New | China’s flagship Disney store accused of keeping shoppers waiting in line
Customers say only 50 people are allowed in at a time, although 100 were let in together on the first few days of the Shanghai shop’s opening
China’s flagship Disney store may be deliberately creating long queues outside its doors to simulate demand, by limiting the number of people in its shop to only 50 at a time, according to a local newspaper.
The store, which opened to great fanfare in Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district last Wednesday, saw long lines of enthusiastic shoppers on opening day. But the queues have persisted four days later, with people still having to wait more than an hour to shop for Disney toys and merchandise in the store, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.
Shoppers said the store had tightened its crowd-control measures since Saturday, letting only 50 people inside at a time, although 100 people were allowed in together on the first few days. Some also complained they had to walk nearly 2km under the hot sun to locate a washroom as the facility was not available in the 860-square-metre store.
But people in the store did not have to queue to pay for their shopping, the newspaper reported. The store said its crowd-control measures were aimed at creating a comfortable environment for its shoppers.
The South China Morning Post reported last week that the store can accommodate up to 300 shoppers at a time.