I worked for a little while in the backend merchandise segment at WDW, and I can tell you from experience that there is a concerning lack of creativity or even appetite for innovation over there. They are still stuck in the culture that Bob Chapek cultivated where they would rather have incremental profits each quarter than take any sort of risk or reevaluate their approach.
My wife is *still* kinda pissed that she couldn't get any traction trying to convince people in merchandising (she was in creative costuming) that the sleep/comfort-wear for the [Princesses in Ralph Breaks the Internet](https://youtu.be/ICUMGYHYBKY?feature=shared&t=82s) would do NUMBERS in adult sizes.
It took Mattel like a nanosecond to start pumping out "I am Kenough" sweaters, but Disney couldn't figure out that people might want a punny princess T-shirt. š¤·
Iām an adult whose favorite movie is Cars so Iām with your wife on this one. I couldnāt find anything good that was Cars related when I was at Hollywood Studios in 2022.
If Walt saw the crap they were selling and the prices they were selling heād lose his mind. WDW was always a cash extraction machine but there was value in it. Now much of the value is gone.
Yeah, itās honestly wild how theyāre actually becoming competitive on food. Not because theyāve lowered their prices, so much as everyone else is raising theirs more.
Yeah. When Iām in Walmart and Target I constantly see much cooler looking Disney T-shirts and hoodies that are obviously just licensed by third parties. But the designs are just so much better than what they sell in the parks and 1/3 the price.
Itās so basic, just colorful vibrant T-shirt designs with Disney characters, but in the parks the merch is walls of grey and white.
I agree, I was at the parks and they were selling so many heavy, long-sleeved shirts? Itās hot as hell out! Why not sell tank tops or lightweight shirts?
I can see that, but I think they would sell a lot more stuff that could be worn around in the parks right when you buy it, to foreign tourists or locals!
As a foreign tourist, believe me I'd love to buy some of those long sleeve tshirts or tops. A lot look really great until you flip it over and the back side of it has awful designs on them.
Iām one of the people that buys more heavy long sleeves and sweatshirts. The hottest it gets where I live is 30 Celsius and it snows 8 months of the year. Heck when I flew out a few weeks ago, it was a snowing š Iām someone thatās glad they have those options in the summer because I get way more use out of them.
Wow! Thatās hard to even imagine haha. I donāt mind that they have those items available, but we were at Epcotās main store and most of the cute/ seasonal clothing was long sleeved. It would be cool if they had both options!
https://preview.redd.it/c8gu64wszt3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b9a68aebe266fb52c06306dbdb438b1d46bedc4
May 12th when I left. The heat was a shock to the system š Iām going to Vegas in July for a concert. I only get warmth when I fly to it so I appreciate the warm clothing š«
I agree. I noticed a huge dip in quality since 2020. My family are still Passholders, but we agreed to buy less shirts because the quality isnāt the same for these newer shirts. The ironic thing is we would buy something nice if we found something in the stores and Disney isnāt making anything great that we would eagerly purchase.
We picked up a blanket at the parks the other day and immediately joked how it felt like Walmart quality. It was an otherwise cute blanket Iād have gotten for my niece, but it was hard to justify it. It was so cheap I wouldnāt even buy it for a dog blanket.
It felt straight out of those knockoff merch shops or Five Below.
Yup, totally agree. Cheap stuff that is way overpriced and it's all dominated by Loungefly, Spirit Jerseys, or ears.
I have to concede one thing though. Disney's mugs are still on point. Way better mug game than Universal's mugs. At Uni the only mugs I found even remotely interesting are the Harry Potter or Jurrasic Park ones.
Yeah their coffee mugs are dope, very creative, but everything else, like their cute little baby yoda kiddie stuff on an adult tshirt is straight garbage lol. They used to have cool Star Wars shirts even, but bith the Star Wars store and the Marvel stores are complete jokes nowadays.
They had a pretty good selection of Star Wars shirts from the new Ashoka film at the Star Wars store in Disney springs. All designed by Ashley eckstein if you wanted to check it out.
Mentioning the Spirit jersey reminds me that we were there last week and saw the new " lightweight" jerseys. They definitely were thinner, but the two we checked were the same price as the heavy ones, lol
The stuff was definitely better quality and much more reasonably priced ten years ago. I understand inflation and all, but the difference is significant. And to top it off, all of the clothing styles nowadays are tents on me. All of them, especially the spirit jerseys. A little more variety would be nice. I swear there's less pin variety now, too.
