How Disney Store Ruined the D23 Expo

Segregation now! Integration never!

Okay, so they did figure out how to get the people from outside to inside with less drama.

You don’t know what you want. They won’t tell you what they have. The world makes sense.

And they just finished their twenty minute song-and-dance…

I’d rather hang out in the Elephant Graveyard, thankyouverymuch!

Smart, smart, smart, smart, smart…

https://twitter.com/JubilantJane/status/632610865338974208

“And will continue tomorrow, too. Please come back. Okay? Buh-bye!”

Mmm hmm.

Edition size: 2,000

You’re number 500 in line, how are they already sold out?

Let’s talk about these much coveted dolls. You made 300!!! There’s 350 Sorcerer members who get to enter your store first. WHY oh WHY did you make so few? And then you had a 45-minute autograph signing and expected them to be able to sign all of the dolls? You just made everyone who wanted one exceptionally angry, while also making a few Sorcerer’s very wealthy since they had 3 opportunities to be first in line to get 3. BTW, they cost $129.95 and are going on eBay for $1,500 each. And then you tweeted this, why? Clearly to throw salt into the wounds. #Villains

Number 30 in line when they open at 9:00 and worried about getting to an 11:00 presentation with a reserved seat. Why? Because it literally takes that long to check out! So not only were fans waiting forever to get into the store, they were also waiting on average 60 minutes to pay!!!

:'(

And now on to Day 3.

Actually, since so many items are going for 5x’s what you paid on eBay, it’s worth more than gold! But since you didn’t get in line at 4:00 am, you’re too late. And thanks Disney Store for creating such ridiculous second market prices by not making enough stuff. You guys are the bestest! Love you! Kisses!… #Villains

Let the tears fall. The carpet is already soaked from everyone else crying. But since Disney often makes you feel like a kid again, doesn’t it bring back memories of crying in Toys “R” Us when your parent said they wouldn’t buy you a Ferby?

Oh, and if you love Frozen, you’re in luck! The line is conveniently located near the Frozen Karaoke booth!

https://twitter.com/limtothelimit/status/632984128003031040

It’s best to not try to make new friends while waiting to get in.

They really don’t deserve your money at this point.

Pfioeuw indeed!

Tastes like the salt rim of a margarita without any of the fun inside the glass, plus an essence of dung.

https://twitter.com/leeshka/status/633023890571325440

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is the post-queue for Disney Store. The pre-queue is over there. Please enjoy the Frozen Karaoke while you wait 3 hours to get to this queue, then another hour to get into the store, plus an hour wait in thecheck out queue. Okay? Buh-bye!”

https://twitter.com/Howie_Stark/status/633029022876700672

“Thanks for stopping by our store. Please come see us again in 2017. Have a magical day, okay? Buh-bye!”

Get out of the line…

Probably.

Seriously, Disney Store, get your act together! What you did to your fans was not okay by any stretch of the imagination. At the next D23 Expo, you NEED to make the following changes:

  1. A bigger store with more registers to accommodate the thousands of fans who want to shop.
  2. Higher edition sizes for EVERYTHING! Nothing should be made with an edition size smaller than 2,000 at an event of this size. People don’t want it because it’s limited edition, they want it because they’ve connected with it on some level. It’s as if you don’t want their money or something.
  3. Advertise what you have each day. No surprises, nobody wants to camp out all night only to find that there’s nothing they want from your store that day.
  4. DON’T release certain quantities of the same items each day, it ONLY benefits the eBay scalpers. If you have a doll and you only made 1,023 of it, pick one of the three days to release all of them. That way most people who want it have a fair chance to get it. No eBay seller should be able to have a buy-it-now auction that says “3 Available.” It’s nobody’s fault but your own because you allowed that to happen.
  5. EMPOWER your Cast Members!!! You flew them to Anaheim from across the country as a “reward” for being the cream of the crop, but their experience had to be hellish as well. They were screamed at for being misinformed and blamed for how slow the lines moved. It wasn’t fair to them either. You probably owe them a big apology.

And in summation, it’s not an over-exaggeration to say that for thousands of fans, you literally ruined their entire D23 Expo experience. There were fantastic presentations and lots of fun to be had on the show floor and they missed it all waiting in your ridiculous line only to discover you sold out of everything they wanted. Not okay… but you are my new favorite Disney Villain.

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Alex Reif
Alex joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and has been a lifelong Disney fan. His main beats for LP are Disney-branded movies, TV shows, books, music and toys. He recently became a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA).