tlmadden73
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
I haven't seen the new World of Disney, so I will save my judgment until next month.So I forgot to mention after my recent trip...
World of Disney store at Disney springs sucks after the renovation.
It really does make me think Disney is changing it's Target audience from families to adults.
What kid is like...ooh Mommy look at the exposed brick I want to make a purchase here!
When I was little I wanted to go into the Disney store at the mall because it had all the characters and the interesting, colorful displays.
They basically took all the Disney fun out of that place.
But, we are probably seeing a shifting market that was discussed a bit on the latest Dis Unplugged podcast.
Look at the youtube channels, look at the social media -- it's all about the millennials .. who are vlogging, Instagraming and Facebooking and "being part" of the experience with things like the marathons and festivals.
Who has more disposable income to spend on Disney gear you find in the stores - (shirts, dresses, collectibles, etc.)?
A single, 20-30-something with a good paying job or a middle-class family of 5 that just paid thousands of dollars just for tickets and hotels? All these extra hard-ticket events are more affordable when you don't have to pay for kids .
Plus Disney (because of the success of the Marvel movies) is probably MORE about Marvel Heroes and Star Wars than it is about the "classic" Disney right now. You get three Marvel movies a year (and all the products in store) and one animated Disney movie.
The last time I was at the World of Disney Store (in 2017) it seemed more about adult items and less about kid items. A huge focus on apparel as opposed to toys or stuffed animals, books, etc. Heck .. we couldn't even find anything "Moana" related anywhere despite the movie just being released on DVD days before.
Just watch the VLOGs on YouTube .. it's all about the food .. it's all about the shirts, mugs, ..... the experiences.
Disney is just changing to that changing demographic.
I too think kids could find the "exposed brick" warehouse looking stores a bit boring. I guarantee my son will be more drawn to the Lego Store and all its colorful sculptures inside and outside the building than the World of Disney store. I am surprised that the "Disney Springs" changes haven't forced Lego Store or T-Rex cafe to change their look or move (as they don't really "fit" into the look anymore).
At least they kept the spitting Stitch at World of Disney .. (right? they did keep that?)