Susan Cramer is senior director, tournament merchandise operations, and oversees one of the most popular stops at THE PLAYERS Championship: The Fan Shop. The 40,000-square-foot retail shop features all things PLAYERS and PGA, with new merchandise each year. This year, the Fan Shop has made some significant changes, which are sure to please fans as they enjoy their time at THE PLAYERS.
Tell me about the Fan Shop and its importance to THE PLAYERS and the fans.
The biggest thing about the Fan Shop, I would say, if we’re having a hot Florida day, we have the best air conditioning on the course, by far. [Laughs]
We are located right by the Nicklaus gate. When you come over the beautiful bridge to walk into THE PLAYERS Championship, you will see the Fan Shop immediately to your right. It’s located right behind 17 green and it's near the entrance/exit. So, we’re in a prime location.
The reason why the Fan Shop is so important is we are always trying to strive to make a better fan experience outside of the ropes.
This year, we have re-imagined the look of the Fan Shop. We have new fixtures that all of our products will be displayed on. But basically our strategy is to continue to be a leader embracing change and to deliver the best fan experience that we possibly can.
We also want to make sure that our fans have the opportunity to see the greatest product in our industry that we showcase. So, our buying team is always looking for the new things and the greatest things that are out there.
Also, we have unique elements throughout the Fan Shop, so it’s not only shopping, but it’s different things that you can look at, whether it’s imagery of the trophy, Tour players, etc. So, we try to make it a full experience. The Tour player images are always fun because our fans are always taking selfies in front of their favorite Tour players. That’s really fun to watch.
We always want to give our guests a memorable first touch point and a last touch point. Being where we’re located, we do get a lot of fans as soon as they walk in because they always want to get the greatest gear out there.
And we have a bag check where we’ll store for free for the day. You can check your bag with us and then pick it up at the end of the day, which is a great fan enhancement, as well.
I guess the biggest thing of all is we want to create a world-class event inside the Fan Shop for core fans of the game, golf fanatics and non-golfers alike. We really want to make sure that we are servicing everybody. Whether you like golf or you don’t like golf, we want to make sure that we have something for you in there.
Tell me more about this year’s changes.
All of the new fixtures that we have inside the Fan Shop will be the first time anybody will see them. We debuted them out on the West Coast [WM Phoenix Open], and they’re at the Cognizant Classic, but it’s the first time people are going to see them here at THE PLAYERS Championship.
So, it’s a whole brand new look. When you come in this year, it’s totally reimagined. New layouts. New fixtures. Fun stuff.
What are your duties?
I oversee all of our onsite retail. My team works with the buying team on what they’re bringing in. Our biggest focus and job is making sure everything you see when you come into the Fan Shop — whether it’s carpeting, air conditioning, the tent, the fixtures, the layout of all of the vendors, how many the cash registers we have — anything that you see is what my team takes care of.
Our team also helps receive all of the merchandise. I’m responsible for doing the layout of where each vendor goes inside the Fan Shop, and just overseeing the daily operations and making sure all of our fans have great customer service and are having a wonderful experience while they’re here at THE PLAYERS.
Tell me about your staff? How many are there?
Our team works with the staff at TPC Sawgrass, too — so we will have 12 managers onsite and we will have about 150 volunteers per day. And we also have 75 vendors per day that come and support their brands and help us re-stock and keep the Fan Shop looking great.
How long have you been with THE PLAYERS, especially the Fan Shop?
I’ve been employed by The PGA Tour for 29 years. All of my managers are employees of The PGA Tour.
What do you like most about what you do?
I think just seeing the fans get so excited when they find the perfect item or souvenir to bring home, and just making them happy, having an enjoyable experience.
How long have you lived in Northeast Florida?
We moved to Northeast Florida two years ago. With all of the travel I do, I was allowed to work remotely. But my better half, he’s worked for The PGA Tour for a very long time, too. He’s now the executive director of THE PLAYERS Championship [Lee Smith], so we moved to Ponte Vedra. He and I moved here two years ago from Jersey City.
What do you like about living in this area?
I think I like that, even though we’re in Florida, there’s still a little bit of the seasons. You can tell when it’s winter, and you can tell when it’s fall.
I love being near the ocean. I think that’s really fun.
And it’s easy to get in and out of — especially with all the travel that I do.
Anything else?
We just all love what we do, and we love all of the different tournaments that we go to throughout the year. My team travels to about 15 events a year, all over the country. So, we absolutely love what we do. We love giving the fans a great experience, and we just want them to leave happy.
