Mackerel Jack’s Trading Company

Great place for affordable souvenirs, big selection. I recently had a great experience with Yvette who helped me replace a beloved otter — all of which was done on the phone!

Our go to place for cheap souvenirs. They are still stuffed to the gills with merchandise to satisfy all your loved ones. Kids tshirts were going for 11.99 to 12.99.
Service was great. The cashiers were really friendly. They engaged us and asked where we were from. They also gave us a free reusable bag because our tchotkes cost over $ 50.
Really why pay super inflated prices for aquarium knick knacks when you can buy from here?

We have been to Mackerel Jack’s each visit to Monterey.
I think we now go to Monterey specifically for Mackerel Jack’s. The customer service is above amazing and we always find something new.
I bought a thick insulated coat there for around $ 20 and it has turned out to be the best winter coat ever. We are currently living in an area with lots of snow and this coat has kept the winter bite out. My husband loves their novelty tees and I love their prices.
I am just hoping we will be able to visit again soon. :)

One of the most fun shops in on the strip; with great prices. Happened to be out on a cold night and my husband was cold. Got lucky that the manager was locking up but kind enough to let us in to find a sweatshirt. Definitely going back.

After visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, my boyfriend and I noticed this souvenir shop near by. Looking through the door, I noticed there was an impressive amount of merchandise in this store and bigger inside than it looked from the outside. So we decided what the heck? It can’t hurt to browse! Maybe we will find a commemorative refrigerator magnet or something.
It seems souvenirs have lost their appeal as I have gotten older. T-​shirts, jackets, hats, nick knacks, toys, etc. They end up stuffed in my closet, drawers, boxes, or sit as dust collectors. But even so, I can’t help to look and see what all the stuff is about. I was actually tempted to buy a lot more than my budget allowed. So after picking things up and forcing myself to put things back, we ended up just buying an appropriate refrigerator magnet that I could add to my collection. (OK, so I guess I’m not that old yet!)
They have it all from classy to tacky. This store definitely fulfills the needs of the souvenir hunter and worth a look see!

Awesome store!

grrrrrrr
i dont shop often. and when I do I dont normally go to gift shops of tacky things…
but at the same time I can see the impulsive need to go buy something to commemorate an event in ones life with something neon green or something else of the sort… and of course to buy enough things in neon green for everyone else you may want to share the experience with.
otherwise… not for me but the fact that I actually went inside should speak volumes of the store versus the other ones in the area.
hmmmmmm

On Monday, 07÷30÷12, a friend and I visited this store. I was with a friend who was visiting for the first time from the East Coast and I am from Monterey.
When were at this store there were three employees at store between between 7−730pm, a white guy, a hispanic gal and black guy, who happened to be the Manager!
My friend and I asked the price of the sweater, it did not have a price tag, and we found it on the sale rack. I approached a hispanic employee, who was at the counter busy on her private cellphone texting. At first encounter, she was already irritated and not willing to help. She was not helpful and absolutely rude. Before she even went to find another sweater, she already concluded that ‘it wasn’t on sale.’
As a customer I had to tell her that I found it on the sale rack. She was very rude stating, «I told you it is not on sale.» I repeatedly told her, ‘it was the only one around so it might be on sale, right?’ She again responded rudely that it wasn’t on sale. I told her that it does not matter whether it is on sale or not, I just wanted to know the price. She said that the manager was at the back. She did not even bother to go at the stockroom to look for the manager. She said she will ask the manager when he comes back to the counter, and I said, «when is that?’ She said ‘I don’t know and I told you it is not on sale!» I said, «I just want to know the price.’ She turned around and went back to the counter. I did not say a word. I continued browsing despite of her rudeness.
While I was browsing, I heard my friend talking and she sounded very upset. I immediately approached the counter. I saw my friend talking to the manager and the hispanice gal. My friend was telling the manager about the demeanor of his employee towards us. This employee was talking back to my friend, and that was when I interject. I told the manager that she was not telling the truth. I said that it’s up to him to believe his employee, two customers against one. The manager was not very helpful and sincere. I did not even apologized nor told his employee talking back to the customer with no manners instead he allowed this. He was conniving with his employees.
According to my friend, when the manager came back to the counter; she heard this hispanic employee whispering to the manager about the sweater stating that ‘we were trying to push for a sale price’ (to that effect).’ My friend got very upset. My friend told her that she very rude and her rudeness was implied. The manager did not do anything to calm the situation. He did not even stop his employee responding back with no respect and making insulting smiles along with another employee who was at the other counter. He was mubbling. very insulting.
My friend and I really liked the sweater. We were curious about the price. It did not matter to us whether it wasn’t on sale or not. In the interim, my friend and I were very upset. I asked the managers to write their names on the back on the store calling card. I asked the manager to write their names on the store card so I can take this matter to the owners of this company owner. Little did I know, he did not provide his name and his two employees instead he wrote an evil smile on the back of the card with this statement ’ Have a nice day’!
My friend and I wrote this post here to make the public aware that some of its employees of this store including the manager is not friendly and helpful. The manager does not have the ability to handle difficult situation. He was not listening to us. He was closed minded. He was bias. He was not taking the above matter seriously.
Indeed, I am calling the attention of the company owner or the corporation for their action towards this matter. I hope that the company take necessary actions towards these three employees.

