NEED TO KNOW
- Disney theme parts donates lost items to various charity organizations
- Proceeds help support children in local areas
- Guests have up to three months to track down items before they are sold
“Shoot, I left my sunglasses behind” is a phrase almost all of us have regrettably lamented while on vacation.
Disney is no exception. Each day, the U.S. resorts — Disney World in Orlando, Florida and Disneyland in Anaheim, California — collect hundreds of forgotten items, from newly bought Mickey Mouse ears and valuable souvenirs to personal belongings.
So what happens to all the misplaced merchandise and useful objects the resorts find? Well, they’re sold in a lost and found charity sale.
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At Disney World, every three months, the resort drives 40 miles north and donates shipments of lost items to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida Thrift store.
“A lot of items are brand new things people purchased in Disney parks, they leave them somewhere in a bag and they don’t claim them,” said Betsy Owens, Vice President of Marketing for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, Florida Today reports. “We’ve gotten brand new Oakley sunglasses with the tags on them.”
These unclaimed items are then listed at a fraction of the initial price, expanding the accessibility of merchandise to fans without breaking the bank. The thrift store also regularly posts updates on new deliveries and discounts on its Facebook page.
Sales from thrift stores help support nearly 12,000 children in the area by funding programs and offering financial assistance, according to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.
“Disney is a huge supporter of the Boys & Girls Club,” Owens said, per Inside the Magic. “We are fortunate to be one of the local charities that they are extremely generous to — this is just a small fraction of their overall support.”
In addition to delivering merchandise and sunglasses to thrift stores, Disney donates excess fabric, tech and office supplies to nonprofits and local schools in the area.
“It’s no surprise that the Disney items are some of the most popular at the thrift store,” Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida’s CEO Jamie Merrill said. “This is just a small fraction of their overall support. I cannot overstate the impact this has on our organization.”
Disneyland, meanwhile, offers a yearly lost and found sale of merchandise at the Orange County Goodwill, which is located just 15 minutes from the park. All proceeds go to the organization.
The items, according to the Orange County Register, are typically sold between $3 and $5 — which is about 90% off from traditional park prices.
It’s a sale so good that long lines often form, the outlet said, with the large parking lot filling up quickly. Disneyland cast members are even given early admission to shop before the general public steps in.
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For both parks, Disney uses a cloud-based lost and found system and promises to provide an update 48 hours after filing a lost item report on their website. The House of Mouse gives the original owners up to three months to track down their lost belongings.
Still, some believe that’s not enough time.
“Not my pink mirrored Raybans that I literally think you have on,” one user commented under a TikToker who shared her Disney thrift store finds. “I lost them last September, and filed out a lost and found report. Is there a small scratch across the middle of one of the lenses?”
“Yes,” TikToker Beercutieandfoodie succinctly wrote back — another user joking that the two needed to set up a sale of their own.
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