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Metro Gift Shop Merchandise Sparks Cheers and Jeers

"In order to stay as on brand as possible, the store plans to shut down at their busiest hour due to some foreseeable problem," one critic said

Metro announced it's opening a pop-up gift shop in downtown D.C., and people have strong feelings about it already. 

Known as M Shop, the store inside the Metro Center station will sell items including a squeezable Metrocar stress reliever, stickers that say "I love Metro ... sometimes" and Metro trackworker costumes for children, an online catalogue shows. 

After Metro announced Tuesday morning that the store would open Wednesday, Twitter erupted with reactions from riders about the idea and the troubled transit system. 

"'Own a piece of failure today!' I'm ready for every board member of WMATA to resign today if this is what they're wasting time and money on. Insulting and ridiculous," one person tweeted.

"In order to stay as on brand as possible, the store plans to shut down at their busiest hour due to some foreseeable problem they could have avoided if they’d been doing basic maintenance," another person said.

Others were more positive, commending Metro for finding another way to make money. 

"I honestly think this is great," one person said on Twitter. "I'd much rather them sell some swag and raise money for repairs/whatever that way instead of continuing to hike rates up. Kudos for trying something new."

Another person asked News4's Adam Tuss for help finding a specific piece of Metro memorabilia.

"@AdamTuss you gotta help me find a Metro Hat, I’m Metro’s biggest fan, literally," he tweeted.

Metro general manager Paul Wiedefeld said the temporary store is intended to generate some cash for Metro and supply transit geeks with gear. 

“This is a great opportunity for people to get something unique from Metro, whether you are a visitor looking for a souvenir or an everyday rider,” he said in a statement. “At the same time, M Shop represents another potential source of revenue to help support Metrorail and Metrobus operations.”

A vibrant video advertises the new store. The one-minute-long clip shows people of all ages dancing in their Metro T-shirts, sweatpants and yoga pants.

Metro already sells a number of items online, including a Metro lamp, an umbrella, cuff links and mugs. 

The grand opening of M Shop is scheduled for Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The store is set to be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

News4's Adam Tuss got to the bottom of why he saw a "half car seat, half man" driving a van in Arlington on Monday.
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