Club shop - shocking lack of merchandise and shirts

[Shauntaylor85]

As above, it’s Christmas and kids shirts are out of stock and not coming back in for the away and third kit. Lots of other merchandise sold out too, shambles really, we cannot get anything right as a club right now. What a mess. 

[Super]

Any idea why it's closed Monday and Tuesday?

[Silvio Dante]

4 minutes ago, Super said:

Any idea why it's closed Monday and Tuesday?

Has been for a while, probably low footfall. I can’t imagine loads of people visit on a non matchday and as staff will be working weekends it allows the club to give them the time off.

[Red-Robbo]

It's not been fit-for-purpose for yonks. Not the staff's fault, but you'd think the club would be keen to maximise its merchandise earnings and stock sufficiently for the Festive Season. 

[Super]

Just now, Silvio Dante said:

Has been for a while, probably low footfall. I can’t imagine loads of people visit on a non matchday and as staff will be working weekends it allows the club to give them the time off.

I would think a lot more would visit in December.

[One Team]

I went in there the other day for the first time since it opened and was amazed how much space is taken up with Bears merchandise. I know they use the ground and all that but it felt as if there was as much if not more of their stuff than ours. And it’s blue! 

Edited December 6, 2023 by One Team

[Selred]

Shop has been poor since it opened.

Crap stock, no space, nothing really fresh and seasonal (I'd been all over a decent Xmas jumper).

 

[phantom]

29 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

As above, it’s Christmas and kids shirts are out of stock and not coming back in for the away and third kit. Lots of other merchandise sold out too, shambles really, we cannot get anything right as a club right now. What a mess. 

I get the feeling the club are more focussed on getting online sales rather than F2F sales

[Bedred31]

Surely it’s possible to maintain some sort of retail happy medium. The old shop of the 1970’s was a football nerds wet dream (I know, I dreamed). Every home and away programme, photos of every player in the squad, along with every sort of pen, key ring, mug, badge etc. Yet- absurdly, bizarrely- no kit. You had to go to a small shop in town for that. Now, it’s like a sterile corner of a retail park JD sports, only without the stock. Don’t even sell retro shirts ( a lot of prem clubs do a roaring trade in these). Is it lowest common denominator profit analysis or does the person running really not have a clue?

[Shauntaylor85]

4 minutes ago, phantom said:

I get the feeling the club are more focussed on getting online sales rather than F2F sales

Online sales have no stock either. How can they run out of shirts before Christmas in kids sizes, supposed to be encouraging future fans of the club, good luck with that! Arsenal it is then! 

[Major Isewater]

It is more profitable to run out of stock than to over order.

This is the big balancing act that retailers need to consistently get right. 

[Shauntaylor85]

29 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

It's not been fit-for-purpose for yonks. Not the staff's fault, but you'd think the club would be keen to maximise its merchandise earnings and stock sufficiently for the Festive Season. 

The Bears branding all over the Lansdown (our biggest stand and concourse) is also hard to take. Rovers blue all around us. Seriously, change at this club is needed. 

1 minute ago, Major Isewater said:

It is more profitable to run out of stock than to over order.

This is the big balancing act that retailers need to consistently get right. 

I understand that, but they cannot order any new items in apparently. 

[1960maaan]

I went online on December the 1st , just to look . There were some bits on there I thought , Ooo they've made an effort.

Sold out in Medium & Large & XL , Dec 1st ?????

All they've done is add Bristol City to a generic knit ffs.

Still , it's taken about 5 years but we have baubles now.

[1960maaan]

7 minutes ago, Bedred31 said:

Surely it’s possible to maintain some sort of retail happy medium. The old shop of the 1970’s was a football nerds wet dream (I know, I dreamed). Every home and away programme, photos of every player in the squad, along with every sort of pen, key ring, mug, badge etc. Yet- absurdly, bizarrely- no kit. You had to go to a small shop in town for that. Now, it’s like a sterile corner of a retail park JD sports, only without the stock. Don’t even sell retro shirts ( a lot of prem clubs do a roaring trade in these). Is it lowest common denominator profit analysis or does the person running really not have a clue?

I've been saying for ages, they should stock the cheaper impulse buys. Those photos would not have been expensive, and if you go in now and the boy/girl sees something they can get out of their pocket money they will. I did back then.

3 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

Online sales have no stock either. How can they run out of shirts before Christmas in kids sizes, supposed to be encouraging future fans of the club, good luck with that! Arsenal it is then! 

2 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

It is more profitable to run out of stock than to over order.

This is the big balancing act that retailers need to consistently get right. 

They have done this every year roughly the same time, no chance of having any sort of Christmas rush. 
Playing shirts I sort of get, but not by the start of December. And Christmas wear , jumpers, baubles etc they will be the same next year , you even have a sale every Jan and shift a load of baubles . 

Basically the shop might as well close from Jan first , no playing shirts will be sold as they wont restock and the training and leisure wear ( if branded) wont be reordered either . 
They roughly know the numbers we normally sell . Order more and just have a sale just before the new ones are launched , they would shift at £20 a pop and you can bet there is profit around that figure. 

[ralphindevon]

This has been an issue for so many years now yet I’ve never heard an explanation why it’s so poor.

Maybe I missed it, has anyone heard an explanation from management?

The first few years after the rebuild I was making excuses, always thinking it’ll be sorted next season but nothing ever changes.

You only have to visit a shop on an away day to realise just how all round bad our offerings are.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Assuming that the Opening Hours I've checked online at other clubs are broadly correct, we are a major outlier. Or something of one.

