[Chat] Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

[SparkChaser]

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MAIN STREET RANT THREAD

Think with me for a second everyone, Main Street USA before the 2000's used to be chock full of all sorts of interesting shops New England Clocks, House of Magic, Candle Shop among others. Then came in the turn of the millenium and stores were combined and all these little stores went away in favor of generic stuff though I can understand the removal of the tobacconist. If I'm coming back for a second visit I would not want stuff I can buy at the local Walmart (and for a whole lot less) my opinion Disney is actually making less cash than what they could if they kept all the great little shops. If these shops are good at Disneyland why not Walt Disney World?

P.S. Yes I do understand the fact that most little kids will not want this type of merchandise, and to let you know I'm not familiar too much with economics I'm more of a creative guy, anyone with more knowledge is very welcome.

See ya walkin' right down the middle of o'l Main Street USA.

[KingEric]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Sadly the retail figures say otherwise. The revenue per square foot is insane.

[SparkChaser]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Sadly the retail figures say otherwise. The revenue per square foot is insane.

The ironic thing for me is I want to buy the display props more than the actual merchandise.) Yet in the current state of Main Street I'm still a half glass full person considering whats still left like the vehicles and the entertainment offerings.

I say its a circle of life of sorts, sooner or later people will grow tired of what we have on the shelf's and TDO might be forced to reconsider what they did on Main St.

See ya walkin' right down the middle of o'l Main Street USA

[Bronco21]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Merchandise is so oblivious to who their market is, however, at WDW the bland one Disney stuff sells really well from what I've seen. It's DLR where merchandise sales should show more that Disney fans like unique merch not one Disney walmart stuff. How many Luigi's flying tire hats and low and slow car club shirts has Disney sold this summer? I think that might have something to do with customers wanting land specific merch vs one Disney garbage. I don't think that the one Disney stuff affects sales as much in WDW as it does in DLR.

[SparkChaser]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Merchandise is so oblivious to who their market is, however, at WDW the bland one Disney stuff sells really well from what I've seen. It's DLR where merchandise sales should show more that Disney fans like unique merch not one Disney walmart stuff. How many Luigi's flying tire hats and low and slow car club shirts has Disney sold this summer? I think that might have something to do with customers wanting land specific merch vs one Disney garbage. I don't think that the one Disney stuff affects sales as much in WDW as it does in DLR.

True very true, good figuring. Like I said before I'm not a marketing guy, I'm a creative guy so I guess that alludes to me wanting land specific merchandise in WDW and I'm sure there are others who think like this. However I see where your coming from WDW is much bigger enterprise and what they sell doesn't really matter as much as in a smaller park like Disneyland.

See ya walkin' right down the middle of o'l Main Street USA

[Dapper Dan]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

I'm sure the reason the stores sell the items they do is because those are the items that sell best. I have fond memories of the magic shop, penny arcade, and cinema as well but management no longer sees Main Street USA as a land anymore. It's now that long mall where people pick up souvenirs on their way out of the park at closing time. It really is a shame. Main Street was probably the most realistic land and it's the only one I can think of where all the attractions were things that actually existed in the represented timeline. It's a very early Disneyland way of doing things.

As the generic Disney merch goes, you get a much better bulk discount on 10,000 Disney_(TM) items than you do on 5,000 Disneyland and 5,000 Walt Disney World items. Break that down further to land and God forbid attraction specific merchandise and the price of your orders goes up while the guarantee of selling the things goes down. People will buy Disney stuff. I mean they paid to come here, right? They may not like Tower of Terror at all and if they don't like it at all they probably won't buy a t-shirt. It's better to stick with Mickey. Everybody likes him. It's called playing it safe. Also known as being boring.

[Barbaraann]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

I used to do more shopping on my vacations to both Disneyland and Disney World. However, recently not much seems unique enough to spend my money on, and that would remind me of my vacation. So except for perhaps buying some scrapbook materials, and maybe a token pin, I stay out of the shops. Instead, I take a lot of photos to document my trips. I do love to buy hats, but even those are all starting to look the same, and I stay far away from anything that says, "Disney Parks",

[SpectroMan]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

I think for sure the "new mix" of merch is what generates the most revenue - if it didn't, they go back to the old models where each store had unique and even some non-Disney stuff.

[Disneylander11]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Well, DLR's Main Street was not only for shopping/enticing people towards the hub, but for sponsors Disney was trying to scrape up for financing the park. And I can understand why they closed the bra shop and tobacconist, and the shops that sell ordinary items like candles, but I do wish they still had those groovy one-of-a-kind antique shops around. Like the one they had in Liberty Square:



It's a shame all that charm has gone to selling cheaply made, over-priced souveniers.

[Disneytwins]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

As a guest that visits once a year, I never really had any issue with the merchandise. It's new to me every time. I guess I'm just not tired enough with seeing the same stuff because I don't visit as often.

[SparkChaser]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

As a guest that visits once a year, I never really had any issue with the merchandise. It's new to me every time. I guess I'm just not tired enough with seeing the same stuff because I don't visit as often.

I have not been there as much either only three times in my life. I was just looking and comparing Main Street then and now in regards to what it has to offer in merchandise. In entertainment it excels the rest of the park. Maybe we can write a letter to Mayor George Weever to bring back the cinema, penny arcade and House of Magic.

See ya walkin' right down the middle of o'l Main Street USA

[KingEric]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

This thread had me going through my bank account to figure out the last time I bought something on Main Street USA. the answer is November 2008.

[Sunshine711]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Last time I was there, I was pressured to buy a souvenir, but I really didn't find anything that really stuck out out me. It was actually very dissapointing. I looked to buy something I would remember and keep forever. It seemed like everything was the same in every shop as well. At least I wasn't there for the stuff.

[KingEric]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Last time I was there, I was pressured to buy a souvenir, but I really didn't find anything that really stuck out out me. It was actually very dissapointing. I looked to buy something I would remember and keep forever. It seemed like everything was the same in every shop as well. At least I wasn't there for the stuff.

Growing up as a kid we used to get little glass figurines every time we went to a Disney Park. we simple and cute, the standard character designs. this tradition goes back to the late 70's when my mom started this collection.

Over the years, this has stopped, because the quality of the figurines declined so much that they looked cheap and ugly next to the older figurines.

So no one in my family does this any more, and it is kind of sad.

[alphabassetgrrl]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

I might buy something if it wasn't all generic junk. How about unique stuff? And never anything that says "Disney parks" on it- it's Disneyland. Specifically. And how about the shops carrying something particular to that shop? As it is, just go to World of Disney on your way out and buy what you need. No point in going to any other shops- it's all the same.

Meh.

My latest purchases have been T-shirts when something catches my eye. At least now that the holiday seasons have started, some better merch comes out.

[Sunshine711]

Re: Anyone else think Main Street used to generate more cash than now?

Growing up as a kid we used to get little glass figurines every time we went to a Disney Park. we simple and cute, the standard character designs. this tradition goes back to the late 70's when my mom started this collection.

Over the years, this has stopped, because the quality of the figurines declined so much that they looked cheap and ugly next to the older figurines.

So no one in my family does this any more, and it is kind of sad.

The glass figurines were one of the things I was looking forward to seeing!! I have family who have a few, for instance my parents bought one on their honeymoon. They did look cheap, so I wasn't going to put out the money. I'm in college. I'm poor. )