Over 140 shows, spanning across five continents, three hours of pure performance and a gross revenue of an estimated five billion dollars came together to create the world’s biggest tour, “The Eras Tour.” This tour had several controversies, yet the one plaguing many Eras Tour attendees in Miami was the grueling merch lines.

“The lines felt like they weren’t moving,” said junior Marlena Vastola. “We had to walk up a spiral ramp and it truly felt like I was standing there forever.”

Having attended the show, getting merch was not an easy feat. In high-heeled cowboy boots, holding onto a dream, I waited anxiously in line to get into the stadium. Luck struck me by being the first line to be let in. From there, a three-story corkscrew ramp and three story staircase back down to the merch stand is all that stood between the merch and me.

I ran hard with hundreds of other fans with one goal in mind. If I had done anything differently, such as walked or gone into another line to enter the stadium, the merch would not be in my possession today.

Walking through the arena, as someone who was able to get merchandise, was strange. Other attendees stopped me, looking hopeful and asking how long I had to wait just to be disappointed. Many fans were not as lucky and had to find ways to pass the time.

“It took a very long time,” Vastola said. “We played games and traded bracelets while waiting.”

The way these lines were set up is unacceptable. With massive amounts of fans, there shouldn’t be a single area for merch.

However, the set-up of one section with a few merch stands wasn’t the case for all shows. In shows before Miami’s, there were different areas for merch, as well as stands outside the stadiums. This allowed for lines to form in multiple parts of a stadium instead of funneling into one area.

This didn’t stop massive lines and clogged areas of the stadium, which prevented fans from enjoying their show.​ The merch team has tried to come up with solutions to this problem, with off site merchandise stores that are open a day before the show, but this doesn’t fix anything.

Fans have lined up as early as 4 A.M. at these locations when the store doesn’t open till 10 A.M. This also brought in another crowd of fans who did not possess tickets to Swift’s show.

The problem that arises with these massive crowded lines is safety problems.

At the Miami show, everyone was funneled down stairs. If one person made a wrong move, it could severely injure other fans waiting in line. This is a case across the board, even if there aren’t stairs involved. Fans are crammed into lines, which inadvertently block things, like fire exists, or prevent mass movement in case of an emergency.

While these lines can seem like a “fan problem,” there was little guidance or uniformity to these lines besides a small number of staff.

“I got there early, and I didn’t know about the merch truck,” senior Kiera White said. “If I had known I would have definitely gotten merch. By the time we got there, there were lines out the door.”

The little information provided by the venue and staff is what ultimately led to White not being able to get any merchandise of her preference.

The biggest issue that came from these lines was the wait time. Fans waited upwards of three hours to get merchandise. This caused them to miss the opening acts, as well as part of Swift’s set. For many, the openers for The Eras Tour, such as Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter and Phoebe Bridgers, were all major reasons for choosing that particular show, so missing their sets was a let down to many.

“My mom missed the openers to get merch, the line went all the way to the top, like up the stairs and everything,” White said. “Still I wasn’t even able to get the merch till after the show. I was able to get a really big hoodie.”

Besides the long wait times, many fans made it to the end of the lines only to find most of the merch to be gone. This was a prominent issue, as there were no announcements on what was sold out as the night went on.

Many opted to forgo the merch lines and buy off her website, but they then missed out on exclusive tour merch, such as the coveted “blue crewneck.”

This is not only a fan issue; this is an organization and planning issue, which puts the blame on the merch team. These stadiums should know that mass amounts of fans will be flooding the merch stands. They need to plan accordingly.

One of the few solutions Swift’s merch company came up with was the off-site stores, yet these still led to massive lines, even longer than ones at the show due to the non-ticket holders. 

These off-site stores should only be open to those who possess tickets, and more direction in the stadiums, throughout the lines, is needed. Throughout the time waited in line, there also should be updates on what has sold out; either through workers’ announcing it or via social media. This will shorten lines by great lengths, as many fans stand waiting while everything, except maybe a shirt, is sold out. 

While this tour was incredible, this issue has been a sour memory of fans attending the show. Waiting in these lines is technically a choice the fans are making; however, the bottom line is that getting merch at a show shouldn’t require a cardio workout.