At John’s Crazy Socks, we have a mission to spread happiness and we do that by showing what people with differing abilities can do. One way we carry out that mission is by hosting tours from schools and social service agencies. We want the students and clients to take inspiration from John’s success and we want them to see that there are jobs they can hold. We have had over 2,000 visitors tour our operations.
John Cronin, Co-founder and Chief Happiness Officer at John’s Crazy Socks, said, “I love giving tours, these are very valuable to students.”
Just today, we had a tour group from AHRC visit and one of our guests, Joseph, said, “I love coming to John’s Crazy Socks. This is a great trip.” Students love knowing that they are visiting the world's largest sock store.
Earlier this week, we hosted a class from Kings Park High School and heard a student declare, “This is the best trip ever.”
Why Give Tours?
We offer tours to provide visitors with an experience and understanding of what it's like to work in a business that employs people with differing abilities. Our guests meet our employees, learn about our business and witness first-hand how the company operates.”
“The tours are a very important part of our business,” said Mark X. Cronin, John’s co-founder and father. “Tt is important for students to see people like themselves working and holding down jobs.
Touring John’s Crazy Socks
We want our tours to be fun, informative and to offer encouragement to our visitors. The tours consist of several components:
- John welcomes guests and gets everyone settled
- John shows a brief introductory video
- John takes the group on a tour of the warehouse and demonstrates how we pick and pack orders
- John then shows Sock Guys, a ten-minute documentary short about John’s Crazy Socks that has won awards at film festivals
- John and Mark, John’s father and co-founder discuss how they started the business and answer questions from the group
- John gathers everyone round for photographs
John also gives a thank you gift to everyone who comes on the tour so everyone leaves with a present and a smile.
Who Should Attend the Tours?
The tours are open to:
- Schools
- Social Service Agencies
- Advocacy groups
- Boy and Girl Scout Organizations
- Parent and Family Organizations
Our experience has found that our tours benefit high school students and above, though we have had some success with junior high school classes. You will need to determine if your students will benefit from the tour program we defined.
The tours are not limited to special education classes. , but this is not limited to only special education classes. The Tours will work well for business classes, entrepreneur classes, and clubs and other classes or clubs interested in business.
Our experience finds that we cannot handle more than 10 students per physical visit, though virtual tours can accommodate any size class. We are wheelchair accessible.
We will take photographs and videos, so you must have authorization allowing us to use the student images.
There is no charge for the John’s Crazy Socks Tour. (Free is good.) No one will go home empty-handed. As a thank you gift, we will give each student a Gift Bag with a pair of socks, candy, discount cards, and information.
Scheduling a Tour of John’s Crazy Socks
We host school tours on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We must receive a Media Release for each participant prior to the tour. To start the process, please send an email to tours@johnscrazysocks.com. We will then contact you to follow up and schedule your tour. You can also receive more information at the tour page at our website.
About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks—what he calls his “crazy socks.” He and his father, Mark X. Cronin, started the company as a social enterprise with a mission of Spreading Happiness™. With more than 4,000 socks, John’s Crazy Socks is now the world’s largest sock store. More than half their employees have a differing ability, and their Giving Back program has raised nearly $600,000 for charity partners like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America. Most of all, they are Spreading Happiness™.
For more information about John’s Crazy Socks, visit our webpage, Facebook page, Instagram account, TikTok or YouTube channel. You can also contact us at 631-760-5625 or via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
