Your Husband Called and Said You Can Buy Anything You Want!

About two years ago, I ventured into a furniture store looking for a new sofa.  When my conversation came to a close with the salesperson, he handed me all of the information on the options I had chosen.  However, in that stack of papers there was a little yellow card that read "Your husband called and said you can buy anything you want."  I found it ironic that he automatically knew that my reasoning for not making a purchase that day was because I needed to discuss the options with my husband.  I'm sure he gets this block to closing a sale fairly often, just like I do in the jewelry business.  Nevertheless, I thought the little saying was clever and funny.... and if only it were true!

Last summer I was casually shopping with a friend when we strolled into Real Deals.  As I made my way to the back of the store, I saw this wonderful green sign resting so peacefully in the corner that read "Your husband called and said you can buy anything you want."  I was so excited that I bought the sign and took it directly to the store even though I had the day off.  All of my coworkers loved it and we placed it directly in our most expensive section of the store, the bridal case.  The sign has served as a great conversation starter and a lot of laughs for customers.  It has even been copied by another jewelry store down the hall that placed little cards with the saying through out their cases.  I guess imitation really is a source of flattery!

Run it's a Salesperson!

I'm not sure when salespeople got such a negative stigma in the consumer world, but some say it arose alongside the implementation of the used car salesmen.  I have learned to laugh about the things people do just to avoid even talking to a salesperson but sometimes it can be a little detrimental to a salesperson's ego.  There are three types of customers that really make my job interesting...

The Antelope
Imagine an antelope meandering through a field.  So peaceful, so beautiful, so much potential.  But as the hunter suddenly approaches, the antelope spooks and runs away.  Believe it or not, this is exactly what some customers do.  They curiously look in our cases, taking special caution to stay on the outskirts of the store, some not even stepping foot on the carpet.  The exact instant that one of our salespeople even takes half of a step in their direction, they bolt down the hall and try their best not to make eye contact!


The People with a Three Word Vocabulary
This category of customers only seem to know three little words... I'm just looking.  A good salesperson never asks "Can I help you?" because the response will always be those dreadful three words.  Instead, we ask how their day is going, is the sun still shining outside, or we even compliment jewelry that they are currently wearing.  Any person with the slightest intelligence realizes that the proper response to any of these topics is not "I'm just looking."  And yet, this is still the response we get 90% of the time.

The Just So You Know's
The last group of customers that seems to have an immense fear of salespeople is the Just So You Know's.  These are the people that will only step foot in your store, engage in a conversation, or try on a piece of jewelry  if the sales associate knows that they are not buying anything.  Sales presentations usually sound a little something like this:
   
     Salesperson:  "That ring would look wonderful with your outfit, would you like to try it on?"
     Customer:  "Oh yes, I would love to... but just so you know, I'm not going to buy it!"

It's so funny to me that customers think we have this immense power and persuasion over whether or not they will buy something.  We really don't care if you aren't going to buy it, but we are trying to give you the best experience possible while you are in our store.  So slow down and just enjoy it without being rude!

The Challenge
I would like to challenge anyone that reads this post!  Next time you walk into a retail establishment and you are looking for a specific item, let someone help you instead of protecting yourself behind the "I'm just looking front."  Also, listen to what salespeople say or ask.  More often than not, you look like a complete dumb ass when a salesperson asks where you got your handbag and you answer with "I'm just looking."

The People of GVM

The way the we dress is often a great expression of one's self.  It is also often an expression of our current mood.  For instance, when a teenage girl comes into the store with tiny shorts and a tank top, we assume she must be really hot so she wears little clothing in order to keep herself cool.  If a college students comes in wearing sweatpants we assume he must be feeling ill and needs to go back to bed.  If we see a person wearing a business suit and a bluetooth in their ear, they must be feeling rushed and strapped for time.  But more often than not, this clothing or the way people present themselves in public, doesn't have anything to do with their true selves.  Nevertheless, it is human nature to make quick assumptions that are often a little less appropriate and more judgmental than the examples I listed above. 