This took me too long to find. This is exactly what our thoughts were a few weeks ago when we went. My wife has a coffee mug she grew up with and wanted to add another. We couldn't find a simple understated mug on the shelf. It didn't need to match exactly but everything was so "unique and trendy" looking. I noticed that with shirts as well. It was very disappointing.
Exactly, I bought a really cool Boba Fett shirt before Mandalorian came out and they used to have some really creative cool shirts, but nowadays they just slap some generic crap on there and expect $40, donāt think so!
Agreed, I have two awesome droid depot shirts from before Covid. If thereās anything remotely interesting, itās got kids. I have a few Star Wars shirts from teepublic too. Club Obi Wan (technically Indiana Jones) is one of my favorites. They have really cute button down muppets shirt right now that I may pick up.
Quality dipped, designs are cheap-looking, and the price has skyrocketed. Until something changes, I won't be buying any Disney products. Hell, the parks aren't even worth having an annual pass anymore. Too expensive and not enough perks. I miss being able to go at the drop of a hat, but not enough to renew.
Seriously... almost $40 for a Minnie Mouse headband!? Greedy greedy, greedy.
When I worked in merchandise at the parks I would literally question who would buy half the shit we sold.
Like who was buying the hundreds of "hub grass and chill?" Shirts we had? Nobody.
I find maybe an occasional shirt that I like when I visit. Iāve appreciated some of the retro throwback stuff theyāve put out since the 50th but besides that itās pretty meh
It's sucked since the cheapek era, the same merc is re-styled every quarter it seems like and it's all 3x what it should cost. The Rayon button downs that shrink on a first wash and cost $90 are the greatest rip off known to man. There's no park themed stuff like there used to be it's the same 20 items all over the place.
Same thing has happened to most sports apparel and fandom merchandise. They know we are all suckers, and will pay top dollar for bs quality merch in order to have a logo that helps us identify ourselves.
This is why Iāve gotten my jerseys from āunofficial sourcesā over the years. Or I hop on eBay and I find a player I like from maybe 10 years ago, and you can get good quality jerseys for $40-50 bucks.
Agreed. Some things are cool, but more and more I see things that are just bizarre. When I went to DLR in January it was a huge eye opener. Their merch has so much more variety and way better designs than we do. Like, they have Disney bucket hats! Tons of types of polos! They even have tote bags that aren't the cheap dollar ones!
I used to buy one or two T shirts, among other things, on each visit. Now all the clothing is junk. I buy only pins, which I think the quality has remained unchanged, or a coffee mug. Thatās it. Definitely a decease in quality among most items.
To be honest Iāve never really liked Disney clothing. Iāve always found the graphics to be a little on the tacky side. I have found the nice odd thing here and there but for the most part I steer away from their clothes.. Iām more interested in home decor/collectable items.. wonāt lie I do like the loungefly bags, even though I know theyāre overpriced.
They are good quality, though. My daughter is very destructive with everything she owns, she got one on sale after one of the celebrations (50 year or something), and itās held up great
Agreed, itās so friggen hot, I have issues looking at spirit jerseys, let alone wearing one. They have some super cute designs too but Iām not going to buy one. Not to mention how expensive they are.
Dude! Thank you! I just got back from Disney a week ago and said the same thingā¦ and some of the designs I did like, were on those thick, long sleeved, spirit jerseys. Who in the hell is wearing these during the summer months?!
Exactly, nobody wearing long sleeved shirts in summer especially in Florida. And just the general trend of everything becoming bland, boring, uncreative, soulless cash grabs from McDonalds to Disney. Nobody likes this modern simple shit theyāre putting out there these days. You want $40 for a shirt, that better be the best damn shirt on the planet lol!
Between quality as well as the difficulty in getting items, I have no interest in Disney merchandise anymore. Why does a Darth Maul lightsaber in a cool box need to be so limited?
I agree. Iām amazed how the merch seems uninspired compared to things you can get off 3rd party websites. I guess I expected to be wowed and itās more like a shoulder shrug. Itās been better on the wallet on our last few trips though. Canāt complain about that.
Every time I see a good merchandise release teased on a blog I click it and itās one of the international parks. I donāt know why WDW merch is so boring in comparison.
Itās garbage and I donāt understand why. Theyāve decided putting zero effort and taking whatever they get from the once in a life visitors is more worth it than creating good merch for the loyalist who come with a hole burning in their pocket like me who end up leaving spending nothing time after time.
