The Role of the Gift Shop

Basics: My photo essay on the American Museum of Natural History is an ethnography dealing with spaces and the relationships people have within those spaces. The two spheres I am choosing to explore more deeply are the little enclaves of consumerism lurking about in the museum - the gift shop(s).

Gift shops have a much different function than the educational parts of the museum. They are a place where the reverence and quiet of the museum dissolve away into a much more chaotic, hands-on atmosphere. To get a real sense of how the various gift shops in the museum (there is at least one a floor) are similar and different, I went to everyone on the floor plan.

The main gift store is massive: it is 2 and a half floors on the


Main general changes in interaction:

-Bright florescent light Vs. low light of museum
-Expensive/price gouging (2 batteries= $4.32) Vs. Donation entry
-Toys Vs. Learning
-Collectibles commodified Vs. Rarities preserved in the museum
-No picture taking (other than myself) Vs. Strobe like effect of flashes in the museum
-Gift Shops individualized according to their placement in the museum.



Methodology: This is the floor plan of the museum. I went through and circled all the gift shops on each floor - planning out my journey.



































Here are some detailed pictures of the layout with some field notes written on them:











































































































































The main Museum Shop acted as a hub for all the other satilite shops. Here there was the most selection of merchandise over 2 and half floors of shopping space. Here is a break down of the space:

This is on the main floor of the museum and the upper floor of the shop. Here there were mainly goods for a person looking to spend more money. Top shelf items would be a good term used to describe them. There were lots of glass encased jewelry/rocks. Very clean and bustling with all types of people.









This is the staircase connecting the store's floors. The there were fossil decorations hanging and wall art.
























This is detail shot of the dinosaur spine railing on the staircase. No space is wasted in reminding you that you are in the American Museum of Natural History.



















This is on the bottom floor where it was mostly targeted on children. Down here it was a mess and the air was thick with screaming children cries. Lots of stuffed animals, kids books, and toys.





















This is the Water H20 special exhibit gift shop. It was the hardest to get to because unless you bought tickets to the special exhibit, you have to to walk around the long way through permanent collection. It should be noted however, that all the gift shops are open to all visitors. You can buy a t-shirt even if you didn't get a ticket.

This was a very small gift shop.





This is the planetarium gift shop. It was small but dense. There was a lot of high end stuff here, mostly centered around space and telescopes.











This is the Mythic Creatures gift shop. By far the least educationally oriented.














Case in point: DVD selection. All mermaid, dragon, and cartoon oriented. Little substance here. Everything costs almost twice what it should.

















Case in Point #2: This is a sugary, artificially flavored/colored candy at the shop.





















This is the Dinostore on the 4th floor. Here it was clear they were understaffed with little attention paid to the back room.














Stereotypical museum goods:
-Pencils
-Pens
-Bouncy Balls













Register encouraging membership/Little doo-dads.















Another gift shop staple (available in the Dinosaur area) is Freeze Dried astronaut ice cream.
























Polished rocks for sale.





















In case you get thirsty from all that learning and walking about you can purchase an over priced beverage.























Display case presenting the film Night at the Museum, and acknowledging the museum's role in the larger pop culture.





















Large dinosaur advertising the film.
























The gift shops are finished to the finest detail, here we see dino foot prints leading the way to more goodies.





















Conclusions: The gift shop appears to be the museum's financial bread and butter. It provides some necessary functions such as providing a snack or a drink throughout the cavernous museum. It also is a place that allows the children to be loud, touchy, and obnoxious after subduing themselves for the hallowed grounds of the museum. It was not uncommon to see parents utilitzing the time tested form of bribery to pacify their screaming child. It was interesting to make it a point to see every gift shop and by the end they had certainly lost all appeal to me personally- Unfortunately at the museum my batteries died and I was forced to purchase new ones for my camera at an extremely inflated price. The museum has thought of everything to emblazon with their logo/name - coffee mugs, pencils, frisbees, sweatshirts, t-shirts, ties, etc, etc.

The role of the gift shop appears to be on completely working in the museums terms and playing on the tourist or young child. It is certainly not the place to go looking for bargains. It it exsits on a different plane than the rest of the museum; one where everything is for sale. Perhaps though it is a necessary evil in keeping the museum donation funded and more readily available to the public.