The Crocs Phenomenon

Four years ago, at my garden center job, I busted out an orange pair of Crocs for the busy season. You could see these things from miles away (not me. Mario Batali). They were gaudy and garish, and perfect for the garden center. Customers loved them. But that's a given. Gardeners love bright colors. If they didn't they wouldn't be gardeners.

For a few seasons, Crocs sold well for garden retailers...not so much anymore. It's a shame because Crocs did an excellent job exploiting the colorwheel. They were also great at giving customers choices, allowing them to stand out or just be different if they wanted to.

Luckily there have been some side effects from the Crocs Phenomenon.

Dramm's Colorstorm (pictured left) hoses, sprinklers, sprayers, etc. come in six different colors. Coleman Cable's Cool Colors (pictured right)extension cords line also comes in six not so run-of-the-mill hues.

And, of course, the Bosmere (below) Nutscene twine. I first saw these colorful tins of twine at Terrain Garden Center during the GCA Holiday Tour. This morning, Sue at Bosmere said these have been extremely popular sellers, and many people are using them for gift wrapping.
It's not too late to make sure your tool wall gets the bright and cheery "Spring's Here" memo.

As for me, I'm going down with the Crocs ship. I swear by them. Now I just need to decide on a new pair before the temps break 50. Purple, aqua or kelly green?