Let Boston enjoy its discount shopping crush at Filene's Basement. These days, downtown Tampa has its own hot spot for shopping: the Tampa Bay Rays' pro shop and ticket office.
The outlet, at 400 N. Tampa St., might not match the competitive mad dash among Filene's customers seeking merchandise, but there's plenty of enthusiasm and even some lines at the cash registers.
Thanks to the team's success this season, Rays T-shirts, authentic baseball jerseys, caps and 897 (by actual count) other types of gear are moving swiftly off the shelves.
The Rays don't disclose sales details, but team merchandise sales are up 75 percent to 100 percent compared with last season and another 25 percent to 30 percent since they secured a postseason spot, said Mark Fernandez, Rays senior vice president and chief sales officer.
If the Rays clinch the American League East Division title, new merchandise will be delivered to the shop.
The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday throughout the playoffs, in addition to the regular hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Reports from myriad other outlets, from Publix to sports merchandise stores in area malls, also indicate high demand for Rays merchandise.
"Merchandise sales are unprecedented for this time of year," said Rick Vaughn, the Rays' vice president of communications.
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