See if you stop planning for the average size players Some folks are bigger and need 3xl. Some folks are smaller and wear kids’ sizes It’s equally embarrassing to win something that dwarves us as something that shows our bellies.
When you are giving away shirts and don’t have size options via raffle or otherwise, consider offering stickers or pins, patches or anything else less size dependent… We want to rep your shows! (And truly appreciate the effort you went to for sponsors or personal sponsorship)
We are super happy to volunteer and play at your events!
Talking to a few other larger and smaller size folks; we’d love to rep your events but are stuck giving our shirts away to our significant other averaged size friends. Options are great.
We are going to try a pre order option at Pincinnati this year for those that want to ensure a shirt their size will be waiting for them at the show. Very hard to plan on the amount of shirts that is needed each year.
All of this is why it’s really helpful if people pre-order shirts. Otherwise, the organizers end up not having enough of each size and or with costly leftovers of some sizes.
Right… I’m not sure what event this comment is related to, but getting a shirt mix correct and accommodating all possibilities is loads of work and ultimately, still results in waste somewhere in the order—either too many less common sizes or too many more common sizes, and that’s money that can’t easily be recuperated. There’s just no way to make everyone happy all the time here, it’s very specifically, impossible.
It doesn’t help for people that don’t know their size but we have done the same this year for YEGPIN you can pre-order a shirt, hoodie or zip-up jacket. Last year our merchandise sold out by Friday so no excuses for people if you want merchandise pre-order to be guaranteed to get it…
If I’m reading this right, @eighmi is concerned not (just?) with size options available to buy, but with giveaways. I know that it’s pretty common when there is a shirt giveaway at a tournament or event that the shirts are usually “average” sized, and of course it’s obvious why that would be. But I think the suggestion that raffles or door prizes should offer stickers/pins/patches instead of (or in addition to) shirts that people will end up winning and not being able to wear makes a lot of sense.
Preordering shirts for people attending an event is an entirely different discussion altogether. The OP appears frustrated that they won a shirt in a size that didn’t fit at some tournament somewhere.
If I’m giving away a shirt as a raffle prize, which I often do on league nights, it’s because I had an extra one to give away in whatever extra size there was. Am I now also expected to consider when ordering shirts for an event, that when I might have extras, those extras need to be a specific size to accommodate some specific attendee that may or may not get drawn as a raffle winner?
As for event/volunteer giveaways, I can only order shirts in quantities based on my best possible educated guess using previous years data and/or a hunch. Since volunteers happen at the event, and there isn’t a list of people who are volunteering 8 weeks before an event (when I have to place an order) should I just stop giving away shirts for event volunteers, which is the item that is far and away most popular with the event volunteers, because I might screw up and order 2 less, or two more of a size I needed?
Ok so this was my event and I appreciate the feedback. It’s not anything that’s ever been brought up in all the raffles I’ve run at tournaments. Talking to other TDs in the area, it has not come up for them either so it’s good this is on the radar now.
For everyone’s info, the raffle worked like this:
People who were drawn picked a t shirt from a selection of 8-10 shirts on a table. The designs varied. They were either pinball-related (Electric Bat, INDISC) or pop culture-related (Star Wars, Godzilla). There may have been one or two athletic-themed shirts. The shirts were not replenished at first after picks, (more on that later).
I deliberately tried to have a wide range of shirts…I recall putting out M to 2 or 3XL. There was no S or XS or 4XL so I can understand if people felt they couldn’t get something in their size.
About halfway through the event, some more shirts were added to the table, this included a small and another or 2 or 3XL. I don’t think we had any 4XLs or XS. I recall someone who won the raffle during this period happy that there was a 2 or 3XL available for them which further drives home OP’s point of having a wide range of sizes. As someone who wears a M often I get OP’s point of view. But I also often receive only L-XL size shirts from sponsors/raffles.
I would request in the future if this happens to you to ask the TD if there’s alternate prizing available. I would have been happy to give some stickers out in lieu of a T-shirt. It’s possible I missed this request during the chaos of the event and if so I apologize.
OP if you want to trade your shirt for some alternate prizing next time we see each other let me know and I’ll make it happen.
I want to make it clear I didn’t want to make anyone feel excluded due to raffle prizing. That was never my intention.
In the future I will offer an alternate prize instead of a t-shirt for raffle winners.
Please don’t think this was just your event. This happens routinely hence bringing it up. Definitely wasn’t singling out one event! I put it out here because it does happen quite a bit.
Again, I really appreciate the efforts that everyone goes to when securing all this merch. I know it is not an easy lift!