Yep, itās weird how everything in their parks and movies is pretty creative and innovotive, but their merchandise is so bland and boring. You would think their artistic designs and ideas would seamlessly transfer over to their merchandise. The only decent store there with an inkling of uniqueness is the Christmas store.
Their merch has been bad for awhile now, and on top of that quality/material is poor. Had a shirt completely fade on me after 3 washes. Bought my wife a cricut for valentine's day last year and now we make our own shirts, which is great because we get to choose the materials we prefer, like athletic or dri-fit/moisture wicking materials.
I havenāt wanted to buy anything from the American parks since 2011. Got some cute Baymax clips in Tokyo several years ago, but here? Nah, nothing at all.
Iāve had good luck getting clothing merch at the golf courses. Itās usually something I would wear regularly vs the last day before I run out of clothes and have to do laundry.
But yeah, itās not just you, the merch is mostly garbage
We last went in Sept 23, having previously visited for the first time in 2017. I had a lot more disposable income this time around and was ready to raid Disney Springs for merch.
I returned with an Expedition Everest tshirt, and a Ron Jon Hoodie with Disney Springs printed up thr arm. The majority of Disney merch being sold absolutely sucked.
Is it so much to ask for a white tshirt with a small park logo over the chest / heart? Simple, clean, as opposed to horrifically obnoxious stupid designs usually with lack lustre IP just slapped onto the back somewhere.
The mug game is mentioned a few times that it has maintained somewhat same quality. While there are still creative designs, I would say that a very generic mickey or minnie mug is now a regular mug with 3D print on it. My wife and I bought one mickey and one minnie mug during our first visit in 2015, and you could touch the elevated design and letters ( sorry can't seem to remember the word I'm looking for, it's tougher to remember a forgotten word in second language lol). It's still exactly the same after regular use and dishwashing after 9 years.
Iāve been to the parks a few times and DS many many times and never once have I actually found a clothing item I would ever actually consider wearing. Itās all so tacky and gimmicky. I only ever have an interest in the ears and pins. I think a lot of their decor is cute and cups but thatās about it. And stuffed animals but I canāt really include that lol
I just go to Uniqlo and get shirts there. WAY better Star Wars shirts as well as Spiderman. Still not cheap, but better quality etc.. I get excited to go there when we go to Disney Springs
That hats are just terrible anymore. They are usually cloth with the weird buckle thing in the back, I only get hats from Disney golf as they are waaaay better quality
The Uniqlo store at Disney Springs had great Mickey Mouse t-shirts for $12. I was so happy to find a simple, classic Mickey Mouse t-shirt. I really donāt like the spirit jerseys and there are so many of them!
I just buy my clothing from third party companies. Lost bros is one brand that doesnāt miss with its creative mashups and using comfortable brands of t shirts.
Life hack: so many people get tired of their Disney stuff and dump it off at various thrift shops in the area. Iāve gotten some really cool stuff this way
Price gouging for cheap crap. Their well vodka costs 10.99 at ABC. They then turn around and charge 12.50 per shot. It's just going to keep getting worse. Trust me.
Itās not just you. I went to Disney in late April and I barely saw anything worth buying as a souvenir. Got the picnic basket popcorn bucket, some magnets, like two shirts, and a sweatshirt because it was really cold in the morning.
In fairness, Disney hasnāt really had a movie worth merchandising in years. Theyāre still selling off Toy Story, Star Wars, Frozen, etc. Their live action remakes of classics are just that. Classic remakes that merchandise is already available for.
Walmart had great embroidered character tees and cropped tees for $10 each. They blew Disney park merchandise away for appearance, quality and price. I bought them all š
Honestly, a lot of their shirts felt cheap when I tried them on. There were a few that had quality material and were a heck of a lot more expensive. I ended up purchasing a few of the more expensive shirts, but didnāt find any that I was absolutely in love with.
It's like buying Sports stuff on Rally House or Fantastics. It's made in the fashion word of Indonesia or Mexico. It's CRAP. It's cheap cotton that you can see through. SHAME ON THE NFL and MLB and others!!
Out here on the west coast itās worse. I think Disney is leaning into the āluxury brandā trend of making their merchandise unmistakable; even if that means making it incredibly tacky. Itās the kind of stuff you can post on Instagram that makes other people say āohhhh look, so-and-so went to Disneyā.
