Has anyone seen this about the Disney Store? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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OOOOOH! I hope they do this to our store . It needs a makeover. I have to say having entertainment works. When we went for the special Disney Visa party I spent more than I normally would.
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All interesting, and a very exciting article. It is cool to see they effectively Imagineered the store. Why it took Steve Jobs to point the way is, if not surprising, at least another example of how Disney's own lessons can come back from the "outside" to reinvigorate the company (Disney storytelling + amusement park = theme park, Disney entertainment/storytelling + retail store = Disney Store on steroids).
The statistic on Apple Store sales (in excess or $4,700 per square foot) is remarkable. While Best Buy (at $1,000/sq. ft) hardly comes close, a lot of that statistic depends on the mix of high value/low value items on sale. The CDs and DVDs sold at Best Buy are going to pull down the averages, probably closer to the range Disney would likely be able to attain. What can Disney Store sell for over $1,000, other than those DCL vacations (plus WDW, DLR, ABD...)? Everything else tends to be in the same price range as DVDs (or cheaper). The big benefit I see from Disney selling travel in-store is similar to the advantage of Apple selling computers in-store (rather than at their web site). In either case, the companies have products with very devoted followings, so they already sell exceptionally well even without the help of the mall stores. What they gain is the enhanced ability to close the sale thanks to the immersive environment and helpful, live sales staff. Just how much compensation will Parks and Resorts give to the Disney Store division for the added selling assistance?
Altogether, if done right, it can be a winner, but that's true of just about anything, isn't it?
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I was just at the Disney Store at the Houston Galleria yesterday. They recently moved the store to another part of the mall and DOWNSIZED it. I asked why did they downsize because every time I went, they were always so busy. The Lead CM said that this store is just a temporary store and that within a year they will be in a much bigger store. I am wondering if the "much bigger store" will be one of the new interactive ones. Hmmmmm. At any rate, I can't wait to see the new store. I get up there about once every 6 months, so I look forward to seeing the changes.
At least they are trying something. It used to be a treat to browse in a DS, but not I don't even bother going in because there's nothing there for me. The 5 and under crowd are pretty well covered, but nothing at all to interest adults.
I do think it's pretty strange to compare Apple's sales/sq.ft. vs. Best Buy's/sq.ft. That's like comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended!) Best Buy is pretty much an electronics Walmart, while Apple stores are boutiques with specific items.
My DH sent me that article yesterday. Looks soooo cool, I hope it happens! All three of the Disney stores near me closed down a year or so ago, but I'm willing to travel to the one near my mom, especially for this.
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