[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by 1insider

I see these big, beach/tourist shops in every coastal Florida town. They are usually on expensive pieces of property, don't seem to have enough traffic to even pay the light bill but there will sometimes be a half dozen in a small beach town. Seems like you couldn't sell enough $5 T-shirts to cover the nut that these big places must have. Anyway, always wondered and hope someone has some insight.

Originally Posted by HarryWho?

Another reason I like Vero. Not here...yet.

Originally Posted by SeaLark7

As Harry said, Vero Beach is wonderfully free from tacky tourist shops, and the town won't even allow highrises to be built along the beach. There was talk of putting parking meters in at beach parking lots but that was quickly shot down too. This is one great place to live !

Thankfully Vero Beach doesn't have an exclusive, there are several beach/beachside towns in Florida with similar restrictions and a lack of tackiness. Some examples: Fernandina Beach, Jensen Beach, Captiva Island, Venice, Indian Rocks Beach, Dunedin, Anna Maria Island.

[mateo384]

Daytona Beach is cluttered with them, too. I've always wondered how they make ends meet. The nicer, more corporate ones (Maui Nix, Ron Jon's) I can understand why. They are the Macy's of beach shops. But some of these small mom and pop places are just dumps.

I also see Firework stores, and Fortune Teller/Tarot card reading shops.

[1insider]

I still don't get it. I'm talking specifically about the very big, often in new buildings on prime real estate selling low price t-shirts, towels and junk. They build a new 10,000 square foot building on a choice lot on A1A or whatever main drag, stock the store to the rafters with cheap crap with a high markup, man the store with minimal staff and then sit back and run an average ticket of $25 to mediocre traffic. Doesn't compute. Especially five such stores in a two mile stretch. Ron Jons and the other mainstream tourist shops, I get. Much higher traffic, much higher average ticket. It's the ones with low traffic and low average tickets that I can't understand the business model. Even if markup was 99% of the selling price, you still have to sell enough to pay the bills.

[NowSoFlorida]

What I don't get are those dumb stands selling bags of oranges off 195 in north Florida. I went into one about 10 years ago on a drive. They advertise $1 bags of oranges and have big ones hanging everywhere. When you go to buy it they tell you no, and show you a bag of 3 oranges for $1. They also say they have pecans cheap, but it's mostly pecan dust. Real bait and switch place.

[HarryWho?]

Originally Posted by 1insider

I still don't get it. I'm talking specifically about the very big, often in new buildings on prime real estate selling low price t-shirts, towels and junk. They build a new 10,000 square foot building on a choice lot on A1A or whatever main drag, stock the store to the rafters with cheap crap with a high markup, man the store with minimal staff and then sit back and run an average ticket of $25 to mediocre traffic. Doesn't compute. Especially five such stores in a two mile stretch. Ron Jons and the other mainstream tourist shops, I get. Much higher traffic, much higher average ticket. It's the ones with low traffic and low average tickets that I can't understand the business model. Even if markup was 99% of the selling price, you still have to sell enough to pay the bills.

99%? Try 500%.

[1insider]

I meant 99% margin as in buy it for 1 cent and sell it for a dollar. Even if they sell 100 $5 t-shirts in a day they'd only make $495 profit, not enough to pay expenses in that 10,000 square foot building. That's my question. They don't appear to be selling enough stuff at any outrageous markup to pay the bills. What's the deal with big expensive tourist junk stores that aren't busy yet there are multiple stores in a small area?

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by 1insider

I meant 99% margin as in buy it for 1 cent and sell it for a dollar. Even if they sell 100 $5 t-shirts in a day they'd only make $495 profit, not enough to pay expenses in that 10,000 square foot building. That's my question. They don't appear to be selling enough stuff at any outrageous markup to pay the bills. What's the deal with big expensive tourist junk stores that aren't busy yet there are multiple stores in a small area?

You have never owned a business then.

They sell more then you think and most owners own more then one store. One store alone in the right location can pay the bills and provide profits enough to feed many family members itself.

Also, the sales in one day during the busy season is unreal.

In Myrtle Beach the owner of several stores who used to buy from me had many 30k DAYS in the summer time. What they ordered from me in a years time was unreal and they re ordered over and over again so it sold well.

Believe me even on a bad day more then 495.00 is made.

Drives me nuts that people are picking the very thing that keeps America moving, its called capitalism and the right to own a thriving business and make money.

Do you know how many jobs these places create? TONS OF THEM. Not just in the shops, but clear down the the UPS driver, to the manufacture and so on.

Expensive? So you have been inside and purchase something?

I purchased a couple beach t shirts at Ron Jons last summer for my hubby and they are very high quality, well made and awesome. Paid 15.00 for 2 of them and that is a steal of a deal. They did not fall apart on the first wash like most wal mart shirts have.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

You have never owned a business then.

They sell more then you think and most owners own more then one store. One store alone in the right location can pay the bills and provide profits enough to feed many family members itself.

