Independents
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Snow stalls jewelry sales, but men still buying
By Michelle Graff and Jerilynn Caliendo
December 22, 2008
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| Massive snowstorms wreaked havoc for many East and West Coast jewelers this weekend, with some saying sales were nonexistent, while others said customers braved the elements to shop. |
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New York--The economic slowdown and severe snowstorms packed a one-two punch for jewelers this weekend, with many reporting slow sales despite new sales tactics, while others celebrated the last-minute male shopper.
As part of National Jeweler's annual holiday weekend roundup, which appears online every Monday through the end of the year, editors interview independent jewelers around the country.
Here is a region-by-region breakdown of how jewelers responded to our inquiries about last-minute customers, special sales practices this season and more:
Northeast
Despite snowstorms that buried his town under 20 inches of snow, Evan James Deutsch said sales were strong over the weekend at his jewelry store, Evan James Ltd. in Brattleboro, Vt.
He attributes the sales to a combination of remaining open when other stores along Brattleboro's main drag closed and the hearty nature of Vermonters.
"They don't care about the weather," Deutsch said. "They're used to it."
Customers over the weekend were mostly regular male customers shopping for women, and Deutsch hopes to see even more of them in these final days leading up to Christmas.
"These next three days are going to be make or break for us," he said.
He said one sales tactic that has worked to his benefit this holiday season is the 21 percent discount he is offering on jewelry items in his store. The "21 percent" marks the store's 21st Christmas in business and generates customer interest because it's a departure from normal sale offerings, like 20 percent or 25 percent discounts.
At David Craig Jewelers in Langhorne, Pa., owner David Rotenberg also reported strong jewelry sales over the weekend, mostly from regular customers, both men and women alike.
In the next few days, however, he expects an influx of male shoppers.
He said for his male customers, the "last minute" is Christmas Eve. Those who were shopping on Sunday were just beginning the process of choosing a gift.
"This is the last minute now," Rotenberg said. "Today and tomorrow we probably should see more men."
He said he didn't employ any specific sales tactics this holiday season and, instead, just relied on the good name he has built up among members of his Pennsylvania community.
"We've established ourselves in the community and have become a mainstay," Rotenberg said. "People trust us."
Southeast
Though much of the country is currently locked in a deep freeze, above-average temperatures in Georgia last week added to an uptick in jewelry sales at the Cumberland Diamond Exchange in Smyrna, Ga., said owner Mark Jacobson.
"Traffic has been good," he said. "People are spending less, but that's OK."
Like many other retailers, Jacobson said, it's mostly men shopping right now as Christmas creeps closer, a trend he attributes to them waiting until the last minute and also to the number of men out and about last week, enjoying the nice weather on the golf course.
"They golf and then when they feel guilty, they come in and shop," Jacobson said.
At D.B. Ryland and Co. in Bristol, Va., owner Frank Molteni had an increase in foot traffic over the weekend but, unfortunately, not an increase in buying.
He said those who came in over the weekend consisted mostly of regular customers, most of whom spent less than they did last year.
Gender-wise, the weekend customer base was a mix of men and women, though he expects to see an increase in the amount of men shopping in the next few days.
"It's not the last minute yet," Molteni said.
South Central
Jewelry sales were down only slightly over the weekend at Barnes Jewelry in Amarillo, Texas, prompting owner Jeff Fox to term sales "decent."
He said overall, while foot traffic is down, those who are coming in are buying; there are very few browsers.
And, at this point in the game, most of his customers are of the male persuasion, the gender infamous for pushing Christmas shopping off until just before the holiday.
"It's getting to the point that it's mostly men now," he said. "They wait until the last minute."
He said his sales are all over the board, ranging from small $50 items to high-end Rolex watches. Sales of diamond jewelry also remain strong, though no one particular style or piece was a big seller.
While he did not employ any new sales tactics in particular this holiday season, Fox said the decreased foot traffic does allow his salespeople to give each customer more individual attention.
"That's always our intent, to take care of them the best we can," he said.
At Newton's Jewelers in Fort Smith, Ark., owner Kelly Newton is expecting his usual last-minute rush.
He said that's just the way his customers do their holiday shopping.
"We have a whole group of people who just can't wait until Christmas Eve to come shopping," he jokes. "They do it every year."
And, not surprisingly, it's the male customers who hold out until the last minute.
"Women are way smarter than that," he quips.
For those who have done their Christmas shopping already, Newton said ideal-cut diamond stud earrings is the piece of choice, so much so that he spent Monday morning restocking his diamond stud display case.
"It's just a staple," he said. "I just think people are buying things that they understand."
Midwest
At Anshus Jewelers in Menomonie, Wisc., owner John Anshus had a "decent" weekend, despite the 8,000 local University of Wisconsin students going home for the holidays last week.
Of the customers who did stop by the store--mostly older men and women--sales were on higher-value, quality merchandise, which made up for the loss in foot traffic, Anshus said.
"We're off in customers, but we're not off in dollars and cents," he said.
Items that sold included diamond earrings, diamond pendants and sterling silver jewelry in the $30-$150 range, which Anshus feels is going to be a strong trend in the coming year.
"Quality sterling silver jewelry will be hot in the future," Anshus said.
While he didn't employ any special sales tactics this holiday season, Anshus credits his American Gem Society-affiliated store as adding more value for his clients.
"Consumers today are looking for that quality and personal service, which they might not find at a lower- or middle-end chain store," Anshus said.
Over at Garfinkles Fine Jewelry in Highland Park, Ill., owner Jill Garfinkle held an "economic stimulus sale," which she advertised three times in the paper but stopped running because people weren't asking about it.
"Sales are terrible," she said.
As for the weekend, mostly middle-age customers came in and made a few "lackluster" sales, according to Garfinkle.
"The day before Hanukkah couldn't have been more beautiful and it was dead here," Garfinkle said.
West
Weekend sales weren't much better at Zwillinger and Co. in San Francisco. Owner Mel Wasserman said jewelry sales were poor and about "40 percent off" from last year.
As expected, most of his customers were men, but about 35 percent were women. The big difference this year, Wasserman said, is how much these customers are willing to spend.
"They want cheaper items, big discounts...to spend less money," Wasserman said.
To accommodate, Wasserman is cutting prices and offering deeper discounts.
"We won't let someone walk out the door with an item, but we'll sell for any price we can. We need cash today," he said.
The weekend didn't fare well farther north in the region, either.
"Unfortunately in Seattle, we're not busy," said Steve Goldfarb, owner of Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, with two locations in Seattle and Bellevue, Wash.
A powerful winter storm that slammed most of the western United States starting last Wednesday literally shut Seattle down, according to Goldfarb, and sales have been pretty much "nonexistent" for the jeweler since Thursday.
"We never have snow in the city, so Christmas is over," Goldfarb said.
Still, Goldfarb did manage to make a few sales over the weekend with local men and women with "high levels of testosterone and a good pioneer spirit" who braved the elements and walked to the store.
"The radius for my customers has just shrunk to people who can walk here," Goldfarb said. "Sales were decent for a wonderful day in August, but not for the weekend before Christmas."
Goldfarb is now concerned about icing conditions and another snowstorm on the radar for this week, which he thinks will only further dampen an already weak holiday season.
But despite the economic and weather-related setbacks, Goldfarb sees the silver lining:
"You can't take returns if you didn't sell anything," Goldfarb said.
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More Independents
Paso Robles, Calif.--Eleven percent of Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC) panel members plan to purchase fine jewelry or watches as a gift this holiday season, with 82 percent of this group believing they are either somewhat or extremely likely to do so, according to the JCOC's Pre Holiday study. Read More
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