Selling an Experience Gifts at Cave and Cavern Stores

By Genie Davis

Gift purchases at cave and cavern stores often focus on natural items, in keeping with the location – but not always. For this article, store managers and staff offered information on their top gifts and why these merchandise items are big sellers for them.

At Cave Without a Name in Houston, Texas, Manager Mike Burrell said the primary standout in gift sales is “cut geodes. We really sell a lot of them. We cut them right here in the store, and I think the reason they are so popular is because it is an interactive experience for our guests.” He also cited a second popular item: “Helmets with our name on them are also a big hit. Mostly they’re popular for kids, but every once in a while, adults will buy them, too.” He said the appeal of the helmets comes from the good memories the name-dropped item recalls, with the ability for kids to put on that helmet and remember the experience of being in the cave.

To sell more gift items, a strong display works best, Burrell attested. “The geodes, along with being a fun experience, they are right in the front of the store with a saw right next to them. A lot of people see them, and they can’t even make it through the front door without a geode in their hands, even when the cave tour is about to start,” he laughed. “We tell them the geodes will still be there when they get back.”

According to Burrell “It’s hard to tell who buys the most of our gift shop items, kids or adults, because it’s kind of a mix. But it’s probably more the adults, because the kids usually have to ask permission to purchase something.”

In Carlsbad, N.M., at Carlsbad Caverns’ gift store, Manager Kristi Haynie described the National Park shop’s best-selling items as “anything collectible. Since COVID-19, people are collecting items that they can purchase at many different National Park locations, not just here at Carlsbad Caverns. They seem to feel that now that they’re comfortable traveling again, they want to bring back a gift or a souvenir that they can keep or give from each location that identifies the location. Mugs are big for that reason, as are T-shirts, and puzzles that depict the location. I think puzzles are especially big,” she remarked. “Puzzles are something people can do at home, and it brings back the memory of having been here or it’s something they can share about the location as a gift for others.”

Haynie described the store’s merchandise as “very eclectic. We have a little

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We just have a pile of geodes, and you can select one, and we have a cutter here to crack it open. The fact that it is such an interactive experience and that the geodes are rock formations, that’s what makes them such a big hit. We also do very well with these little gem mining bags, we keep them in barrels along the wall. You take the bag, and you go out to our little sluice box, and you can sift through the dirt to find some gems. It’s another interactive thing for people. Those two items sell the most by far, whether people are going to keep them for themselves or give them, they’ve had an experience to get them.”

- Logan Cockerham, Black Chasm Caverns, Volcano, Calif.

bit of everything. Plush does great as a gift for children, and even for adults. The mugs that we sell the most of are made in America, and a little higher priced than things you might see outside a park at a gift store. They are well-made, and they have our logo on them. People ask for a very specific kind of mug with the logo, so they can add it to their collections.”

Like Burrell, display is key for selling more gifts at the Carlsbad Caverns store, Haynie noted. “We have a really large space here, so we display our merchandise in multiple locations throughout the store. We have so many people moving through the space, that we want to make sure the items can be seen in different areas.” She varies her display style throughout the store, as well. “We may have one type of item, for example magnets or pins, and we group them all together in one place. But at another location in the store, we may group them together by theme, such as magnets, pins, and plush items that all tie in with a theme, like the bats that the cave is known for. So, we cross merchandise the same items thematically and we also place them among like items at different places in the store. That mix of display styles works well for a large space.”

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Getting Great at Connecting with Customers Top Customer Service Tips

Like many gift stores, cave and cavern gift shop staff note that greeting or assisting customers in a cheerful and informed manner is the key to top customer service.

At Cave Without a Name in Houston, Texas, Manager Mike Burrell said, “Just try not to ignore people. Say ‘Hi’ to them when they come in the door and ask if they have any questions about anything. Good customer service is just the basic, simple stuff like that. You try to be there for them.”

