i finally got up the nerve to do my first show (in 2 weeks) but i am a
bit confused about the proper etiquette for customers trying on
earrings. how should i approach this situation? have the customer hold
them up to the ear or just try them on then disinfect with alcohol? any
guidance would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance, loraine
Hi Lorain, There is a plastic holder that the customer can hold with
a hole to put the earring through so that it is right next to the ear
but not in it. I am sorry I do not know the exact name of it? but it
looks like a T (hope that makes sence) otherwise I have also just let
them try them on and then disinfect. Hope I’ve helped? Tessa
Hello Loraine! If I were you, I wouldn’t let customers try on
earrings. I never saw anybody try on earrings unless they had already
bought the things. If they insist, just tell them that they can’t
wear them for a sanitary reason. Imagine yourself disinfecting your
jewels every time at a show where a hundred people tried your
earrings. Have the customers hold them up to their ears. In any
cases, diplomacy will always make a person more receptive…
Good luck at the show!
Benoit Hamel
As i recall, there’s a good section in the archives covering this
very subject…in summary, the effectiveness of alcohol wipes is
debated (seems they’re not as effective as one might think? one would
need a bottle to dip them in?), as well as several approaches to the
matter discussed…such as having an ultrasonic cleaner handy…as
well as, like you said, having the customer just holding up the
earrings to their ear… basically, it depends on where you are
situated, who your customers are, and what you would do if you were a
customer (do you need to try them on? can you make a decision to buy
based on holding up a pair to your ears in front of a mirror?)…and
then remaining consistent with that…good luck…i’m sure you’ll
do fine! erhard.
Hello Loraine, There was an extensive thread on this very topic
within the last year. Check the archives. Here’s my take: unless
the customer’s ear is already infected or is not well-healed,
likelihood of disease transmission is low. However, I like to be
cautious. I disinfect the earring before handing it to the customer,
and repeat the alcohol “rub-down” when I receive it back. I like the
little foil packets with a saturated pad - the same thing nurses use
before administering immunizations. They’re inexpensive, convenient
to carry, and take up little room. A small bottle of alcohol and
supply of cotton balls is another option. Consider a spray bottle
for the alcohol - quick and easy to squirt the cotton ball, not to
mention it’s a wonderful glass cleaner for mirrors and glass cases.
Just be sure to LABEL the bottle with contents. Hey, have fun doing
your first show and good luck!! Judy in Kansas
Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
237 Seaton Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan KS 66506
(785) 532-2936
Loraine, in Oklahoma they passed a state law a customer was banned
from trying on earrings. In Texas, where I now live, I don’t think
they have any law on the books like that. Sharon Perdasfopy
i am a bit confused about the proper etiquette for customers trying on earrings. how should i approach this situation? have the customer hold them up to the ear or just try them on then disinfect with alcohol?
I provide mirrors at my booth, and allow customers to try on earrings
as they wish (under supervision of course, for security). If they
don’t fall in love with and purchase the earrings, I simply wipe them
down with alcohol after the customer leaves my booth. Some people
don’t seem to care, and will happily try on earrings that their friend
had just taken off. But there’s no point in offending someone by
grabbing the earrings and cleaning them as soon as the person lets go.
Wait until they make their decision and/or leave the booth.
–Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry
i am a bit confused about the proper etiquette for customers trying on earrings. how should i approach this situation? have the customer hold them up to the ear or just try them on then disinfect with alcohol?
Loraine, What I do is, first, let the customer know she’s welcome to
try on the earrings; then, if I see any hesitation on her part, I say,
“I’ll be happy to clean the posts/wires with alcohol for you.” I find
that most customers, strange as it may seem in these times, don’t care
and will try on earrings whether they’re cleaned off or not. Some,
however, do care so I make the offer and always have alcohol and
cotton pads close at hand. Then there are a few who just won’t try
them on no matter what, but they’ll hold them up to their ears and are
no more or less likely to buy than anyone else. (By the way, unless a
customer has open, unhealed or infected holes in her ears, she is
unlikely to contaminate the posts/wires. And if they do get
contaminated, alcohol won’t sterilize them anyway; it will just clean
them which is all you can offer to do.) Good luck at your show!
Beth
Hello Loraine, I would suggest something I’ve seen before at a store
but do not know where they’re available. It’s simply a flat Plexiglas
about 8" long and 1/2" wide with a hole for the earring to fit into so
the customer can hold to their ear and have nothing visually
interfering. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rio Grande carry’s them.
It’s also possible to make one of your own, buy some plexi and make
the desired shape and buff it up to get the transparency back.
Good luck with your show! Dan
Hi Lorraine- I find that the best way to get an earring in the
potential clients hand (and then maybe ear) is to visibly clean it
with a disposible alcohol wipe and then hand it to them. That way
THEY decide to put it in or not and there is no opportunity for them
to say “no thanks” to anything. I never ask if they want to try it on
but there is clearly a mirror facing them if they choose to. I have
rarely ever sold something that didnt first get into the purchasers
hands one way or another.
t.lee
PS Watch where you toss those little alcohol wipes, at a frenzied home show
clients cleaning their own Bullet Hoops trashed the finish of a 40K grand
piano, ouch.