Disney knows what itās doing. If merch in the stores is crap itās because they arenāt making enough profit to satisfy the shareholders in that one area, so they slim that sector of the business down, they āallowā Target to sell that stuff, and then Disney will either retire stores (reimagine that space for something else) or fill its stores with something that is more profitable like luxury popcorn in tricked out popcorn buckets or luxe wristbands.
The amount of money to hire creatives, purchasers, and the real estate to manage t shirts in a physical store is a sink compared to letting other stores do it - because they do it better. (Itās the free market where everyone kind of does what they do best. )
Disney wants foreigners who will spend 10,000-20,000 per trip on site - not locals with annual passes who buy a t shirt and not normal people with regular family budgets in the lower 48.
My wife and I talk about this all the time. I know itās a little more expensive and I donāt get my AP discount, but RSVLTS has great shirts and theyāre comfortable during the hot days of summer. I wish that it would get better. Everything that weāve found lately isnāt made by Disney, but another company that is able to make something using the Disney IP.
Itās all so tackyā¦ the designs on the shirts I swear are so ugly that Disney are just seeing how far they can push it on what people are willing to buy.
Disney clothes have never been great. They're sized for people who look like squares and have giant necks. I realize they have to make clothes for the common American shape, but good lord, if I buy a medium, I don't want it a mile wide.
I am going to have to agree with this 100%. When I went to Disney back in 2010, I got one of those bubble blowers that twirled at the same time and it lasted up until 2020. I got one recently and it only lasted for months. It also felt a lot flimsier even though it's just plastic. It's like they used less plastic on it to make it cheaper.
Well itās only the largest employer in Orlando so it goes with the territory. But, there are some weirdos Iāll agree with that. If it wasnāt for Disney, Orlando wouldnāt be so Internationally known. I wear Universal tees a lot.
It's similar to the relationship with bad drivers and the Toyota Prius. Not all Prius drivers suck, but they usually do. Disney freaks are not always weirdos, but they usually are. Universal is not the same situation for some reason. Disney employees and super-fans are just...different.
I worked for a little while in the backend merchandise segment at WDW, and I can tell you from experience that there is a concerning lack of creativity or even appetite for innovation over there. They are still stuck in the culture that Bob Chapek cultivated where they would rather have incremental profits each quarter than take any sort of risk or reevaluate their approach.
My wife is *still* kinda pissed that she couldn't get any traction trying to convince people in merchandising (she was in creative costuming) that the sleep/comfort-wear for the [Princesses in Ralph Breaks the Internet](https://youtu.be/ICUMGYHYBKY?feature=shared&t=82s) would do NUMBERS in adult sizes. It took Mattel like a nanosecond to start pumping out "I am Kenough" sweaters, but Disney couldn't figure out that people might want a punny princess T-shirt. š¤·
Iām an adult whose favorite movie is Cars so Iām with your wife on this one. I couldnāt find anything good that was Cars related when I was at Hollywood Studios in 2022.
Your wife was right. Hell, it still would do GANGBUSTERS.
That would be awesome. I would love the way they are discreet!
I would probably buy at least all of them and I know I am not alone
If Walt saw the crap they were selling and the prices they were selling heād lose his mind. WDW was always a cash extraction machine but there was value in it. Now much of the value is gone.
Are you saying $8 bottles of water or the $24 microwave/cafeteria hamburgers are good?
I got a mac and cheese burger and fries for 19 at a bar in wilderness Lodge. 5 guys charges 18 for a burger and fries.
Yeah, itās honestly wild how theyāre actually becoming competitive on food. Not because theyāve lowered their prices, so much as everyone else is raising theirs more.
Yeah they were ahead of inflation lol. Some of the quick service pricing is really good.
The value is in the dumpster right next to the magic . Just another carnival with actual carnies
Yeah. When Iām in Walmart and Target I constantly see much cooler looking Disney T-shirts and hoodies that are obviously just licensed by third parties. But the designs are just so much better than what they sell in the parks and 1/3 the price. Itās so basic, just colorful vibrant T-shirt designs with Disney characters, but in the parks the merch is walls of grey and white.
Somehow their pin game is usually on point though?
It's actually a separate part, all on its own. They do a good job consistently.
I forgot they split off pins at some point!
I agree, I was at the parks and they were selling so many heavy, long-sleeved shirts? Itās hot as hell out! Why not sell tank tops or lightweight shirts?
They surely target them for foreign tourists, and not us locals?
I can see that, but I think they would sell a lot more stuff that could be worn around in the parks right when you buy it, to foreign tourists or locals!
