NEW YORK — Super Bowl Sunday may be the biggest day of the year for football fans, but the days leading up to it are big for people who sell big-screen TVs, recliners and pizza.
Yes, some sports fans are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a TV just to watch the game. Jim Ferrero, of Yardley, Pa., has done so twice.
“I actually bought another TV last year specifically for the Super Bowl,” Ferrero said at a suburban Philadelphia Best Buy store on a recent afternoon. “And then this year, I was thinking the same thing: ‘Might as well get another one.’ “
Ferrero, who dropped $2,200 on a 46-inch Sharp flat-screen, is far from alone. While Best Buy’s TV department was far from crowded, a steady stream of customers were wheeling out flat-panel TVs.
TV and furniture companies run special promotions during the period leading up to the Super Bowl to position their products as big game must-haves. Pizzerias stock up on dough and toppings and require every employee on the payroll to work Super Bowl Sunday. And beer companies make sure distributors are well supplied.
“There’s historically been a significant bump (in TV sales) in the week leading up to the Super Bowl,” said Ross Rubin, an analyst at NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y.
Last year, U.S. retailers sold 61 percent more TVs the week before the Super Bowl compared to the previous week, NPD said. Revenue from TV sales jumped 46 percent that week.
TV sales are almost as high during the winter holiday season, but there is a key difference. When buying for the Super Bowl, NPD research show, sports fans are acquiring a TV for themselves, often with a football party in mind. These shoppers aren’t willing to settle for holiday overstock; they’re looking for the newest, biggest and best. And price is often no object.
Of course, football maniacs who have procured all the viewing, listening and reclining gear necessary typically find they need something to eat and drink while watching the game. Domino’s Pizza sales jump 30 percent on Super Bowl Sunday compared to a typical Sunday, said Tim McIntyre, vice president of communications at Domino’s Pizza LLC. The company expects to deliver more than 1.2 million pizzas across the country on Sunday.
“We look forward to Super Bowl Sunday with great anticipation,” McIntyre said via e-mail. “It is one of those days we circle on the calendar and prepare for.”
Domino’s hires help in advance for game day, orders more food to meet the demand and stores will schedule everyone on the payroll to work that day, he explained. Domino’s also offers special game day promotions.
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