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The Last EVER Disney Outlet Store Photo Report (Maybe)

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“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” – Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

When I joined TouringPlans back in late June of 2013, one of the things I wanted to do the most was covering the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. Even back then there were so many websites covering Walt Disney World, yet none of them ever covered this part of Orlando. I had pitched the concept to a site I had previously worked for and they had no interest. Maybe it was just to humor me, but Len Testa – the grand poobah of TP himself – signed off on the idea and in July I did the very first edition of this fine blog series.

Here we are 8 years later and a lot has changed at the Disney Outlet Stores, and pretty much all of it for the worse. Now, as I said, when I first started the Outlet Report there was a widely held belief by many theme park centric websites that “nobody cares about the Outlets.” My response to that line of thinking? I’ll make them care. Unfortunately, what was once an oft-overlooked part of the WDW experience is now fodder for the content machine, and that machine never sleeps. Not only are there are several sites who cover the Disney Outlet Stores, but also an unfathomable amount of vloggers who film their shopping trips for YouTube.

Anyone who collects or enjoys theme park merchandise has seen the rise of eBay pirates and resellers over the years, immediately buying up stock to gouge everyone else. As bad as the reselling community is at the parks and Disney Springs, it is even worse at the Disney Outlet Stores. Think of it as Mad Max Fury Road meets Dollar General.

Over the past year we have detailed ad nauseam about the effect the coronavirus safety procedures have had on the Outlets. It’s one thing to get a two-hour virtual wait time for rides in California Adventure or Hollywood Studios, and another to get it at the Orlando Premium Outlets, trust me.

Recently, a new wrinkle has been added to the Disney Outlets which took away the last reason I would put up with all of the above…price increases.  This is something we should have seen coming because it started happening at the Disney Outlets in California as soon as they reopened (which was months after our stores down in Florida). It may have taken a little extra time, but the price increases have made their way to Orlando. There are probably several factors that contribute to this, but common sense dictates a large part of it is simply because Disney is a victim to disruptions of the supply chain like almost every other company in America. Aside from the start and restart of our country (and the labor shortages seen everywhere) there are also things like cargo ships not being allowed to unload at the ports. What was once a free flowing wave of merchandise to Disney (and Universal) has now slowed to a drip. Much of this is completely out of their control.

As longtime readers know, merchandise turnover at the Disney Outlets is extremely fast. For Disney, that was great, because they had a seemingly endless supply of items to replace the sold ones with. Now they don’t. Since the actual amount of supply is something they can’t control, the one thing Disney can do to limit demand is raise prices. As a consumer, that may seem counter intuitive. Disney wants to sell everything they have, right? Well, not if they can’t replace it. Perception wise, nothing makes a store look worse to customers than a bunch of empty shelves. All of you reading this remember what it was like walking into stores last year and seeing aisles of paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning products being barren. As customers, we were going to the stores with a level of expectation, and leaving hugely disappointed (and many probably angry). I believe Disney is raising the prices to ensure that their Outlets don’t look like the water aisle at Publix during a hurricane warning. More power to them, and I personally believe they would be foolish not to do it.

For me though, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Going to the Disney Outlets hasn’t been “fun” for a long time, and when you remove the huge discounts, there’s really not much difference between them and every other Disney store. It’s time to bid adieu to this monthly blog series, at least for the time being. I didn’t expect all of the changes above to happen, so for all we know there will be a big reset and the Disney Outlets will be worth covering again in the future. Time will tell. The good news is that WE WILL BE BACK next month with a brand new blog series. This is another idea I have wanted to do – from all the way back in 2013 – but never had the time because of the commitment to this and the SATURDAY SIX. So stay tuned True Believers…

~ Derek Burgan, June 30, 2021

Before we go, let’s take a look at some items from the Disney Outlets in California this month. These always fascinated me more than the items we saw in Florida because most of the time we never saw the Disneyland merchandise these Outlets regularly got.