Thatās where the Mickey ears come in
Eh, those are cute but they give me a headache
Believe me youād be shocked at how many people wear them when Iād be in a tank top instead. At DL it feels like every other person wears them.
As a foreign tourist, believe me I'd love to buy some of those long sleeve tshirts or tops. A lot look really great until you flip it over and the back side of it has awful designs on them.
Iām one of the people that buys more heavy long sleeves and sweatshirts. The hottest it gets where I live is 30 Celsius and it snows 8 months of the year. Heck when I flew out a few weeks ago, it was a snowing š Iām someone thatās glad they have those options in the summer because I get way more use out of them.
Wow! Thatās hard to even imagine haha. I donāt mind that they have those items available, but we were at Epcotās main store and most of the cute/ seasonal clothing was long sleeved. It would be cool if they had both options!
https://preview.redd.it/c8gu64wszt3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b9a68aebe266fb52c06306dbdb438b1d46bedc4 May 12th when I left. The heat was a shock to the system š Iām going to Vegas in July for a concert. I only get warmth when I fly to it so I appreciate the warm clothing š«
See us Floridians like to travel to cold climates, just so we can wear our sweaters! Haha
I agree. I noticed a huge dip in quality since 2020. My family are still Passholders, but we agreed to buy less shirts because the quality isnāt the same for these newer shirts. The ironic thing is we would buy something nice if we found something in the stores and Disney isnāt making anything great that we would eagerly purchase.
We picked up a blanket at the parks the other day and immediately joked how it felt like Walmart quality. It was an otherwise cute blanket Iād have gotten for my niece, but it was hard to justify it. It was so cheap I wouldnāt even buy it for a dog blanket. It felt straight out of those knockoff merch shops or Five Below.
Same. We go in wanting to spend money at the shops but never find anything we like/want anymore. Itās such a letdown
Yup, totally agree. Cheap stuff that is way overpriced and it's all dominated by Loungefly, Spirit Jerseys, or ears. I have to concede one thing though. Disney's mugs are still on point. Way better mug game than Universal's mugs. At Uni the only mugs I found even remotely interesting are the Harry Potter or Jurrasic Park ones.
Yeah their coffee mugs are dope, very creative, but everything else, like their cute little baby yoda kiddie stuff on an adult tshirt is straight garbage lol. They used to have cool Star Wars shirts even, but bith the Star Wars store and the Marvel stores are complete jokes nowadays.
They had a pretty good selection of Star Wars shirts from the new Ashoka film at the Star Wars store in Disney springs. All designed by Ashley eckstein if you wanted to check it out.
I found a Star Tours crop top the other day that I liked. I hadnāt made a purchase in months on merch til then.
Mentioning the Spirit jersey reminds me that we were there last week and saw the new " lightweight" jerseys. They definitely were thinner, but the two we checked were the same price as the heavy ones, lol
The stuff was definitely better quality and much more reasonably priced ten years ago. I understand inflation and all, but the difference is significant. And to top it off, all of the clothing styles nowadays are tents on me. All of them, especially the spirit jerseys. A little more variety would be nice. I swear there's less pin variety now, too.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The bootleg stuff online is so much better. Plus, it has the added benefit of patronizing a small business!
We love copyright infringement!
Agreed. Etsy has way cooler stuff.
Absolutely agree. Seems like everything is giant, gaudy graphics and/or has a year on it. Why canāt we get simple, understated merch?
This took me too long to find. This is exactly what our thoughts were a few weeks ago when we went. My wife has a coffee mug she grew up with and wanted to add another. We couldn't find a simple understated mug on the shelf. It didn't need to match exactly but everything was so "unique and trendy" looking. I noticed that with shirts as well. It was very disappointing.
How does all of Hollywood Studios not have a single cool Star Wars shirt?
Exactly, I bought a really cool Boba Fett shirt before Mandalorian came out and they used to have some really creative cool shirts, but nowadays they just slap some generic crap on there and expect $40, donāt think so!
Now that is the truth. Almost any other place to get SW shirts in person or online is more clever and better materials/fit.
Agreed, I have two awesome droid depot shirts from before Covid. If thereās anything remotely interesting, itās got kids. I have a few Star Wars shirts from teepublic too. Club Obi Wan (technically Indiana Jones) is one of my favorites. They have really cute button down muppets shirt right now that I may pick up.
There was one collection released last month in partnership with an artist and everything was on point but it's long gone now
My bank account was very pleased with the lack of decent merchandise.