Also, the sales in one day during the busy season is unreal.

In Myrtle Beach the owner of several stores who used to buy from me had many 30k DAYS in the summer time. What they ordered from me in a years time was unreal and they re ordered over and over again so it sold well.

Believe me even on a bad day more then 495.00 is made.

Drives me nuts that people are picking the very thing that keeps America moving, its called capitalism and the right to own a thriving business and make money.

Do you know how many jobs these places create? TONS OF THEM. Not just in the shops, but clear down the the UPS driver, to the manufacture and so on.

Expensive? So you have been inside and purchase something?

I purchased a couple beach t shirts at Ron Jons last summer for my hubby and they are very high quality, well made and awesome. Paid 15.00 for 2 of them and that is a steal of a deal. They did not fall apart on the first wash like most wal mart shirts have.

Ron Jons is not the type store the OP was talking about. Ron Jons is more of a surf shop. Sells better quality/name brand clothes like Roxy, O'Neal, Bill-a-bong, etc. . It sells and rents surf boards, sells skate boards, sells paddle boards and other beach equipment. They also have the touristy stuff, but probably make just as much from us locals buting school clothes, shoes, etc. there.

They are talking about the big tourist shops that sell nothing or hardly anything a local person would ever buy, not the surf shops. We have one here. It always has a sign saying closing or 75% off etc. Went in once when house guests from the North stopped there because it was raining. We were the only people there. Never any cars in the parking lot, usually can't even tell it is open. Place is filled with junky stuff, made cheap. Sign was a farce... nothing seemed to be 70 % off except for 1 table of gag toys. There were trashy Florida souvenir type stuff that seemed to be all made in Japan/VietNam. 1 grumpy person was running the store. They didn't sell surf boards, just cheap boogey boards real boogey boarders wouldn't use.

Smaller tourist shops usually have a little better merchandise and are privately owned. I actually bought a swim suit at the one across from the big one but had to pay a little over $100 for it( good name brand) and we all bought sun dresses again not cheap but cute and well made. Probably about 20 people there after 9 PM on a weeknight in the summer. T shirts were more local than general Florida t's and not the 5-$10 type like in Kissimmee.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Ron Jons is not the type store the OP was talking about. Ron Jons is more of a surf shop. Sells better quality/name brand clothes like Roxy, O'Neal, Bill-a-bong, etc. . It sells and rents surf boards, sells skate boards, sells paddle boards and other beach equipment. They also have the touristy stuff, but probably make just as much from us locals buting school clothes, shoes, etc. there.

They are talking about the big tourist shops that sell nothing or hardly anything a local person would ever buy, not the surf shops. We have one here. It always has a sign saying closing or 75% off etc. Went in once when house guests from the North stopped there because it was raining. We were the only people there. Never any cars in the parking lot, usually can't even tell it is open. Place is filled with junky stuff, made cheap. Sign was a farce... nothing seemed to be 70 % off except for 1 table of gag toys. There were trashy Florida souvenir type stuff that seemed to be all made in Japan/VietNam. 1 grumpy person was running the store. They didn't sell surf boards, just cheap boogey boards real boogey boarders wouldn't use.

Smaller tourist shops usually have a little better merchandise and are privately owned. I actually bought a swim suit at the one across from the big one but had to pay a little over $100 for it( good name brand) and we all bought sun dresses again not cheap but cute and well made. Probably about 20 people there after 9 PM on a weeknight in the summer. T shirts were more local than general Florida t's and not the 5-$10 type like in Kissimmee.

I know what she meant but Ron Jons was small with crap junk once also.

Sure you have the low end stores but places like Wings, Eagles are not full of junk. They have a mixture of everything because you need a variety for everyone to be successful.

I dont know anyone who would buy a shirt in Kissimmee unless it was at Disney. Most of the stores on 192 are dirty, non English speaking owners, managers and employees and as you said dont get much business mainly because the tourist who have the money to go to Disney buy at Disney at not at the local 192 type shops.

Some awesome buildings in Kissimmee with the paintings, mermaid etc but inside is usually dusty and never cleaned.

I think the op is more referring to the ocean side type stores I think??

Wings and Eagles in MB get a ton of business and make a ton of money, like Herons said they pull their purchases together and many are family owned and they have several.

One I like is in Treasure Island, huge shop with a variety of items to pick from, clean, well kept.

Clearwater has some smaller ones like a mom and pop that are decent also.

[smarino]

Those places ain't making much money. Look at the staff....they mostly dress in the free T-shirts. These stores stay in business, if that's what you want to call it, by buying stuff that is crap and paying practically nothing for it, by paying their employees minimum wages w/ no benefits, and by fleecing the unsuspected marks during the busy season. NOT my idea of savvy business people. Just the same old nickle and dime hustle by Yankee cheapskates who are out to hustle other Yankee cheapskates.