Alamo Gift Shop

The Alamo doesn’t have a basement— but the gift shop does –– and the gift shop phone is located down there. Pro-tip - try calling the operator, who is about four blocks away from the gift shop. The operator offered to email the gift shop so they can go retrieve the phone. The gift shop manager did also reach out to me on her personal cell phone. My mother was a DAR, so it doesn’t super surprise me that it’s run this way. Other than that, beautiful and unique items to buy. Another pro-tip, even though you don’t work there, use the self-checkout.

Before entering into the Alamo building the lady staff took pictures of us saying if we go to the gift shop you’ll get the postcard for free. That was very tricky line as she didn’t mention about the price of photo but directed us to the shop and when we went there with the QR code they printed out before telling us the price and told us $38 for two photos!!!! Ridiculous Don’t waste the money if you don’t wanna photo but they said that’s for Alamo maintenance… 🤨 But since we didn’t know the price we didn’t buy it but if you know don’t wanna photo that much don’t bring the QR code. That’ll waste the photos. For the shop here, many gifts are available! It’s cool to see options! Anyways, cheers 🥂

TLDR: Tourist trap from hell Photos & Reasons below "GIFTS" Branded random crap. They put the Alamo on the most random items and sell them completely overpriced (Bullets, Mini Tumbler, Shotglasses, Swiss Army Knifes, etc). The rest of the store contains the most random selection of goods with most advertising false claims (check websites to see if it's really hand crafted). *PHOTOS* They use ambush marketing. At points throughout the visit, they attempt to take photos of you and your party, direction you to the giftshop for a free photo thing. Once they scan your photo QR code, they print physical copy's of the photos before saying you can buy them and the online ones for $35 dollars.

The gift shop had a lot of cool stuff! The staff is very nice, but I think I waited in line about 40 minutes to checkout.

The Alamo and the plaza are gorgeous! However... Beware the deceitful Alamo photographer staff in the gated Alamo entrance! They continually claimed the photos were complimentary and 100% free and you could get them digitally. We verified multiple times before agreeing. It was the only family photo we got while we were there as they uniquivocially claimed the photo was free. The free photos are not your photo! Instead I waited in line for 20 minutes for a generic free "photo Alamo postcard"! Your "free" photo is $35 at the Alamo gift shop. The Alamo Foundation must be in a financial dire state to resort to scamming visitors. Outrageously embarrassing for the photographes and the Alamo.