Disney Store Online Under Repairs

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

This morning at 3 AM (EST) I went to check out the DisneyStore.com and look what popped up. Usually when they update the products the store does not shut, so this must mean something bigger is happening. Any ideas? Do you think Vinylmation will have anything to do with it? How long will it last?

Update 07/15/11 8:30am – (from Nick) I just wanted to add, remember my call with Disney’s Presidential Customer service two weeks ago that I talked about in the Vinylmation online policy change article? A change was expected this weekend. Disney’s Presidential Customer Service department called me about an online survey I filled out about my online ordering experience. The customer service rep did seem genuinely interested in all I had to say about release times, fake sell outs and yes, purchase limits. When I asked what would be done, she told me that a HUGE change to the Disney Store Online will occur on July 18th. She said it will improve inventory control, the way we find items and the way we check out. The 18th is Monday, and DisneyStore.com has since changed the graphic on the home page to this:

Disney Online Store Vinylmation Availabiltiy Update

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Today, at DisneyStore.com:

All 8 Nerds Rock! are avaialble for $9.95 a piece.
For those procrastinatiors, Urban 3 Cases ($139.95) and singles ($5.99) are still available and on sale.
All 8 WDW 40th Anniversary figures are avaialable at $12.95 a piece.
The elusive USA Flag is available for $9.95.
There are still some Jacks from the Nightmare set – $11.95
Pie Eyed Mickey from Big Eyes is on sale for $7.99

US City Exclusives… Now Less Exclusive

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

On the heals of the UK Disney Store Online’s release of the London exclusive Vinylmation, the US Disney Store Online has followed suit with select NYC exclusive figures now available for cyber purchase.

Only two of the 9″ figures are available… Hey Taxi and New York, New York

The interesting note here is the price. Although $44.95 is the original price, if you were to go to the NYC Times Square Store to purchase them, they are discounted to $30 as of about a week ago. Vinylmation are not the only city specific items popping up online. The Disney Store Online now has a full section of the website dedicated to some of their big city Disney Stores.

You can go online to purchase select merchandise from NYC, Chicago, San Francisco and Hawaii. No Vinylmation in any other city yet, but look at this ad:

Vinylmation is the product they feature on the generic ad for this section of the online store. This leads me to believe other city specific figures will be online soon as well. We do know, the Honolulu, Hawaii Disney Store will take mail orders for the Tiki Mickey due out October 4. So since they are already willing to ship, I suppose the thinking is, why not make the process easier for Disney, and the guest, and let everyone purchase them online. I’m not a big fan of this shift. A NYC tee shirt or Chicago coffee mug are one thing, but placing collectibles online like this takes away from that specialness of the item. We talked about this on the latest podcast after finding out about the London vinyls. What are your thoughts on city specifics being made available online?