The most prominent example for a jewelry store located in Montana is the dirty rancher that looks like he only has one change of clothes.  However, a good salesperson will not prejudge any customer because usually the dirty ranchers are the ones with all the money to spend.  All sales tactics aside, sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day is to gaze upon the center court of the mall.  It is here that there is usually one person that falls into the category I like to call, The People of the Gallatin Valley Mall.

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While the typical GVM customer is a little less extreme than those pictured above, they do add extreme enjoyment to my days... Happy Viewing!!

The Credit Account Full of Boobs

After watching Babies, I found myself thinking about one particularly funny experience at work.  One sunny Wednesday afternoon, a mother and her two children decided to purchase a new necklace.  She already had a credit account with us, but we needed an update on her address, phone number, and work information.  Nevertheless, as children usually do, her littlest one started demanding dinner just as she sat down to complete the update form.  So the customer proceeded to whip out her breast and start feeding her baby.  The sales associate that was helping her hadn't been the company for a very long time and immediately her face turned bright red.  My coworker has nothing against breast feeding, in fact she actually prefers it, but when you have a fully exposed boob two feet in front of your face, it's hard not to be a little embarrassed.

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I too prefer breast feeding to bottles and have nothing against women breast feeding in public.  However, there are some people that don't wish to partake in dinner time so I feel it is only polite if the mom first asks if  her actions will offend the person she is working with.  I'm glad that Babies, didn't cut out or sensor any of the feeding scenes.  It really showed how natural breast feeding is and how much it helps mother and child bond.

I Know You Love Her, But...

The "love" industry is full of crazy surprises.  Customers often involve you in conversations about how the couple met or even how he proposed.  But on the flip side of that, you also hear about scandalous divorces and feuds between siblings concerning estate jewelry.  Simply put, you never know what's going to come out of someone's mouth next.  However, it was a completely different experience when it isn't words that my customers were sharing with me.

For the sake of anonymity, let's call my customers Mr. and Mrs. PDA.  Mr. and Mrs. PDA were one of the youngest couples I have ever sold an engagement ring to.  They dropped it on one of our biggest sale days of the year where they found a ring she absolutely loved but the price was a little high.  After two hours of competing with another store down the hall, Mr. and Mrs. PDA were ready to take the plunge.  I ushered them to the credit counter so start the financing process.  But Mr. and Mrs. PDA didn't follow my lead like most customers do.  I turned around to not only find them still standing in the same exact spot but their tongues were locking like they were in the privacy of their own home!

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I was a little taken back at first, but then forced myself to see the cute and sentimental side of the situation.  He had basically proposed in the middle of our store and we had the wonderful privilege of seeing her reaction... or so I thought.  Mr. and Mrs. PDA didn't just share a moment together, they shared a half and hour together!  I could no longer stand and admire their love for each other because it felt wrong to do so.  It was so awkward I felt myself trying to find other things to do around the store without seeming like I was ignoring them.  The situation got so excessive that Mr. PDA's Grandma, who had been helping them through the buying process, asked them to save the celebration until later.  And when that didn't stifle their affection, she LEFT the store!  My only support in the situation just left the store!

Finally, the couple reined in their emotions and we were able to actually get the ring on her finger.  In four years of selling jewelry, I have never seen another couple grope each other like Mr. and Mrs. PDA.... oh the things people do when they're in love!

 

The Golden Rule

Like I have mentioned numerous times before, I have worked in retail for a fairly significant amount of time.  I am in a managing position partly because of my ability to effectively handle conflict between employees and customers.  However, last Tuesday my abilities seemed to be lacking.

Any service industry will occasionally experience those customers that always want something for nothing.  We have a few customers that have been buying jewelry with our company for 20 years now, and for some unknown reason they can't adjust to the fact that we charge for repairs.  Twenty years ago, all repairs were simply "under warranty" and no charge was applied to the customer.  However, one day some bright person within the company realized that customers are expecting to pay for repairs and the added income could be a tremendous addition to the bottom line.  For almost 13 years now, we have charged for repairs and yet this particular customer still expects free service.

