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Who says brick-and-mortar retailers are dead?
One of the world’s hottest retail establishments reopened this week at Augusta National Golf Club.
The onsite gift shop at Augusta National is expected to generate $70 million in merchandise sales during Masters Week.
Thousands of ticketed “patrons” will buy the tournament’s signature hats, shirts, and club covers to prove they were really at the event. There’s even a foot-high Garden Gnome ($50), that always a big annual seller.
Due to fierce demand, Augusta National opened a sprawling new retail space in 2018, with twice the square footage. The strategy is paying off:
- The club will generate $70 million in sales during Masters Week to in-person attendees, according to Joe Pompliano.
- That equates to $10 million a day in revenue, or $1 million per hour, $16,000 a minute, and $277 every second.
- One customer dropped $36,000 during a single visit last year, according to Golf Digest.
- Augusta National doesn’t make you lug shopping bags of merchandise around the famous course. Instead, it offers immediate shipping.
- There’s some merchandise available online at The Masters web site. But not much. There’s an “imagery store,” where you can buy posters ($35), historical photos ($50) and framed 14 X 11 prints ($95). And a “publications store” offering a tournament journal for the low price of $10.
Like Augusta National’s charmingly low-priced concessions, prices are more than reasonable for many souvenirs in the gift shop.
The players teeing it up for the year’s first major aren’t immune to the shop’s lures, either.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 winner, admitted to dropping $5,000 at the shop to Golfweek.
While six-time winner Jack Nicklaus said he’s never bought more than an umbrella, his wife is a different story.
“Barbara has spent a lot of money in there – getting gifts for the kids, grandkids, and friends,” said Nicklaus. “I don’t know what the most expensive item would be, and I don’t think I want to know.”
Meanwhile, ESPN said for its 1st round coverage fell 10.7% to an average 2.5 million viewers from 2.8 million last year. But ESPN noted last year’s Masters marked Tiger Woods’ comeback from the horrific car injury that nearly took his leg.
Friday second round was suspended by rain. Play will resume Saturday at 8 AM ET.
