When Will Potter Retail Queues be Changed for Retail?

[epcyclopedia]

Just a thought I keep having..

Even during the peak-est times recently, I didn't see the queues for the shops in Diagon being used.

Many are just "outside" and so you remove the poles, you remove the queue.. but in particular the owl-cage filled space next to Madame Malkins seems like it's dying to become a real store. There are many others hidden away that could easily become something.

And a side tangent.. whose idea was it to store outdoor vending carts in a massive building at the end of Hogsmeade in prime real estate? That thing next to the snowman? It's a giant storeroom for outdoor vending with a ramp up/down into it. That seriously should have been another store and stow the karts where they belong - offstage in a parking lot at night. It's not like you functionally bring some out during the day.

 

[MillenniumDragons]

Yeah I've noticed this in Diagon, but I still think those extended queues would be big enough for the cash register and a couple stands of gifts. Also, with Hogsmeade, are you referring to the Butter Beer stand? If so, that won't happen because butter beer is kind of like an edible souvenir. There's construction between Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park, maybe that's a Hogsmeade gift shop...and not Kong...!?

 

[epcyclopedia]

Not the butterbeer stand - i get the popularity.

It's the "building" at the end of the block right before the pathway and then Hogwarts.

That large last chunk of building is just a massive storage space for merch carts. It's ridiculous. Custom-made too with the ramp and all. So think of all the closed doors and fake-stores you see.. and realize there's very little going on behind them besides holding carts and other storage stuff.. in what could be very real very functional guest space.

Diagon oddly enough has storage spaces too, but they are often smaller and less noticeable. I mean, i want Jellied Eels for REALS but i understand that the 8 wandkeeper rooms have to be kept somewhere in real physical space.

Behind Diagon/Kingscross is a new building which I presume is going to become retail storage and operations offices. It's that thing people can see from the extended queue of Gringotts. Right now merch lives in big freight car things that are plopped around haphazardly. I've been told it's a reason DA runs out of merch randomly but then has it again without more arriving.. it's just lost in the giant freight thingies and occasionally they even find new stuff they never sold before.

 

[epcyclopedia]

So.. the consensus is.. "never" or "not needed" or something along those lines?

Am I the only one who wants more Potter retail?!?

I mean, do we not think random empty rooms where queues used to be now detract from the experience..? I do.

 

[awhen]

So.. the consensus is.. "never" or "not needed" or something along those lines?

Am I the only one who wants more Potter retail?!?

I mean, do we not think random empty rooms where queues used to be now detract from the experience..? I do.

Throw some benches in there or something. Too many people sitting on the street like the wizarding world's homeless detracts from the experience even more.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Well, like with Malkins, why not make it a fitting room? Or heck, put the registers in there and a small queue and leave the rest to actually be retail space.

But i could certainly see it being set like.. i dunno, public gathering space with tables/chairs/etc.. It's not like they really have much near Fortescues and the Butterbeer place.

 

[Mockingjay]

Well, there is a couple of different things that they could do with the owlery. However, what makes the most sense to me would be to knock down the wall separating it from Florean Fortesque's and use it as an extended queue for the ice cream shop. Every time I went to Diagon Alley this year both in July and October there was always a line out the door going along the side and across the entrance to the Fountain of Fair Fortune and Knockturn Alley. It would be an awesome solution to what can become a big traffic flow issue.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Well, there is a couple of different things that they could do with the owlery. However, what makes the most sense to me would be to knock down the wall separating it from Florean Fortesque's and use it as an extended queue for the ice cream shop. Every time I went to Diagon Alley this year both in July and October there was always a line out the door going along the side and across the entrance to the Fountain of Fair Fortune and Knockturn Alley. It would be an awesome solution to what can become a big traffic flow issue.

Friends don't let friends buy ice cream from Floreans. Friends know that if the butterbeer place isn't packed, they'll walk next door and bring you back whatever you ask for.. and it's commonly not busy.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, the same applies to Wheasley's and the Quiddich shop. 20min wait to buy a Pigmy Puff? Nay! Push the people not-buying-scarves out of the way and purchase within moments.

 

[Mockingjay]

I would agree with that statement if:

A. We weren't dealing with the same masses that can't even find Diagon Alley in the first place and don't know that little tidbit like you and I about being able to get Butterbeer Icecream from the Fountain of Fair Fortune.

