Super Bowl fans spending big money at NFL Shop

Inside the Georgia World Congress Center are two massive stores that are the Super Bowl of souvenirs.

It’s the NFL Shop, the official merchandise retail store for Super Bowl LIII.

“We have approximately 2,000 different styles of merchandise, from hats to sweatshirts to hoodies to socks you can customize,” Jessica Christ, NFL Consumer Products Manager of Event Retail.

Measuring about 25,000 square feet, the stores contain more than 2,000 different products.

“We have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pieces that fans can come and shop and pick up, so anywhere from the t-shirts to the hoodies, there’s a way array of products for them,” said Christ.

Some cost just a few dollars, while others, such as autographed helmets, run as high as $7,500.

Other much-wanted products can only be found exclusively at these Super Bowl stores.

“I have three nephews and this is a unique looking hat with this black bill and this shine and I know this is something they wouldn’t have,” said Lisa Stewart, while purchasing a $110 hat. “It’s something different. It maybe a little bit high, but it’s okay. It’s a once in a lifetime thing and something they probably would never get.”

Fans who come into stores know they’re going to have to open their wallets and open them wide.

“It’s kind of like, if you find what you want, you don’t care what the price is, you’re going to have it,” said Rams fan Steve Decker from Indiana. “You’re going to get it.”

With the weather in Atlanta icy cold all week long and with temperatures dropping below freezing during the nighttime, anything with long sleeves has been a popular item.

“A lot of fans are coming in looking for long sleeves, jackets, hoodies, really anything that they can just layer onto themselves to make sure they’re good to go for all the other festivities outside,” said Christ.

Customers range across the NFL spectrum. There are fans of every NFL team inside the store, including a New England Patriots fan named, curiously, LA!

“I’m looking for a jersey, just some paraphernalia before Sunday because Sunday I got to be at the parties,” said LA Anderson. “It’s so much stuff. My wife is going to kill me when she checks out my credit card cause I’m getting all kinds of stuff! I’m going to rack up today.”

With the Rams in the Super Bowl, fans of the team are out in full force, even one longtime fan from St. Louis who said he’s sticking with the team that left the city three years ago.

“No, I’m going to hold on to my old memorabilia, but I will get a new (Todd) Gurley jersey and support the LA Rams as well,” said Brandon Wilcox.

The NFL Shop is located in the Georgia World Congress Center, the mammoth exhibition center that is home this week to most Super Bowl fan and media related activities.

There are other pop up shops located around downtown Atlanta.

When asked just how much merchandise will be sold, Christ declined to comment.

No dobut the final dollar amount will be quite high!