Name-Dropped and Custom Products

Where

the Name (From page 78)

Minor League Naseball store are online orders or curbside pickup, said General Manager Hunter Reed . “Hats and T-shirts — that’s the majority of orders that we’re filling,” said Reed. “And if someone wants to come in, we can open the store up for them.” Popular gifts include novelties like baseball cards and lapel pins.

“We sell a ton of headwear. Hats are just a thing guys like to wear. …A lot of hats look like they’re fitted, but they’re actually just one size. Ours actually come in sizes, and guys like that.”

Online sales are way up and in-store purchases down at the Tacoma Rainiers official store, according to Manager Kyle McGilvray . “And we always had curbside pickup, but now people use it a lot more,” he said of the Minor League Baseball team shop. Licensed masks, along with traditional winter items like sweatshirts and beanie caps, have been strong sellers this season.

Pandemic concerns around social distancing and contamination are also occasioning subtle shifts in the way retailers display merchandise. Patrons are more concerned about personal space and less comfortable touching merchandise that may have been handled by others.

“Before, we just jammed as much as possible out there,” said McGilvray of the Tacoma Rainiers store. “Now, we’re conscious of trying to be a little more conscious about putting less stuff out there on the floor at any time. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for people to find what they need without having to flip through a lot of merchandise.”

The Pittsburgh Fan, a store catering to all the major sports in that city, has also done some subtle rearranging. “We’re a small store, so we had to come up with some new ways to display things,” said Assistant Manager Rob Starr . “We’ve spaced it out a little more so that it feels safe.”

Shirts and hats named wrapped with the local teams are the perennial best-sellers. “Now that the weather is colder, we’re also selling a lot of winter hats, sweatshirts, and jackets,” Starr noted. “But for sure, masks are the biggest seller right now — whether Steelers, Pirates or Penguins.”

After all, for the most devoted fans, team branded masks are the single accessory they didn’t have in their collection a year ago. ❖

What Are Your Top Licensed Gifts for Women?

In Lincoln, Neb., where Huskers fans already own jerseys and caps, licensed team jewelry is a favorite women’s gift, said Best of Big Red Store Manager and Buyer

Joey Rupp. “We sell a lot of necklaces [and] earrings in stainless steel and gold,” she said. “Some of it’s blingy, some is not so blingy. It’s all really popular.”

At The Pittsburgh Fan, hoodies in a thinner, T-shirt fabric are a hot seller for women this year, said Assistant Manager Rob Starr. Hoodies have also been a favorite for female Tacoma Rainiers fans: “We always do really well with the hoodies from ‘47 Brand,” said Team Store Manager Kyle McGilvray, adding that fleece crewnecks are a runner-up.

At On The Field, a sports store in Seattle, Manager Martin Wilson has noticed women buying licensed youth jerseys rather than the official women’s styles. “They’ll complain about the collar on the women’s style, plus the youth shirt is cheaper,” Wilson observed. “It sounds funny, but a lot more people buy our children’s jerseys for women than parents buying them for kids.” ❖