4 Queue Management and Retail Merchandising Hacks from the PGA Masters and Others

Now that spring’s in full swing, golf enthusiasts around the world eagerly anticipate the prestigious PGA Masters Tournament, set to take place in Augusta, GA, from April 7th to 13th.

While the event is synonymous with memorable moments on the iconic course, the Augusta National Golf Shop is a prime example of a large-scale retail store at a major public venue. We’re referring to retail stores at large arenas, stadiums, sport-oriented resorts, as well as at museums and tourist sites.

With so many shoppers passing through their doors – at 30,000 square feet, Augusta National's shop is double the size of the original, drawing 50,000 visitors and raking in $10 million in sales each DAY – these large format stores offer a masterclass in queue management and retail efficiency.

What can businesses learn from these retail powerhouses? Let’s take a closer look.

How Augusta National’s Golf Shop and large-scale stores optimize queue management and retail strategy

1. Create an engaging queue with signage that entertains and educates.

When a team is hot, when it’s a must-experience-in-person event, when the venue is a bucket list destination, patrons are willing to endure outside (and outsized) waits to get inside the store. Instead of simply having shoppers wait in line, savvy retailers turn idle time into an enriching experience with educational signage, like “How to Chip/Throw/Block...”, or players’ backstories, or the history of the event.

Businesses and organizations can create a similar elevated experience using Lavi Industries’ portable rope barrier stanchions combined with custom signage solutions with their endless options for size, shape, material and color. For high traffic environments that demand a more secure base, Lavi’s new innovative magnetic stanchions create a modern aesthetic and remain firmly in place until removed for cleaning.

2. Maximize space efficiency with gondolas and post-and-panel displays.

Spacious layouts keep customers moving at a smooth, unbroken pace, helping to both maximize customer revenue and get shoppers back to spectating as quickly as possible. Along with displaying merchandise along the perimeter walls, where floor-to-ceiling setups showcase goods, well-spaced center aisles featuring cubbies and racks allow shoppers to browse comfortably without feeling crowded.

To make the most of an existing layout, retailers can adopt:

• Post and panel barriers: These space-saving barriers line the queuing path, separate checkout lanes from shopping areas, and display key information or promotions.
• Magnetic stanchions: New style stanchions feature powerful magnets on a slim, low-profile base that can increase usable floor space by up to 15%. When combined with post and barriers, retailers have a powerful and attractive queue solution.
• NeXtrac fixed slatwall panels: Available in 2-ft and 4-ft widths, Lavi’s versatile panels feature hinged connectors for easy angling into tight spaces where traditional linear-only gondolas won’t fit. The modular system supports customizable merchandising setups with hooks, shelves, or baskets.
• NeXtrac mobile slatwall gondolas: A sister system to the fixed slatwall, the mobile version with locking swivel wheels moves at a moment’s notice—easily extending queue length during peak traffic or connecting to create browsing alcoves.

3. Optimize checkout and service zones with efficient queue design

With dozens of registers and a fleet of staff, the Augusta National Golf Shop moves patrons through checkout with remarkable speed. And like other large-format, high-volume event retailers, a dedicated shipping service enhances the experience, and encourages large and high volume purchases. Taking a page from the approach used at big box stores, as well as airport security checkpoints, a serpentine queue with clear entrance signs directs patrons to service points. This equitable configuration serves customers in order of arrival and thus eliminates “being stuck on the slow line” complaints.

Businesses can replicate these efficiencies by implementing serpentine checkout lanes with retractable belt stanchions, and add separate dedicated lanes for packaging stations, express lanes, or mobile checkout areas. Lavi’s queue management solutions offer full-service queue design consulting to help businesses select products and layouts that enhance queue efficiency, customer experience, and store profits.

4. Leverage exclusive products to drive demand.

There is nothing quite like the legendary allure of the Masters, the Super Bowl, The Final Four, the US Open (golf, tennis, soccer!) – name your sport – and the boasting rights that come with their exclusive merchandise, available only in-store and only during the event. Eager customers come prepared to SHOP! for limited-edition merchandise like hats, hoodies, water bottles, shirts, and more. At Augusta, some spend up to $30,000 in a single visit. Exclusive items are part of highly anticipated, thoughtfully curated (and data-driven) event experiences.

Lavi’s NeXtrac merchandising bowls and slatwall baskets enable retailers to create their own retail excitement by prominently displaying limited-time promotional items and in-store-only products. The addition of custom signage helps to draw customer attention and to create a sense of exclusivity to drive impulse purchases.

Merchandise like a master with Lavi queuing products

From events like the PGA Masters Tournament, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, and World Series, to blockbuster art installations to lifetime-dream tourist attractions, large-format retailers work hard to meet attendee expectations. Not only is the goal to be the pinnacle within their field, it’s also about setting new standards for retail and queuing efficiency.

Retailers across the country can draw inspiration from these high-volume retail shops to transform their own spaces and elevate customer experiences. With strategically-aligned queuing solutions and display fixtures — like magnetic stanchions, custom signage, and portable merchandising displays — Lavi Industries can help you compete like a pro.