Club runDisney

re: Early access to merchandise:... And this is where I blow my top. Here they are, acknowledging that merch is an issue. Access to top items is limited. So what do they do? Give me $800 and you'll get to the front of the line, skirting a problem we could solve for nothing, but choose not to. (Solution: Don't allow people without bibs into the official merch on the first day and/or Allow catalog purchasing for sold out items. Ebay trolls stay away. Everyone gets access. Easy peasy, even if the quality is in now in the toilet.)

My first thought was that the people who would benefit most from this are the EBAY trolls. $800 might be worthwhile to them to get early access to race merch to buy out the items they think are going to be popular.
 
My first thought was that the people who would benefit most from this are the EBAY trolls. $800 might be worthwhile to them to get early access to race merch to buy out the items they think are going to be popular.

I saw a couple people complaining they saw handfuls of pins in other’s baskets, while a few of the big ones sold out very early at the expo today. It’s so awful what rD does (or doesn’t do) regarding this.
 
I saw a couple people complaining they saw handfuls of pins in other’s baskets, while a few of the big ones sold out very early at the expo today. It’s so awful what rD does (or doesn’t do) regarding this.

This will also continue because people keep buying from the ebayers. I notice the same people always post about the multiple sizes and varieties of items they have for resale in the various facebook groups. So disappointing for the runners who stand on line.
 
This will also continue because people keep buying from the ebayers.

True, but a lot of that stuff ends up with collectors, not runners. When people got a thing for Donald Duck, they'll buy every little thing! And even the runners who buy through eBay are still just trying to commemorate the accomplishment, but since rD doesn't seem to care, they have to pay through the nose to do it.
 


My first thought was that the people who would benefit most from this are the EBAY trolls. $800 might be worthwhile to them to get early access to race merch to buy out the items they think are going to be popular.

If you are rD and you see an item is selling out quickly you produce more of that item in the future. It is simple supply and demand. If what you thought was a four day supply sold out this year in one day then next year you produce more of it. Not doing so is literally leaving money on the table which isn't something Disney does often. If you are going to make something "limited edition" and limit the number you are going to sell for some reason then also limit the number any one person can purchase in any one transaction.

None of this is some new frontier problem that hasn't been solved.
 
If you are rD and you see an item is selling out quickly you produce more of that item in the future. It is simple supply and demand. If what you thought was a four day supply sold out this year in one day then next year you produce more of it. Not doing so is literally leaving money on the table which isn't something Disney does often. If you are going to make something "limited edition" and limit the number you are going to sell for some reason then also limit the number any one person can purchase in any one transaction.

None of this is some new frontier problem that hasn't been solved.
I completely understand supply and demand. If they are selling out they should either charge more or make more. Either way they'd make more money. Disney has a huge number of stats people/ doing their pricing optimization so I'm sure they are aware of this. So far it hasn't stopped ebayers from being able to make money reselling stuff on Ebay.
 
If you are rD and you see an item is selling out quickly you produce more of that item in the future. It is simple supply and demand. If what you thought was a four day supply sold out this year in one day then next year you produce more of it. Not doing so is literally leaving money on the table which isn't something Disney does often. If you are going to make something "limited edition" and limit the number you are going to sell for some reason then also limit the number any one person can purchase in any one transaction.

None of this is some new frontier problem that hasn't been solved.

It also seems clear that part of their problem is they're not always sure what will sell well and what won't. Design probably has a lot to do with it, which is terribly inconsistent. (Sometimes good, sometimes just plain awful.) They hadn't sold out of pins in a while, then the last two races, of course they sell out quickly. Sometimes the jacket is gone, sometimes not.

A better solution is to just allow orders at the expo for sold out items to be mailed later. It would solve the official merch problem completely. In most ways, rD races provide less service than other major races, so it's unlikely they'll ever do anything about it, until leadership changes.
 


Had a in interesting talk with a buddy about this. The race entry doesn’t seem that valuable now. If however, they brought the Disneyland races back and they were smaller they might be more likely to seek out. That could make this a little more value able. Between that and tiered pricing these things start to be a little more valuable.
 
How about bringing back races to west coast instead of trying to make extra money with this nonsense. I’ll shell out money to go to DL races a couple of times a year instead of paying for something like this.
 
How about bringing back races to west coast instead of trying to make extra money with this nonsense. I’ll shell out money to go to DL races a couple of times a year instead of paying for something like this.

I am the first to dump on rD any time I can but I don't think the lack of DL races is their call. They will do just about anything for money, even at the expense of runners unlike many other race directors, and even if the races aren't as popular as WDW races going back to a once a year DL race would make them money. I think their problems working with Anaheim to get the permits is what is keeping those races off the calendar.
 
I am the first to dump on rD any time I can but I don't think the lack of DL races is their call. They will do just about anything for money, even at the expense of runners unlike many other race directors, and even if the races aren't as popular as WDW races going back to a once a year DL race would make them money. I think their problems working with Anaheim to get the permits is what is keeping those races off the calendar.

This is true. rD in Orlando is a separate entity from rD in Anaheim. Just like WDW and DL are separate, and have to sink or swim on their own. No sharing. (Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is sandboxed for about the past 5 years. For example, if resorts, restaurants, or rD wants characters, they have to pay parks to rent them. Walt used his movie money to build Disneyland, but not a dime of the Marvel billions is shared with the parks.)
 
How about bringing back races to west coast instead of trying to make extra money with this nonsense. I’ll shell out money to go to DL races a couple of times a year instead of paying for something like this.

The main problem is likely the labor laws in California. I believe rundisney now have to pay the support staff for these runs instead of volunteers. If it’s all about money, then having to pay for water station workers, handing out medals, etc. cuts severely into their profits.
 
Wow! What a miss! A RunDisney Club could have been so cool but they totally turned it into a cash grab!

Also had it actually been reasonable and I was interested, I couldn't do it anyways because its only open to American's

Agree! Becoming less excited about Disney overall with their continued exclusions of Canadians on many things (i.e. runDisney virtual races, lack of AP communications, ShopDisney no longer shipping desired items to Canada, not being eligible for Adventures by Disney discounts, etc.). Breaks my heart to be excluded from the Disney family although it will ultimately fatten up the piggy bank.

As for Club rD? Absolutely not.
 
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I sent runDisney a question about the club, and they have responded twice that they are still trying to get the answer for me. I wanted to throw this out to the community to see if anyone else has thought about this too....

They state that membership runs Oct 1, 2020 - Sept 30, 2021, even though we have to pay in Feb. If that is the case, the way I see it, there is no way to receive full benefits that are listed for each tier for one single race. You have to have a 2 year membership. For example, if I want to register for the marathon next Jan, I have to register this April. However, I am not eligible for the tier 1 pricing or guaranteed spot if in a higher tier because membership hasn't begun. I can only get designation on my bib for the Jan race and corral bump if Platinum because that happens after Oct. Then, next April 2021, I can use the early registration and pricing benefits when signing up for the marathon Jan 2022, but my membership will run out before I can do the race to get those day of race benefits.

Have I thought through this wrong?!?...To receive full benefits as stated for each race, don't we really have to buy 2 years of membership?!?
 
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I sent runDisney a question about the club, and they have responded twice that they are still trying to get the answer for me. I wanted to throw this out to the community to see if anyone else has thought about this too....

They state that membership runs Oct 1, 2020 - Sept 30, 2021, even though we have to pay in Feb. If that is the case, the way I see it, there is no way to receive full benefits that are listed for each tier for one single race. You have to have a 2 year membership. For example, if I want to register for the marathon next Jan, I have to register this April. However, I am not eligible for the tier 1 pricing or guaranteed spot if in a higher tier because membership hasn't begun. I can only get designation on my bib for the Jan race and corral bump if Platinum because that happens after Oct. Then, next April 2021, I can use the early registration and pricing benefits when signing up for the marathon Jan 2022, but my membership will run out before I can do the race to get those day of race benefits.

Have I thought through this wrong?!?...To receive full benefits as stated for each race, don't we really have to have a 2 year membership?!?
Just shows that this shouldn’t exist, at least not in this form.
 
Agree with @rteetz. This is a pretty basic fundamental question. If they don't have a quick easy answer, then I would conclude that they have not begun to think this whole club concept through. It's about the least Disney-like plan offering I have ever seen.
 
Agree with @rteetz. This is a pretty basic fundamental question. If they don't have a quick easy answer, then I would conclude that they have not begun to think this whole club concept through. It's about the least Disney-like plan offering I have ever seen.

Part of me thinks this club was a draft RunDisney Blog post scheduled for release on 04/01/20 that Randy the Intern published early.
 
Part of me thinks this club was a draft RunDisney Blog post scheduled for release on 04/01/20 that Randy the Intern published early.
While I wouldn’t put it past them I also think they wanted to promote it at their biggest weekend of the year this year too.

Whether it was Randy's fault or whether they just wanted to release it in conjunction with MW it does feel like it was rushed out and isn't quite fully baked. What will be really interesting to see is if Disney:
1. Iterates based on market feedback
2. Just moves forward as is.
3. Pulls the program back or drops it.

I don't think I've seen too many things that have had such universally negative feedback from them.
 
I know we have beat this (hopefully) to death, but I read the fine print in the Policies/Rules document and it says this about coral placement:

◌ Corral Placement Corral Placement will have limited capacity. We therefore strongly recommend early purchase of race registrations. Club runDisney Member Services will attempt to allocate the best corral placement in light of availability and the member’s submitted race time.

About as clear as mud, but it could be interpreted that a member will not be moved up to a coral they did not qualify for with a submitted POT. Perhaps a member without a POT will be placed in the first non-POT coral. If this is true, then I can think of two conclusions:
  1. The fear many have regarding the safety of putting slower runners in faster corals in mitigated. The non-POT corals are already a mix of accurate and "enhanced" self-reported anticipated paces.
  2. The benefits of joining the Club are even less than I thought, and I thought the cost:benefit ratio was already ridiculous.
 

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