WOULD RATHER BE IN CLEARWATER
If the Phils win tonight, the frenzied euphoria won’t be limited to the ballpark and surrounding neighborhoods.
Expect it to be just as crazy at a number of retail outlets in the region as boxes are busted open and the World Series champion merchandise hits the shelves.
The highlights? Forman Mills will keep all 13 of its stores from
Mitchell Modell, company CEO, called the next 48 hours potentially “the biggest single event in our 119 years that we’ve ever had” if the Phils win tonight. Christmas in October? That’s what he called it, but it’s more than just a catchy phrase. Modell said earlier today that the company moved 160 people into the area Monday from their stores all over the East Coast -- “anywhere from North Jersey, South Jersey, Philly, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, all over, just helping out the stores, mostly cashiers and receiving.”
Turns out the hotel bill’s going to be a bit higher, as that personnel has been forced to stay in town a few extra days because of the suspension of play Monday night. “They’ve been helping out in the stores. Obviously, we preprinted a lot of merchandise, so they’ve been helping assort them, ticket them, process them," Modell said. "So, God willing, when we win tonight, they’ll be floor ready and set up.”
Modell’s will open the following stores for business after a win: Exton;
Christopher Streahle, director of advertising and marketing for Forman Mills, said they won’t even bother closing the doors tonight. All 13 in the region are planning to keep the lights on through the evening and overnight, and restock as they go along.
Sports Authority’s Silnik said their 14 stores will close at 9:30 to get set up, and then reopen after a Phillies win and stay open all night if they need to. But, he added, “I really anticipate volume dying off. I anticipate it being where, we have a lot of goods, but I think we’ll end up selling down and that will dictate when we’ll close, because we’ll be low on volume. But we have a second shot coming in for 6 a.m., maybe even earlier, and then product coming in on the hour. All 14 stores will reopen at 6, that’s what we’re advertising, but as soon as we get product, we’ll be open. So, we’ll probably be open at 5 in a lot of stores.”
The Phillies say their store at the ballpark will not stay open, but instead will reopen at 9 a.m. tomorrow stocked with World Series champion merchandise.
Paul Vigna still has the seat he wrestled out of the concrete at Connie Mack Stadium parked in the finished basement, a 1980 Phillies championship mirror hanging above it. Now, why he’s kept an autograph of former Flyer Bruce Gamble on a sheet of Hockey Hall of Fame paper is another story. A native of Philly who grew up in Lansdale, he’s an assistant sports editor at the Daily News in charge of special projects who has written two columns related to sports and consumers: View From the Seats and Savvy Consumer.
ABOUT THIS BLOG:
Athletic contests were, for a long time, simply fun and games. Nowadays they’re just a small part of a sports entertainment industry that puts billions of dollars into play and a number of issues into motion. Moneyball indeed. You might be closer to the action than ever before, but that privilege comes at a price - and often it’s beyond what you can afford.
With that as the backdrop we’ll use this blog to dig out stories and swap advice about how the fan experience is changing and what it’s costing you now and in the future. Some of it will educate, some will let you vent. And in a sports panel format, it should allow for a consensus of opinion that can carry some weight.
