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lowfidelity
10-15-2011, 08:54 AM
Has anyone noticed that a lot of the holiday merchandise that DLR stocks is usually gone before the holiday even arrives?

Example: I was at DL on September 25th with some friends. They were interested in the Halloween coffee mug. They had some inside the park but we decided to try the WOD store on the way back to the car. The WOD store was out. Not a big deal we should have got it while inside. So I told them I would be back on the 27th and I would pick it up then.

Fast forward to the 27th and they were out all over the park. After speaking with a CM I was told that when they get the holiday merchandise in its a finite amount and they don't get re-stocked. I was clever enough to try Marceline's in DTD on my way out and very luckily they had quite a few left. I let them know that they were the only place at the resort with any left which surprised them too. Of course 2 weeks later when I went back they were all gone. I suspect it was more like 2 days though.

This happened to me last year as well. So I wonder why they would not stock a little extra due to how well certain objects sell. Considering that the mugs sold out before October, just like last year, they would make/stock more considering the demand. I'm not talking about doubling the existing stock order, just have a few left going into the holiday you are pushing. I don't know, maybe its just me

The lesson I learned was that if I see it and like it then I need to just get it right then because it probably will be gone very soon.

Bytebear
10-15-2011, 09:50 AM
That's a little disheartening. I noticed a lot of the merchandise was the same as last year. Now I am wondering if it's just that all the "good" stuff was already gone.

dban3
10-15-2011, 09:59 AM
I think my take would be that Disneyland probably has some pretty good statistics on just how many units of holiday merchandise is actually sold through their retail endeavors. They make just enough to sell out and not carry over any inventory. Better that they sell everything rather than having to sell off a surplus of to some place like the Disney Character Warehouse.

Tinkermommy
10-15-2011, 10:34 AM
I suspect this is a trend beyond Disneyland to avoid having to clearance a lot of merchandise. I was at Lowe's yesterday (Oct. 14), and noticed a TON of Christmas stuff up. What was left of the Halloween stuff fit on an endcap, and some of those shelves only had one or two objects on them. While there were only a handful of things left, they were still full retail price.

It occurred to me that I'd better have my hubby go pick up whatever holiday lights, bulbs and hooks he's always looking for when he decorates outside, because I remember last year not being able to find any a week after Thanksgiving.

lowfidelity
10-15-2011, 11:18 AM
I think my take would be that Disneyland probably has some pretty good statistics on just how many units of holiday merchandise is actually sold through their retail endeavors. They make just enough to sell out and not carry over any inventory. Better that they sell everything rather than having to sell off a surplus of to some place like the Disney Character Warehouse.

Oh I'm sure this is the case as most huge corporations that have retail divisions have these kinds of things down to a science, literally. But to sell out before October even arrives just seems like overkill. It's almost like the underproduced on purpose just so they wouldn't have extra stock.

lowfidelity
10-15-2011, 11:31 AM
I suspect this is a trend beyond Disneyland to avoid having to clearance a lot of merchandise. I was at Lowe's yesterday (Oct. 14), and noticed a TON of Christmas stuff up. What was left of the Halloween stuff fit on an endcap, and some of those shelves only had one or two objects on them. While there were only a handful of things left, they were still full retail price.

It occurred to me that I'd better have my hubby go pick up whatever holiday lights, bulbs and hooks he's always looking for when he decorates outside, because I remember last year not being able to find any a week after Thanksgiving.

True. I was at Home Depot on thursday (10-13) and saw the same situation. But I know that unless it's dated with a year or something a lot of that stuff goes back into a warehouse and resold the next year. This is how those Halloween stores are able to stay in business year after year.

I think most retail stores look at the way people buy seasonal items so they know when the buying tapers off. That way they can start putting out the next seasonal items so the stuff that isn't selling isn't taking up valuable floor space for something that will. But I haven't worked any sort of retail in years so some of this is conjecture.

dban3
10-15-2011, 11:39 AM
I would also tend to guess that they would want to get rid of all holiday merchandise well before December so they can maximize retail space for the dated 2012 merchandise which probably sells by the boatload during the busy Christmas season. 2012 merchandise probably does well as Christmas gifts too since giving it before the new year maximizes its lifespan.

tea4two
10-15-2011, 01:24 PM
Sometimes going back to look for specialty items closer to the holiday can help. CMs have told me that they withhold some stock to sell closer to the actual holiday so that they don't sell out completely too far ahead of time. Don't know how accurate this is, but it helped us last year with finding the AP Halloween Party pins that seemed to have sold out after the first few parties.

btowndude
10-18-2011, 01:32 AM
At WDW, the Christmas pins come out in mid November and by mid December, the holiday pins are on clearance at 50%.