B. People like to get other flavors of ice cream other than Butterbeer at Florean Fortesque's, which you can't get at the Fountain of Fair Fortune. Which means the majority of the time the line will be in fact out the door because, well it's Florida for crying out loud.

Why not hide the unsightly line in that indoor queue for Madame Malkins and improve traffic flow in that back area at the same time? I don't know about you but even on a busy day in Diagon Alley I have never waited more than 5 minutes to purchase anything at any of the stores in Diagon/Knockturn Alley, so why we need to put more retail/registers there instead is beyond me.

 

[epcyclopedia]

I havent seen Florean's out the door lately though. Not any busier than the ice cream place with the big glass elephant at Disneyland.

 

[Mad Dog]

It will probably take a bit more time for management to see what trends and tendencies for sales are in the various shops. Six months isn't really much time to get a true picture. There's probably fluctuations, and introduction of newer merchandise may affect sales. I would think they will adapt to whatever changes may need to be made once they have a clear picture. This is still a very new area and original projections in retail are generally just guesses. Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong.

 

[epcyclopedia]

It will probably take a bit more time for management to see what trends and tendencies for sales are in the various shops. Six months isn't really much time to get a true picture. There's probably fluctuations, and introduction of newer merchandise may affect sales. I would think they will adapt to whatever changes may need to be made once they have a clear picture. This is still a very new area and original projections in retail are generally just guesses. Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong.

The merch lives in big shipping containers backstage. Because of that, things aren't exactly put out in a normal fashion.. they kind.. "find stuff" and then put it out. There's merch that's been around sicne day 1 but hasn't ever seen the light of day because it's hiding in a shipping container.. somewhere.

Hence the new building going up directly behind the area - to allow merch to have an inventory control location.

 

[Mad Dog]

The merch lives in big shipping containers backstage. Because of that, things aren't exactly put out in a normal fashion.. they kind.. "find stuff" and then put it out. There's merch that's been around sicne day 1 but hasn't ever seen the light of day because it's hiding in a shipping container.. somewhere.

Hence the new building going up directly behind the area - to allow merch to have an inventory control location.

Sounds like a step in the right direction if that was an issue.

 

[epcyclopedia]

The biggest culprits I've seen are the Weasley's and Quiddicht shops. Various food items, toys, etc.. at Weasley's are "out of stock" ("possibly, we're not sure, hey look I found one!")

 

[Teebin]

Hence the new building going up directly behind the area - to allow merch to have an inventory control location.

Is this the same building that Human Resources is going into? It appeared to be three stories as I recall.

 

[Quint]

Is this the same building that Human Resources is going into? It appeared to be three stories as I recall.

Second floor will house training rooms.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Is this the same building that Human Resources is going into? It appeared to be three stories as I recall.

I dunno, is HR moving? It's in a fairly big and dedicated building as it stands now - and they just opened a crap ton of offices in what appears to be a three story building. Admin Services essentially.

The one I'm thinking of is a little building maybe 2 stories right under and behind Kings Cross (parts of it poke out underneath the Kings Cross platform area facade). Admin Services is a big 3-story building that just opened right on Turkey Lake Rd with an elevated crosswalk to the Team Park garage. Current HR is in the building to the left of Wardrobe (roughly in-line with the dragon).

Current HR and the new building behind Diagon essentially face each other across the backstage road (and HR's other side is the team member parking lot). The new Admin building is not on the backstage road.

 

[Teebin]

I dunno, is HR moving? It's in a fairly big and dedicated building as it stands now - and they just opened a crap ton of offices in what appears to be a three story building. Admin Services essentially.

I believe Quint posted here that HR was also going into the new building. Perhaps I am misrecalling his post? Quint?

 

[epcyclopedia]

I wouldn't doubt HR would possibly go into Admin Services. That building is big and front/center on Turkey Lake. The current HR is hidden behind the garage and has parking in the middle of the Team Member lot. It's not easy to find since they put the garage up.

 

[Quint]

I believe Quint posted here that HR was also going into the new building. Perhaps I am misrecalling his post? Quint?

My understanding is the second floor will house training rooms for the Learning and Development division of Human Resources.