Sizing Up Your Jeweler,
(Before He Sizes You)
Brought on by our current economy, an aging population and advancements in technology there is a great size-mick (seismic) shift occurring in the jewelry industry today. Virtually every business in the world is no longer insulated from the harbinger of bankruptcy and failure. The jewelry business is no exception.
With greater frequency, venerable jewelry stores are conducting G.O.B.s (going out of business) sales or just flat out declaring bankruptcy and closing their doors forever. It doesnt matter if these operations are mass marketing chain types, mom and pop operators or independent jewelry stores with a carriage trade following that have managed to weather past economic storms. The pressures of a contracting economy are no respecter of persons or businesses.
Because of this higher than normal attrition and fail rate, the traditional role of the jeweler who has served generations of the same household is being challenged and redefined. Many jewelry store customers are left holding the bag when it comes to services and warranties covered under purchase agreements. Also, the fringe benefits that often accompany such purchases, such as trade-in options and on-going service, dissipate when their jeweler goes under. The next generation of jewelry consumers is in danger of navigating a market place that lacks the time-honored essentials of trust, honor and integrity the very foundation of the jewelry business.
The clutter of jewelry stores, jewelry concessions and plethora of pawn shops brought on by much of the excesses of the 80s and 90s are starting to thin out. Frankly, its about time the herd was culled. Jewelry has always had an allure for those unethical operators and shady dealers who were tempted by the erroneous perception of the fast buck. Whether its a fine jewelry purchase, jewelry repair, jewelry watches and even silver, who can you trust these days?
The picture is not very flattering of where we are, how we got here and the rather grim prospect of where we are going, both for the jeweler and the consumer. But, it doesnt have to be that way going forward. Although the internet is a requisite tool in the quest for product and service information it will never be a viable substitute for the all important human touch. Nothing and I mean nothing; will ever take the place of the indispensable relationship of the bricks and mortar jewelry store and the customer they serve.
The survivors in the new economy are much more attuned to their customers needs, desires and budget. Gone evermore are the days when the customer was just another part of the food chain. In this new economy, customers are the reason for the food chain. The savvy consumer and the knowledgeable jeweler partner in their mission by forging sustainable relationships that meet the needs of each. Even now changes are taking shape that defines the jeweler and the customer of the new millennium.
Today the jeweler who has his thumb on the pulse of his customers is responding to their needs in myriad ways. Many stores that no longer dot the retail landscape were sorely lacking in skillful personnel. The number one area that is a key indicator of a jewelry stores success, is the workhorse spot known as the Jewelry Shop. Part of the sizing up process of looking for your jeweler is to ask yourself the question, Does your jewelry store have at least one bench jeweler on the premises?
Some quick definitions are in order here:
A
Louisville jewelry store is a place where jewelry is bought, designed, made and repaired.
The people who greet you as you enter the store are Jewelry Sales Associates. Typically, they are comprised of a manager and knowledgeable sales people who know the terminology of the business and can talk to you, not at you, in such a way as to be informative and directional.
The Jewelry Staff includes support people such as Gemologists, Appraisers and Credit personnel.
The Bench Jewelers are key staff in the Jewelry Shop, an area requiring more technically proficient personnel to design, make and repair jewelry. They are not merely just important, but central to the operation of a successful store. It takes many years to master the skills required to be a true craftsman; and it takes a well trained staff to properly mediate between the customer and the bench jeweler.
It is not unusual to see many of these hats worn by the same people. In larger operations, the roles are more clearly defined. These are the essential roles that must be fulfilled in todays Jewelry Store environment. In the absence of this well rounded personnel mix, you are simply present in a catalog-in-motion disguised as a jewelry store.
There are stores that have all the trappings of looking like a jewelry store yet lack the main ingredients that allow it to function like one. A horse is still a horse, even with just three legs, but dont look for him to win the Kentucky Derby. When doing business with these operations it would be wise to lower your expectations of what they can actually do for you.
There are some real cutting edge operations that have come upon the scene in recent years that are help filling the gap of those who have gone away and are defining the new jewelry store of the new millennium. By utilizing technologies such as laser welding, CAD/CAM designing software and interactive websites they have extended their bricks and mortar presence into cyberspace. And thats a good thing. It gives the potential jewelry customer more choices and more information in the decision making process in advance of their actual store arrival. This becomes an added advantage both for the customer and the jeweler.
Resilient jewelers who have a thirst, not only for survival, but for success all have one thing in common: they advocate for their customers using the latest skills and know-how in order to be of more then just purely lip service. They are not hard to find. With just a little sleuthing, on the internet, by word-of-mouth or making a physical visit to a perspective
Louisville jewelry store, will yield informed results that breed confidence that all customers demand.
The voice of a new generation of jewelry consumers has spoken and spoken loudly. They are not a cake and eat-it-too crowd. They want all the benefits of the old ways i.e., service, quality and value combined with the exciting gifts that this new age of technology and out-of-the-box thinking has to offer.
Old ways are best ways only if those ways keep tempo with the changing demands and attitudes of the customers they serve. Keeping in mind this few thoughts will pay huge dividends when sizing up a jeweler; so that you are not being sized up, too.
At
Fast-Fix Jewelry & Watch Repairs, we have been serving and sizing rings for our customers for over 25 years. We invite you to size us up before you make your next jewelry choice.
At Fast-Fix Jewelry & Watch Repairs, we have been helping customers just like you protect their most cherished jewelry items through our multitude of goods and services for over 25 years.
Come visit us at our Mall Saint Matthews location in Louisville, Kentucky and experience what old fashion service is all about. Louisville Jewelry Repair and a Louisville Jewelry Store. www.FastFixKY.com
