UF students are gearing up for the frenzy of the Final Four, and the success of the men’s basketball team has the Florida bookstores scrambling to accommodate the impending rush.
The UF Bookstore has more than 900 Final Four T-shirts ready for students and fans to purchase, said Pamela Grasso, UF Bookstore general merchandise manager.
She said the most popular item will be the T-shirts the team was sporting just after Saturday’s win.
“Students want to be a part of it,” Grasso said. “They want to represent something specific about basketball.”
During the past few home games, the store was packed and sold out of certain merchandise, she said. The bookstore is bringing in temporary employees to ease the frenzy.
Alumni Hall, located at 3730 SW Archer Road, has also felt the demand for basketball attire, said store manager Paloma Puig.
“We are really excited to be open for the Final Four,, since we have only been open for five months,” she said.
Anh Dang, a 22-year-old UF dental graduate student, was searching for the perfect Final Four T-shirt for her fiance. She said the tournament gives students something to look forward to on weekends when they don’t have to study.
“It’s something that brings us closer together,” Dang said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 4/2/2014 under the headline "Stores prepare for Final Four craze"]