MadasaHatter
10-27-2011, 06:14 AM
That all makes sense on a business sense. The idea is to sell out of your merchandise BEFORE the holiday. Then you don't have to store it. It would be great to have everything you wanted on sale close to the holiday but my best friend works in retail and she USED to work at a store that had lots of holiday items and people kept demanding the holiday stuff earlier and she kept telling people it would sell out and no one believed her and then were mad. SHe had waiting lists and did everything in her power to tell her customers. The stuff that didn't sell....they wouldn't make the next year because....well....it didn't sell. Her mantra is if you see a HOLIDAY item. Buy it.

dsny1mom
10-27-2011, 10:18 AM
Xmas merchandise is plentiful at DL right now. The shop next to GHS converted to all Xmas Tuesday night. There's a stand in DCA that is all Xmas. There was more but I don't recall all of the locations. I was pleased to see it early as I won't be there this Xmas. Based on how I saw guests shopping the Xmas items I would say by Xmas there won't be a whole lot left to choose from. I really don't mind the Xmas merchandise being out early, however I was a bit put off with seeing the castle covered in snow and Xmas decorations up in NOS as of Tuesday AM.

dsny1mom.

houseofmouse
10-27-2011, 12:29 PM
Ugh, Christmas in October!! It's like that all over here too, target, Michaels, Home Depot and now Disneyland? Crazy!!

Sansarc
11-06-2011, 08:18 PM
I saw lots of Xmas merchandise in the shops this weekend in DLR. But (drum roll) also a couple of nice Hanukkah things -- a heavy square china serving plate and a big mug. There's also a fun Hanukkah pin this year. I've never seen this before. The pin was really nice. Some of the Thanksgiving pins were already being listed as "going going gone" which surprised me. Is that normal -- to have some of the pins "going going gone" during the first week of November? Plus, I saw a few (a very few) Halloween things left in the shops along Main Street, like a Mickey Ears headband with a pumpkin in the middle. That was a surprise.

Hannahbelle
11-07-2011, 02:24 PM
Strange.....I see Christmas stuff on SALE already! We were at SF Macy's on Union Square the weekend of October 22nd and the "Holiday Lane" items were already 40 percent off.
Its also "funny" that DL has all the merchandise out considering the official holiday festivities don't start until Nov. 14th.

lowfidelity
11-07-2011, 04:50 PM
That all makes sense on a business sense. The idea is to sell out of your merchandise BEFORE the holiday. Then you don't have to store it. It would be great to have everything you wanted on sale close to the holiday but my best friend works in retail and she USED to work at a store that had lots of holiday items and people kept demanding the holiday stuff earlier and she kept telling people it would sell out and no one believed her and then were mad. SHe had waiting lists and did everything in her power to tell her customers. The stuff that didn't sell....they wouldn't make the next year because....well....it didn't sell. Her mantra is if you see a HOLIDAY item. Buy it.

Of course it makes good business sense. And of course you can't make everybody happy all the time so I learned to grab it when I saw something I liked also. I do know that holiday merchandise is limited but what is frustrating is that before October even started a lot of the Halloween stuff was gone. And now that Christmas is here and now the merchandise is plentiful but I'll bet that after Thanksgiving most of the stuff will be gone.

My frustration is that I feel that there can be a happy medium here instead of everything disappearing before I even get a chance to think about looking at it.

lowfidelity
11-07-2011, 04:53 PM
Ugh, Christmas in October!! It's like that all over here too, target, Michaels, Home Depot and now Disneyland? Crazy!!

I was in a Barnes and Noble today and there was Christmas music playing over the speaker system. It seemed like a bit much IMHO.

MadasaHatter
11-08-2011, 08:56 PM
I'm no spring chicken here but ever since I can remember the DAY after Hallowe'en all the XMAS stuff is out yet AS LONG as I can remember every year people act like it didn't happen last year. I also noticed that HOLIDAY LANE in SF Macy's didn't seem to have as much stuff or maybe I just didn't like it this year but there was nothing that tripped my trigger....but of course....I am mad. Again, I hear XMAS music every year the day after Hallowe'en. Not a lot but I woke up to a ROGAINE like commercial WITH XMAS MUSIC playing. Now that to me is WEIRD! It's downright MAD!!!

SigalTchelet
11-08-2011, 10:22 PM
I saw lots of Xmas merchandise in the shops this weekend in DLR. But (drum roll) also a couple of nice Hanukkah things -- a heavy square china serving plate and a big mug. There's also a fun Hanukkah pin this year. I've never seen this before. The pin was really nice.

That is really great to know! My BFF is going to DLR in December. I would love the mug, platter or pin! I will look online for it too. Do you remember where you saw the Hanukkah stuff at so I can tell her? Thanks!

Found this at the Disney Store Online. I have the Disney Wall Hanging. My niece bought it for me last year at WDW!
http://www.disneystore.com/disney/store/DSISearch?Searchstr=Hanukkah&x=0&y=0&storeId=10051&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=0&Nu=pProductID&Nr=pPublished%3A1&Ntk=All_Shopping&Ntt=Hanukkah&D=Hanukkah&Dr=pPublished%3A1

mousecanuck
11-09-2011, 04:51 PM
It drives me crazy that when we went in very early December of 2008, there was Christmas stuff, but there was also a lot of Christmas stuff that was gone, too. For people who want a nice momento from their actual trip (who aren't local-ish and can't go regularly and very early in the season), we don't have a hope of getting certain things. It'd be nice if they 'rationed' some of it out, at least...