However, the first item is not Disneyland-centric and is in fact part of the Disney Button series we covered in Florida last month. If you remember, last month our buttons were originally $9.99 reduced to $2.99. The button set below was also originally $9.99, but reduced to $6.98. To quote Kevin Malone of NBC’s The Office, “are you kidding me?!

The Redhead in Pirates of the Caribbean is fascinating to look at from a merchandise perspective. When they installed the “new” Redhead character into the attraction and released merchandise based on her, it went to the Outlets relatively fast. I consider that surprising because whether you like the change in the attraction or not, it was a major moment for one of Disney’s most cherished attractions. I would have guessed collectors would have scooped stuff up left and right for value on the resale market looking ahead years from now.

This t-shirt below features the character in her previous version. Original price unknown, reduced to $18.50.

Cars Land sweatshirt. Love that logo.  Originally $59.99, now $24.99.

Who could this hat possibly be for? It’s based on a fictional TV station in the Cars Universe. I love Pixar’s Cars as much as anyone. Probably more than most because I would place the original Cars film in my Pixar top 5 along with Toy Story 2, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo. Even among Cars fans does though anyone even care about RSN?! Originally priced $27.99, now “just” $22.99.

This hat is like a mash-up of Genie from Aladdin and Dumbo. Original price unknown, reduced to $22.99.

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge backpack/purse. Originally $54.99, reduced to $43.99.

I guess you can probably see why you there aren’t many backpack/purses in the real world.

The Droid Factory action figure set. As a Star Wars collecting kid growing up, I would have killed for this if I saw it in the parks. Originally $49.99, now $36.98.

A Droid Depot Hair Bow. Well, if you’re gonna close out a series based on the Disney Outlet Stores, it would be hard to find a more fitting item. Originally $14.99, reduced to $10.98.

Lastly, I need to thank some of the people who have made the Outlet Report what is was over the past 8 years. The very first month we did this, the idea would be photographer Brandon Glover and I would go to the Outlets together and he would take glamour shots, while I would take notes and then write the article. We found out immediately that this was not practical. His photos of crappy items looked a million times better than my iPhone shots though. Over the years many others have helped with photos including Blog Mickey, Ben Wszalek, Nitro 230, Jaycob from Theme Park Shark, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders, and Joseph Machado. We can’t thank Christela McC enough for her amazing contributions over in California. Megan Stump has dutifully been along to try and catch all of the million typos I make each month, while the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and Nick have always been there to bounce ideas off of. TouringPlans’ own Julia Mascardo has been invaluable in resizing “header” photos, which is something I never understood how to do even after 8 years (including this month’s photo!). None of this would take place with Len Testa and Laurel Stewart signing off on it, but mostly I want to thank YOU, Dear Reader. I owe a debt of gratitude to every single one of you who took the time to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! over the last 8 years. While going to the Outlets wasn’t always great, writing the Outlet Report was, and I appreciate you letting me into your life for that brief period of time each month. It was a blast, and here’s looking ahead to the next adventure….

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH WITH A BRAND NEW SERIES!

Let’s remember some fond times over the last eight years..

…such as when there were rumors abounding that the Outlet Stores were banning photography. The discount stores, now being overrun by eBay resellers and YouTube vloggers like zombies overtaking cities in World War Z, had possibly had enough. But your intrepid Outlet Reporter had a plan. A plan so crazy, it just might work

 

But we also did SCIENTIFIC EXPERIEMENTS…

In a controlled environment, we carefully inspected our Note Pad Set. It contained four separate  note pads, each themed to an attraction in Magic Kingdom, including: Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Magic Kingdom themed “note pad set.”

CONFIRMED: Each individual note pad is the exact same throughout the pad.

As a person who has written on many notepads, it seemed illogical to me that anyone would want a notepad where there were other words on the pad that would make the note YOU would be writing harder to read. So we thought maybe the top sheet of the note pad would have the Disney-themed phrases on it, but underneath be blank ones you could actually use. During the special investigation we discovered this was not the case.

SCIENCE!