[Jose]

Been like it since it’s opened. Not fit for purpose. I’m sure the club are aware but another example of really just not giving a ****. 

[Super]

32 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I went online on December the 1st , just to look . There were some bits on there I thought , Ooo they've made an effort.

Sold out in Medium & Large & XL , Dec 1st ?????

All they've done is add Bristol City to a generic knit ffs.

Still , it's taken about 5 years but we have baubles now.

It looks pretty bad. Guessing it's about 50quid.

[1960maaan]

2 minutes ago, Super said:

It looks pretty bad. Guessing it's about 50quid.

Not quite that bad.

Not seen it in person , but like you say looks cheap.

Bet they would still shift even if they are £30 

[Loco Rojo]

Do you remember the old club shop attached to the Williams Stand? So much better in terms of stock and the variety was much better. Appreciate that probably came with larger financial costs which may not have been sustainable. But it was a much better customer experience.

[Olé]

57 minutes ago, phantom said:

I get the feeling the club are more focussed on getting online sales rather than F2F sales

Not based on their website they're not

[glynriley]

4 minutes ago, Loco Rojo said:

Do you remember the old club shop attached to the Williams Stand? So much better in terms of stock and the variety was much better. Appreciate that probably came with larger financial costs which may not have been sustainable. But it was a much better customer experience.

Even Beryls port-a-kabin was better than what we have now. More, choice and variety. I used to buy a polo ever summer for my holiday, but not bought anything for years, due to lack of choice and stock. What they do sell is tat.

They obviously don't want our money so, fine, they don't get any from me other than my season ticket.

[Grey Fox]

The range of casual wear is also very poor, and does not cater for older / more mature tastes.

[One Team]

1 hour ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

The Bears branding all over the Lansdown (our biggest stand and concourse) is also hard to take. Rovers blue all around us. Seriously, change at this club is needed. 

I understand that, but they cannot order any new items in apparently. 

I find it jarring too. 

I always thought they would just use the ground, but in recent times it feels like we absolutely share Ashton Gate. I’ve even heard Bears fans refer to it as theirs. 

I wonder if this is common with other football clubs who have rugby clubs that use their stadiums? 

[Olé]

10 minutes ago, Grey Fox said:

The range of casual wear is also very poor, and does not cater for older / more mature tastes.

To make matters worse, the tinpot outfit up the road have their entire club shop run by The Terrace Shop who produce some very tidy casual wear for a few English clubs in every division on a licensing basis (i.e. they don't have to take over the club shop in the way Rovers have lock stock handed this all over, they can just produce some quality gear for clubs under a licensing agreement).

For whatever reason City is (wrongly) convinced by their own ability to produce good looking merchandise. Yes a lot of English clubs just use Terrace Shop for on demand merchandise (i.e. phone covers, mouse mats) but Sheffield Wednesday are among those (like the Gas) to have lots of casual wear and clothing including vintage and retro stuff, produced by The Terrace under licence.

https://theterracestore.com/collections/sheffield-wednesday

 

[phantom]

8 minutes ago, Olé said:

To make matters worse, the tinpot outfit up the road have their entire club shop run by The Terrace Shop who produce some very tidy casual wear for a few English clubs in every division on a licensing basis (i.e. they don't have to take over the club shop in the way Rovers have lock stock handed this all over, they can just produce some quality gear for clubs under a licensing agreement).

For whatever reason City is (wrongly) convinced by their own ability to produce good looking merchandise. Yes a lot of English clubs just use Terrace Shop for on demand merchandise (i.e. phone covers, mouse mats) but Sheffield Wednesday are among those (like the Gas) to have lots of casual wear and clothing including vintage and retro stuff, produced by The Terrace under licence.

https://theterracestore.com/collections/sheffield-wednesday

 

Let's be honest your range is much better than anything the club have produced

[sticks 1969]

Did a tinsel and turkey weekend in Torquay ( I know sad bastard) but the amount of men wearing some quite nice Christmas jumpers of various clubs really put of Christmas offerings to shame 

[Monkeh]

2 hours ago, phantom said:

I get the feeling the club are more focussed on getting online sales rather than F2F sales

Majority of business is done online these days, it's why businesses with a poor online presence have been going under

[Monkeh]

1 hour ago, One Team said:

I find it jarring too. 

I always thought they would just use the ground, but in recent times it feels like we absolutely share Ashton Gate. I’ve even heard Bears fans refer to it as theirs. 

I wonder if this is common with other football clubs who have rugby clubs that use their stadiums? 

There is bears stuff on one stand and city related stuff on 3, like it or not it's a shared stadium 

[iamalagerdrinker]

50 minutes ago, Olé said:

To make matters worse, the tinpot outfit up the road have their entire club shop run by The Terrace Shop who produce some very tidy casual wear for a few English clubs in every division on a licensing basis (i.e. they don't have to take over the club shop in the way Rovers have lock stock handed this all over, they can just produce some quality gear for clubs under a licensing agreement).

For whatever reason City is (wrongly) convinced by their own ability to produce good looking merchandise. Yes a lot of English clubs just use Terrace Shop for on demand merchandise (i.e. phone covers, mouse mats) but Sheffield Wednesday are among those (like the Gas) to have lots of casual wear and clothing including vintage and retro stuff, produced by The Terrace under licence.

https://theterracestore.com/collections/sheffield-wednesday

 

I'm friends with the lads that run The Terrace great lads and put 100% into every club they work with and genuinely care about what the fans want  

 

They print the majority if not all their stock inhouse and have a really impressive turnaround time - I would be all for City using them / another company.