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Disney Soda Fountain becoming Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Disney Studio Store?!

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Disney Soda Fountain becoming Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Disney Studio Store?!
ClanMcDuck

ClanMcDuck

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It says it will be a partnership so I'm pretty sure they'll keep the pin aspect of the soda fountain. Maybe we'll see better ice cream served with the ptds. :)
 
Just heard from a trusted source that the staff got laid off. 2 weeks notice. Apparently, ptds and maybe pins in general are done.
 
Melonballer said:
Just heard from a trusted source that the staff got laid off. 2 weeks notice. Apparently, ptds and maybe pins in general are done.
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That's harsh. Why not re-train or add training to them? AND why end pins when they just added Open Edition pins?

TheOtherSteve said:
I wonder if there will be a big surprise release of all of the remaining PTD pins that are in the stock room?
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!!! We're gonna be spending a lot of money if this is true.
 
We will just have to wait and see. He said that Patty, who designed most of the pins, is gone. We should get more verification over the next couple weeks.

Not sure why they laid off everyone. It would make sense to retrain the general staff in the way Ghiradelli does things.
 
Ghirardelli Chocolate will partner with The Walt Disney Company to feature a specially created sundae treat for the opening of the new Disney animated movie “Frozen” this November. In future months, Ghirardelli Chocolate will create original ice cream sundaes for select film releases, providing El Capitan moviegoers with a unique Ghirardelli experience. In continuing with this partnership, the new soda fountain and chocolate shop joins the existing Disney Studio Store which offers an assortment of classic Disney character souvenirs, merchandise from current film releases playing at El Capitan Theatre, highly sought after collectible pins, and a large selection of Blu-Ray and DVD home entertainment.


That sounds like all they're doing is adding Ghirardelli to the ice cream / food part and keeping the studio store as is....they're just adding and making the ice cream a name brand that fits more with Disney. PTDs might be gone, but as a studio store they can easily say, well we have a Pin Trader Delight and this is how it works. So it might be just Ghirardelli sundaes with Disney pins :)

Pins are sold by the Disney Studio Store.
 
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LiliMay said:
You know what NEEDS to happen. Have a PTD at ghirardelli at California adventures location!
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THAT would be EPIC-ly awesome!

Melonballer said:
Just heard from a trusted source that the staff got laid off. 2 weeks notice. Apparently, ptds and maybe pins in general are done.
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Thats too bad, it would have been nice to keep seeing the same staff... But Ed will still be there! he is El Capitan right?!?!?!!?!?

Combatdre said:
This article is more optimistic for those whose income depends on DSF... Lol

http://pinkmonorail.com/news/goodbye-soda-fountain-ghirardelli-el-capitan-theatre
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Based on what i have read, and what I am THINKING....

DSF will still have the disney shop, and the pins. Ghiridelli will supply the ice cream, and chances are the FOOD menu will go away. My speculative guess is that While "PTD's" will go away, the Ghiridelli side will have that special sundae and a pin will go with it for the movie they feature. The question is, how much will the new Movie sundaes cost, and will they be le300, 500, 700, or LR???? ;)

Man... now my wait list methods might have to change for those releases i dont need for myself. Darn it!
 
My speculative side is that if they keep pins, they will run them through another pin source (DLR, WDW, WDI, etc) versus allowing DSF to "do their own thing."
 
Ed Collins is the overall manger for the complex and will still be there (according to his linkedin profile his title is: Director of Operations at The Walt Disney Company)
 
hopemax said:
My speculative side is that if they keep pins, they will run them through another pin source (DLR, WDW, WDI, etc) versus allowing DSF to "do their own thing."
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DSF is still part of the studio group - so maybe the same people who do the pins for the WDI Studio Store will do pins for DSF
 
In situations like this the staff is usually "fired" for a variety of legal and accounting reasons. They are usually invited back to interview for new positions. I would imagine the Studio Store side would try and hire back as many as they can and Ghirardelli would probably hire back some of the staff as well.

Since the press release specifically mentions pins, I believe they will continue to be released on the Studio Store side. The fate of PTDs will largely depend on whether or not Ghirardelli wants to deal with it or not. Depending on how many pins they have left, they might offer PTDs until they sell out and then decide if it is worth the effort after that. I don't think the soup, sandwiches, etc. will survive, but maybe they'll expand the El Capitan offerings so they can continue their breakfast and a movie promotions.

The big question for us pin traders is how will this affect pin releases. They've been pretty good to us all things considered, but once Ghirardelli takes over are they going to still offer us coffee on a cold day, let us sit at their tables to inspect our pins, and use their restrooms?

While this announcement is probably causing a lot of uncertainty among us pin traders, let's not forget that the people who have had to put up with us are now facing uncertain futures. So let's hope they all find new, higher paying jobs.
 
bombardon3 said:
While this announcement is probably causing a lot of uncertainty among us pin traders, let's not forget that the people who have had to put up with us are now facing uncertain futures. So let's hope they all find new, higher paying jobs.
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+100!!! for those DSF staff here on DPF, We are ALL crossing our fingers for you to get rehired or a better brighter future! You deserve much for putting up with our Crap. ;)
 
My guess is that a LOT of changes will be taking place. For whatever reason DSF has done business so badly and opened themselves up to so many potential lawsuits and I can assure you that Ghiraidelli is run MUCH tighter than that. If its true and they see the chaos that goes on surrounding the pin releases, my money says they put it to a screeching halt or back out of the business altogether.

While they have made improvements to the way they are setting up and distributing, they are still tolerating the massive crowds, overnight campers and all of those things are a PR nightmare not to mention the potential problems that all spell financial losses.

Just my 2 cents but I suggest that those sharks out there making a living from flipping pins......count your days, start looking for a real job or alternative hustle. From my experience with Ghiradelli corp, they will not be party to that kind of bs and I honestly believe that they either do not know about it or have already made it clear that things will have to change immediately. IF however they are simply going to be the named brand ice cream and not actually stepping in and absorbing part of the business, my guess is that they will continue to isolate the collectors and continue to run business as usual.

I have priced out several times what it would cost to do pin releases/sales online vs. the way they do them now and doing ALL pin sales online via a lottery would save them money, stop the incessant reselling/flipping that is pushing out new collectors and keep order around the shop, where hey Hollywood has enough drama without the sharks/collectors/mules clogging up the streets.

We shall see how this plays out.


*Read the linked post and it seems that they are really taking over so my vote goes to things changing in a BIG way and very quickly. Unlike the deaf ears of DSF, these guys do not like drama and will do everything possible to avoid it.
 
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