CONFIRMED: These note pads may be the cheapest quality ever created.

After we wrote a note, we discovered the mere act of removing one note from the pad almost ALWAYS damaged the actual note. Notice in the picture below that the “hand” of Peter Pan is already ripped. This tear happened even when removing the top note slowly from the pad.

Also, the “stickiness” of the note pads scored a “9” on our ranking. This was out of a possible score of “1,000.” As you can see, even when pressing the note down firmly on a flat area, it tended to “peel up.”

WHAT THIS MEANS: If you are a possible serial killer trying to leave taunting clues for the police, you may want to also carry a roll of scotch tape so that your note will be seen.

Walt Disney Imagineers are warned not to leave your important notes on these pads, as the words intended effect may be somewhat lost.

Here is what the Pirates of the Caribbean note pad looked like after slowly removing the top note in the picture above.

FINAL RESULTS: Do not buy these notepads.

You might ask yourself, who is this pen set for? Kids most likely don’t know what these creatures are, and if they did they probably don’t want the skulls unless they are Sid from Toy Story. The pen set was also originally priced at $24.99, which would make sense if the pen set was released in 2154 – the year the movie Avatar takes place in – but not so much in 2018. The set came to the Outlets and was priced at $7.99, and sat on the shelves for months.

Its a rough guesstimate, but I would say there is just about a complete turnover in merchandise at the Outlets every 4-6 weeks. Its not often for an item to last at the Outlets for a long time, and on the rare occasion it does, the item is generally something that is sold across the entire property, like a Star Wars toy (which  you can buy at gift shops in all four Disney parks, at Disney Springs, and at many Disney hotels.) This pen set has been sitting at the Outlets for over half a year. Believe me, I’ve checked every single month to see if Disney came to their senses and lowered the price. FINALLY they did. The pen set was lowered to $3.99 and you better believe I bought it.

Turns out, the colors on the pens have absolutely no relation to the ink color. They all write in black. There is also no cover for any of the pens, nor a way to retract the tip, so its just a matter of time before they all dry out. This may be the most ill thought out pen design in the history of mankind. That said, it does make a good writing instrument for the important documents in your life.

The official name for this hideously ugly toy is a Prolemuris, but it’s commonly referred to as The Creepy Avatar Monkey. This figure had no moveable parts and was a solid piece of plastic, one that you could definitely use to beat to death anyone who gave it to you as a gift.

Avatar monkey. (art by Julette Elton)

One of the rare pieces of Disney merchandise to go “viral” is this bizarre looking Belle doll from the live action Beauty & the Beast film. Its supposed to be based around the look of Emma Watson, but instead looks more like one of the Maharelle sisters that Kristen Wiig played on SNL’s Lawrence Welk show.

Belle?
Emma Watson signed off on this?
OUR belle not as big a fan. (Art by Juliette Elton)

This Mickey “collectible figure” came straight from your nightmares, and was priced at $49.95 and limited to just 500 pieces. Each of these 500 figures was numbered. Now when you are selling numbered items, you start selling the lowest numbered ones first because everyone wants a low number. You can imagine how many of these figures they sold in the ‘real world’ when ones numbered as low as 50/500 made it to the Outlets. Ok it looks weird, but here’s the kicker. This figure is themed around the 13 REFLECTIONS OF EVIL trading event at EPCOT back in September of 2013.

Mickey?

 

This is one mouse who ain’t happy. (Art by Juliette Elton)
Next up is a Star Wars item that makes even the prequel films look good in comparison.

Life Day. (art by Juliette Elton.)

Speaking of shirts, how about one that seems hard to believe actually exists, even seeing it with our own eyes. A LeFou’s Brew distressed t-shirt from the “high end” 28 & Main line of clothing.

As Belle gives her thoughts on LeFou’s Brew the drink, Gaston and LeFou himself talk about his shirt (art by Juliette Elton)

Its always odd when you see a Disney character “off model,” but few were more off than these two pins featuring Frozen‘s Anna and Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘s Jessica Rabbit.