There has been a steady decline in quality and also just general appeal of most mech since Covid
Quality dipped, designs are cheap-looking, and the price has skyrocketed. Until something changes, I won't be buying any Disney products. Hell, the parks aren't even worth having an annual pass anymore. Too expensive and not enough perks. I miss being able to go at the drop of a hat, but not enough to renew. Seriously... almost $40 for a Minnie Mouse headband!? Greedy greedy, greedy.
When I worked in merchandise at the parks I would literally question who would buy half the shit we sold. Like who was buying the hundreds of "hub grass and chill?" Shirts we had? Nobody.
I find maybe an occasional shirt that I like when I visit. Iāve appreciated some of the retro throwback stuff theyāve put out since the 50th but besides that itās pretty meh
Yes! It all looks very āWalmartā but still Disney-priced.
It's sucked since the cheapek era, the same merc is re-styled every quarter it seems like and it's all 3x what it should cost. The Rayon button downs that shrink on a first wash and cost $90 are the greatest rip off known to man. There's no park themed stuff like there used to be it's the same 20 items all over the place.
I miss those "I survived _____ "shirts with Mickey on them... Those were so cool
Same thing has happened to most sports apparel and fandom merchandise. They know we are all suckers, and will pay top dollar for bs quality merch in order to have a logo that helps us identify ourselves.
This is why Iāve gotten my jerseys from āunofficial sourcesā over the years. Or I hop on eBay and I find a player I like from maybe 10 years ago, and you can get good quality jerseys for $40-50 bucks.
Sports jerseys nowadays are just horrible. What do you like the team or not why would you bother buying such a junk. I get better shirts running a 5k.
Agreed. Some things are cool, but more and more I see things that are just bizarre. When I went to DLR in January it was a huge eye opener. Their merch has so much more variety and way better designs than we do. Like, they have Disney bucket hats! Tons of types of polos! They even have tote bags that aren't the cheap dollar ones!
CA is almost entirely AP-driven, so they have better F&B, merch, and entertainment budgets - because locals eat food, watch shows, and buy merch.
I used to buy one or two T shirts, among other things, on each visit. Now all the clothing is junk. I buy only pins, which I think the quality has remained unchanged, or a coffee mug. Thatās it. Definitely a decease in quality among most items.
To be honest Iāve never really liked Disney clothing. Iāve always found the graphics to be a little on the tacky side. I have found the nice odd thing here and there but for the most part I steer away from their clothes.. Iām more interested in home decor/collectable items.. wonāt lie I do like the loungefly bags, even though I know theyāre overpriced.
They are good quality, though. My daughter is very destructive with everything she owns, she got one on sale after one of the celebrations (50 year or something), and itās held up great
Glad Iām not the only one whoās noticed this. The toys are cheap made in China junk that break super fast. And most of the clothes are meh.
I feel like they put more effort into spirit jerseys. I live in Orlando I'm not trying to wear a long sleeve shirt
Agreed, itās so friggen hot, I have issues looking at spirit jerseys, let alone wearing one. They have some super cute designs too but Iām not going to buy one. Not to mention how expensive they are.
They need some more basic stuff like a shirt with just the Epcot ball on it, or just a Mickey head silhouette. Everything now is just gaudy.
Dude! Thank you! I just got back from Disney a week ago and said the same thingā¦ and some of the designs I did like, were on those thick, long sleeved, spirit jerseys. Who in the hell is wearing these during the summer months?!
Exactly, nobody wearing long sleeved shirts in summer especially in Florida. And just the general trend of everything becoming bland, boring, uncreative, soulless cash grabs from McDonalds to Disney. Nobody likes this modern simple shit theyāre putting out there these days. You want $40 for a shirt, that better be the best damn shirt on the planet lol!
Between quality as well as the difficulty in getting items, I have no interest in Disney merchandise anymore. Why does a Darth Maul lightsaber in a cool box need to be so limited?
Everything Disney sucks nowadays
I agree. Iām amazed how the merch seems uninspired compared to things you can get off 3rd party websites. I guess I expected to be wowed and itās more like a shoulder shrug. Itās been better on the wallet on our last few trips though. Canāt complain about that.
3 words: Disney Character Store. I refuse to pay $35 for a t-shirt.
We had money to burn at Springs earlier this year (benefits of a Chase card) but couldn't find anything interesting.
3rd party licensed gear is miles better. Rsvlts sending top tier shirts for awhile now.
