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Mickey Mouse, popcorn, and long lines. These are constants at every Disney park, but one is certainly less beloved than the others.
While everyone expects to wait in line for their favorite ride or character meet-and-greet, sometimes queues pop-up in the most unexpected places — something guests recently discovered for themselves while visiting Disney’s newest theme park.
Credit: Disney
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Parkgoers at Shanghai Disneyland reportedly waited in line for eight hours this week in an effort to shop the Disney park’s latest merchandise drop: backpacks shaped like Duffy and CookieAnn.
Those joining the queue at Sweetheart Confectionery claimed that some people waiting in line suffered fainting episodes, while others tried to rush the store to grab a bag for themselves.
A shop at #Shanghai #Disneyland was overwhelmed recently with shoppers desperate to get their hands on new backpacks. https://t.co/vv2q0UlNEg pic.twitter.com/o7gI4xsIk0
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) March 15, 2024
According to local news outlet Shanghai Daily, Disney security was ultimately called in to control the line situation. A video shared online shows Shanghai Disneyland parkgoers also demanding a solution.
Credit: Disney
Related: Disney Store Overrun as Stampede of Guests Rips Shelves Apart in Frenzy
For some unlucky guests, the chaos and wait times ended up being futile. By evening, cast members were forced to deliver the news that the Duffy and CookieAnn backpacks had sold out. Shine reports that scalpers allegedly repeatedly rejoined the line occasions to purchase multiple items – despite this being prohibited – with several emerging on resale sites for higher prices later that day.
Scalpers also took advantage of the queuing system implemented by Disney. Online reservations for the line were released via Disney’s official Wechat account at 5 a.m., with all slots gone within several minutes. These slots were then sold for as much as 300 to 500 yuan ($42 to $69).
Credit: Shanghai Disneyland Resort
As guests complained about rampant disorganization, Shanghai Disneyland Resort later issued a statement on March 14 in which it promised to ensure smoother operations in the future. It added that it would also implement new measures to combat unauthorized reselling at the resort, and reminded guests to only purchase merchandise through official Disney outlets.
Scalping is becoming an increasingly serious issue not just at Shanghai Disneyland, but Disney theme parks worldwide. Over the past year, we’ve reported on scalpers exploiting the release of hyped merch at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort – especially limited edition popcorn buckets and sippers. In 2023, Disney introduced a ticket voiding system to prevent scalpers reselling tickets to limited events, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Have you noticed an increase in scalpers at Disney theme parks? Let us know in the comments!
This post Security Called in as Disney Park Line Reaches Eight Hours, Guests Faint appeared first on Inside the Magic.