In Carlsbad, N.M., at Carlsbad Caverns’ gift store, Manager Kristi Haynie described her top customer service tip as “talking to our customers when it’s appropriate. Because our space is quite large, we don’t necessarily greet people when they come in, but whenever they’re within the vicinity of any of our staff, we make sure we talk to them and ask them what they are looking for or how their trip is going, or where they may be heading next.” One special feature for customer interaction is part and parcel of being a National Park store, she said. “National Parks have the passport program, where you can get stamps added to a passport book from each location you visit. So, we keep the book display close to our register, where anyone can look at it. If people know what it is, they won’t ask, but if they don’t know, with our books placed there, we can give them a five-minute talk about how the program works and really interact with people that way.”

Logan Cockerham, supervi- sor at Black Chasm Caverns in Volcano, Calif., related that his top tip in customer service is “being friendly and greeting customers when they come in. We don’t do much suggestive selling because most items sell themselves. But we will ask if they want something specific, and if they do, we’ll help them find an item they’re looking for.”

In Tulelake, Calif., at the Lava Beds National Monument, gift shop Volunteer Robert Riley said the best customer service tips he can offer are “Be friendly and make a connection with people. And it’s also important to be informed about the merchandise, so you can answer any questions that people might have.” ❖

Selling an Experience (From page 52)

Adults are definitely the strongest customers for the shop, Haynie explains. “Adults do most of the buying. Around the holidays we do get kids participating with the money they got for Christmas. And some school groups are coming back, but by and large our customers are the adults who are either buying for themselves or as gifts for their children.”

Logan Cockerham , supervisor at Black Chasm Caverns in Volcano, Calif., related that just like at Cave without a Name, geodes are a top gift shop seller. “We just have a pile of geodes, and you can select one,

Books are really our number one best-seller in gifts, particularly as related to the Modoc War that took place in the region. Small gifts and souvenirs are popular too, especially our ‘Save the Sky Puppies’ merchandise – those are the bats that dwell in the caves.” and we have a cutter here to crack it open. The fact that it is such an interactive experience and that the geodes are rock formations, that’s what makes them such a big hit.” He added, “We also do very well with these little gem mining bags, we keep them in barrels along the wall. You take the bag, and you go out to our little sluice box, and you can sift through the dirt to find some gems. It’s another interactive thing for people. Those two items sell the most by far, whether people are going to keep them for themselves or give them, they’ve had an experience to get them.”

Robert Riley, Lava Beds National Monument, Tulelake, Calif.

Children seek out one other top-selling gift item, a small bag of mixed gemstones, he said. The bagged gemstones are also offered in an interactive format.

“We have small treasure bags with a large display of polished and tumbled gemstones. You can sort through them and fill the bag with the stones, whether you want to keep them or give them to someone else. These are very popular with kids.”

Whatever the merchandise, Cockerham said that what really helps to sell it are “centrally placed, large, and colorful displays.”

While adults make most of the purchases in the store, they are primarily buying these experiential items as gifts for their children, he noted.

In Tulelake, Calif., at the Lava Beds National Monument, the volunteer-staffed gift shop is the place to stop for information on caves within the monument, such as Mushpot, Valentine, and Skull Cave. Mushpot Cave is illuminated, but to explore the others, the gift shop offers high-powered lanterns for exploration. As far as gift items go, according to Volunteer Robert Riley , “Books are really our number one best-seller in gifts, particularly as related to the Modoc War that took place in the region. Small gifts and souvenirs are popular too, especially our ‘Save the Sky Puppies’ merchandise – those are the bats that dwell in the caves.”

Selling more gift items is mainly based on customer interaction, Riley stated. “We interact with our customers a lot. We are a small shop, so we’re right here with them, and we talk to them quite a bit. We provide information about the park and about the items we have in the store.” As to display, he said the staff makes sure everything is well-stocked and then “We place what we carry pretty much where it fits in the store, because we are tight on space.”

The main purchaser of gift items depends on the season, according to Riley. “This time of year, its adults who are traveling. In the summer, we get large vacationing groups of families, and then the kids are buying too.”

Overall, the most popular gift items at cave and cavern stores include rocks and gemstones, particularly those that come with an experience that goes along with purchasing them, and merchandise that reflects the specific attraction location. ❖