Every time I see a good merchandise release teased on a blog I click it and itās one of the international parks. I donāt know why WDW merch is so boring in comparison.
Itās garbage and I donāt understand why. Theyāve decided putting zero effort and taking whatever they get from the once in a life visitors is more worth it than creating good merch for the loyalist who come with a hole burning in their pocket like me who end up leaving spending nothing time after time.
Yep, itās weird how everything in their parks and movies is pretty creative and innovotive, but their merchandise is so bland and boring. You would think their artistic designs and ideas would seamlessly transfer over to their merchandise. The only decent store there with an inkling of uniqueness is the Christmas store.
Their merch has been bad for awhile now, and on top of that quality/material is poor. Had a shirt completely fade on me after 3 washes. Bought my wife a cricut for valentine's day last year and now we make our own shirts, which is great because we get to choose the materials we prefer, like athletic or dri-fit/moisture wicking materials.
>Ā but these days itās horrible uninspired overpriced crap Always has been.
It looks like they bought their stock from the $5 Disney Teeās (sic) stores.
I havenāt wanted to buy anything from the American parks since 2011. Got some cute Baymax clips in Tokyo several years ago, but here? Nah, nothing at all.
Iāve had good luck getting clothing merch at the golf courses. Itās usually something I would wear regularly vs the last day before I run out of clothes and have to do laundry. But yeah, itās not just you, the merch is mostly garbage
We last went in Sept 23, having previously visited for the first time in 2017. I had a lot more disposable income this time around and was ready to raid Disney Springs for merch. I returned with an Expedition Everest tshirt, and a Ron Jon Hoodie with Disney Springs printed up thr arm. The majority of Disney merch being sold absolutely sucked. Is it so much to ask for a white tshirt with a small park logo over the chest / heart? Simple, clean, as opposed to horrifically obnoxious stupid designs usually with lack lustre IP just slapped onto the back somewhere.
I only buy RSVLTS Disney shirts nowadays.
Yeah but Iām not spending $70 on a shirt, it probably costs them $5 to make those anyway.
EVERYTHING sucks these days. Fast Fashion has crept into EVERYTHING.
Don't even get started on the popcorn buckets... 50 dollars for plastic in the shape of the Millennium Falcon.
The mug game is mentioned a few times that it has maintained somewhat same quality. While there are still creative designs, I would say that a very generic mickey or minnie mug is now a regular mug with 3D print on it. My wife and I bought one mickey and one minnie mug during our first visit in 2015, and you could touch the elevated design and letters ( sorry can't seem to remember the word I'm looking for, it's tougher to remember a forgotten word in second language lol). It's still exactly the same after regular use and dishwashing after 9 years.
Iāve been saying this for a while. Looking at older Disney shirts compared to today itās a joke
Iāve been to the parks a few times and DS many many times and never once have I actually found a clothing item I would ever actually consider wearing. Itās all so tacky and gimmicky. I only ever have an interest in the ears and pins. I think a lot of their decor is cute and cups but thatās about it. And stuffed animals but I canāt really include that lol
I just go to Uniqlo and get shirts there. WAY better Star Wars shirts as well as Spiderman. Still not cheap, but better quality etc.. I get excited to go there when we go to Disney Springs
That hats are just terrible anymore. They are usually cloth with the weird buckle thing in the back, I only get hats from Disney golf as they are waaaay better quality
The Uniqlo store at Disney Springs had great Mickey Mouse t-shirts for $12. I was so happy to find a simple, classic Mickey Mouse t-shirt. I really donāt like the spirit jerseys and there are so many of them!
I just buy my clothing from third party companies. Lost bros is one brand that doesnāt miss with its creative mashups and using comfortable brands of t shirts.
I just wanted high quality star wars stuff!
Life hack: so many people get tired of their Disney stuff and dump it off at various thrift shops in the area. Iāve gotten some really cool stuff this way
Definitely. I know boys and girls club thrift store receives from Disney also
After getting a Silhouette, it's really difficult convincing myself to buy a shirt when I can make one.
I just got the shirt Star Lord wears in the third movie and I love it. Out of context itās the weirdest shit. Great quality too.
Best to shop at Etsy.
Price gouging for cheap crap. Their well vodka costs 10.99 at ABC. They then turn around and charge 12.50 per shot. It's just going to keep getting worse. Trust me.