Anna?
“Do I really look like that?” (Art by Juliette Elton)

 

And of course the all time classic… SELF PLEASURING MICKEY

Who can forget this one.

“Cheese ‘n’ rice!” (Art by Juliette Elton)

 

2013July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2014Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2015Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2016Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2017Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2018Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2019Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2020Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept |Oct | Nov | Dec

2021: Jan | Feb | March | April | May

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35 thoughts on “The Last EVER Disney Outlet Store Photo Report (Maybe)

  • One of my most favorite series of all time! MM&M is right up there with Jack Spence’s columns from the old All Ears. Will look forward to your wonderful humor on the Saturday Six and can’t wait to see the new column! Many, many thanks for hours of Disney fun!

    Reply
  • Thank you for the Outlet reports, a consistently enjoyable mix of train wreck and ‘I kinda want one’.

    Something strange is afoot at the Outlets? Maybe nothing new, but the Goodwill E-Commerce shop on Vineland has been listing some interesting(?) lots on their auction site. The flow of 2021 F&W pins continues to amuse. Made me a little curious, thought you might like a look: https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Listings?st=&sg=&c=422&s=109&lp=0&hp=999999&sbn=False&spo=False&snpo=False&socs=False&sd=False&sca=False&caed=9/6/2021%2012:00:00%20AM&cadb=7&scs=False&sis=False&col=0&p=1&ps=40&desc=False&ss=0&UseBuyerPrefs=true

    Reply
  • I’m so sad, but if it’s not fun anymore, don’t waste your time with it! I’ll just have to have your narration in my head whenever I go to the outlet up here near Chicago. I look forward to your new series and wish you all the best!

    Reply
  • So sad that this feature is coming to an end! As a fan from the UK I read all of the previous entries in preparation before my first ever trip to Orlando and the outlets and found them so entertaining continued even after I returned. Look forward to the next feature and glad you don’t have to continue with something that was not bringing you joy

    Reply
  • Derek, I think I may have been reading your monthly reports since 2013. It’s the end of an era, waah.

    So many times your outlet report had me howling! But I agree with some of the others who said — it wasn’t the merch I was interested in; it was your hilarious ability to riff off what were often some pretty weird items. I’m looking forward to whatever you’re cooking up. I’ll be there.

    Reply
  • So sad but I totally get it. As others have posted, it was never about the merch, but your take on it that kept me coming back to the blog every month, looking for this series. I look forward to your new venture.

    Reply
  • I’ve really enjoyed reading these blog posts over the years and will miss my monthly fix of your dry humour. Good luck for your next venture, I’ll be reading along.

    Reply
  • I looked forward to this article every month for what new and crazy items Disney had agreed to sell. I will miss it!! I am sad the experience has been such a rough one lately. I will now have to actually venture to the Outlet near us a little more often to check for myself. I can’t wait for your new project! Good luck!

    Reply
  • Thank you for all the laughs! I will definitely miss your monthly posts, my husband and I read them religiously and they never disappointed. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

    Reply
  • Oh Noooooo! I looked so forward to seeing this report evry month. I do understand, though. It is just not fun to have to wait 2 or more hours to get into the store just to not buy anything because all they have is “junk” or everything is so expensive. I look forward to reading your new columns!

    Reply
  • Thank you for all the many enjoyable outlet posts. I’m sorry it stopped being fun and think the change wise. I’ll miss it though. All the best!

    Reply
  • Ooof. I will say that this has been an end of the month highlight for many years now. Thank you for providing humor and wit to a rather tounge in cheek project. With all of the changes, I can totally get behind needing a break and wanting to branch out. Maybe this becomes a task for new interns.

    I look forward to what is coming.

    Reply
  • Ouch! First Conan O’Brien leaving the late night scene and now this! But as others have mentioned, the merch was merely a vessel for your hilarity – can’t wait to see what’s next! I’ll go re-read the archives while I wait.