What he doesn't realize is we have an expert goldsmith making a significant wage while completing his repair work and the price of gold is at a record high!  So when I inform him that in order to solder the break in wife's bracelet, the charge will be $22, he totally disagrees with me.  He actually goes as far as saying that "he didn't even pay that for the bracelet!"  My answer (in my head of course) is BULLSHIT!  In fact, I researched his purchase history and he spent $2000 on this bracelet which is worth significantly more today with the price of gold.  So after my fairly pleasant conversation with this long-term customer, I told him that it was nice to see him and that I was looking forward to seeing him in a couple days when his repair was complete.  Good.  Great.  Situation avoided, or so I thought.

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The customer then turns to one of the only males I have in the store and asks if "he ever slaps me into shape!"  Really!? What's the date again?  Last time I checked we weren't living in 1950 and women no longer need to be at the authority of a man.  To top it all off, I am his boss, thank you very much!  Well of course, I couldn't let this obvious insult to my abilities go unnoticed, so I shot him a little glare.  He then proceeded to call me mean.  In four years, I have never (and I'm not exaggerating) had a customer call me mean.

So the lesson of the day is, when you would like a discount or even something for free, the best approach is to be nice to the person standing on the other side of the counter.  Take a minute to remember the golden rule, treat others as you wish to be treated.  I'll admit that there is a time and a place for anger and directness, but this surely wasn't it.  And never, ever insult the abilities of a strong-willed woman because we don't forget and next time nothing will be for free!

The Ring Don't Mean a Thing

I have heard many instances in which people believe that beauty equals success, especially when it comes to a sales person.  Working in a managing sales position, I have had the privilege of traveling from store to store and attending conferences where I have met many of the other salespeople from other stores.  And while I may be slightly prejudiced, we have a fairly good looking company.  While this may or may not give us a competitive advantage over other jewelry stores, some customers see it as an opportunity for a date.  This has actually occurred many times, but there is only one particular instance in which I would have rather not been at work that day.

Read this article that also contains this picture for more on the effects of beauty and success.

 
Currently, there is only one "semi-single" gal that works in my store and she is 28 and ready to procreate!  I may be exaggerating just a tad, but she does a very good job attracting the opposite sex with her particularly sexy demeanor at times.  Literally as I am writing this post, she made a comment about the the luscious bubble butt of one of our customers.  She has been such a blast to have around because us old married gals sometimes forget to enjoy the wonderful gifts we sometimes get to see working in the retail industry.

Just before Christmas on a slow Tuesday afternoon, I came into work just as my sexy coworker batted her eyes at a gentleman that had apparently made multiple visits to our store that day.  I was then informed that this young man spotted my coworker from across the mall and just "knew" that she would be perfect for his friend. For the next four hours, he tried to set up a date between the two of them much like we did as young children on the playground; running back and forth, whispering secrets, and of course never giving any thought to the ease of just letting the two interested people actually have a conversation themselves.  However, the more she got to know this gentleman, the more she concluded that he was anything but a nice guy.  Nearing the end of their conversation, he approached the other lady that was working with us that day.  He asked if she would consider the option of a double date, but she politely replied that she was married and pointing at her wedding ring.  This guy actually had the gal to say "that ring don't mean a thing!"  If his bad grammar wasn't enough, his condescendingly rude attitude was!  I think the guy got the hint when he immediately saw three strong-willed females giving him the look of death from across the room and we haven't seen him since.

The moral of this story is simply this, sometimes beauty can be used as an advantage such as in the area of sales but that doesn't give customers the right to try and take advantage of a good situation.  To the customer that so rudely insulted my coworker and her marriage:  next time you find yourself in a room with more than one pretty girl, try acting with a little dignity and class!  You may be surprised how far it can take you...