Dear Bill,
Thanks for pointing this resource. Would you or anyone else know of
a similar publication for stores or storefronts? This coming Sept. I
will be moving to a new location where I will have a larger store
area available but I am not very experienced at having a store with
room for cool layouts. Thank you all…
Andrea in the Smoky Mountains
On pricing - I think that Larry is right, that what and how and
whether to show prices depends on a range of factors. If your work
is high-end, sold in a high-end venue, frequented by high-end
customers, then I would think showing the price is much less
important than providing a significant level of personal service.
On the other hand, selling less expensive work, selling in a venue
frequented by low to mid range customers, or by a wide mix of
customers, or to “uneducated” jewelry customers, is the time to be
sure to show prices - AND to provide the significant level of
service.
I live in rural SC, and most of my shows are not high-end venues
with high-end well educated customers. Most of my shows involve a
range, from people who could pay several thousand for a piece and not
notice it, to people who are struggling to pay $20 for a piece. I
have tags on all my pieces that are not on cards. All my pieces are
identified with not only the price, but the metals and stones. I
make a point of greeting each potential customer, and telling them
that everything is marked with the price and the names of the stones,
and that they are free to pick things up and look at them or try them
on, and I point out where I have my mirrors. Almost always this
results in conversation, and quite often in a sale. They feel
comfortable browsing, handling, trying on - and ultimately either
buying what they tried on, or telling me that it is really a bit
more than they can afford and they wish I had something a bit less
expensive but similar. Since I usually carry tools and some supplies
with me, I can often custom-make a necklace or bracelet right there
for them that will meet their needs. This means they (and their
friends) have to come back to get it - which also usually means more
sales as they find something they missed the first time, or decide
they really DO need something they had talked themselves out of
!
I also offer to change chains, clasps, lengthen/shorten, etc. and
charge as needed or deduct as needed. I just finished a lengthening
on a necklace a husband had bought as a gift to his wife at a show
some months ago. She e-mailed me (my contact info is with ever
piece) that the necklace was too short (her neck is apparently the
size of mine - not small !) and also requested a larger clasp.
She sent the necklace back to me, I lengthened it and added an easier
for older hand clasp, and sent it back. Just received a delightful
e-mail from her about how pleased she was, and all the compliments
she has been getting on her necklace! Did I make money on the
changes? No. Did I get a loyal customer who wants me to let her
know the next time I show in her area? You bet! Plus she has told
her friends, so there are that many more potential customers for next
year’s show!
Know your market, and display prices and offer services accordingly.
I think that is key.
Good showing to all.
Beth in rainy SC
Does anyone have any better ideas? (I really like David's idea of creating a "menu" of prices and leaving the menu on top of the showcase!)
OK, so I don’t have a jewelry store, I sell beads through the
Internet. However, I also do the occasional trade show.
As a customer, I absolutely hate it when I can’t find the price for
items on my own. So, since I try to run my business in the way I’d
like to be treated by other businesses, I decided to label each and
every string of beads.
Also, being a computer geek in my former life, I wanted to make it
as easy and high tech as possible. Here’s what I did.
I bought a thermal printer (about $700) and some of those barbell
labels that have the fold-over flap in the middle to protect the
labeled object from getting the gummy on it. Oh, yes, I also had to
buy the software (about $100) to create the labels. All this was
done with the advice and especially cooperative help I got over the
phone from the folks at American Barcode (no affiliation, just a
satisfied customer.) Now, I can crank out those labels by the
hundred in seconds. They have the part number and a barcode (for
inventory) on one side and the price (for humans) on the other side.
I did find out that the barcode on these labels is too small for my
barcode scanner, so now I need to get a new scanner that has higher
resolution or maybe a barcode wand. Yes, you still have to fold
over the flaps and affix the labels, but this goes pretty quickly
after you’ve done a few hundred. (They do make these labels without
the flaps, which makes applying them faster, but then you get gummy
on your items.) So, this solution looks very professional, is extra
easy to do, a big boon to doing physical inventory, and was only
somewhat expensive. I highly recommend it - especially if you have a
retail store where impression is everything.
My observation is that the jewelry trade, and this includes bead
vendors, tends to avoid high tech solutions. I suppose it’s because
technology is both costly and intimidating to the uninitiated. It’s
one of those boundaries that people put upon themselves - only in the
mind. This particular solution was really quite easy to set up, so
if you need a labeling solution, go for it. It works great!
Susan
Sun Country Gems
www.suncountrygems.com
As a customer, I absolutely hate it when I can't find the price for items on my own.
While I understand and experience this myself when shopping, as a
retail store owner, it is difficult to always pay attention to
putting the tag so the customer can read it. When we have rings in a
tray, it looks like a complete mess to have tags showing.
This is one of those things that if you are so sensitive to how you
feel you are being treated by the store, as if they deliberately hide
the tag to make it hard for you, perhaps rethink your perception. If
we all take issue with all the small things that affect us, we
wouldn’t do much buying or selling!
Have you ever had to take 10 pieces out to show a customer, make a
sale, put all the pieces back making sure you have all the tags
facing up ( for that special customer that is a guaranteed sale IF
the tag is visiable) and help the next waiting person?
My feelings are do NOT display prices. Why? When people buy
jewelry it is a price issue. When they get it repaired it is a trust
issue. Therefore, if the buying is price driven and my price is
higher than a competitor then I don’t have a chance to justify my
price. As we have all hopefully learned in mktg 101 that in order to
charge and get a higher price we have to? Build Value!
Yes ma’am my gold chain is 200.00 dollars more. However, this is a
solid gold chain (feature) which is heavier and more durable
(advantage) and will last longer and allow you to wear the lovely 5
lbs. gold plated dollar sign around your neck much longer without
costly repairs (benefit) unlike the hollow chains that you can find
for much less.
I’m a firm believer in building value and not selling. People buy in
my store, they’re not sold. Notice if someone is happy with a
purchase they say, Yah, I bought this off of old so and so, but if
they’re not happy it’s always, yah that son of a over at yonder sold
me this piece of junk.
My clients Buy Value, not Sold Junk.
My .02
The Dr.
(Director of Romance)