Apparel and Accessories

Great-Selling Garments (From page 33) both hoody and T-shirt style featuring a seal, octopus, and orca with the Seattle Aquarium branding. The materials they use for this collection are made from recycled PET water bottles and include up to 6.5 recycled plastic bottles per piece, Ramirez said.

Ramirez suggested making T-shirts easy to see. “A display that features a single design helps the product and message stand out, explained Ramirez. “A Tshirt wall is another great way to accomplish this, as it shows all of the design options that are available and keeps the display looking tidy throughout the day.”

Seattle Aquarium Store always has multiple Tshirt designs available to purchase. They currently offer over 20 different designs that celebrate popular animal residents of Seattle Aquarium, such as orcas, puffins, otters, sharks, octopi, jellies and so on, Ramirez said. These designs come in various color, size, and style options. “We refresh the assortment in the Spring, and plan to introduce even more variety to continue celebrating Seattle Aquarium special moments,” Ramirez said.

Chris Florio Bice , gift shop manager and buyer at Big Bear Alpine Zoo said the zoo is now located in a new facility, which has been open for a little over a year. They have a bit more room in this gift shop, but it’s still not huge, commented Bice.

Bice said their zoo is an intimate facility focusing on rehabilitation of native Alpine species. Because of this, the focus is on picking just a style or two to

Do You Sell T-Shirts in Different Cuts? Why or Why Not?

At Riverbanks Zoo, they sell men’s, women’s youth and baby cuts, along with long sleeve, short sleeve, tank tops and hoodies. “We have it all!” said Sam Robinson, retail operations manager at Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens in Columbia, S.C. Robinson feels having this wide variety helps with sales since they cater to guests of all shapes and sizes. For instance, in their adult T-shirts, they carry a size range from small to 3x.

At the Alaska Zoo in Anchor- age, Alaska, many styles are also offered. They find that many people prefer unisex cuts to give as gifts because it removes the guesswork, while people who are shopping for themselves generally prefer a specific cut that they feel is flattering for their body type. They offer a variety of body styles to cater to guest preference. Basics are often unisex, while art collections are presented on different fashion cuts for men, women and youth.

The Seattle Aquarium in Se- attle, Wash., sells unisex, men’s, women’s, youth and toddler T-shirts and these include various fits such as crew neck and v-neck, long and short sleeve to accommodate all guests.

At the 700-square-foot Big Bear Alpine Zoo Gift Shop, all tees are unisex. Gift Shop Manager and Buyer Chris Florio Bice explained they don’t have room for that many styles. She also added that keeping styles limited have not caused an issue in the past for her at other gift shops. ❖ display, which works for them. “I make sure the choices clearly display the zoo name and purpose, which is “Saving Wildlife since 1959,” Bice said.

When it comes to selling more T-shirts, “display is key,” said Bice. “I have done my best to create an experience in our store, complete with interesting décor, rustic style, animal sounds and pleasant smells,” said Bice. “This encourages lingering, which creates better sales.”

In addition, your T-shirt display should be kept neat, which makes them look appealing, Bice said.

They keep samples for size avail- able near the register. “It is more work on the front end to wrap each T-shirt or sweatshirt individually, but much less work during the day to keep the display organized and clean,” Bice said.

At the moment, they have one style of Tshirt available for adults in two colors, one for kids and one for toddlers. “I do plan to add another adult style and one more for kids, as the pandemic wanes (fingers crossed).” ❖