Meet Me in the Gift Shop: Orlando Science Center

Orlando Science Center

Covered walkway to the Orlando Science Center from the parking structure.


Inside the covered walkway.

The OSC is in Orlando, near the Pulse Nightclub where one of the deadliest attacks
in the United States took place on June 22, 2016. This sign is in the covered walkway.

Orlando Science Center
777 E. Princeton Street
Orlando, Florida 32803

Phone: 407.514.2000
Toll Free: 888.OSC.4FUN

Email: gservices@osc.org

AT A GLANCE: Orlando Science Center
Date of Visit:	Saturday, January 6, 2017
Parking	Plentiful and free, onsite parking.
Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:	150 180 minutes (2 ½ - 3 hours)
Amount of time needed for gift shop	25 – 35 minutes
Online shopping	The OSC has a decent online presence, but doesn’t show the majority of items that they sell. If you see something you like, buy it. Use this link, because it’s not obvious where to click: OSC online shopping
Dress code	There’s no dress code here. Wear comfy shoes and clothes, yet dress as if to not offend the general public.
Be sure to…..	Wander over to NatureWorks, the first exhibit you encounter. Walk up to it and search for the turtles, alligators and fish that inhabit the pond. Black mangroves live on this level, too. The tree rises up past the 4th level, so keep returning to it to find differences from level to level. You might see snakes and birds in the higher levels. Unlike the animals on the entry, the snakes and birds are facsimiles of the real thing. In my opinion, NatureWorks challenges us to think of ecosystems and forest communities as vertical instead of solely horizontal.
Nearby/other establishments to visit	· Mennello Museum of American Arts Mennello Museum · Orlando Fire Museum No official website · Orlando Museum of Art Orlando Museum of Art
Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic	This museum district is walkable. Park your car in the parking structure and enter the museum via a connecting covered entry which spans about the road below. You’ll need a car or other transportation to have lunch at Hot Krust Panini
Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area	Generally safe, but be alert, as you will encounter many tourists visiting the museums. Still, stow your valuables out of sight and lock your car.

Mission Statement:
to inspire science learning for life

I’ve been angry with the OSC for almost 4 years, and my first impression of the OSC was not a pleasant one. It involved screaming children, running wildly out of control and disrupting the majority of exhibits by their hooligan-ism. I remember throwing my hands up in surrender, stating that I had had enough and that I wanted to decompress in the gift shop. I noticed, in passing, that it was a good-sized shop, and I wanted / needed to shop. I admit it; I was looking for a little something for myself. With a loud sign of resignation, I entered “my” world. Except it wasn’t. That’s right, more unruly young ones had invaded the gift shop. Maybe I could soldier on, and with a sense of renewal, entered the gift shop. I held my head high and trooped in, and was immediately disappointed. I enter the gift shop with money burning a hole in my pocket, and I left with my pockets still full of spendable cash.

The gift shop of four years ago was situated in a large round room, with all of the merchandise displayed on racks and shelves that had been placed flush to the wall. Directly in the center was the cashier area, occupying much more space than it should have. There was few, if any, merchandise near the cashier.

Can you guess why this was a less than ideal layout? First of all, you could see the entire shop from the doorway. Customers generally like to see the back of the store so they can fix the store layout in their minds, creating a mental map, and they also want areas to explore. The issue I had was that there was nothing left to discover. Being the sharp-eyed traveler that you are, I’m confident you would have noticed this right away. Any guesses as to the second issue? That’s right, no merchandise located by the cashier to encourage impulse buying, thereby eliminating a solid stream of income. This seems like such a basic thing to do, yet it was as if this big museum hadn’t given much thought or allocated the resources to make their gift shop anything more than just another space in the museum. Additionally, the merchandise sold in the gift shop had no connection to the exhibits located in the museum. Wait, there’s more. Approximately 98% of the merchandise was geared for young children and pre-teens. The remaining 2% was for everyone else, and consisted of sweatshirts with a few designs to select from. I left the OSC that day feeling extremely discouraged. I remember asking why we had purchased a membership to the OSC, because we were clearly not the target market. But, we returned to give the OSC another chance. Sadly, our following visits failed to impress me. Keeping all of these things in mind, how would you describe the OSC brand (personality; DNA)? I had the impression of an out-of-control 6-year old, spoiled by getting everything they wanted regardless if it made sense or not.

This went on for a few years, when I received an email that the OSC had sent to its members. The OSC was looking for opinions from us as to what they were doing right. They also asked about room for improvement. They want my opinion? Not a problem. I pushed my sleeves up and commenced a marathon writing session. I’m a forthright and honest woman, and if you ask for my opinion, you’re going to get it. “Diplomacy” is not my middle name. As I mentioned earlier, I was thoroughly annoyed with the OSC for not respecting my shopping needs and for slighting the role of a gift shop in their museum.

A year passed, and nothing had changed. Another year began when I begrudgingly agreed to visit the OSC. While I really wasn’t ready to give the OSC another chance, it appeared that the Board of Directors did. The gift shop is now in a new location with new merchandise and a new layout. In shock, the noise that came from my mouth was loud enough that several people spun around in surprise.

The former gift shop was round, while the new one is a rectangular shape. The cashier stand had been moved to the space between the entrance and exit doors, and there were were many small impulse items within 5’ – 10’ feet of the register. Be that as it may, I could see to the back of the shop. The shelves are angled so they form a closed and intimate space. This idea worked well, because I saw clusters of shoppers taking the time to inspect the items for sale. Merchandise is now grouped and displayed with other similar items. Many of these displays had signage indicating the appropriate age for its items. Their layouts made me want to go in and poke around, so I did. I saw something in the gift shop that I’ve never seen in the four years we’ve been visiting the Orlando Science Center: people making purchases.

This is a great gift shop for allowing children to shop for themselves. They’re able to choose from bags of small polished stones, inexpensive toys, and books geared specifically to children. I observed an entire display dedicated to science for girls with mixed feelings. It was great that the gift shop had this, but I find it sad for society that we have to have this section. C’mon girls, get your Science on!

The OSC gift shop has surprises in store for adults, too, starting with science books geared toward adults and teachers. I saw shot glasses and refrigerator magnets, and numerous t-shirts and sweatshirts were also there for people to buy. This new and improved gift shop impressed me, a sentiment I had not felt at the OSC for four years. This gift shop had come so far, and I think I unconsciously crossed my fingers in hope of branded wearables, needed to complete my gift shop trifecta. I looked through a goodly amount of t-shirts, but none bore the OSC logo. Thankfully, I found one in their window display.

I am no longer angry at the OSC, and am delighted to share it with you. Did my email response from a few years steer the OSC to a new location and I revamp of its inventory? Probably not, but I still like to take a smidgen of credit. The OSC gift shop makes a good case study in the fields of branding, retail, and tourism showing that a gift shop is a vital component of a museum by supporting the mission of it. In terms of branding, do you think the OSC tried to change their brand? I don’t think so. Its mission is to inspire science learning for life, and they improved how they go about it. Folks come to the museum and they visit the gift shop to buy to remind them of the great time they had. Hopefully, they plan a return trip.

Orlando Science Center Photos: