Strollers, take 5 - slow build up
Another reader mail of note:
A small note on alienating guests with high priced strollers. Most guests, even if they are frequent, experience some degree of "sticker shock" at a Disney park. Everything is so expensive. Most of us either expect it and plan for it or get over it. However, there are many people who don't get over it and will continue to use that as a negative factor throughout their vacation, especially if they have to rent the expensive stroller because they left their own at home. (I don't even want to think about the negatives of trying to "make do" without the stroller at WDW. That's got to just be hell.) When little Jimmy asks for that $20 light spinner, the answer will be "no, we've already spent enough!" That $10 bucket of popcorn will be "outrageous". They may forego snacks, souvenirs, experiences while in the park, meaning less money in Disney's pocket overall. If they have the choice, they may eat off property. When you raise prices without purpose, there is no value in what people are purchasing and this makes them resentful about every subsequent purchase they make. If one thing isn't worth it, nothing else will be "worth it" either. This sort of "nickel and diming" creates resentment among the very people you want to be happy. Happy people spend more money. Happy people open their wallets for a $30 per person character meal because "it's worth it". Grumpy people eat at McDonald's and keep thinking up new ways to make sure Disney doesn't get more of their money than they already have. Grumpy people think twice about where they travel to next vacation. Will exorbitant stroller rental fees impact whether people go to WDW the following year? Probably not, but the overwhelming feeling that "everything is just so expensive and not worth it" might. While Disney might be making a small, short term profit, the larger, long term effects mean a much greater financial loss.
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Is it any wonder I get emails from other folks who are fed up with the prices and the declines in quality? Here's a different reader who wrote me on the same day, talking about a different article:
I just read your article “Declining by Degrees: The Definition and Context” at Miceage.com. Thank you for putting my thoughts on paper and putting them in such order. I could not find anything wrong with your thesis. I am one of those fans who use to return to WDW every year and living in Atlanta sometimes we would make up an excuse to get down there 2 or 3 times in a year. Buying an annual pass was justifiable. No longer. We purchased our DVC membership 10 years ago and we have been to WDW 3 times since our purchase. Every time we go I complain about how the magic is gone. I found myself reading your article and shaking my head in agreement to all your points. I hope someone from Disney Management reads this and takes it to heart.
