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A gift shop or Souvenir gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs. Gift shops are normally found in areas visited by many tourists. Hotels and Motels in Canada and the United States often feature a gift shop near their entrance. Venues such as zoos, aquariums, national parks, theme parks, and museums have their own gift shops; in some cases these shops sell items of higher value than gift shops not associated with a venue, as well as trinkets. These stores are sometimes a source of financial support for educational institutions.
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Definition
A gift shop can be defined as a shop which has the primary purpose of selling items that will be given to others for no material gain.
Mainstream gift shop businesses
There are many ‘mainstream’ shop businesses that target gift-buyers as their primary customer base. These retailers can vary in size from small independent boutiques, to chain stores, to large department stores. Each will have different business strategies however will typically sell various product ranges that appeal to different customer groups, with gender, age, celebration or personal interest differentiation.
Many shops that are not primarily gift shops become gift shops during typical gift-giving periods such as Christmas and Valentines Day, offering ranges of gift products for a limited time period in the build-up to these celebrations.
Online gift shops
Online gift shops are websites which have the primary objective of selling products online that will be given to others. These online retailers may or may not be associated to a physical shop.