Fanatics Tent

Jorge De Guzman

Jorge De Guzman

2017, 2021 Pick Em Champion 2018 Bold Predictor
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Just saw on Reddit that there is a rumor the Fanatics Tent is going away and merchandise will go back to being sold through specific driver trailers. Anyone hear this? Hope it's true I hate that Tent.
 
Don't know what the reddit post said but Dale Jr said something about it on his Periscope after the race.

I hope it's true, NASCAR or somebody must think it will bring more people back.
 
Snappy D said:
Just saw on Reddit that there is a rumor the Fanatics Tent is going away and merchandise will go back to being sold through specific driver trailers. Anyone hear this? Hope it's true I hate that Tent.
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NASCAR never admits mistakes. At least, not that I've witnessed. I doubt it's going anywhere.

There are those that seem to love the idea of the WalMart-esque appeal of souvenir shopping. Personally, I don't get it.
 
NASCAR shopping the way it ought'a be.

C_SKI-nXUAEPCCL.jpg:large
 
We may have found something about NASCAR that the vast majority of this forum can agree on.
 
The tents for me had a very claustrophobic feeling, fans were really packed in there and it was hard to look at stuff when it felt like people were coming at you in every direction. I am a hat guy so when I go to races I try to buy hats I can't find on the NASCAR Website, but it wasn't an easy task to find hats in the tent when people were coming at you every way. I find the best way to buy hats is on team's websites, driver websites or eBay. But really hoping the souvenir trucks are coming back, at least you could walk from truck to truck hassle free.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
NASCAR shopping the way it ought'a be.

C_SKI-nXUAEPCCL.jpg:large
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Loved how every hauler was driver specific, I used to take a picture next to the drivers picture on the hauler ha ha closest I'd get to meeting them.
 
While I liked the haulers growing up, the tent offers WAY more variety of everything - since Fanatics struck their deal, the merchandise has increased by about 3 or 4 times what the haulers carried, that includes both variety and quantity of sizes. And you can actually shop at your own pace, try on things, etc. without feeling rushed and baby sat.

I guess why the crowds are a non issue for me is because I normally do my purchasing on practice day or Xfinity day early in the morning. If you get to the tent on race day when they open up they're pretty tame for a couple of hours. Only time I ever found it unbearable was for Gordon's last race at Homestead. But even then, you're going to an event with tens of thousands of people, to not expect to be crowded at some point in the day seems silly.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
Struggling to see how this is any different/better:

BrYoAUVCEAAzhXs.jpg:large

635609208201544018-XXX-BRICKRACE-94.JPG
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I am a small dude so I worked my way through lines. I made it through a Jr trailer, Gordon trailer and Harvick trailer in usually 10 min or so. The key was to know what you want, most of the fans are just looking and have no idea what they were looking at. Usually I wanted a specific hat or driver hat, if they had it got out cash and then onto the next one, so I moved pretty quick. The trailers were Not a big deal for me personally.

AdoubleU24 said:
Struggling to see how this is any different/better:

BrYoAUVCEAAzhXs.jpg:large

635609208201544018-XXX-BRICKRACE-94.JPG
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And Junior usually had like 3 trailers. Not all 3 of them had a long line, I just went to the one with the shortest line.

AdoubleU24 said:
While I liked the haulers growing up, the tent offers WAY more variety of everything - since Fanatics struck their deal, the merchandise has increased by about 3 or 4 times what the haulers carried, that includes both variety and quantity of sizes. And you can actually shop at your own pace, try on things, etc. without feeling rushed and baby sat.

I guess why the crowds are a non issue for me is because I normally do my purchasing on practice day or Xfinity day early in the morning. If you get to the tent on race day when they open up they're pretty tame for a couple of hours. Only time I ever found it unbearable was for Gordon's last race at Homestead. But even then, you're going to an event with tens of thousands of people, to not expect to be crowded at some point in the day seems silly.
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Yes this is a huge key. I went during Busch/Natiowide race or practice. If you went on Cup Race day it could be difficult if you wanted something on the way in if you didn't go early enough.
 
I've been to the Fanatics tent at several tracks on Friday's and Saturday's before a Sunday race and it was a mess. Bring back the trucks.
 
Please don't get rid of the tents...they are 1000x better. I have no idea why, other than "tradition" and hating change (which seems to be a big deal for a lot of y'all) anyone would prefer the haulers. From a strict engineering/logistics perspective, it's a much more inferior way of both shopping and selling. Less staff, less space, less options, less being able to physically handle the merchandise (unless you keep one of the three salespeople hostage by constantly asking for different articles of clothing in different sizes) less support at the check out process for mistakes, etc etc. The haulers are an incredibly inefficient system.

As for crowds at the tent...I've been through there several dozens times at many tracks at all days/times and have never once found it too crowded. Nor have I ever once waited on line to checkout - always a smiling face waving a flag. PLUS...there are still merchandise haulers all over the place. You get the best of both worlds. The only silver lining if they did bring back the haulers is that attendance is way down...so maybe the experience won't be as weak a sauce as in years past.
 
I liked the haulers . Although after seeing what a Nationwide hat was selling for in the tent last year($ 40 +) I realized it doesn't really matter to me any longer.
 
Personally I found the trailers had better die-cast selection which is usually what I'm there for
 
Revman said:
I will tell you how it is better.....When I am standing amongst Rowdy Nation, I'm not listening to the sh!t I see so frequently here. I am among the faithful. I like it. I talk to the people in line. It's awesome. I miss it.
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Wouldn't it be great if tracks cordoned off a whole section of the stands for fans of certain drivers?
 
Allenbaba said:
Please don't get rid of the tents...they are 1000x better. I have no idea why, other than "tradition" and hating change (which seems to be a big deal for a lot of y'all) anyone would prefer the haulers. From a strict engineering/logistics perspective, it's a much more inferior way of both shopping and selling. Less staff, less space, less options, less being able to physically handle the merchandise (unless you keep one of the three salespeople hostage by constantly asking for different articles of clothing in different sizes) less support at the check out process for mistakes, etc etc. The haulers are an incredibly inefficient system.

As for crowds at the tent...I've been through there several dozens times at many tracks at all days/times and have never once found it too crowded. Nor have I ever once waited on line to checkout - always a smiling face waving a flag. PLUS...there are still merchandise haulers all over the place. You get the best of both worlds. The only silver lining if they did bring back the haulers is that attendance is way down...so maybe the experience won't be as weak a sauce as in years past.
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Amen.

Another aspect is at least the tent is shaded. Weren't we just complaining about the heat on here last week? I'd rather battle the masses under a shaded tent with merchandise right there for me to grab than stand amongst them for 20 minutes while waiting in line just to see what the hauler even has for sale.

Granted, I too have had quick trips to the hauler. But it takes me back to having to have someone babysit you while you decide what you want, try hats on, etc.
 
sdj said:
Unless you are a Jr fan, your drivers item selections at the tents are very limited and very very high priced.
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At the May 16 Dega race,where I encountered the $40 + Jr hat, I navigated the tent city to look for a Martin Truex hat or die-cast and was shocked at the limited selection. Outside of a few trinkets,keychains,bottle openers etc. there was nothing. I gave up and left.
 
Stu Jameson said:
At the May 16 Dega race,where I encountered the $40 + Jr hat, I navigated the tent city to look for a Martin Truex hat or die-cast and was shocked at the limited selection. Outside of a few trinkets,keychains,bottle openers etc. there was nothing. I gave up and left.
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I had the same issue here in Phoenix last year. I was looking for Chip Ganassi gear and everything was completely picked over and disorganized. Its tough to even find gear online for NASCAR unless you are a Jr fan.
 
Stu Jameson said:
At the May 16 Dega race,where I encountered the $40 + Jr hat, I navigated the tent city to look for a Martin Truex hat or die-cast and was shocked at the limited selection. Outside of a few trinkets,keychains,bottle openers etc. there was nothing. I gave up and left.
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If you think that Furniture Row selection was small, just wait until they're one of 10 "other" teams (and 3 or 4 retired drivers) sharing a hauler! Trust me, if you're a Furniture Row/MTJ fan, you're praying they keep the tents...
 
