The Top Selling Merch at the ‘Jersey Shore’ Shore Store
Jersey Shore gave fans a new vocabulary to work with including “grenade” and “smush room,” and plenty of iconic catchphrases, too. Find out which Jersey Shore turns of phrase are used to create the best selling merchandise at Danny Merk’s Shore Store.
‘Jersey Shore’ put the Shore Store on the map
The opportunity to be part of Jersey Shore came out of nowhere for Merk. “Someone was scouting locations for a reality TV show, asked if I’d mind if they took some pictures of the house I had lived in for 10 years. Then they asked if they could rent my house out for a month,” he explained to Huffington Post. Merk didn’t think anything would come of it, but the next thing he knew, his home of 10 years became a Seaside landmark.
When the show finally aired on MTV, Merk says his life changed forever. In addition to people stopping to take photos with his property, crowds came in droves just to walk through the Shore Store. “Just about everyone who comes in [to the Shore Store] at least buys a T-shirt,” he said. Fortunately for Merk, there has been no downside to being part of the reality series. “I can only say that Jersey Shore has helped the Jersey Shore big time.”
The ‘Jersey Shore’ cast worked hard to hardly work
Initially, working at the Shore Store was an obligation for the cast of Jersey Shore. To live in Merk’s home free of charge, they had to put time in selling apparel on the boardwalk. “They started off at $10 an hour, then it went to $15, and then I think I gave them 20 bucks an hour at the very end,” Merk explained to Vulture. “You live in a beach house for free and get 20 bucks an hour? It was great money!”
Some cast members were better at their job than others. Merk recalls Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino being terrible at his job. “[He] worked hard at not working,” Merk says. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi wasn’t all that great, either. “Her best year was when she was pregnant because she was sober, and she didn’t have a hangover,” says Merk.
As for the others, they did well for the Shore Store. “Pauly took it seriously,” Merk added. “Vinny was always trying to pick up an extra shift. Jenni and Sammi, I would always put them on the register because they were great. Jenni was a fantastic upseller. She’d bully people into buying things.”
‘Jersey Shore’ quotes are the Shore Store’s best sellers
You probably think of one of the iconic catchphrases the roommates have coined when you think about Jersey Shore. From “Cabs are here!” to “Rahn, stahp,” there are many quotes to choose from. For Merk, the Shore Store’s best sellers are apparel with Jersey Shore quotes on them.
“Yeah Buddy” items have done particularly well. “I sold so much ‘Yeah Buddy’ merchandise, especially when Pauly was inside the store,” Merk explained. Other quotes many people want on Shore Store apparel include “Come at Me, Bro” and “T-Shirt Time.” “Those three, plus ‘I’m the Sweetest Bitch You’ll Ever Meet’ and ‘Don’t Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore,'” Merk says. “That’s a classic saying no matter what.”
