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!