The 57-Second Rule: How Disney Makes You Spend More After Every Ride (Ep. 38)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 March 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of I Want That Too, Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey dive into the secrets behind Disney’s gift shops and why you’re always tempted to buy merch after every ride. From Mattel’s influence in the 1990s to the psychological tricks Imagineers use to boost sales, you’ll never look at a Disney gift shop the same way again. • The 57-Second Rule – How Disney learned that you need to see merch within 57 seconds of exiting a ride for the best chance of making a sale. • The Origins of Post-Ride Gift Shops – How Mattel’s push for in-park sales changed Disney’s approach to retail. • The Tower of Terror Drama – Why Tower Hotel Gifts was doomed to fail and how Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster fixed Disney’s merch strategy. • Springtime Traditions at Disney – Lauren previews the Egg-stravaganza scavenger hunt and new pastel plush collections. • Disney Adults and Expensive Vacations – Why Disney is marketing more to adult fans and the rising costs of theme park trips. Whether you’re a Disney merch collector or love uncovering theme park secrets, this episode is packed with fascinating stories and insider info. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	As a small business owner, my favourite thing about posting a job on LinkedIn is that when I hit send, I clock out and LinkedIn clocks in.
0:07.0	LinkedIn makes it easy to post your job for free. Get qualified candidates and manage them all in one place.
0:12.9	Plus, LinkedIn extends the reach of your job posts by allowing you to share it with your network.
0:17.7	And hiring managers that add a hiring frame to their LinkedIn profiles
0:21.5	receive two times more qualified applicants. Go to LinkedIn.com slash agree to post your job
0:27.4	for free. Terms and conditions apply. Welcome back to I Want That Too, the podcast where Disney
0:33.6	merch meets Disney history. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill and as always I'm joined by
0:39.8	the lovely Lauren Hersey. How are you tonight, Lauren? I am fantastic. How are you, Jim?
0:45.3	I am enjoying my, my seltzer water. Again, I've reached that edge where this is what I consider
0:53.5	an adult beverage.
0:55.0	So it's sad but true.
0:57.3	Listen, we call it Bublier in my household because we are fancy, bougie.
1:03.3	So enjoy.
1:05.0	I got a Coke Zero going on, which is my new latest favorite discovery ever.
1:09.7	It actually tastes like Coke.
1:11.5	Is it really?
1:12.3	Yeah, I haven't drank soda in like, I don't know, five years.
1:16.5	And then I tasted Coke zero, and I was like, ooh, and you get a little caffeine hit,
1:21.0	A plus on my end.
1:22.1	That reminds me that Bobcat Goldthwaite, a comedian I love.
1:26.4	And now a film director, by the way,
1:27.9	I used to do this wonderful bit in his stand-up routine
	...

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