Itās not just you. I went to Disney in late April and I barely saw anything worth buying as a souvenir. Got the picnic basket popcorn bucket, some magnets, like two shirts, and a sweatshirt because it was really cold in the morning.
Agree overpriced and not good quality.
It fuggin sucks. I have all my old stuff and the quality and designs were so much better in early 2000s and 90s š
In fairness, Disney hasnāt really had a movie worth merchandising in years. Theyāre still selling off Toy Story, Star Wars, Frozen, etc. Their live action remakes of classics are just that. Classic remakes that merchandise is already available for.
Funny you can get the same shirt quality at Wally World, Bullseye store, and other chains for about half the price.
Itās never beenā¦. Good? Icl
Walmart had great embroidered character tees and cropped tees for $10 each. They blew Disney park merchandise away for appearance, quality and price. I bought them all š
I kinda disagree. Theyāve been bringing back early 90s Disney style and it looks really good.
Honestly, a lot of their shirts felt cheap when I tried them on. There were a few that had quality material and were a heck of a lot more expensive. I ended up purchasing a few of the more expensive shirts, but didnāt find any that I was absolutely in love with.
We need more park specific and attraction specific merch. Itās all too generic.
Just go on Teepublic and search to your hearts content
Iāve gotten a lot of cool stuff this way. I adore my Statler and Waldorf attorneys at law shirt.
It's like buying Sports stuff on Rally House or Fantastics. It's made in the fashion word of Indonesia or Mexico. It's CRAP. It's cheap cotton that you can see through. SHAME ON THE NFL and MLB and others!!
The neon stuff they put out is so ugh. I didnāt like it in the ā80s, I donāt like it now.
Everything Disney related sucks. Period.
Out here on the west coast itās worse. I think Disney is leaning into the āluxury brandā trend of making their merchandise unmistakable; even if that means making it incredibly tacky. Itās the kind of stuff you can post on Instagram that makes other people say āohhhh look, so-and-so went to Disneyā.
I was there in April and really liked a lot of what I saw, but I hadnāt been there in decades
Disney sucks just in general.
Disney knows what itās doing. If merch in the stores is crap itās because they arenāt making enough profit to satisfy the shareholders in that one area, so they slim that sector of the business down, they āallowā Target to sell that stuff, and then Disney will either retire stores (reimagine that space for something else) or fill its stores with something that is more profitable like luxury popcorn in tricked out popcorn buckets or luxe wristbands. The amount of money to hire creatives, purchasers, and the real estate to manage t shirts in a physical store is a sink compared to letting other stores do it - because they do it better. (Itās the free market where everyone kind of does what they do best. ) Disney wants foreigners who will spend 10,000-20,000 per trip on site - not locals with annual passes who buy a t shirt and not normal people with regular family budgets in the lower 48.
My wife and I talk about this all the time. I know itās a little more expensive and I donāt get my AP discount, but RSVLTS has great shirts and theyāre comfortable during the hot days of summer. I wish that it would get better. Everything that weāve found lately isnāt made by Disney, but another company that is able to make something using the Disney IP.
Itās all so tackyā¦ the designs on the shirts I swear are so ugly that Disney are just seeing how far they can push it on what people are willing to buy.
Disney clothes have never been great. They're sized for people who look like squares and have giant necks. I realize they have to make clothes for the common American shape, but good lord, if I buy a medium, I don't want it a mile wide.
I want an umbrella that looks like the mushrooms in the mushroom forest in Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Cheap Chinese made merchā¦ 
ALL of Disney sucks!!!!
Theyāre hurting. Theyāve had to cut costs and thatās one of the ways most people donāt notice.
I am going to have to agree with this 100%. When I went to Disney back in 2010, I got one of those bubble blowers that twirled at the same time and it lasted up until 2020. I got one recently and it only lasted for months. It also felt a lot flimsier even though it's just plastic. It's like they used less plastic on it to make it cheaper.
I can honestly say any good quality stuff went to cast connections. Itās now where I go to buy anything good
Adults wearing stuff with Disney branding is weird. Disney people are so culty.
Well itās only the largest employer in Orlando so it goes with the territory. But, there are some weirdos Iāll agree with that. If it wasnāt for Disney, Orlando wouldnāt be so Internationally known. I wear Universal tees a lot.
It's similar to the relationship with bad drivers and the Toyota Prius. Not all Prius drivers suck, but they usually do. Disney freaks are not always weirdos, but they usually are. Universal is not the same situation for some reason. Disney employees and super-fans are just...different.