More Information on Mouse Gear's Renovation
Some months ago (yes, this may sound old news to many of you), we reported that Epcot's biggest Disney shop, "Mouse Gear", had received a fairly major renovation. This week, the official Disney Parks Blog shares some more information on the subject. Here's the article:
Mouse Gear 2.0 at Epcot
One aspect of working for Disney that I enjoy is the culture of continuous
improvement. You may recall that I love
quotes from Walt Disney and I recently found one that summarized his
approach to improvements at Disney
Parks: “Whenever I go on a ride, I’m always thinking of what’s wrong with
the thing and how it can be improved.” A great example of this philosophy in
action is now found at MouseGear in Epcot.
I recently visited this merchandise location to speak with Mike Myers, Manager
for Merchandise Operations at Epcot, about some of the enhancements.
“When MouseGear opened in 1999, it quickly became a top shopping destination
in Epcot,” explained Mike. “Around 18 months ago, we wondered how we could
improve on the shopping experience for our guests. [MouseGear] was a good
location but we wanted to make it a great location.”
That challenge was met by a team of individuals representing global retail
design, operations, planning, product development, facility asset management,
sourcing and Walt Disney Imagineering who worked together on this next evolution
of MouseGear. Construction started in August 2010 and was completed in phases
until this past month.
At first glance you may not notice the improvements, as they are seamless to
the experience. For me, I immediately noticed a difference as I worked in
MouseGear over 10 years ago. The location felt bigger and Mike confirmed my
observation.
“One improvement made was lowering the fixtures that hold merchandise,”
continued Mike. “By lowering the fixtures, the location feels more spacious. We
also relocated the registers to strategic points throughout the store thus
making checkout easier.”
This means the “wall of registers” that I recall from my time at MouseGear is
gone! Mike explained that new colorful signage and carpet were also added to the
mix.
“Each product area now has a color-coded sign and label that appear on new
store directional maps located at each entrance,” said Mike. “We installed new
carpeting that creates a pathway to make it easier for guests to explore.”
One final detail that is easy to spot is the cast members’ new costumes. I
love the nod to Spaceship
Earth on the front of the shirt, and the colors look sharp (they match the
colors now used in the location)! Mike explained that one item was added to the
costume that may be familiar to many guests.
“During the costume review process, Gina Errico, General Manager of
Merchandise at Epcot, suggested a ‘Hidden Mickey’ be added to the costume,”
continued Mike. “We loved the idea as ‘Hidden Mickeys’ are found in many
locations at Disney Parks. We added a small one to the back of the cast members’
shirts. But don’t tell anyone!”
It's really nice to see Mouse Gear in a better shape. The carpet was really worn out, and the general look of the shop looked a bit too old, so we can say that this refurbishment was really needed.
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