    Reply
  • Another dynasty bites the dust! Sad to see this end, but like many others that have commented so far…always looked forward to this report and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Unless it involves detailed accounts of professional Japanese baseball games! #ding#ding#ding

    Reply
  • Ending it on your terms. Gotta respect that.

    On to the next adventure!

    Reply
  • My husband and I loved reading the Outlet report on the last day of the month. It was like our standing date. We are so sad to see it end, but excited for what is to come! Thank you for the memories Derek. We look forward to more, just with a different topic of focus!

    Reply
  • Well this is just a crummy news day! First I read the news how extra hours will work come October 1 that does not benefit this family that stays offsite), but now the end of the monthly outlet report??? This is 2021! It’s supposed to be better!!!

    Reply
  • You are a treasure, Derek! Sad to see this series go, but your reasons are certainly valid. Looking forward reading about your next adventures!

    Reply
  • I’ve appreciated your hard work and humor. Thanks for such a fantastic series. I look forward to your new one!

    Reply
  • Thanks for the memories… can’t wait to see what the next endeavor might be.

    #alwaysteamburgan

    Reply
  • Wow. Your writing is wonderful stuff. I was a bit late to the blog and I had no idea you’d been doing this for so long. I’m off back to the beginning to read it all from the start. It’ll be such a treat. And I can’t wait to follow what happens next. Thank you!

    Reply
    • I enjoy your columns and can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve!

      Reply
  • Thank you so much for all the laughs, Derek! It has been an absolute joy to follow your series for all these years. So many unbelieveable items for sale, described with a wonderful sense of humor and new perspectives which made me laugh out loud every month. I am so relieved this is not goodbye, but a change into something new and exciting. Can’t wait to see what you are up to next!

    Reply
  • NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (in best Darth Vader scream). I look forward to this outlet report and Derek’s wit every month. So sad it is ending, but thanks for the laughs and occasional nightmare fuel. Hope you are cooking up something good for us in this new series!

    Reply
  • I must admit that I got a little choked up reading this. Partly because it includes yet another merch item for which I paid full price in the parks and partly because END OF AN ERA.

    Sending hugs to Casa Burgan. And I can’t wait to see what you’re working on next.

    Reply
  • Derek, this column and Saturday Six are my must reads! I’ll miss the Outlet Reports! (If you or someone else takes up a non-outlet merchandise snark column I’d be all over that.) I’m looking forward to whatever you come up with next, I’m sure it will make me laugh, too. Thanks for The Memories…

    Reply
  • So sad to read this era is ending. I have always loved this and looked forward to the end of the month for it. I thought it was mainly because I am a bargain hunter and really loved to see what was in the store. But when I watched other content of the outlets it was “meh” at best.
    The truth is that I really love your writing and wry perspective on the items Derek. That’s what I was coming for. And I will continue to come for the content you provide on this site.
    So, thank you for all the laughs and all the hard work. And thank you for inspiring me to visit the outlets on my last trip where I purchased an extremely hideous pair of leggings with different Disney birds on them that continues to be a source of embarrassment for my entire family. Original $49.99, now $8.

    Reply
  • Looking forward to your new series!

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  • Enjoy all your articles! Looking forward to the new project. As for the end of the outlet report, your humor and perspective were the draw, the merchandise was incidental, and if Disney makes the outlet experience so unpleasant, I’m glad you won’t have to suffer through it just to write this article anymore.

    Reply
    • This.

      Derek, I read TP Blog in no small part because of your posts. I have never visited (nor will I ever visit) a Disney Outlet Store, but I will always read your reporting. Looking forward to seeing what mischief you’ll get into next. 🙂

      Reply
  • Candles in honors of this last (for now) Outlet report. Looking forward to the new series!!

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  • Thanks for all the great reports since 2013. I’ve been a huge fan and even though I will miss the outlet report, I look forward to your new series.

    Reply
  • Disappointed you’re ending these buy looking forward to your new project

    Reply
    • Love you Derek these brown ght great laughter and “you gotta be kidding me!” Each month!

      Reply

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