Get your piraty nautical sea shell encrusted tacky souvenirs here.
Total tourist trap.
Shop around people. The stuff here did seem fairly priced. But some stuff was like «Why would you buy that? why do you hate your children?»
But yeah they had shell frames, pirate flags, cuz y’know that trend isn’t going to die.
Customer service was fine, they took my money, and smiled.
You seriously get bombarded with WAY too much stuff that it’s hard to navigate.
They have magnets, plushies, piate gear, shot glasses, mugs. all the tacky crap you can ask for when visiting a different city to show your friends «I left town and you didn’t HA HA HA HA!»
So yeah check it if you’re in the area, to rub in the faces of your friends that you went somewhere and they were stuck at work.

I needed some souvenirs and quick before I left Monterey for more adventures. It was early in the morning and not many places were open on Cannery Row, so we got lucky when we found Mackerel Jack’s. Also, we had to stop because the pirate outside the store told us he would make us walk the plank if we didn’t.
The store is large for a souvenir place and has anything you could possibly want. T-​shirts, hoodies, magnets, even those little thimbles some people collect. I got some cool looking retro magnets for Cannery Row and Big Sur to add to my refrigerator collection.
A fun place to visit and get your tourist trinkets!

It aint call a vacation if you dont buy some gifts! they have lots of different types of souvenirs. I started collection that bottles with sand and seashells in them as my souvenirs from different places i visit. i got my Monterey Bay bottle here with a sand castle on top. SCORE!

HORRIBLE! I’ll never go back here.
#1, Their prices are higher than the stores right around them. People just come in here because it’s big. Don’t. go to the smaller stores, they have better prices.
#2-​Their customer service. I was there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Monterey was packed and so was their store. All I wanted to buy was a water, but they only had ONE cashier… on a Sunday… and she was slow and not looking to speed up.
I waited in line for over 20 minutes for a WATER. I was tempted to just set it down and walk out but I had already drank from it and I’m honest like that…
She was taking forever and then when I was next in line another cashier showed up from his break and offered to help the people waiting in line BEHIND me! Luckily, the woman said, «she’s before me» and he said something like, «but I was going to help you.» then I got mad and said, I’ve been waiting 20 minutes to buy a water. You need to take the next person in line, which is me.
He gave me total attitude, saying all sorts of things like, whatever, I’m not judging you (in a judging tone) and I guess you couldn’t wait to drink your water.
All these things could be cute and playful in another circumstance but it was NOT in this situation.
What a crappy place. I will not be back there.

Typical tourist gift shop, still I was looking for shirts that had Monterey on them so this store fit my needs. Nice place and I really liked this place, good service, nice people. I would definately go back.

Typical tourist trap souvenir store you’d find in a Fisherman’s Wharf. I paid $ 1.00 for 4 post cards only to find the same or similiar cards at a store about 3 – 4 blocks away. It pays to shop around. They only had one Asian male cashier who greeted everyone until it came to me! There were 6 people in line and then finally another dude showed up to help.
They seem to carry a lot of pirate themed stuff including a huge model ship in a glass display near the ceiling for a mere 2K. Who’s going to buy that? I says to myself. You’ll find the usual Monterey t-​shirts and sweatshirts and a limited amt of magnets.

There are some touristy things in this souvenir shop but there are also a few interesting things. There are some pirate signs with cute sayings on them. There are also dried up sea stars, jellyfish crystal statue things, and a few other cool items here. The touristy stuff such as the shirts with «Monterey «written across the front are boring and don’t interest me at all.

This is a great place to scope out souveniers before heading to the Aquarium. better on the pocket book for ya.

While I’m not a huge fan of pirate shirts/​gifts, what I can appreciate is the huge assortment of all types of souvenirs. Inside the aquarium gift shop I nearly succumbed to the stuffed sea otter that was cute but not worth the asking price. So, on I continued feeling sad I wouldn’t have a little memento to remind me of the ‘U otter know’ exhibit I experienced earlier UNTIL I stumbled upon MJTC. Not only did they have stuffed sea otters, they had different sizes, textures, poses. I found what I needed and left happy.

The people working at these stores could not be more helpful!!! I was down in Monterey and saw something in the store window that i later decided i wanted. It was very hard to find the actual store i saw it in as i could not remember the name. I finally found their «sister» store through a very helpful and knowledgable sales person. They charged the items to my credit card and sent the stuff. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

The name of the place doesn’t make you think that there’s alot of stuff in there, but oh wow we were wrong! We got all of our souvenirs here, they have tons and tons of cute stuff. They aren’t that pricey compared to others… and the stuff they have there is not all dusty. We bought books, mugs, pens, keychains, magnets, tshirts, sweatshirts… they got it all!

One of the many souvenir stores on Cannery Row. This one is a pretty big size with a huge selection. But best part of this store was the SALE shelf towards the back. I couldn’t help but buy this cute little dolphin figurine swimming amongst sparkly coral.