Allenbaba said:
If you think that Furniture Row selection was small, just wait until they're one of 10 "other" teams (and 3 or 4 retired drivers) sharing a hauler! Trust me, if you're a Furniture Row/MTJ fan, you're praying they keep the tents...
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NO.
 
I really hope this is true!!!!
The tents come off as a nothing more than a money grab by NASCAR. Just a low budget way for Brian to tap into the souvenier dollars.
The selection sucks. The quality sucks. The set up sucks. The apparel designs are generic.
The whole scene is like Walmart meets the county fair.
Trailers-100 Tents-0
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
NASCAR shopping the way it ought'a be.

C_SKI-nXUAEPCCL.jpg:large
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When was this taken, on a rain-delay Monday? If by "the way it ought'a be" you mean "Nobody in front of me at my favorite driver's truck", I agree.

I don't know what some of y'all enjoyed about having to wade through the crowds to get a glimpse at the small merchandise, compete with other people for the sales guy's attention, then having to repeat for each individual hauler you wanted to visit. I don't miss it at all. .
 
Old 97 said:
I really hope this is true!!!!
The tents come off as a nothing more than a money grab by NASCAR. Just a low budget way for Brian to tap into the souvenier dollars.
The selection sucks. The quality sucks. The set up sucks. The apparel designs are generic.
The whole scene is like Walmart meets the county fair.
Trailers-100 Tents-0
Click to expand...
This just isn't accurate. When Motorsports Authentics did the haulers, they produced something like 70-80 percent of all the merchandise. It was all the same designs, all the same selection, all the same quality. I've actually been to their offices and seen their operation. They had a couple graphic designers on staff, and all the designs were the same...different cars, different numbers, different sponsors, but same designs. You probably didn't know that because you only shopped at your favorite team/driver store. But it was all the same. (Also, they didn't make any money, and were going out of business, hence a huge reason for change...but that's just a minor issue I guess). The tracks (ISC & SMI) actually owned Motorsports Authentics. In terms of "Brian tapping into the souvenir dollars" he received a bigger % from Motorsports Authentics than he does with Fanatics, since there was a double dipping of both ownership & paying rent to tracks (not to mention NASCAR licensing, making it a triple dip).

Also, Fanatics allows teams and manufacturers to bring in their own vendors and create their own merch. THEY (Fanatics) only produce a portion of the merch for sale - drastically less than Motorsports Authentics. So, technically, under Fanatic's watch, teams/drivers/tracks can have a much wider array of merch than in the previous hauler years. Believe it or not, but there is much more variety now than with the Haulers. Items, designs, fabrics etc.
 
Allenbaba said:
This just isn't accurate. When Motorsports Authentics did the haulers, they produced something like 70-80 percent of all the merchandise. It was all the same designs, all the same selection, all the same quality. I've actually been to their offices and seen their operation. They had a couple graphic designers on staff, and all the designs were the same...different cars, different numbers, different sponsors, but same designs. You probably didn't know that because you only shopped at your favorite team/driver store. But it was all the same. (Also, they didn't make any money, and were going out of business, hence a huge reason for change...but that's just a minor issue I guess). The tracks (ISC & SMI) actually owned Motorsports Authentics. In terms of "Brian tapping into the souvenir dollars" he received a bigger % from Motorsports Authentics than he does with Fanatics, since there was a double dipping of both ownership & paying rent to tracks (not to mention NASCAR licensing, making it a triple dip).

Also, Fanatics allows teams and manufacturers to bring in their own vendors and create their own merch. THEY (Fanatics) only produce a portion of the merch for sale - drastically less than Motorsports Authentics. So, technically, under Fanatic's watch, teams/drivers/tracks can have a much wider array of merch than in the previous hauler years. Believe it or not, but there is much more variety now than with the Haulers. Items, designs, fabrics etc.
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I don't doubt one scintilla of what you said but it is all perception and if people's perception is that the haulers were better then they were.
 
Fanatics, New Era, and Under Armour were total blessings when it comes to NASCAR merchandise. They changed the game. If they hadn't come on the scene I wouldn't buy near the amount of stuff that I do now.
 
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