Club Shop...Jeeeeeeez

M

morrissey

Well-known member
Just been in the Club Shop. Where to start? - cheap looking, badly made, old fashioned tat...with that dreadful badge splattered on everything.
Do we send retail experts to peer review other clubs' shops? (think I can guess the answer!).
Asked for medium away shirt.. "we don't have any in that size". I said "I know it's absolutely not your fault, but to not have standard sizes available, this early into a season, is a corner shop operation"
A lady overheard me and asked if it was medium they didn't have, I confirmed and we both left without spending any money. Our entire retail operation, including concourses, needs a major overhaul, it really does.
 
morrissey said:
Just been in the Club Shop. Where to start? - cheap looking, badly made, old fashioned tat...with that dreadful badge splattered on everything.
Do we send retail experts to peer review other clubs' shops? (think I can guess the answer!).
Asked for medium away shirt.. "we don't have any in that size". I said "I know it's absolutely not your fault, but to not have standard sizes available, this early into a season, is a corner shop operation"
A lady overheard me and asked if it was medium they didn't have, I confirmed and we both left without spending any money. Our entire retail operation, including concourses, needs a major overhaul, it really does.
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Ah so we are at xxxxxl levels already then.

I agree btw finding anything in large is a quest in of itself.
 
morrissey said:
Just been in the Club Shop. Where to start? - cheap looking, badly made, old fashioned tat...with that dreadful badge splattered on everything.
Do we send retail experts to peer review other clubs' shops? (think I can guess the answer!).
Asked for medium away shirt.. "we don't have any in that size". I said "I know it's absolutely not your fault, but to not have standard sizes available, this early into a season, is a corner shop operation"
A lady overheard me and asked if it was medium they didn't have, I confirmed and we both left without spending any money. Our entire retail operation, including concourses, needs a major overhaul, it really does.
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It would seem they would rather have no stock left and have fans turn away without spending money than have a surplus and have to sell it a reduced price at the end of the season.

Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever but does seem to be an intentional approach.

Can't remember last time I paid full price for a shirt and I'm certainly not doing for the absolute tat they're currently trying to flog.
 
I understand there’s a bit of a ‘pile on’ at the moment as results aren’t great, though some of these criticisms feel entirely legitimate.

Middlesbrough is a relatively small, or modest-sized, football club. In the days of computers, is it not possible to have an actual pretty accurate idea of how many shirts they need to order to ensure everyone who wants one can get hold of one? They always seem to be short on mediums and larges weeks into the season, but surely the club isn’t gaining that many new fans that these things can’t be rectified at source? We aren’t adding an extra 3,500 supporters per season are we.

We must have an idea on numbers prior to placing an order with the suppliers?

That it happens every season, like clockwork, gives the impression that they don’t even care TBH.
 
Jedi boro said:
Thats rubbish rubbish we are not a small club at all
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My point is we have around 22,000 season ticket holders and quite a lot of more ‘casual’ supporters. We aren’t a club that goes from 20,000 to 50,000. There isn’t a supporter base that grows exponentially and at a level that makes it impossible to order enough shirts to satisfy demand.

You could email the chairman re. the small club comments. He ensures we don’t sell club merchandise outside of the stadium itself. That seems fairly small-time to me TBH. Where is the appetite for growth?
 
Just had a look online.

I the away kit is only S, XL and XXL available

In the home kit only XL and XXL avaible

We are one month into the season jesus christ our commercial operation is an utter joke why is this never broght up at these so called fans forums.

It's been like this for many a season no improvements seem to being made it's ridiculous clubs losing thousands in revenue
 
Our mam and dad buy the kids shirts for Xmas. Obviously timing not great as they only get half the season out of the "new" shirt. Kids aren't that ars*d so mam and dad have done it for years.

Last season went down in November, sold out. Gave them money instead......so kids bought Stockport County tops

This season, being mega organised, went down last week. No home shirts to fit 9-10 yr old, limited away shirts. Beginning of September. Club don't know when they will be in stock.......

🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️
 
It's really p1ss poor!!!
Ordered the kids kits at the pre order, that was a shambles in itself.
One of them has got a hole in their socks, ***** quality!
So, I went to the shop 2 weeks ago for a other pair of socks for him.. non left and no idea if they will get anymore stock in.. really? A pair of junior socks and you don't have any??
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
That it happens every season, like clockwork, gives the impression that they don’t even care TBH.
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And it's the same person been in charge of retail for years I think?

I'm not wanting anyone to lose their job, but would this level of apparent incompetence be tolerated in any other business? At the very least you'd think whoever is their boss would be on at them to improve things.

As you say that it happens every year suggests that it's either not incompetence and they're doing exactly what Bausor or Gibson (or whoever) expects of them. Or they simply don't give a crap.

It's then kind of annoying when the club insist they need some of the most expensive tickets in the league so we can afford another Dan Barlaser or whatever. But they apparently can't be arsed maximising other revenue streams at the same time.
 
It’d be interesting to hear from the club employee actually responsible for stocks and supplies of kits because there always seems to be a tendency to blame Errea, which is a huge sportswear firm supplying kit to clients all over the world. Do they have the same issues as Boro do in terms of stock being late, etc. Or is this something Errea has decided to do to just Boro.
 
festa5 said:
And it's the same person been in charge of retail for years I think?

I'm not wanting anyone to lose their job, but would this level of apparent incompetence be tolerated in any other business? At the very least you'd think whoever is their boss would be on at them to improve things.

As you say that it happens every year suggests that it's either not incompetence and they're doing exactly what Bausor or Gibson (or whoever) expects of them. Or they simply don't give a crap.

It's then kind of annoying when the club insist they need some of the most expensive tickets in the league so we can afford another Dan Barlaser or whatever. But they apparently can't be arsed maximising other revenue streams at the same time.
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This is it. They must know they tend to sell, say, 4,000 away shirts in a large so will need to order maybe a few hundred more than that to ensure everyone can get one. They must have a database of merchandise sales, like they would - you would expect - have one for tickets?

Surely this is how business operate? Well I know it’s how clothes/fashion businesses/stores try to operate anyway. Maybe Boro does things differently.
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
It’d be interesting to hear from the club employee actually responsible for stocks and supplies of kits because there always seems to be a tendency to blame Errea, which is a huge sportswear firm supplying kit to clients all over the world. Do they have the same issues as Boro do in terms of stock being late, etc. Or is this something Errea has decided to do to just Boro.
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A quick look at Millwall and Sheffield United online shops shows they both have home shirts available in sizes S-XL.
 
festa5 said:
A quick look at Millwall and Sheffield United online shops shows they both have home shirts available in sizes S-XL.
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There’s another big difference.

Type millwall home shirt in google you get a myriad of LEGAL purchase options aside from their club shop that is

Kitbag
Uk soccer
Fanatics uk

etc

Do the same with Middlesbrough and all you get is

EBay
Etsy
Some copy Arab web sites

That’s the difference.
 
Doesnt help that the shirts are so small a fit that 10 year old's have to buy Mens meduium/large shirts with gambling logos on them just to get a shirt to fit.
 
festa5 said:
A quick look at Millwall and Sheffield United online shops shows they both have home shirts available in sizes S-XL.
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Also just had a look on Boro’s website and saw that they’re selling ‘Brandon’ training shirts for £34, which is £9.05 more than Errea sell them for on their own site. £9 for an iron-on Boro badge. Plus your £6 postage. And Boro has already sold out of mediums and larges.
 
Under Adidas they must have got the numbers spot on. Every March, 50% off sale, bought a shirt.

Crowds increase by 5-6-7k + they must still be buying the same numbers.

Hummel seemed to be okay (no problems with the kids kits) but the Errea deal....... amateur hour.

And as for the rest of the tat in the shop......dear me.
 
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