Walmart jewelry departments getting smaller

I was in Wal-Mart last night and noticed that their jewelry
department is now 1/3 the size it was the last time I was in there.
I guess even Wal-Mart is saying “Enough is enough.” Then I went into
Target and their fine jewelry counters now have frosted glass and
costume jewelry is displayed prominently on the top of the counters.
It is a real sign of the times when the big guys throw in the towel.
Of course it’s better for us little guys to not have to compete with
them. But scary non the less.

Julia

too bad walmart didn’t ‘throw in the towel’ before an obnoxious
encounter with some walmart* devotee at a show. all of my work is
original and completely hand created by me - including cutting the
focal stones - no commercial components. at one show a woman joined
some other women around my display, picked up various silver pieces,
checked the tags and loudly asked “why is your stuff so expensive?
walmart is having a sale on sterling jewelry - a lot cheaper than
yours.” the other women collectively inhaled, waiting for my
reaction. i drew myself up and with eyebrows at full mast, "madam,"
ice sickles on each sylable, “if you are more comfortable buying
walmart’s mass-produced items for your jewelry statement, perhaps
you should go back to that sale.”

well, she wasn’t going to buy anything anyway…

ive

when the waltons sold ‘wal-mart’, the buyer didn’t want to pay for
the hyphen.

OMG - that’s a horrible thing to have happened. But, I’ve also
encountered that. Along with Wal Mart’s pricing on what they claim is
Sterling, the prices at TJ MAXX seems to have some great looking
stuff, at next to nothing prices. I can’t buy silver sheet for what
they are selling finished pieces for.

Thank you Ive for that phrase. With your permission I will use it
the next time customers tell me they can get jewelry from Avon a
little cheaper.

Jean Menden

checked the tags and loudly asked "why is your stuff so expensive?
walmart is having a sale on sterling jewelry - a lot cheaper than
yours." the other women collectively inhaled, waiting for my
reaction. ... "if you are more comfortable buying walmart's
mass-produced items for your jewelry statement, perhaps you should
go back to that sale." 

Thanks, Ive, for your account of this and for your concise response.
I agree with you that the woman probably was not going to buy
anything anyhow. I do wonder if you missed an educational opportunity
with the rest of the women. What if you had treated her “question”
seriously and asked her and everyone around her if they knew why your
jewelry is more expensive than Walmart’s? The potential downside of
that is getting into a discussion with only the loud woman, which
would take time from your real potential customers. But if you could
get a good (brief) discussion going, I sense it would be good for
business, for you, and for the group! Win-win-win.

Have others had experiences like this?

if you are more comfortable buying Wal-Mart's mass-produced items
for your jewelry statement, perhaps you should go back to that
sale. 

Good one! My usual response to complaints my prices are too high is,
“Perhaps the Wal-Mart jewelry counter has something more in your
price range.” I use the same tone as Sir John Gielgud in the original
movie Arthur when he says to Lisa Minnelli, “How very nice to meet
you. Usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your
caliber.”

These type of people will never buy quality, one-of-a-kind jewelry.
You can spot them a mile away in their gaudy, double knit polyester
clothes.

Rick Copeland
rockymountainwonders.com

I have to like a cartoon I once saw… “May I suggest something from
our macaroni and spray-paint collection…”