Packers Mania Sweeps Merchandise Off Shelves, Swamps Travel Agents
No. 4 Shirts Selling Out Across Area
UPDATED: 8:27 am CST January 15,
2008
MADISON, Wis. -- Edging ever closer to a Super Bowl appearance, Green Bay Packers merchandise is flying off the shelves in stores all over Wisconsin."We still have Packers stuff. You can find anything from apparel to accessories. Of course, it's dwindling down because of the mania," said Katie Crubauth, who works at Wisconsin Active Sportswear.Crubauth said it's hard to keep Packers quarterback Brett Favre's No. 4 in stock. Behind Favre, the most requested item is the No. 50 jersey of A.J. Hawk, WISC-TV reported.Meanwhile, a Middleton business decided to mix up politics and sports with their "Favre 4 President" shirts.Top Promotions said they have already sold out of the T-shirts that they printed for fun last week. Company officials said that they're now printing more.The 40 employees at the business print shirts for all kinds of sports teams, but admit that printing things for the Packers is more fun."If you're a Packer fan, you're a Brett Favre fan," said production manager Brandon Pietruszynski. "If you're from Wisconsin, how can you not cheer for Brett Favre? I mean, I'm sure they have a little added motivation when it comes to the Packers stuff, to make sure it gets done right and fast and out the door as promptly as possible."Top Promotions said it has four automatic presses going 24 hours a day.If the Packers beat the Giants, they said they'll begin churning out Packers Super Bowl shirts immediately after the game.
'Pack'ing To Travel?
Instead of T-shirts and jersey, some fans are expressing their Packer pride by booking a trip. Area travel agencies said they've been swamped with callers looking to gain late entry on the Packers bandwagon.On Monday morning, Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Monona began offering an NFC Title Game package. For $450, fans get a bus ride to Lambeau Field, a tailgate party and game ticket.Owner Mary Miller said she is one of the few who has a lot of faith each year in the Packers and buys up travel packages into the playoffs."The tickets are going very, very fast," said Miller. "We're trying to get our hands on additional supply of them. If you're thinking about it, call the office and get on a waiting list just in case we get more tickets."If the Packers win, tickets to the Super Bowl would be pricy. WISC-TV found Super Bowl tickets on eBay going for as low as $840, with most pairs of tickets selling for between $1,200 and $1,600.Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



