Business phone system for gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi

The gift shop industry in Mississippi

The Census Bureau counted 175 gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 453220). They employed 1,053 people in mid-March and reported $16.7 million in annual payroll. That is the 35th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Gift, novelty and souvenir stores make up 0.29% of the 60,465 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Mississippi has 5.9 gift, novelty and souvenir stores, 7.0% above the national rate of 5.6. The average establishment has 6.0 employees against 6.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $15,883, 37.8% below the U.S. figure of $25,533.

Mississippi's largest markets for gift, novelty and souvenir stores

Census published gift shop counts for 13 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Mississippi. The largest is Memphis, TN-MS-AR, with 61 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 76% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi

48.6% of Mississippi's gift, novelty and souvenir stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 55.8% nationally. 80.0% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

What gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi use the phone for

Gift shops take calls about stock, holds and gift wrapping, with seasonal peaks. Quick answers help capture holiday sales.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi:

• A customer calls about holiday hours.
• A customer calls to hold an item.
• A customer calls to ask about a specific item.

When nobody can pick up

After-hours calls are mostly hours questions.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi

Gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi average 6.0 employees, so the comparison uses a 6-person team. Priced per seat, 6 users would run $180.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $149.70 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 6 people cost $119.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $732. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Area codes in Mississippi

Mississippi has 5 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your customers know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

How Callata works for gift, novelty and souvenir stores in Mississippi

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Mississippi, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.