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Pocono News Section
Raceway Gift Sales Crash
Raceway Gift Sales Crash - Friday, June 5, 2009 at 3:23PM EST
Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday, Jun 5, 2009 @ 03:23pm EST
LONG POND, MONROE COUNTY - The big NASCAR weekend is here. More than 100,000 people will pack Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 500. While the race isn't until Sunday, fans find plenty to do Friday and Saturday, including shopping.
While racing is big business, NASCAR souvenir sales have crashed. Phllip Howard is a vendor. He runs K&K Collectibles. He said, "People are just saving their money now."
Howard said in the past people lined up to buy anything NASCAR related from coffee pots and lunch boxes to toys and clothes. "They love the race, they love the drivers," explained Howard. But he said while many fans are paying for race tickets, they're cutting back on souvenirs.
"We're always looking for bargains," said Bonnie Confir of Loganton. She brought her two kids to the track. She found vendors were willing to make deals. Howard agreed. He said, "Just to get some money coming in because it's not cheap to rent these spots out here."
He gave some customers five dollars off if they bought three shirts. Another vendor dropped the price of giant bobble head dolls by $150. The sale price is $300. Eyewitness News didn't see anyone buying those.
NASCAR vendors are trying to reach out to a bigger audience, so every year you'll find more items geared toward ladies and babies. Confer said, "It's cool - it's cool - we even had friends get us the hats that I have on that are pink." She loves that she can pick up a pink jacket or checkered flag earrings. "You would have never seen them before," she remarked.
Vendors hope selling something special for the ladies, combined with good sales can get their businesses back on track.
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