Personal shopping goes a step further at Disney World

Personal shoppers are often found in stores such as Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, seeking out the perfect Manolo Blahnik shoes or Armani suits for their wealthy clients.But now, with dozens of new retailers at Disney Springs, the entertainment complex...

BUSINESS
07 February 2017 Tuesday 16:29

Personal shopping goes a step further at Disney World

Personal shoppers are often found in stores such as Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, seeking out the perfect Manolo Blahnik shoes or Armani suits for their wealthy clients.

But now, with dozens of new retailers at Disney Springs, the entertainment complex is offering a personal shopper, too.

Orlando blogger and stylist Melanie Pace, who has worked with clients including Bloomingdale’s and Mall at Millenia, has gotten Walt Disney World’s stamp of approval to be a personal shopper for its retail and dining area. Her expertise will include fashion and beauty recommendations.

The advice comes at a steep price: $250 an hour. The cost also includes, in some cases, the ability to get into select stores a little early.

Disney said in an email it added the option because of guest requests. The company and Pace declined to be interviewed.

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, editor of the MousePlanet blog, thinks Disney’s move is primarily a marketing strategy.

By offering a professional consultant, “they’re kind of dog-whistling that, ‘Hey, we’re the type of retail destination that is worthy of supporting this type of service,’” Vincent-Phoenix said. “I don’t know to what degree they’re actually expecting anybody’s going to use that service. But it’s them positioning themselves as a legitimate fashion retail destination.”

Shore, a clothing shop that says its average item costs between $85 and $90, opened in June at Disney Springs. “That concierge type of service” is a good way to build customer relationships, said Lindsey Osburn, a brand manager at the store.

The expansion of Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, began in 2013. It is doubling the number of tenants with new restaurants and retailers, including Lilly Pulitzer, Anthropologie and Uniqlo. Lately, Disney Springs has marketed to locals, introduced a holiday drone show and offered its first Black Friday sale.

The new personal shopper service appears to be “geared to people with money who are looking for VIP experiences,” said Deb Wills, editor-in-chief of the All Ears theme park website.

Disney theme parks have wooed the wealthy with other options meant to generate more cash. This month, Magic Kingdom added a $199 Ultimate Disney Classics VIP Tour to Disney World’s assortment of in-park upgrades. Disneyland in California recently unveiled a $15,000 seven-course meal for up to a dozen people, prepared by two master chefs and served on gold-plated dishes, in a dining room that includes a balcony with a view of “Fantasmic.” Last year, the Magic Kingdom began offering nighttime weddings starting at $180,000.

Not all of the pricey options last for long: Last month, Disney World discontinued what it said was a test of Magic Kingdom cabanas that cost up to $691 to rent.

For years, entrepreneurs have offered a different kind of Disney personal shopping not squarely aimed at big spenders. They buy and ship souvenirs and clothing at the theme parks for aficionados who can’t purchase in person.

Vincent-Phoenix ran such a service out of Disneyland in California, but saw less demand because of online shopping. Now, she primarily buys mouse ear hats and personalizes them with people’s names or company logos.

DisneyStore.com sells theme park items. In 2015, Disney unveiled a “Shop Disney Parks” app.

“We did notice a little bit of a decline” after the Shop Disney Parks app debuted, said Melinda Redman, part of the husband-and-wife team behind Minneola-based Your Personal Pixie.

Redman’s husband, Justin, picks up and ships items people request from theme parks, tacking on a surcharge for the service. Customers make about $200,000 worth of purchases annually through My Personal Pixie, Melinda Redman said.

Melinda Redman said her company can offer things that are difficult or impossible to get via online shopping. That includes gift recommendations.

Or, take Disney-themed Dooney and Bourke purses. Some customers are picky about the design. They’ll want to make sure an entire Figment is on the front of the purse and not cut off, for example. Redman said she will go to the park and find exactly the right bag. Cruise-ship items from the airport, marathon memorabilia and limited-edition pins are also all popular, Redman said.

“I actually know a lot of personal shoppers,” Redman said. “A lot of the ones that do it are Disney fans, and they do it just for the love of Disney, to be connected to the parks.”

spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240; Twitter @SandraPedicini

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