Disney now testing My Disney Experience Shop in Store mobile checkout

Dec 04, 2020 in "MyMagic+"

Gallery / 2 Photos
Shop in Store screen shots

Posted: Friday December 4, 2020 11:!1am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Mobile checkout at retail stores is coming to Walt Disney World via My Disney Experience and is now in testing at two locations.

Shop in Store screen shots

Currently limited to Mouse Gear at EPCOT and Everything POP at Disney's Pop Century Resort, you can buy merchandise without having to visit a register. Here is how out works:

You pickup a special mobile checkout bag when you enter the store.
Use My Disney Experience to scan items and then place them in the bag.
When finished, touch Check Out and pay on your phone.
As you exit the store, a Cast Member scans an app generated QR code to verify the purchase.

The move to self service comes at a time of Disney saving labor costs and minimizing Cast Member interaction due to COVID-19. Although new for Disney, similar systems have been in use at other retailers for some time, perhaps most notably at Apple and Walmart.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

CntrlFlPeteDec 16, 2021

I feel we saved time when using the APP as we did not have to wait in line to get to the register. When leaving the store, I guess it takes a little less time than it does at the register as they do not have to ring everything up -- a lot of things have security devices that need to be removed/disabled which would make spot checking the items sort of impractical as opposed to matching each item on the receipt.

SteveAZeeDec 16, 2021

What ever happened to using RFID tags in products (or product tags) to allow you to just walk past a sensor and have it do the checking out for you? I guess there are too many ways to cheat that system.

Chip ChippersonDec 16, 2021

Well, they certainly did their job! After about a minute of fumbling with it and realizing that the straps were getting more and more tangled around the hook of the hanger, I just gave up and handed it to the CM with a sheepish, "I'm sorry." It took her all of 3 seconds to separate them and hand me the shirt. It certainly wasn't my finest moment. LOL

HauntedPirateDec 16, 2021

That (random item check) is what I hope happens, plus maybe a visual inspection to make sure what's in your bag isn't (well) beyond what your receipt shows. If you have a receipt with 4 items, but there are obviously more than 4 items in your bag, give them a chance to rectify their mistake or else call security.

ImperfectPixieDec 16, 2021

Depending on the cut of the neck, those plastic straps are sometimes the only way a shirt won't slide right off a hanger.

sullyinMTDec 16, 2021

I wonder if they’ll eventually (quietly) move to random item checks? I routinely use a similar service at Sam’s Club, and the exit door greeter scans 3-4 items, regularly high priced or high demand items (TP a while back) and your digital receipt. I’m sure they still lose profit to shoplifting, but those losses are offset by far less staff in the store than there used to be (and built to to pricing to be sure).

Chip ChippersonDec 16, 2021

In theory, it's saving a little time per customer because that CM isn't ringing up each item at a register and then waiting for the customer to get their card or cash out, and then waiting for the card reader to approve the charge if using a card, and then bagging the items. It's probably not too much time per customer but it could potentially add up over the course of a day. In my case, I'm pretty sure I negated any time savings by struggling to get the hanger off the t-shirt my wife bought (because for some reason women's shirts need plastic straps on the inside?). I did enjoy not having to stand in line with 20 other groups who gave up on respecting personal space about a year ago, though.

HauntedPirateDec 16, 2021

That's the part that puzzles me about this. If you have CM's checking every single item that someone purchased against a receipt, then what is the savings? Anything beyond, I'd guess, 5-7 items and it becomes a time waster.

DVC TedDec 16, 2021

We used the new feature in the Creations Shop a couple weeks ago. It’s a fun idea but I’m not sure it saved us much time. The cast member painstakingly checked everything in our bag against the digital receipt. It would have been quicker if she had just checked us out. When buying just a few items, I think it would go fast. We had about 15 items so it was pretty tedious.

Walt dDec 16, 2021

Sounds like corporate is tracking you, and how much you spend.. soon they will have robots cooking food, who needs cm? No thanks

wdwmagicDec 16, 2021

Mobile Checkout expands to more Walt Disney World theme parks today https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/news/16dec2021-mobile-checkout-expands-to-more-walt-disney-world-retail-locations-today.htm

GillyanneDec 02, 2021

Does anyone know if they've enacted the purchase limits in the app? IIRC the way it works (when applicable as it's not all items) is 2 per person, but it could still be 1 transaction (so if you had 2 people, you could ring up 4 of an item in 1 purchase). When I was shopping with a friend we got multiples of an item but were able to put it all on 1 transaction in the app (but we did follow the rules and only had as many to account for 2 per person present). I don't recall, as we left, the person checking the items thoroughly enough to really count how many we had of something to how many people in the group. If it's not, I wonder if the checkers will be more thorough, or if some of the scalpers will use this to their advantage on the limits.... It could also depend on the CM doing the checking (just like parking); another time I was shopping, the CM made a comment about having "a lot" of stuff, but I had like 10 little items, so I was confused by the comment (probably didn't like having to look for each of the items)