long ago? I guess my memory doesn't have a time stamp on it!
I must be just remembering the OV one from more recent times. I guess I've lived here long enough now that unless I was a frequent shopper somewhere I'm not apt to remember the actual dates a store was around. IIRC, there may have also been a WB store somewhere in the KoP mall, but I have no idea how long it was there (but I'm pretty sure it existed around the turn of the century), or exactly where it was.
The last Disney Store on the Las Vegas Strip (Fashion Show Mall) is closing; thus leaving Disney Stores only at both of our Outlet Malls (LV Premium North, LV Premium South). Who knows how long those will last! 🙄
There was a time when I enjoyed shopping at F.A.O. Schwartz, Disney, Warner Bros (all 3 are gone!), but that was when they had merchandise worth buying (more for adults) and you got a plushy (or a lithograph) whenever you purchased home media exclusively from the Disney Store (DVD, Blu Ray). Now you get overcharged for something you bought before on disc (or look for merchandise that suits you, only to find it the quality is poor!)
🤷🏼
It's not that we gave up on brick and mortar shops (when they don't have what you want? you are forced to buy online), it's these Companies gave up on the Consumers (we definitely gave up on any company double dipping, or triple dipping, certain merchandise). Disney is notorious for licensing out it's intellectual property (ever walk into say a Walgreens, or a CVS, and find plenty of merchandise from the Walt Disney Company, Touchstone Films, etc? Nothing is exclusive anymore!) 🤦🏼
Have kids? You're not going to attempt trying to purchase an overpriced Blu Ray / DVD Combo with kids in a cart, or spend more taking them to the Cinema - where they will want copious bathroom breaks and miss the Film. You're going to turn on Disney + and plop your toddlers in front of the 60" wide boob tube! Prepare to panic when your kids favorite Film is taking out of rotation (lol! this is why I have 🐈's 🐾!) 🤦🏼
So, buh bye Disney Stores, but also buh bye merchandise you used to buy (try finding a plush toy from your favourite animated Disney film from say the 60's & 70's & 80's - you will only find what's presently being schilled!) 🤷🏼
Yup, we closed on December 23, 2012. That was a tough Christmas season.
I remember the WB store, I can’t picture where it was. Google says the last store closed in 2001 but I don’t remember when ours closed.
Hi Carolina!
I agree. I loved the "original" Disney Store. I spent a lot of time there too.
Hi Dave!
First, I live in New Jersey now, but I'm a Long Island boy, so I've been to Roosevelt Field many times. Let me know how you make out.
Your theory about the Tampa store makes a lot of sense. Put the DL merchandise in front of people who wouldn't otherwise have gotten the chance to see it. I also think there's kind of a randomness too it. They put whatever surplus they have out there.
Hi Berry!
I'm seeing a pattern with these posts. People visit the stores, but not a lot they want to buy. It's been the same with me. I wonder if their business model has shown it's not worth having different kinds of merchandise in the stores, and then it caught up with them and they just decided to close them down.
I agree with out to some extent about buying online. The packaging can be not the best, and there are certain things I'd much rather see in person first. I hope they work out those problems and plan correctly with limited edition merch.
Would also love to hear more about Glendale when it opened!!
Hey Chris!
The Times Square store is still alive and kicking, and I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it's staying open along with stores in more "touristy" areas. You can't get more touristy than Times Square. I haven't been in a long time (pre-COVID), but they do a decent job of mixing up merchandise there, along with some New York specific stuff that's fun. At least New Yorkers and those who visit will have somewhere to go in person to shop.
I used to frequent the Disney Store back in the early 2000's when they actually had stuff exclusive to Disney Store. I remember when they had their own pin releases. I used to wait in line outside the store each week to get the pin that was being released that week. I still remember the binder that went with the pins. I remember making friends with some of the people in line each week and actually running into them at Disneyland. I remember the Walt Disney Treasures DVD series that was released through the Disney Store. I still have the Disneyland and Imagineers DVD's that came in the silver tin. Then a few years later Disney sold the chain to The Children's Place. After that it was never the same. All the merchandise in the stores became generic over produced items. That is when Disney Store stopped being a must go to whenever at the mall.
In total agreement with you. I remember the Store exclusives way back when, the lithos and pins that you could only get there. Following the Children's Place takeover, they got away from that and never seemed to go back, even when Disney re-acquired the chain.